What can you tell me about the Portland (Oregon) area?

[bcterps]

I'm probably moving to the Portland area for the summer, going to be doing an internship in Hillsboro for about 10 weeks or so. I'm looking for suggestions on places to live, and things to do. I'll probably rent a car on most weekends to explore the surrounding area, but I'd like to live somewhere on the light rail line so that I can take public transportation to work. Walking distance to public transportation, grocery stores, and restaurants are the highest on my list right now, I'd probably rather live in the suburbs for a shorter commute, and then just head into the city on the evenings and weekends.

 

[Sukhoi]

It's a cool city. Very metro/trendy. All sorts of little neighborhoods with mini-downtowns and such. I drove over a good portion of the city when I was there, and can't remember seeing anything close to a ghetto. I'm sure they exist, but must be small. It is definitely a place I would consider living in if the weather wasn't so crappy.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Hillsboro is a pretty nice area. Close enough to Portland to do all the major attractions but far enough out to have some medium city feel. Even though it's supposed to be its own city you should really think of it like the suburbs of Portland. You shouldn't have any problem finding a reasonable place close to the Max. I worked at Sun there for a couple years and had a mostly positive experience. There is a growing gang problem however, which is beginning to get a bit violent. It's still small compared to other large cities however so it shouldn't cause too much of an issue.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Hillsboro is a pretty nice area. Close enough to Portland to do all the major attractions but far enough out to have some medium city feel. Even though it's supposed to be its own city you should really think of it like the suburbs of Portland. You shouldn't have any problem finding a reasonable place close to the Max. I worked at Sun there for a couple years and had a mostly positive experience. There is a growing gang problem however, which is beginning to get a bit violent. It's still small compared to other large cities however so it shouldn't cause too much of an issue.

For decades, Hillsboro has been pushing the gangs west and Forest Grove has been pushing the gangs east, landing them in Cornelius and destroying it. :frown:

If you come here, stay for the summer and leave for fall/winter/spring. If you stay, I hope you have medical insurance to treat Seasonal Affected Disorder, because you will have a disturbingly high chance of developing it if you're from some place that isn't as overcast all the time.

Everyone thinks Oregon does nothing but rain all the time, and they're wrong. In the green areas, it's just perma-damp. Even the f'ing roadways would be seas of mushrooms and other fungus if they weren't perpetually mashed down with all the tree-hugging-hypocrites. The vast majority of the state is baren desert (gasp!). The NW region of the state and along the coast is plush and green. The Willamette Valley (between the Rockies and Cascades) stays lush. Obviously, nearly everyone lives in the green areas of the state. Naturally, they're all hippies, college kids, gang members, young metrosexual wannabe-hippies, counter-culture revivalists, or soulless corporate money machines.

Take your pick. If you don't fit in, then don't come. If you do fit in, come visit, then get the fvck out

:beer: cheers, and look me up when you get here. We'll go party.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Thank god its only for the summer. Fall, winter, and spring is a gloomy-foggy-drippy miserable experience of 40 degree highs.

+'s: Strip clubs & cheep beer. Great Mac 'n Cheese at Montage! Good festivals on the waterfront.

-'s: people are slow, lots of homeless teens, lots of addicts (meth, heroin, weed), public is not highly educated or skilled,

I lived in PDX for two summers interning, Summer is great, the other 9-months in Oregon suck ass!

 

[tasmanian]

Its nice.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: GuideBot

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Hillsboro is a pretty nice area. Close enough to Portland to do all the major attractions but far enough out to have some medium city feel. Even though it's supposed to be its own city you should really think of it like the suburbs of Portland. You shouldn't have any problem finding a reasonable place close to the Max. I worked at Sun there for a couple years and had a mostly positive experience. There is a growing gang problem however, which is beginning to get a bit violent. It's still small compared to other large cities however so it shouldn't cause too much of an issue.

For decades, Hillsboro has been pushing the gangs west and Forest Grove has been pushing the gangs east, landing them in Cornelius and destroying it. :frown:

If you come here, stay for the summer and leave for fall/winter/spring. If you stay, I hope you have medical insurance to treat Seasonal Affected Disorder, because you will have a disturbingly high chance of developing it if you're from some place that isn't as overcast all the time.

Everyone thinks Oregon does nothing but rain all the time, and they're wrong. In the green areas, it's just perma-damp. Even the f'ing roadways would be seas of mushrooms and other fungus if they weren't perpetually mashed down with all the tree-hugging-hypocrites. The vast majority of the state is baren desert (gasp!). The NW region of the state and along the coast is plush and green. The Willamette Valley (between the Rockies and Cascades) stays lush. Obviously, nearly everyone lives in the green areas of the state. Naturally, they're all hippies, college kids, gang members, young metrosexual wannabe-hippies, counter-culture revivalists, or soulless corporate money machines.

Take your pick. If you don't fit in, then don't come. If you do fit in, come visit, then get the fvck out

:beer: cheers, and look me up when you get here. We'll go party.

Great. Thanks for reminding me.

/me cues an emo video on YouTube.com and mopes around.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
Great. Thanks for reminding me.

/me cues an emo video on YouTube.com and mopes around.

Doh! Never fear, drugs and alcohol are here! Oregonians are relentless survivors though. They have to be to survive nature's psychological war against them

 

[bcterps]

Thanks for the info! Yeah not sure if I wanna be in Portland long term, but the internship is an awesome opportunity. Good thing I'll be in Portland for the best part of the year it seems

 

[CrackRabbit]

PNW winters > Southern summers
Hillsboro is a rather nice place to be, right on the outer western edge of the metroplex.
AND you have the one and only Sonic in the state there.
If you are interested in the public transportation stuff check out http://www.trimet.org/
That should give you bus schedules and the light rail map.

 

[IronWing]

Portland = Cincinnati + pine trees - nazis
Portland = Milwaukee - lake - beer + tea
Portland - Philly - ... Okay, Portland is nothing like Philly.

The area around Portland is fantastic though. More natural beauty than you can throw a double-espresso-sucking-kite-surfer at.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
PNW winters > Southern summers
Hillsboro is a rather nice place to be, right on the outer western edge of the metroplex.
AND you have the one and only Sonic in the state there.
If you are interested in the public transportation stuff check out http://www.trimet.org/
That should give you bus schedules and the light rail map.

Great now I'm craving Sonic and have to drive WAAAAAAAAAAAAY over the "west syyyyyyyyyyde" to get it.

 

[mooglemania85]

Be sure to mention Greg Oden in your conversations with the locals. Then smirk and laugh as much as possible.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: ironwing
Portland = Cincinnati + pine trees - nazis
Portland = Milwaukee - lake - beer + tea
Portland - Philly - ... Okay, Portland is nothing like Philly.

The area around Portland is fantastic though. More natural beauty than you can throw a double-espresso-sucking-kite-surfer at.

milwaukee - beer?

...what happened to the microbrew capital of the western hemisphere? No place in the entire country comes close to Portland in the Beer catagory. Nowhere.

 

[bcterps]

Yeah, I read about the tons of microbreweries in the area. How are the vineyards? I plan on visiting Seattle and Vancouver while I'm there too. How are the casinos in the area? I'd love to play some poker if the casinos arent too far away and are decent.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: benchiu
How are the casinos in the area? I'd love to play some poker if the casinos arent too far away and are decent.

http://www.spirit-mountain.com/gaming/PokerRoom/

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: benchiu
How are the casinos in the area? I'd love to play some poker if the casinos arent too far away and are decent.

http://www.spirit-mountain.com/gaming/PokerRoom/

I love that place. Don't forget that one casino (I can't think of the name and can't find it on google) that just opened about 5 miles north of Portland, over in Washington. It's a whole casino dedicated to nothing but card games.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: GuideBot

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: benchiu
How are the casinos in the area? I'd love to play some poker if the casinos arent too far away and are decent.

http://www.spirit-mountain.com/gaming/PokerRoom/

I love that place. Don't forget that one casino (I can't think of the name and can't find it on google) that just opened about 5 miles north of Portland, over in Washington. It's a whole casino dedicated to nothing but card games.

I wish they had slot machines

http://www.centerwa.com/entertainment.htm

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

Here's what I can tell you. You shouldn't come here. Ever. Go get an internship in a state that's actually worth going to. Florida or California for example.

 

[Nik]

La Center, that's it. I hear it about 1000 times a day on the radio, you'd think I'd remember it :roll:

You've been to La Center though? How did you like it? Were you going for a specific game?

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: GuideBot
La Center, that's it. I hear it about 1000 times a day on the radio, you'd think I'd remember it :roll:

You've been to La Center though? How did you like it? Were you going for a specific game?

I haven't, I called them and they said only card games no slot machines.

So that leaves Spirit Mountain and Lucky Eagle which is about the same distance away.

 

[Nik]

There's a place down in Coos Bay called The Mill that's a nice little hole in the wall.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: GuideBot
There's a place down in Coos Bay called The Mill that's a nice little hole in the wall.

How far is that from the Sea Lion caves?

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: GuideBot
There's a place down in Coos Bay called The Mill that's a nice little hole in the wall.

How far is that from the Sea Lion caves?

http://www.themillcasino.com/i...images/driving_map.gif

 

[bcterps]

Originally posted by: flxnimprtmscl
Here's what I can tell you. You shouldn't come here. Ever. Go get an internship in a state that's actually worth going to. Florida or California for example.

Actually, I had the choice of Santa Clara and Sacramento, but I chose Portland Internship for me is about the experience, the location is secondary.