I have been here for just about a full month now, so I've had time to soak this in and get a bit nostalgic. As great as this city is, I am naturally going to miss some things about good ol' Maryland. Without further ado, in random order:
1. Crabs -- In terms of food, this is definitely number one. As we have approached summer time, Facebook and sheer in-born rite-of-passage tradition have taunted me with constant reminders of how great crabs are. Pictures of delicious steamed blue crabs smothered in old bay with butter on the side make me sigh loudly. You can get good seafood here, but crabs are another animal (or shall I say...crustacean?). That's what Maryland does.
2. D.C. driving -- This seems crazy because the traffic there is horrendous, but I was just used to it. I'm still trying to navigate here without looking like an idiot. In D.C., the bikers have to avoid you. Here, you have to share the road. But when they say it here, they actually mean it. Also, my driving style automatically kind of makes me an asshole since I'm used to cutthroat rush hour mentality.
3. Talking sports -- Portland is a passionate sports town - for what they have. They have an NBA team and and MLS team. It's not like it's a hub for sports talk radio. Local sports are only pertinent a few months a year. They have a minor league hockey team that people get behind, but that's about it. Residents have embraced the World Cup so that has been fun. Generally, people just have other things to talk about. Like beer. And organic food. And mountain climbing. I miss being able to spout off about any major sport with friends or a stranger at a bar. I would probably be able to find sports-savvy bar-goers if I got out a little more. I do miss year-round relevance in all the major sports though.
4. East coast beaches -- This is a little unfair considering I haven't been to a "beach" here per se. But the coast line here is not as human friendly as Ocean City, Dewey, etc. from what I've seen. Perhaps that will change. It was nice picking up and driving to shore towns packed to the gills full of people that you spend most of your time waiting in lines and rubbing sweat on one another. I guess what I'm really trying to say here is I miss orange crushes and bull runs at Starboard and day-long debauchery at Seacrets. Yeah, that's my point.
5. Chipotle -- Just kidding. They have that here.
6. Black people -- Are there minorities in Portland? Of course there are. There are just WAY LESS than back east. Especially black people. You can go days without seeing a person of color. It's bizarre, and I miss it. I never took the diversity of the D.C. Metro area for granted. Now it's glaring when you are transplanted into an area that isn't nearly so. Except at the mall. The mall felt like a good mixture of people and cultures. Not a commentary on society. Just an acute observation.
I'm sure I will be able to add to this list as time goes on. I'll try and keep a list together for future posts about how nostalgic I am. Still, I'm doing great! I'll have this city in the palm of my hand in no time. Again, still need a job. At least I'm blending in. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go take pills for my aching ankle since I'm so out of shape my body is rejecting exercise. It's cool. Happy hour is soon.
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