I admit, I was expecting a freak show. After all, I heard that Portland is the city that makes a concerted effort to "keep it weird." And while thirty-three percent of Portlanders believe if Oregon succeeded from the US it should be ruled by someone in a Sasquatch suit, I hardly think that qualifies for true weirdom.
Instead, Portland is more like a Miranda July movie: introverted, self-conscious and cutsey. Everything is cute from the beer koozies made from felt, to stuffed animals sold in craft stores (also made from felt), to the hand-knitted sweaters made for the supposedly shivering, felt stuffed animals. Even donut mascots have cute little faces on them and run around in bright Barbie-pink shops, even though they're supposedly "voodoo." Indie music pumped from coffee shops is so bouncy that it makes the Unicorn's "I Was Born (a Unicorn)" sound downright emo. Street art, which is plentiful, looks like colorful doodles stolen from a teenager's daydream diary. And for the record, there are more moose than birds"put on things," perhaps proof that the bird's time is done.
Yes, there's an undeniable love for nostalgia. Most Portland women look like Lisa Loeb: thick glasses, wispy hair pulled up with tiny barrettes and chunky Mary Janes, evoking a 1994 state of mind. You can also revisit your childhood years by buying candy necklaces out of school buses or eating grilled cheese sandwiches in a fire-engine red double decker. Unhappy childhood? Well, there's food carts offering to serve up their happy memories, along with a side of tater tots. Nolstalgia extends to home decor too, where vintage shops line Burnside Street, along with a museum dedicated to velvet art, proving it's not just the 90s Portander's are stuck in.
Portland is also known as the place indie rockers go to retire, from Stephen Malkmus (of Pavement fame), Modest Mouse, the Decemberists and Spoon, just to name a few. And while I was unsuccessful finding Malkmus' supposed "castle" or the Modest Mouse house, I could easily imagine Malkmus drinking an ale on the porch of one of the sprawling 2-story homes off shady Belmont, telling the band it's time to tune...
For a city that's a little different, it's quite fitting that Chris Guillebeau's "World Domination Summit" is held in Portland. Guillebeau, of "The Art of Non-Conformity" fame, extols the virtues of individuality and applying a personalized approach to happiness and success. In true non-conformist fashion (no art needed for that), I crashed the summit. While one can choose from such workshops as "Intro for World Changers," and "What Are Your Superpowers?" the underlying message, (or "manifesto" as they call it), is the same: be yourself, share it with the world and stop apologizing for it. Or in simple terms: let your freak flag fly.
Returning to the Ace Hotel from an evening of drinks at the Driftwood Room, my friend Johnny* turned to me and said, "I think I'm going the wrong way on a one-way street." Immediately, a cop with a bullhorn called out, "You're going the wrong way on a one-way street." No ticket issued, just an declaration. That's Portland. Not weird, just a little quirky....
*Some names have been changed to respect the privacy of the individual or just for giggles.
Been to Portland? What were your observations? More pictures of Portland here.
