2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

To the New Yorker: I'm an East Coast transplant of 10 years. I love Portland, but I think I can relate to the ex-NYC'er. First of all, this place does not compare to any place from which any person is from, esp. NYC. That is a culture thing that she has to find peace with through time and experience. However, I do say that even to this day, that native Oregonians are usually a little unable to deal with a more straightforward, expressive east coast style. I'm from the South and my good friend and coworker is from New Jersey. We both still find a soft-spoken, retiring (some say incommunicative) style in people who can't handle more passionate or blunt language.  As to her comment that Portlanders are indifferent to 9/11 or the rest of the world: No one outside of NYC, or the Pentagon, or Pa will have the same experience. (What if the attacks had been in other cities besides NY? Would New Yorkers have the same perspective?) Many Portlanders are well-traveled, very intelligent and very interested in national and world events. And lastly, don't be too hard on native PNW'ers who refer to any place west of here (Chicago, for example) as "back east."

posted 3 years, 5 months ago
view in context