A letter to Portland

[benefitz]

Dearest Damndest Portlanders,

I <3 you all so damn much. Every damn one of you. And I had no idea how much until I did something stupid and moved away. "But it's for grad school!", I told myself, "you'll be busy and it will be okay." I was wrong. If you love Portland, never move to the area around Phoenix, AZ. That is my recommendation for

Comments

[drivelikejehn]

As a Phoenix transplant into this here fair city, I feel you completely.

However, for a quick fix, I suggest heading north. Flagstaff and Jerome may be the closest 1920-ish towns to satisfy those cravings. For now.

[corporatepiracy]

I love, love, love Flagstaff. I won't lie - the three places I've considered moving to post-Portland are Flagstaff, Durango, and Boulder.

[xplo_eristotle]

I lived in Flagstaff for twelve years. I was so eager to leave it that I finally got rid of half of my possessions and hopped a jet here with a suitcase and a bicycle to start a new(ish) life. DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS MAN.

[corporatepiracy]

I'm a lady.

[ilikepangolins]

I love Flagstaff, too.

[evamagick]

drivelikejehn, you took the words right out of my fingers. I grew up in Bremerton, moved to Phoenix for 9 years and moved to Portland two years ago...living in Phoenix really make you appreciate the NW way more.

And yes, go to Flagstaff. It'll make you feel way better. :) Go in January, see some snow!

[dissonantsalmon]

Flagstaff, Jerome, and Sedonna are all pretty cool. Living in Prescott for the semester, I've had time to check them out. Northern AZ is sort of like central Oregon... All high-deserty and whatnot. I still want my Portland back!

[benefitz]

I like Flagstaff. Haven't been to Jerome yet. Northern AZ is actually really nice. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I live in the ickiest part of the whole state. It a gigantic never ending strip mall.

[evamagick]

From what I hear, Maynard from Tool lives in Jerome. :)

And yes, Phoenix is the biggest stripmall/suburb ever. Never ending cement. An orange glow of halogen lights at night, and a brown cloud of polluion halo during the day. And stupid people, as far as the eye can see.

God, I'm so grateful to be up here. Come home soon!

[ruthie384]

Agreed. I lived in Phoenix for two years and spent every weekend I could getting out of the city. If you like camping/hiking/swimming, check out Strawberry. Small town with a decent hike and a pretty nice swimming hole.