Fourteen years ago we lived in Seattle and fell in love with the city. It was our first year of marriage and we chose Seattle for a fresh start — a place far removed from the desert climate of the Southwest where we grew up. Compared with New York City or San Francisco, Seattle was more affordable, so we moved north and began building a new life.
Although that season turned out to be the rainiest on record, we made lasting friendships and came to appreciate the overcast skies, steady drizzle, and generally gloomy weather. Portland wasn’t on our radar back then, and it has certainly changed over the past decade and a half, but our day trips to Stumptown left us content with the choice to live in Seattle.
Fast forward to the present: after spending a weekend in Portland, we’ve come to love the city. Incredible food and warm, friendly people made a strong impression. Portland seems content to remain slightly off the mainstream radar — part of its charm is that it resists becoming overly popular.
We stayed at Hotel Lucia, a chic boutique property that feels stylish without pretension. The staff are welcoming, and its downtown location makes it easy to walk to many sights. The trade-offs are small standard rooms and pricey valet parking, but those are the concessions you often make for central accommodations.
On Friday I spent a day with NexGen Turf Research and Pennington Seed, who hosted a presentation for a select group of media and bloggers on the craft of seed technology. I’ll share a more detailed follow-up later this week, but one fascinating takeaway is that the Willamette Valley isn’t only ideal for vineyards — it also produces roughly 64% of the world’s grass seed, making grass seed production a significant American industry.
Tomorrow we plan to visit Pendleton Woolen Mills, another proud Made-in-America success story. Pendleton has manufactured wool blankets and clothing in Oregon textile mills for more than a century. We’re excited to learn more about their history and share photos from the visit.
Portland and the surrounding area have attracted major modern companies such as Nike and Columbia. The region’s business-friendly tax environment and a higher-than-average college-educated population have supported those companies’ growth, while the overall quality of life appears high.
We took a day trip to the Oregon coast to visit Cannon Beach and admire the iconic Haystack Rock, then continued north to Astoria, one of the oldest ports on the West Coast and the filming location for the classic movie The Goonies.
Portland is also notable for its blend of progressive and old-school hardware stores. The city’s DIY culture and resources — including a highly regarded tool library — make it easy for residents and visitors to tackle projects and learn new skills.
With so many walkable neighborhoods and natural areas within reach, we’re already planning our next trip. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the city’s quirky spirit — Portlandia captures that absurd, endearing personality well, and after this visit we appreciate it even more.