in the 'hood

I've been meaning to update more frequently, but I suppose I've been busy lately.  With what, I'm not exactly sure.  Yes, I've been working- mostly in the mornings, spreadsheets, emails, etc.  Which has left my afternoons and evenings (for the most part) free for exploration of this new place.  

I went on a 6 mile walk last week.  Sort of just meandering around- my eyes taking in the sights of the houses, the landscapes, my butt taking in the slow peaks and valleys, and my ears taking in a lot of quiet.  It's not that things are still around here- there are cars, there is music, the noise of garbage trucks, my neighbors slamming doors, and there are the sounds of people playing basketball, but where I am is far removed from the sounds of a city.  A walk down the street here sounds very different than a walk down a side street in Chicago.  I'm not sure why, entirely- residential is residential, right?  Not so much.  And I can't pin point it.  Perhaps there were just more people in Chicago on the streets, perhaps not.  I'll get back to you on that one.   

I'm still without a bike (on my to do list) which is a huge form of transportation around here, hence the 6 mile walk.  It feels lonely being a pedestrian- there don't seem to be a lot of us round these parts- and the ones I do see are usually walking dogs.  There are tons of bikers, runners, skateboarders, and not a whole lot of people walking.  Sure, on the main drags there are people going in and out of bars, shops, etc- but they probably got there by bike, bus, or car...not by foot. This is an initial assumption, and may be more reflective of my neighborhood than downtown, but we shall see.  But I will have to drink the kool-aid, buy a bike and pedal on.  I don't mind walking places- I've got 3 main drags within 2 miles of me- Alberta Arts, Mississippi Avenue, and the small strip on Williams avenue.  But 2 miles still takes while by foot, and when the weather turns crappy I'm sure to want something a bit speedier.  

Due to this lack of cycle, I haven't really left my quadrant of the city yet (except when it was raining one day and me and my friend Ben went to go see Super 8 in the SE).  Portland is divided into 4 quadrants, SE- neat areas, famous perhaps for the Belmont/Hawthorne districts.  SW - where most of downtown is, as well as PSU, NW- famous for the Pearl district, and NE - where I live. And then there's North Portland (aka NoPo) -the 5th quadrant.  It is west of NE, North of NW, kind of on it's own, but a neat area for sure.  So I suppose I've been in NoPo  a bit, as well as venturing around the NE, and I can say that I'm pretty happy with where I've landed.

In my 10 years in Chicago, I didn't live farther than 2 blocks from a grocery store.  Now I'm a bit farther out, and pretty limited- 6 blocks to Whole Foods.  Whole Foods is well and good for some things, but we all know it is not the cheapest place around, and I have no intentions of going broke on organic meats.  There does seem to be a lack of bodegas in my hood as well, but I'll just have to deal...and we are back to the bicycle issue.  Until then it's pedestrian city.  

So what else is in the 'hood?  Sunday farmers market about a mile away where I've purchased some tasty radishes and honey, watched a kickball game, ate some fresh goat cheese, and again meandered (I do a lot of that lately).  Capoeira class, which I was peer-pressured into going to, and damn happy I went.  I had a lot of fun, but my feet didn't.  I'd take pictures of my blisters, except I fear that I'd lose all my readers by doing that.  

I found an art store in, where else, Alberta Arts district that is tiny and adorable.  Blasphemy though, as they don't carry any Prussian blue paint.  What's a girl like me to do??  Oh right, tiny stores will special order stuff.  I also ate at a Mexican food cart that had rave reviews on yelp.  The reviews must have been more for the vegan/vegetarian menu (which was larger than the meat eaters menu) as I wasn't too impressed by my carnitas burrito.  Rumor has it that Mexican food isn't that great in this town.  Le sigh.  I miss Taco Burrito Palace and Big Star.

That's all for now.  If you need me, I'll probably be reading at the park.      

...of course the trees

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks since leaving Chicago.  So much has happened in the past two weeks, but it feels like forever ago and 2 seconds ago all at the same time.  

So what's new?  Furniture arrived on Friday, and I am currently at a state of 90% unpacked.  I'll be honest- I'll probably stay at 90% unpacked for awhile- until I muster up enough motivation to figure out what I want to do with the boxes of books I have nowhere to put, and the tool box I hopefully won't need in the near future.  My apartment is a glorified studio, but it feels good.  I'll be the first to let you know there is nothing wrong with small things.  

I live across from an amazing park that I hope to visit every single day that I'm here.  Why?  Because there is something new and/or weird going on everyday for me to watch- tai chi, softball, frisbee, soccer, families shooting rockets, group training classes, people and dogs, strange cheerleading(?) practice that involved bikes, grill outs, and of course the trees.  Perhaps the coolest thing in Portland are the trees.  Not only are they everywhere, but they are beautiful, amazing, and awe-inducing.  There are plenty that make me want to get back into tree-climbing, and I'm sure I will when I'm feeling adventurous.  There are ones that just make you stare up and up and up- and your neck hurts from craning back so far.  Trunks so fat you'd have to hold hands with 2 friends to go around, branches so plentiful you feel like you're lost in a maze.  Holly trees, pine trees, sycamore trees, maple trees, and so many more...and don't even get me started on the shrubbery.  

The neighborhood I am is a stone's throw from an historic district- with gorgeous half million dollar houses that don't look like they should cost so much.  But they are bigger on the inside than they look.  A lot of people take great pride in their front yards here, with stepped retaining walls packed to the gills will all kinds of greenery and flowers.  Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful and pretty damn fragrant too.  

I've had the pleasure to do a lot of walking lately.  Like I said, I am a stone's throw from a fancy hood, with my side of the park being a little less fancy.  I've spent some time exploring the neighborhood and surrounding areas.  One of the interesting things is that you can feel like you're just strolling about the 'burbs one minute, and then turn the corner into a bustling area reminiscent of Andersonville.  

There's so much more to write about- like the prevalence of senior citizens as neighbors, the way being a pedestrian actually feels lonely in this biking town, the food carts, the dude I met named "Wood Poet," and the brew-pubs.  But that'll have to wait until next time (which might be tomorrow).