Portland!! Why does everyone love it?

Over the past week, Coach Fulks had a former college teammate visiting Portland for the first time.. and her question was simple- Why does everyone love living in Portland? As an Ohio native herself, Coach Fulks can attest to the Portland appeal and come up with quite a few different answers….besides it being so green!   But, the answer is not typical.

Portland’s appeal happens to be a mix of cuisine, entertainment, arts, culture, sports, and natural beauty… with the ”Portland” twist into the realm of Atypical.   The Atypical makes you love this city.   We have all the ‘normal’ big city items to enjoy: Professional sports,  tall buildings downtown, countless malls, chain restaurants, big name concerts, and major company headquarters.  We have ‘the expected’ that every city should offer.  But, it’s the other stuff that makes you sometimes shake your head in both amazement or perplexity…or both.

Atypical #1:  ”Why did Mother Nature spend so much time here?” The list of sights is too abundant but the big ticket items are: Mount Hood, Multnomah Falls, Silver Falls, Columbia River Gorge, and the Oregon Coast (where scenes from both Goonies and Twilight were filmed).  You can snowboard, surf, hike, and bike… all in one weekend.  (Photos!!)

Atypical #2: “Who thought of these restaurants?” For example, Voodoo Doughnuts serves doughnuts 24 hours a day and provides anything from Captain Crunch Doughnuts to an Arnold Palmer and  Fire on the Mountain runs a special for free wings if you can bounce on a pogo stick for a minute.  Interested? Then also try Fat City Cafe, Por Que No?, St. Cupcake, and don’t leave out Portland City Grill, while both trendy and hip, offers a panoramic view of the city from the 30th floor.

Atypical # 3: “How do so many different types of people co-exist?” Good question.  Most likely because Portland comes with a friendliness that promotes good feelings…. maybe it’s all that fresh air.   But, no doubt, we have a variety: hippie, trendy, classy, sporty, green, old-fashioned, liberal and combinations of each.  We like different music, different sports, and different art.  But, we can all come together and celebrate the ‘atypical’ that makes Portland unforgettable.

After all, when was the last time you were driving and had to wait to turn for someone riding their unicycle.