PORTLAND DISAPPOINTING IN MAY WAYS
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6/24/2011
PROS: Gorgeous scenery/lots of outdoor activities/great food/wineries FOR 3 MONTHS OF THE YEAR! Best public transit system anywhere!
CONS: Weather! Weather! Weather! 9 straight months of a watery DARK dungeon. No-one is outside, everyone is inside, miserable and mean. That's why it seems like everyone is passive aggressive- they have 9 months to stew about other people, gossip about other people, and sleep and watch tv. It truely is a depressing place. There is not a ray of sunshine. It is like a gray flannel blanket thrown over the city and surrounding areas for 9 solid months. Been here 2 years, 2 people we know have committed suicide. And people here say the like the rain....Riiiiight. They say they like the "mild" weather.....9 months of wet 40 degree weather is mild?.....they say there's lots to do....if you are only active 3 months of the year yes. TRAFFIC- awful, bike riders in the city cutting in-between cars, cursing and banging on the sides of cars and buses!, Traffic is a snarl during rush hour and weekends. People drive like maniacs.
HOMELESS- all over the city, yelling and panhandling. Some become quite aggressive.
CRIME - Check out Portlandmaps.com - it's everywhere. Lots of assults and they will steal anything that's not nailed down.
HOUSING- expensive! Every other house is in foreclosure but the prices are still outrageous. Mortgage problem hit this state hard and it will take a long time before it ever recovers if it does. Most homes look run down (all the rain makes them look worse--they look a bit better when the sun is out).
AIRPORT--- OMG, the flights out of PDX are very expensive-- probably because it's not a very big airport. There are only a couple flights out (2) to any destination per day, ususally a morning and an evening flight. -- the good thing is the airport is not crowded but that is offset by the cost and limited flights avialable.
The state is an economic mess due to all the spending programs.
Thomas M. | Aloha, OR