One of the most difficult things about buying a house in Portland is that you have to actually choose a neighborhood. There are so many cool little niches around the city that it is impossible to choose the one and only place that is perfect for you. I harbor some resent for having to choose a place. At least it’s still easy to get around to the others.
The other difficulty is leaving our current neighborhood. I joke about southwest being a cultural void, but I love it out here. I’m close to work, family, parks, Hillsdale, Multnomah Village, and downtown. I’m really going to miss driving into downtown on Barbur blvd. and seeing Mt. Hood and St. Helens above the city as it sits on the river and sprawls out to the east. Driving home is just as cool though because you look into your rear-view mirror and get not only the cars behind you but often a few skyscrapers and the low slope of a snowy mountain. It’s really gorgeous, and a quick and easy journey.
Still, we can’t really walk to anything worth walking to. A methodist church, the Castle Superstore, Blockbuster, and a liquor store. I’ll miss Barbur World Foods though; it’s going through a fascinating renovation. I’m also going to miss the birds, the neighbors (some of them), and Barley and my excellent walking routes.
Anyway, time to stop opining and stark opacking.