Portland, Oregon anyone?

[Guest jstlooknthx]

I'm thinking of leaving Los Angeles. I'm looking for a less congested, more grounded place. I'm going to visit Portland soon. Anybody know anything about the gay life there? Since the escort review site is out of commission right now I'm also wondering about the escort scene. Hotel recommendations also. Thanks.

[johnnybrk25]

Portland is a really great little town. Pretty easy to take bike or mass transit everywhere. In Portland its the best way to catch all the small independent businesses and check em out. Stark street also known as vaseline alley is the gay strip. I don't know what kinds of bars you like but each caters to slightly different tastes and the people are all generally looking for a fun night. Boxxes you might want to avoid, unless its bingo night or karaoke lots of attitude. I'd suggest a hotel away from downtown, the airport, or anything in the hundreds streetwise. I believe the eastside has some smaller lodgings that aren't exactly fourstar but the eastside is usually pretty quite so sleep won't be a problem. Also the eastside is basically a lot of little towns mashed into east portland and then incorporated into portland proper. A lot of the little downtown areas are still there but have been rehabbed into small shopping centers with some unique boutiques, restaurants, and are awesome places to get your morning coffee. hope this helps

[+ Charlie]

I looked very seriously at Portland when searching for a place to relocate from the East Coast. It's an attractive, progressive city, with very good public transport and many nice residential neighborhoods. Unlike most cities, it doesn't seem to have any particular gay neighborhood. My impression was that gay life was fairly subdued there, and many gay Portlanders seem to go to Seattle when they want to get wild--and find escorts. The city--in fact, the whole state--was having serious financial problems a couple of years ago, and there was a somewhat bedraggled quality to the downtown, as well as lots of noticeable homeless persons and street beggars. It's one of the few states with no sales tax, but that means state income tax is fairly high; the financial ideal is to live across the river in Washington (no income tax) and shop in Oregon (no sales tax). Traffic on the highway system around the city seemed as bad as L.A. to me. The weather is beautiful at this time of year, but it can be pretty dreary for months at a time in winter, if you need sunshine. Ultimately I decided against it, mostly because of the climate.

[poiuyt]

I've been there a number of times on vacation and I like it lot. It's comfortable, unpretentious and the people are friendly (at least compared to California). It's urban but still a relatively cheap place to live, so there are lots of kids, lots of slackers, lots of art all over the place, and unfortunately lots of drugs, and more petty crime than I'd like. The weather often sucks, but they make up for it lots of beautiful interior spaces. It has one of the greatest bookstores in the world, Powell's City of Books.

 

The gay scene is pretty much spread throughout the city. There is sort of a gay neighborhood around Lloyd's Center, just across the river from downtown, but it's mostly residential.

 

I usually stay at McMenamin's Kennedy School, an old elementary school that's been converted to complex containing a brew pub, a movie house and a hotel. The rooms still have chalk boards and coat rooms and are very comfortable (no TV though), and the prices are reasonable. http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=57

 

I like Portland a lot and wouldn't mind retiring there, but I know people who hate the place and find it way too boring. You'll have to check it out for yourself.

[J-Man]

I too have considered (and am still considering) Portland as a potential retirement location. (I'm in southern Calif., but originally from northern Calif.) I went there for five days last September, and it rained every day. That put a bit of a damper (no pun intended) on my idea. I've also thought about the live-in-Washington-shop-in-Portland-to-minimize-taxes scheme. but the Vancouver, WA area seemed pretty bleak to me.

[Guest Jesse Dane]

I lived in Portland for a year and loved it! It's a fantastic city with a vibrant gay scene. I don't think I could live there now as it would be too small for me, but it has many great assets.

[Guest jstlooknthx]

Thanks for all the information guys. Definitely going to visit now. Most likely the end of Sept, beginning of Oct. What's the weather like then? Does anybody know a hotel called Mark Spencer?

[boscoman]

Hello guy,

 

I grew up in PDX and after a stay in Seattle I am in the process of moving back. Portland, OR is a great city to live in if you are queer. As a poster here said the east side is a lot of small neighborhoods put together, true, but they are great. On the other hand the west side is quite different. It is where most of the bars are yes but it has some great night life. email me personally and I will share my pretty open minded perspective of the "City of Roses".

 

p.s. I don't have the capacity to type at this time due to resent carpel tunnel surgery... my hand is killing me...:-)

 

Boscoman

Seattle, Wa. (soon pdx)

[twinkboylover28]

MSNBC has been airing one-hour specials on the Portland youth street "problem."