July 05, 2005
'An Admirable, Almost Intimidating Conscientiousness'
An Open Thread
An article for Budget Travel asks of Portland, "Can a place be too perfect?" We're sure it must be worthy of any number of collaborations and excoriations, so we're opening a thread for people to serve them up.
In general, we suppose there are a few immediate questions, out of which everything else likely will flow. First, are the things about Portland which the article's author cites as definite benefits indeed benefits? Second, regardless of the answer to the first question, are there any she omits that you would have included?
Third -- and, we suspect, likely the angle which will generate the most comment here -- what are the downsides missing from the portrait of perfection the article presents?
We have hit or miss success with topic-specific open threads, but we thought we'd go ahead and try another one centered around this article, which we got from an item on About Portland, Oregon.
Comments (8)
justin on 06 Jul 2005
That was a nice article. And the author didn't mention the street kids until the end.
Though, something about the street kids yelling at the tourists rubbed me the wrong way. I always assumed these kids were from California and only come to Portland during the summer months, and thus are tourists themselves, but perhaps I'm wrong.
And I don't have a problem with dressing in spiked collars and panhandling. If that's what you enjoy, then go for it. But for the love of all that is sacred and holy, don't mock others because they are enjoying a tour of Portland.... whatever, I guess. It just annoyed me.
Joe on 06 Jul 2005
Personally, I say, "Mock the tourists!" Guided city tours of any kind are absolutely the lamest way to see a city, especially one as interesting and full of nooks and crannies as Portland. All anyone (who's not from here) talks about in those glossy-mag profiles are the Rose Garden, MAX, and how eco-friendly we all are. Did anyone see the Portland Edition of "Globe Treker" on PBS? Oh yeah, that's right, down town is full of free, electric car hook-ups! Gime a break! Portland is much more than Pittock Mansion and bike lanes, and those homeless kids are probably the only ones willing to point that out to tourists in white sneakers and fanny packs. And besides, do we really need any more Californians?
Miles on 06 Jul 2005
Portland sure is getting some fine press these days.
MSNBC
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8244079/
New York Times
http://www.planetizen.com/news/item.php?id=17221
You could hardly ask for a more glowing propaganda piece. She came to Portland, wandered around, had lots of good experiences, and tells the world about it. By and large she captures, for outsiders, something of what Portland likes about itself.
She could have also written about homelessness, poverty, declining public schols, meth labs, a weak industrial and employment base, and that all would have been true too.
No harm in not telling the whole story. No harm in not summing up every truth. She represents one truth, for people who are looking for a certain kind of reality.... a glowing MSNBC reality perhaps, or just a vision of an alternative kind of city in which to live.
If anybody followed her vision, and explored the city in depth, they'd follow the thread of the street punks and much more and they'd learn a fuller truth.
Yet at the end of the day, the essential story she conveyed wouldn't be untrue, just surrounded by more facts and somewhat less idyllic.
Jeff on 06 Jul 2005
I kind of go the other route: I thought the Travel piece was an extended look at all the places in Portland I deliberately avoid - all the restaurants I don't frequent, all the districts I ride past on my bike, etc.
Anyway, I appreciated the link and blabbed a bit more about it here. I suppose I moved to Portland for the sleaze and I'm sad to see it go. The street kids tend to bother me less than the swarming yuppies.
And, even though I reference it, even the wonderful Marathon ain't what it used to be.
JVK on 06 Jul 2005
Sleaze rules. It keeps things diverse and interesting. Who says it's going away?
paul gronke on 06 Jul 2005
It's a tourist article, and since we desperately need tourists as one of our economic shots in the arm, I say "ok." Not sure what we can add here as residents. We just don't see the city the same way (like: tourists couldn't give a hoot about PPS).
pdxkona on 06 Jul 2005
I must be in my 13th year as a tourist, because many of the places she went (Rimsky's, Bagdad, Kennedy School, Lucky Lab, Alberta First Thursday, for instance), I still go to.
panchopdx on 07 Jul 2005
Though, something about the street kids yelling at the tourists rubbed me the wrong way. always assumed these kids were from California and only come to Portland during the summer months, and thus are tourists themselves, but perhaps I'm wrong.
Oh they live here, and I can't wait until a few of them figure out how to qualify for public financing in the upcoming city council race.
I'll donate $5 to each one that files.