MY 6 WEEKS IN PORTLAND, OREGON, USA. IS AMERICA REALLY THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD OR IS IT REALLY BROKEN?

This blog is mostly dedicated to the freedoms of bicycle touring, but occasionally serves as a personal journal of my life off the bicycle. I recently got my permanent residency in Slovenia. So I needed to go to Portland and prepare my house for sale. I had to find accommodation for my 6 weeks in Portland. I found an apartment with my own bathroom, $1700. It felt and sounded boring and lonely. I posted an email to some old friends, “Host a Slovenian”! I had more offers than nights there, that was a warm, fuzzy feeling.

WELCOME TO BROKEN AMERICA

When I first moved here in 1974, then Oregon Governor McCall welcomed tourists with “Come visit us again and again,” “But for heaven’s sake, don’t come here to live.” That’s how I now feel now about living in Slovenia, just saying.
I consider Portland the last liberal bastion of America: Gay & Vegan friendly, Great music scene, great food culture, bicycle friendly. I saw more Trans people my first 3 days than I had seen in my whole life. The Portland I first experienced in 1974 to where it is now? It’s unrecognizable. During my visit I met people who had moved here from any city USA, “They loved Portland.” I can’t imagine how bad it is from where they moved from.

I had a friend buy me a bicycle, so I could get around right away. The very next day after I arrived, I went on one of Portland’s traditional bike rides called SUNDAY PARKWAYS. My old neighborhood also had the MONTAVILLA STREET FAIR on the same day. I hit the ground running. I also had my 3-cylinder car on blocks for the past 7 years. Dug it out from under the trees, covered in green mold. Got my transportation options together for my visit.

The first place I stayed was with Chris & Lori. I got to cat sit the first few days till they returned from vacation. As my thank you to my many hosts I took them all out for dinner. We walked to a super vegan Mexican restaurant. Portland neighborhoods are so cool, so much to see. I couldn’t stop taking photos.

RANDOM SCENES BIKING AROUND PORTLAND

A bicycle allows you to feel the vibe of a city. If any city has a vibe, Portland has it 100%. Neighborhood intersections are painted, restrooms are for everyone, white ghost bikes memorialize a killed cyclist, adopt a rabbit, public services helping the homeless and concrete barriers to discourage camping. The whole spectrum is here, the good the bad and the ugly.

EVEN MORE SCENES FROM PORTLAND

A friend owns a tamale business, so I bought $240 worth for myself and my hosts. I have no idea why so many people had skeletons in their yards, I saw more than one.

QUICK TRIP TO OLYMPIA & SEATTLE

I went to Olympia, Washington to visit my good friends Barb & Brandon. I went to college here and lived in their house. They made a super supper, Tamales! They wanted to have something that I hadn’t eaten while living in Slovenia. Brandon made 50+ Tamales: salmon, halibut, shrimp, chicken and lamb. I split my tamales with Brandon, so I could try different ones. I was involved in the Organic Farm during my college days at Evergreen State College and had to visit. My Grandmother took me on the train to the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962. I figured the chances of me every coming back here were slim to none. So, I went to Seattle for the day. I used to sell crafts at the Seattle Pike Place Market, 1976-78. I visited the original Starbucks Coffee Shop at Pike Place. I wanted to go inside, but there were 40 people in line. I tried to bribe the line checker with “They Belong in Jail” stickers, she took several stickers, but still no cutting in line, nice try.

TAMALE FEAST!

BACK IN PORTLAND

I stayed one night with Chris when I came back from Seattle. He’s my ex-neighbor, but he’s one of those friends you must keep in touch with. I was telling him if I eat meat it’s usually Turkey. He agreed 100%, so I took him to one of Portland’s oldest restaurants, HUBERS. We both had the house specialty, Turkey! and flaming Spanish coffees.

Chris is an artist and musician. Every room in his house has guitars, homemade harps (that he made), amplifiers, a drum set and art sculptures. I have no idea where or how he cooks in his kitchen? He told me he finally got his kitchen organized, he set up a workbench with a vice where the kitchen table goes! The kitchen drawers are full of tools, true artist for sure.

UP CLOSE IN A TRUE MUSICIAN & ARTIST HOMESTEAD

I had a gardening business in Portland for 25 years. Maybe 50 different employees over that time. My top 3 employees are a must get together group. Also John and Mary had been storing 2 sentimental pieces of furniture of my Grandmothers. They offered me to stay at their place, but they lived too far from Portland. We did go for lunch and beers. Then I met Elizabeth at a street fair and met her for coffee. She texted me a few days later and offered her spare bedroom. The room was one of the best places I stayed. I got to practice my gardening skills on her yard, it felt great to get my hands in the dirt. I used to watch American football and decided to go watch a game at a local bar. Met some rabid fans and cheered it up.

MORE BIKING ADVENTURE & NEIGHBORHOOD STREET FAIR PHOTOS

At times, live music can be hard to come by in Slovenia. I just bought the new album by Horse Girl and saw they were playing in Portland (I went:). I attended 4 neighborhood street fairs around Portland. My takeaway was, there are lots of people who are dedicated to the betterment of the neighbors & community. There were times I was crying at my frustrations that these organizations’ causes are denied government support, but yet they continue to soldier on. The photos tell a great story about Portland. Volunteerism is the main thing that makes Portland an attractive destination for me.

The main reason I came to Portland (besides seeing friends), was to get my house ready to sell. I worked way more than I wanted to, but projects needed getting done: painting house, staining fence, empty storage trailer and more. Selling the house isn’t as easy at it sounds. I bought the house with Amanda, we were planning on raising a family here. Like 1/2 of marriages, we split up. Then I got my Master Gardener Certificate and turned my city lot into a mini-farm. There’s a lot of broken dreams in the house, lots of reflection and living with your choices. I hired Reyes Brothers Construction to do most of the work, I helped, but mostly supported.

MY CAR TRAILER OFFICE, THAT NEEDS ATTENTION

There’s so many cultural events happening in Portland. My house is near Mt. Tabor Park, that host of the annual Soap Box Derby.

6 weeks is a long time, so many good times, so many photos and so much to share.

This is a cup exchange box attached to a neighbor’s fence. It’s part of Portland’s PDX SIDEWALK JOY. A community of interactive sidewalk installations and exchanges around Portland, Oregon. The link shows a map of over 140 locations and 400 worldwide. As you can see Portland has the most. If you visit Portland, download the map and get on your bike, it will likely take you a week to visit all 140 installations.

I GAVE AWAY 2,000 OF MY “THEY ALL BELONG IN JAIL” STICKERS

PHOTOS FROM PORTLAND PUBS

COLLECTING CANS AS A MEANS OF SURVIVAL

I saw this guy with his can-collecting bicycle and trailer set up, with cat! One of the reasons I came back to Slovenia was the social consciousness of the governement. The homeless in Portland seemed ignored. People told me “it’s getting better”, but I didn’t see it. People lining up to return cans and bottles.

FAREWELL GET TOGETHER

I didn’t see everyone or do everything that I wanted to do. I thought 6 weeks were forever, nope, it’s only 6 weeks.

THE PARTS OF PORTLAND & AMERICA THAT AREN’T TALKED ABOUT OR GIVEN THE ATTENTION THEY NEED.

I agonized over posting this last video. I’m not making fun of these people. I posted this to expose a broken America. I was criticized several times for taking these videos. My feeling is that citizens need to see what’s happening on their streets. If people don’t see this, nothing will change. This is a small snapshot of the many tragic dramas I saw unfolding on the streets daily. This is what happens when there is a lack of social services for individuals with a developmental disability &/or drug addiction.

REFLECTIONS ON MY 6 WEEKS IN PORTLAND, OREGON, USA

There’s only one Portland or any other city that’s even close to like it, in America. Great music scene, a vegan haven, bike-friendly, volunteer-driven, activist community, gay & trans-friendly, a refuge for open-minded thinking & acceptance. I lived in Portland for 39 years, but for me, that Portland is long ago, gone. Some call it progress, it just is what it is.
I had lived 5 years in Slovenia and was planning to move back to America. I did a bicycle tour for 7 months in 2017. Down the Oregon and California coasts then to Death Valley. After seeing America up close and reflecting on life in Slovenia. It was an easy decision to come back to Slovenia.

This time, on my last day in Portland, a friend asked if I had any regrets? NOPE!, I told her one of my best decisions was to move back to Slovenia. Especially after my 6 weeks of seeing America up close, again.
Watching the dysfunctional politics of America now, makes me so happy I moved here. It’s not that rent or food is cheaper here. Here, my neighbors can go to the doctor, their kids can go to college and all the parents have access to daycare. It’s part of a social contract between the government and its citizens. Healthy, smart citizens make for a better work-life balance. America’s idea that the “Free Market” will solve society’s social ills, is such BS. If that was true, you wouldn’t have a broken healthcare system, an inaccessible higher education system and an unaffordable daycare system. To repair the damage Trump has done to America’s reputation around the world, will take decades to repair. Portland is one of the greatest cities in America, but it’s still in America.

THANKS FOR READING,

JEFF🚴‍♀️