(
Editor's note: Don't miss
Melissa Coleman's visit to Powell's Books on Hawthorne! Monday, June 6th, at 7:30pm.)
It was so much fun blogging for Powell's in April that I had to come back to say, "Portland and Powell's, I love you!" (Explanation point used to show great emphasis, at the risk of scorn by some editors.) I'm also looking forward to returning to my old stomping grounds to read from my memoir, This Life Is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres, and a Family Undone, at Powell's on Hawthorne on June 6.
I had to laugh when I read Claire Dederer's post about Portland vs. Seattle. What she says is true: If you're not so lucky as to live in Portland, you're jealous of those who do. So at the risk of sounding like I've been hired by the chamber of commerce, here's my top 10, okay 15, things I loved about living in Portland:
15) The quick bus ride (or rigorous bike ride) from our apartment in the West Hills down to my office in the Pearl (this was BR, before rail)
14) The Warhols at the Heathman Hotel
13) Local farmers the Portland Farmer's Market
12) Portland Art Museum and Portland International Film Festival
11) The community at the Bikram yoga studio on Fremont and going to what used to be Wild Oats, now Whole Foods, after yoga
10) Skiing at Mt. Hood on Saturday and surfing at Short Sands on Sunday, an hour and change in either direction from home
9) Escaping to Hood River for kayaking, windsurfing, and old friends
8) Hiking the trails of Forest Park and getting a snack at Elephants Delicatessen afterwards
7) Going to Laughing Planet or Hot Lips Pizza at the EcoTrust Building after visiting the Patagonia store
6) The color-coded stacks at the Burnside City of Books and, of course, the author readings
5) Local author Ursula Le Guin, who wrote the amazing Earthsea Trilogy
4) Writing art reviews for D. K. Row at the Oregonian
3) My boss, Andrew, and the gang at what used to be Wellmed, now WebMD
2) Jessica Morrell's writer's group and Tom Spanbauer's Dangerous Writers workshop
And the top 15th thing I love about Portland:
1) Friends Karen, Audrey, Sean, Mark, Leanne, Heather, Doug, and my step-aunt Eloise and the rest of her family, who made me feel at home when I lived there, and Janie Beebe at PDX Contemporary Art, who did the same.
See you all soon.