What I'll Miss (and Won't Miss) About Life in Portland

Moving this time around is very different.  There is very, very, VERY little I miss about living in AZ.  I could count them all on one hand.  And we've been gone for 2 years and 4 months and have no desire to go back.  But, we were truly torn about whether or not to go forth with this move back to the central coast.  There is so much I will miss about life in Portland.  I could easily make a list of 100 things I treasure about this city.  But, I will stick to 25.  :)

What I'll Miss
1. Friends!  Oh, the wonderful friends we've made, especially our beloved Home Community(s) and my awesome nursing cohort.
2. Being near Aunt Jill!
3. Imago Dei--what an amazing body of worshippers!
4. Our neighborhood!  I love Mt. Tabor.
5. Our neighbors!
6. The kids' piano teacher (PRAYING we find one even half as good in SLO)
7. The hikes
8. The coast
9. The waterfalls, oh the waterfalls!
10. The bike-friendliness of the city/bike commuting
11. OMSI
12. The Zoo
13. Food carts (and all the yummy eateries--locally owned, fresh foods!)
14. Farmer's Markets/Saturday Market
15. The awesome library system
16. The view of Mt. Hood
17. Four seasons!!!
18. Local brew!  I am not a beer person, but Portland has some great ones you can only get here.  Also, the Happy Hours here are awesome!
19. The arts community
20. Freddy's and New Seasons
21. Lower utility costs
22. Someone else pumping my gas/lower gas prices
23. The compost bin and that the city does the composting for us.
24. Public transit!
25. No sales tax!!!


What I Won't Miss
1. The bridges--while I got used to them, I will much prefer not having to drive over them all the time.
2. The drivers
3. The streets--narrow, many unpaved, slow speed limits, no visible street signs.
4. The school district--hoping our kids are more challenged than they have been the past 2 years.
5. The crime.  I mean, it's not as bad as some places, but it's definitely worse than SLO.

And, well, not much else I can think of....we really do love Portland!  This move wasn't about leaving Portland.  It is about a good-paying job with benefits--something that wasn't happening here in the past year.  We adore Portland and we guarantee we will be back to visit, and often (already talking about spring break!).  But, we are excited to be returning to the central coast.  We'll become re-adjusted to it in no time, I presume. The next list will be a like/dislike about being back on the central coast.  Just one week left!  I plan to make the most of it!