Miss E's opinion pages

Thursday evening Alaska Airlines #341 touched down at PDX on time, at precisely 8:14 p.m. As the plane was taxiing to the gate, I looked outside and saw what I thought was wetness on the ground. Yes, it had just rained. It startled me because I haven't seen wet pavement for about 4 months. Where I live in the East Bay of Northern California, it has not rained one speck since June. Sure, there's been some situations where morning dew has formed on the tips of shady grass patches, but that all evaporates before 9:30 a.m. Otherwise, the place is bone dry. Throw a match into the hills and "poof" the place would be gone to high heaven. This weekend will prolong that drought, as the Bay Area is not expecting any forseeable precipitation.

But back to Oregon - it's wet - all the time. You can always count on intermittent damp conditions. Luckilly, it has ceased for the meantime. But the sky is quite grey and cloudy. I see a blue patch, so I am optimistic.

Right now I am at Powell's City of Books, located on Burnside. This is the famous bookstore that people talk about. It's located near the Pearl District. When I was an older teen, I used to come here and think, "Wow, Portland is such a diverse place. Look at all these interesting and colorful people that visit Powell's!" Today, sitting here in the Powell's cafe, I have a hard time believing those thoughts ever crossed my mind.

The place is monotone. White. Grey-haired. And sadly, unstylish.

Perhaps it is like this because I am here on a Friday afternoon at 12:15 p.m. Maybe Powell's happens to be the spot where the West Hills (rich) senior crowd comes for their noon coffee break and donut munching. Some signs of potential exist: There are some people with computers and someone with an ipod. But in the general scope of people watching, the word dowdy comes to mind. However, I shouldn't pass judgment so quickly on these earnest Oregonians. Afterall, it's their turf. Who am I to scold them?

Hell, the wireless works here without a glitch or password, so what am I complaining about!?

Signing off from Powell's. Tonight I hit the Doug Fir, which is Portland's new music venue.




	Miss E's opinion pages In seasonal colors Home Get Email Updates My City Planning School My Foreign Service School Washington Post The New Republic This American Life The Prairie Home Companion Dialogue Picture the City I'm Big in Japan The Lovely Walkmen Neighborhoodies Ayu Tomikawa UCB Get Firefox Music Genome Project Admin Password Remember Me 72230 Curiosities served Share on Facebook				2005-10-07 12:10 PM Portland: wetter and whiter Previous Entry :: Next Entry Mood: Contemplative Read/Post Comments (0) Thursday evening Alaska Airlines #341 touched down at PDX on time, at precisely 8:14 p.m. As the plane was taxiing to the gate, I looked outside and saw what I thought was wetness on the ground. Yes, it had just rained. It startled me because I haven't seen wet pavement for about 4 months. Where I live in the East Bay of Northern California, it has not rained one speck since June. Sure, there's been some situations where morning dew has formed on the tips of shady grass patches, but that all evaporates before 9:30 a.m. Otherwise, the place is bone dry. Throw a match into the hills and "poof" the place would be gone to high heaven. This weekend will prolong that drought, as the Bay Area is not expecting any forseeable precipitation. But back to Oregon - it's wet - all the time. You can always count on intermittent damp conditions. Luckilly, it has ceased for the meantime. But the sky is quite grey and cloudy. I see a blue patch, so I am optimistic. Right now I am at Powell's City of Books, located on Burnside. This is the famous bookstore that people talk about. It's located near the Pearl District. When I was an older teen, I used to come here and think, "Wow, Portland is such a diverse place. Look at all these interesting and colorful people that visit Powell's!" Today, sitting here in the Powell's cafe, I have a hard time believing those thoughts ever crossed my mind. The place is monotone. White. Grey-haired. And sadly, unstylish. Perhaps it is like this because I am here on a Friday afternoon at 12:15 p.m. Maybe Powell's happens to be the spot where the West Hills (rich) senior crowd comes for their noon coffee break and donut munching. Some signs of potential exist: There are some people with computers and someone with an ipod. But in the general scope of people watching, the word dowdy comes to mind. However, I shouldn't pass judgment so quickly on these earnest Oregonians. Afterall, it's their turf. Who am I to scold them? Hell, the wireless works here without a glitch or password, so what am I complaining about!? Signing off from Powell's. Tonight I hit the Doug Fir, which is Portland's new music venue. Read/Post Comments (0) Previous Entry :: Next Entry Back to Top