Wow, so much crunchy goodness I feel obligated to respond to all the main points!
Mean-Eyed Cat said:
Between that store and the Internet, I have managed to fill 7 tall bookshelves in my house.
That's impressive. I used to have a lot of books, relatively speaking, but I sold pretty much everything and now I have really just a handful and most of those are very recently purchased. I've found it hard to find books I'm interested in both reading and keeping. :\
Mean-Eyed Cat said:
Portland is a very bicycle friendly city. ... Lots of bike paths and trails.
That's very true of Boulder, too. OTOH, I don't like Boulder. OTTH, I'm not really a bicyclist anyway, though at times I think I might find it appealing, except for costs and the dangers of riding anywhere near traffic. I did try mountain biking once and while it was exhilarating, I feared for my life the whole time and haven't done it since (sold the bike, even).
And doesn't the rain put a damper on biking to work? Even if it is nice in the morning, what about the ride home if it rains at the end of the day?
Mean-Eyed Cat said:
I recall this redundant name from some Googling and have a memory of finding it appealing. I'll definitely be looking into it as an option for this weekend. It's hard to miss on the map.
Mean-Eyed Cat said:
Portland has a lot of activities to do. Saturday Market, Chinese & Japanese Gardens, funky little shops, pubs and the semi-famous Bagdad Theater in the Hawthorne District, the MAX and Portland Streetcars [the best lightrail system in the NW] and great restaurants [one of my favorites is Alexis Greek Restaurant on Burnside].
Oddly, I'm not much for culture, but it certainly doesn't hurt to at least check these kinds of things out.
Mean-Eyed Cat said:
It rains a lot! Buy a good raincoat.
This seems to be everyone's number one response when asked about the PNW. I've only lived in Colorado for a year now and I've found even in that short a time I've come to be spoiled about sunny days and probably don't appreciate them as much as I should.
OTOH (how many hands is that now?), it's the rain that makes the PNW so lush and I think that is a fair trade-off. Colorado (at least where I live) is just so dry and barren. They might as well rename it Arrakis.
Mean-Eyed Cat said:
The cost of living has gone up. Houses are now very expensive [but still cheaper than, say, southern California].
I used to live in Northern Virginia, so I know all about high costs of living. But I still rent and right now have no desire to buy. The costs just aren't worth it given my needs. However, if I were to move up there I'm hoping I would finally find a place that feels like "home" (which I've never had since I was a child) and want to settle down and build.
Mean-Eyed Cat said:
And, for all its quaintness, it’s still a city. Traffic can be a bear.
Which is why I like living just outside a big city. Close enough to go in but not have to deal with the traffic on a daily basis. I've also been fortunate with the location of jobs relative to where I live in that I've never had to deal with excessive traffic. I'd just have to plan right.
Mean-Eyed Cat said:
But the mountains are really close and there are many picturesque waterfalls to explore.
I've only been in the mountains here maybe three times even though they were a reason I chose to move here. OTOH, waterfalls rock!
Mean-Eyed Cat, thank you very much for such a wonderfully informational post!
Mycanid said:
Stupendous post Mean-Eyed Cat! ... I think it will be of use for Justin. Thanx!
Frelling-a right!
