Last weekend, I accompanied Tracy on a trip to Portland, where she interviewed for a fellowship position in endocrinology at the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). I've been to Portland probably 4 or 5 times already for very short trips, and by and large, the city reminds me a whole lot of a smaller and funkier Seattle ("what Seattle used to be like", so they say). True to form, it was cold and drizzly the whole weekend, but we more than made up for that with good food and good friends -- three of Tracy's friends live in the city right now. We took a ride along the Columbia River out to the town of Hood River, and I was reminded of how much I miss the dramatic scenery of the Pacific Northwest. On Sunday, we took a driving tour of many of Portland's neighborhoods, and I realized it wouldn't be much of a culture shock to live in any of them. Oh, and Portland's mighty bike-friendly, which can only help!
I like Portland, and figure it would place second to Seattle on both my list and Tracy's list. One of the things I'm starting to value more is having friends in a city that aren't related to where you're working (or where your significant other is working). Over five years in Seattle, I managed to make enough such friends that it made leaving the city pretty hard. Sadly, I haven't been as fortunate in San Diego, but that's mostly due to my own doing. I steadfastly refuse to go out and join a bike club, or something of that sort. Moving to Seattle or Portland next June would provide an immediate social circle to soften the blow of having a new job and possibly a new home.
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