PupuParty by the pool

Gene and I are on a spring break vacation in Maui this week and found ourselves socializing with other “mainland” visitors around the “Pupu Party” table.  We struck up a friendly conversation with a couple from the west coast who have a level of familiarity with Portland, which led to some fun comparisons of characterizations of Portland and its neighborhoods.  The gentleman referred to Portland as a city of colonies, and I thought “how truly apt” that description is!

Portland is a community of colonies!  It is true because we are a city with neighborhood zones, or “districts”,  that generally have a distinct personality and lifestyle story.  These districts stand apart in style and culture, but blend seamlessly into the large scene and style of Portland Metro – the city that is our larger persona.

The Pearl District is the uber-urban condo/loft and gourmet dining hub; Multnomah Village is funky, irreverent and earthy; Hawthorne is funky, veggie/vegan and political, if not a bit self-righteous .  Lake Oswego is waterfront, resort upscale and responsible; South Waterfront is riverfront, high-rise, sustainable and substantial.  Northwest is smart, sophisticated and full of shopping and dining while Northeast is smart, gritty and gourmet in a ‘locally-owned and operated’ way.  Alberta is hip, healthy, hungry, entrepreneurial and real; Selllwood/Westmoreland/Eastmoreland are gentle, reflective, family-friendly and nostalgic.  Forest Heights and Bethany are clean, green, new and high-tech; Portland Heights is historic, iconic, established and and a little worn then renovated like an old library.  Orenco Station is the suburban-urban town center while Hillsboro is the urban countryside, small-town center.

These are my sunset musings about the separate and distinct characteristics of some of Portland’s colonies, neighborhoods whose homes and commercial centers have their own identity yet share the collective nature of what it is to be  Portland.  Did I leave yours out, or miss the mark somehow in my descriptions?  Tell me your thoughts about Portland neighborhoods.