Portlandtopia

We love Portland. We consider it utopia. And as much as we miss (miss miss miss!!!!) our friends in the Bay Area, we are kicking ourselves that we didn't come to Portland sooner.

Call it transplant fever. Call it returning to the mother ship (Heather gets credit for that one). Call it what you may, but we are so in love with the city of roses. People here are so friendly and laid back. When they ask, "How are you today?" as they steam your milk for a latte, they mean it. If you say, "Fine, thanks," they look at you like you have two heads. They actually want to hear how you are.

Our neighborhood is one of the most walkable in the city. Within 10 blocks, we have a hardware store, two grocery stores, the library, the pool, three parks, boutiques, bookstores, coffee shops, furniture stores, yoga studios...you name it. And, because it's walkable, that's what everybody does.

Everywhere we go, people notice that we are new in the neighborhood and introduce themselves. A woman who owns a little shop down the street advised me to just drop in and say hi as I walked by..."all the neighborhood ladies do." A woman I saw at the gelato shop recognized me from an earlier meeting at the park and introduced herself. People at church were so friendly, we were nearly bowled over by them greeting us.

Yesterday, we went to Sundae in the Park, held at our local park to benefit a local charity. There was great music. Tons of young families. They ran out of sundaes, but as you can see by their faces, the girls didn't mind the substitution ice cream bars one bit. As we walked home with another family we met (who live two blocks away, it turns out), we were so blissfully grateful to be in Portland. We walked home along the bluff above Oaks Bottom reservoir, with views of the river and the downtown skyline, and felt like we'd just won the housing lottery of the year.

Now, if we could only convince our Bay Area friends to come join us, life would be perfect.