Really, though, maybe it should be:
This Californian is becoming an Oregonian
or
This Angeleno is becoming and Portlandian if the Oregonian variety (so as not to be confused with those Portlandians of the Mainenites variety).
But I'm splitting hairs here, the point is, Leo and I are moving to Portland Oregon. Leo goes up on Monday to start a new job on the 7th.
It is not without some apprehension that I go. I've lived in Los Angeles for almost 5 years and I have met so many wonderful people, a few of whom, to my delight, even count me among their friends. As I'm predisposed to hermit-like behavior, this is no small feat, in my mind. I will miss them terribly.
Yet, I also look upon all this as an exciting opportunity to start fresh and new and discover an area I've never been before. What? Didn't I mention that? Oh, yah, neither Leo nor I have ever been to Oregon. I'm not averse to change, and I love exploring new cities. It's scary to know I'll be jobless in a month, but with rents half the price of the LA area, I can pretty much sell hemp jewelry on a street corner and still contribute my part to the household expenses.
I've already checked and it appears there are several yarn shops in the Portland area. And those cute little Pygoras from a couple days ago? They hail from Oregon, which bodes well for my spinning future.
So if any of you who live, have lived, or frequently visit Oregon, have suggestions for me, please send them my way.
I'll do my best to keep posting during the transition, but with our home computer going up north without me, and with all the upheaval, I make no promises, expressed or implied, that blogging will continue as normal.
Oregon has some great fiber festivals--the Black Sheep Gathering and Oregon Flock and Fiber. Plus Seattle (where I hail from is only 3 hours away) And in Oregon--NO SALES TAX!
Good luck with the move. I'm moving out on the 5th - it all gets a bit emotional, doesn't it?
The hemp jewellery idea has really tickled me ;)
Good luck, Marnie! Portland is beautiful - I'm sure you'll love it.
wow, that's 3 bloggers now moving to Portland! We're planning a visit in November from England to see if we want to move there (in theory yes please but have to check it out first!). Hope the move goes well, and you will still have wonderful beaches to visit with Panda!
Wow. I'll be right behind you...
You will love Portland. It's lush, green and temperate.
Not to mention all the crafty folks up that way - Leigh Radford, Laura Irwin and the other ladies of Lint...
Make sure to visit the Japanese Garden - it's a lovely bit of peace in the SW corner of the city, and will inspire your creativity!
Lived in Portland for a year. I absolutely loved it. We'd still be there if life hadn't thrown us a curveball. Just as others have said, its green, and beautiful, wonderful outdoors activities, very open minded atmosphere. I didn't knit when I was there, only before and after, so no advice there. The foodie in you will be well nurtured, that's for certain. Also, very dog friendly city.
Best of luck.
Portland is a great city. It reminds me of a smoosh between Seattle and San Diego. I really fell in love with the neighborhood around the Kennedy School hotel. And the streets are so clean - not a random napkin floating along the side of the highway for miles!
ooh, I've heard wonderful things about Portland! This is exciting! Can't wait to hear about your adventures in the new city. Hope moving and all the fun stuff that comes along with it goes well. :)
I certainly like the song Portland, Oregon...so I think that bodes well.
Good luck with the move. And think how many more sweaters you'll be able to knit (and wear) in a cooler climate!
No helpful info on Portland or Oregon, but best wishes and good luck in the move!
Portland is a charming medium-sized city, big enough to offer some nice cultural events but small enough to feel friendly. It is very bike/pedestrian friendly with pretty good public transportation for a city of its size, and with the moderate climate it's great for exploring by foot, bike, or light rail. There are lots of knitting stores but the only one I have visited recently is Mole Hill Farm in Lake Oswego (we lived there before I knew enough to give up Michael's as a primary yarn supplier). Mole Hill is a nice medium sized shop in a converted house. They carry a good selection of yarns, books, magazines, and notions. Lake Oswego is a really nice suburb which is worth a visit sometime, even if you live across town. You will have more chance to wear your cool weather knits, as there are a fair number of chilly days with light rain throughout the year and a few snowy days every year. That said, its been an unusually warm summer in Oregon so you're not likely to see any of those chilly days for a while. When you get out to the coast (where its cooler), Astoria, Heceta Head (there's a beautiful lighthouse), and Hug Point are all lovely places. For good clam chowder on the coast be sure to visit a Mo's (see moschowder.com for locations and more info), they are a local institution. Should you make it down to Southern Oregon (or if you are on your way through on I-5) be sure to stop by my favorite local yarn shop in Ashland, Web*sters (yarnatwebsters.com). Closer to Portland, don't miss Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River Gorge, or Silver Falls (actually ten waterfalls) outside Silverton, both are beautiful.
Hope that helps.
I'm a Hawaii-ian that became an Oregonian and I love it here. For fiber events, you'll be just in time for the Oregon Flock and Fiber festival in late September. There are dozens of yarn shops to visit all over the area... the people are VERY friendly and the weather here, despite what everyone says, is perfect.
In short, you'll love it!
Can I hop into one of your boxes and come along? I'm so jealous! I visited Portland 6 or 7 years ago and totally fell in love with it. I still dream about moving there. My boyfriend's cousin has a vintage clothing business there, it's an idea to get into if the hemp jewelry doesn't work out.
YAY! How exciting! Good luck with the move, and I hope you find it to your liking. You'll finally have a good reason to knit big wool sweaters! :)
Ooh, something I forgot to point out to you in emails was don't try and pump your own gas in this state. They get very angry with you. All gas is full-service here, by law. And Heceta Head is beautiful as is Honeyman State Park [also in Florence.] One of my favorite things to do is to drive along the coast and see the fabulous bridges by Conde B. McCullough. Amazing. The most famous is probably the big one in Newport, but they're all fabulous. I have a ton of photos of Heceta Head, but they were pre-flickr and I haven't uploaded them. I think I'll likely do just that. If you have any questions, let me know. I don't spend a massive amount of time in Portland, but I know my way around the coast and Willamette Valley pretty well. And I do spend enough time in Portland to get by. :)
Good luck with the move!
I've never been but I've never heard anything except praise for Portland! Good luck moving!
Marnie- this sounds so exciting, and I'm so happy for this opportunity you have to discover lovely Oregon... but WANH!!! We'll miss you here. Sorry, had to say it.
Oregon, though, is BEAUTIFUL, I love it up there. You and Leo and Panda will have a great time. I read several fun, crafty blogs out of Portland, so I always picture that city as being full of creative types... so, perfect for you!
Oh, Oregon! I live at the beach in Oregon and would never live anywhere else! Portland is full of culture and craftiness. The people are friendly, the food is fabulous and there is a lot to do. And Oregon has mountains, desert, beaches, rivers, etc. Everything you could ever want. And a knitter's mecca! And I haven't even mentioned wine country yet! Oregon wines can be the best! E-mail me anytime about the wine and beaches, I've got the inside track!
Oh, my! Good luck! Now you'll be able to expand your knitted wardrobe to things you wouldn't have a chance to wear in California :)
Hi - I've been lurking for awhile, enjoying your posts. And having lived in Portland for a year I thought I'd pass on some of my favorite spots:
* Powell's book store - used & new books & HUGE: http://www.powells.com/
* McMenamins brothers taverns - especially the Mission theater, where you can pay $3 to watch movies, drink beer & eat: http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=72&id=168
* Unfortunately, last time I was there I couldn't find my favorite yarn store, Spindleshanks. But I did find a cute little one called Knit Knot Studio. The woman who owned it was extremely nice & helpful.
There's also fabulous restaurants & coffee shops, Forest Park (largest forested municipal park) & Mill Ends (which is the smallest).
Good luck with your move!
I have been reading your blog for quite a while now. I rarely comment. I live in Portland, OR. You will love it here. There are mountains, the pacific, so much to do in the city, etc. It's cooler in the winter so that you can wear handknit sweaters with ease. Good luck with the move though...
We visit Portland at least once a year and I love it! Maybe because it feels a bit like home. (Victoria BC) The transit system is wonderful, the Sunday market is good times, and then there is my own personal Mecca(my apologies to our Muslim friends): Powell's Books. If I were to move anywhere in the States (that I've visted anyway) I think it would have to be Porland.
wow, oregon sounds great. maybe we'll follow!
Best of luck with the move! I haven't been to Oregon either (I'm from Massachusetts, Portland means Maine!), but it sounds like a wonderful place. I'm sure you'll adjust splendidly!
Hey! Portland is a great place, and your hemp jewelry will fit right in. Heh. Really, it's very laid back here, and you can get from one end of the city to the other without ever getting on a freeway! One suggestion: get your CA plates changed to OR ones as soon as you are able, and you'll experience the Portland friendliness much sooner.
Hey! I am a long time lurker but I thought I would come out of hiding to congratulate you on the decision to move to Portland. As everyone has been saying it truly is a lovely city. They have one of the best used bookstores that I have every visited, Powell's Books as well as many fine yarn shops. My all time favorite yarn store is in the Portland area, it is called The Yarn Garden. It is very big with wide selection and an attatched tea shop with comfy chairs for knitting and sipping tea.
ps. I love your blog!
I'm excited for you! Just keep looking at it as an adventure :)
I'm a native Oregonian, and I'm moving to Portland in the next few months to start college! Maybe I'll see you in a yarn shop. ;)
My biggest hint is don't vote for a sales tax. :P We like not paying a sales tax and it irks us whenever somebody suggests it. Oh, and if you aren't used to rain...Well, uhm. Get used to rain. :P The German exchange students at my school this past year were really taken aback at how much it rains in Oregon. "Does it do this /every day/?" they asked me after the first week of solid rain after a sunny September. And, yes, pretty much that's what it does every day. True summer, where it's sunny /and/ warm, only lasts like two or three months. September is usually pretty nice, though. And spring is sunny, but cold.
If you aren't used to it, I'd suggest that you start layering your clothes. It's a good way to make sure you're always comfy. Like, say, a cami/shirt/cardi combo. You can add and remove layers as you get warm or cold.
And get a rain coat. I like the long ones that go down to your knees so that your legs don't get totally soaked when you need to walk in the rain.
Whenever you want the rain to stop, just remember, it's why Oregion is so green. ;) And we've kind of been having droughts lately, so any rain is good rain.
Uhm...yeaah. If you have any other questions, pop me an e-mail I'd love to hear from you. :) Bye!
In the interest of being the loving, supportive friend that I know I must be, I am blocking out the "Marnie will not be living in LA" portion of the move and focusing on the "Julia can cheaply visit and enjoy Oregon" aspect of things.
I didn't realize you hadn't been there - you will love it. And who knows, after reading al these positive comments I might move there with you!
Re: computer access, mi casa es su casa, similarly mi mac-a es su mac-a. You can post whenever you like.
Best of Luck in your new part of the country. And, i don't think you guys are crazy for never having been there. My husband and I moved to Nashville, sight unseen nearly nine years ago and we are still here in Music City and love it! When you know that its the right decision, you just know. How exciting.
Ah, Portland! It'll be a big transition but it's a great town. I visit yearly at least; you can easily come up and visit us in Seattle from there. It's about a 3-hour drive/train ride.
I read a bunch of great Portland crafty women's blogs--check out the PDX crafty section of my blogroll at http://www.bloglines.com/public/crankyisgood . They'll have you in the know in PDX in no time!
I moved to Portland about 4 years ago from Los Angeles and while there are a lot of things I miss about LA, Portland is an awesome city. You guys like doing a lot of outdoor stuff so you will love it. Will you be here in time for the Yarn Harlot's appearance at Powells on Sept. 6?
Either way, drop me a line and I'll take you on a yarn crawl. They have quite a few lovely stores and even lovlier knitters.
They also have restaurants to die for (some of the best in the US) and public transportation is clean and wonderful! My last months in LA I commuted to downtown from Pasadena. It got me around but it wasn't as lovely as here.
I've been looking at areas to buy a home so I might have some helpful information for you and Leo too.
Oh, and here, many apartments welcome large dogs. Very dog friendly town.
Ooh, congratulations! We've been to Bend--not Portland--but from what we've seen, we love it, and we've been thinking of settling in Oregon somewhere someday. Mariko would be a good person to ask; she moved up last year.
Oh, I just saw her in your comments. There you go.
A move is always exciting and scary, but like you said, there's the prospect of the "new." I'm looking forward to your postings about living in a new city and learning all about it. The things I know about Oregon is that's where the Oregon College of Art & Craft is located (which I would attend in a second if they had an MFA program) and that Patricia Sparks, felter extraordinaire and fiber artist lives there (if you ever think about learning to felt, she's a knowledgeable teacher). Good luck with the whole moving process!
oh marnie, that's TERRIFIC! i live a block from the Kennedy School, mentioned above, which is an old elementary school renovated into a movie theater, restaurant, hotel and several pubs. portland is terrific! maybe we'll bump into each other at a yarn shop sometime -- i'll be the one complaining about the dirth of crochet books :-)
You will love Portland, its really beautiful there. Just a note of advice, the city is laid out like a square cut out into four quarters. SE Main may be very very far from NW Main :)
Good luck and take lots of pictures!
Portland is a great city, Very green,good public transport(the MAX train has a free ride zone downtown), lots of public artworks, good food etc. It gets very cold there at times so plan on making yourself some warm fuzzies to help you get through your first winter. Oh and do check out Powell's book stores.
Good luck with the move. From what I hear, Oregon is the place for outdoorsy living. Lots of hiking, lots of biking, lots of opportunities for adorable outdoor pictures of Panda!
of course, you probably COULD sell hemp jewelry on a corner in portland. they're pretty eclectic up there. even the old people (i ahd a friend who's grandma got remarried, but kept her name, & her house!)
Portland is wonderful! Congratulations on your move! On your way up, you should stop in Ashland, my town--it's barely into Oregon on I-5. The Websters is a great yarn store, and our little town is touristy yet delightful, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I really hope you enjoy living in Oregon. Portland seems just like you.
Portland is wonderful! Congratulations on your move! On your way up, you should stop in Ashland, my town--it's barely into Oregon on I-5. The Websters is a great yarn store, and our little town is touristy yet delightful, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I really hope you enjoy living in Oregon. Portland seems just like you.
Yikes, that's quite a move! Good luck. I've heard nothing but great things there, so I'm sure you and Leo will love it. And it looks like there are lots of Portland knitters coming out of the woodwork to introduce themselves. Hopefully you'll get settled in quickly and make new friends. Best of luck to you both.
Congratulations on the move!
As someone who recently (April of this year) relocated to a new state (NJ) where she knows almost absolutely no one, and as someone who shares hermit-like status, it's a big change, but so worth it. Just remember, the internet makes the world a smaller place. I'm looking forward to all the Oregonian Marnie chronicles!
Best,
susan
Wow! Good luck with your move! My family has a farm in the Willamette Valley (I ended up in Eastern WA). The Portland area is such a gorgeous place! Oh, I noticed someone mentioned the Flock and Fiber Fest. This will be my first year attending - my mom and I are trying to get all the aunts/sisters/cousins together to go make a day of it. Should be fun!
Don't forget to pack your umbrella! You'll need it :-)
Congratulations on the move north! I live on the Oregon Coast now - grew up in a small town east of Portland - I think you'll love it there. Sounds as though you're already making some great contacts who are going to be rolling out the red carpet for you. And in case you want to make a visit to the coast, I know of some great yarn shops!
I'm delurking to tell you that you are going to LOVE Portland. I live in Baltimore and I have relatives who live in Seattle and Portland, so I go there about once a year to visit.
You will love all of the fiber-arts opportunities and all of the creative minds that are there. There are tons of farmers markets with great foods and crafts. Be sure to go to the Saturday Market (on Sat. and Sun) in downtown Portland.
In June, I went out there to go to Blacksheep Gathering, which is a wool and sheep festival in Eugene (about 2 hrs. from Portland) and it was fantastic. Now, mind you I'm quite used to Maryland Sheep and Wool, and although this wasn't nearly as large, there were lots of really creative people to talk with and several good deals on fiber to be bought. My cousin and I sort of liked it better than MDSW. Although both festivals have their own charm.
I know you like the outdoors too. You're only about 70 miles from the Oregon Coast, where there are some beautiful beaches, plus I think you'll like exploring the Columbia Gorge and all of the water falls along the way. This year, we also went to a lavender farm and picked our own lavender.
With the exception of this year and the record-breaking heat, the climate is so wonderful. Usually when I'm there in the summer, it's warm enough to wear summer clothes, but you never break a sweat. This year was a little different, but the evenings do cool down comfortably.
Oh, you're going to love it you lucky girl!
i'm so jealous! I moved almost 4 years ago from Seattle, WA to Orange County, CA & although I like all the sunshine here...I definitely miss the Pacific Northwest.
Good Luck! Adapting to the weather in the winter might be difficult, but I always booked a tropical sunny vacation in February of each year to get a "break" from the weather.
Oh my god i am sooo jealous! I just came back from the Oregon Coast and did a quick one-day side trip in Portland. My husband and I were totally thinking we want to live there. Oregon is so beautiful. I know you will love it. The people there are very liberal-minded. The coast is especially pretty.
I posted some pictures of our trip on flikr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pappergank/sets/72157594209048742/
you can get a little taste of what you will be close to! :)That beach is about an hour and a-half away from Portland. Good luck!