Portland rated #1 most livable city in the USA!

[loveliberate]

Ok, ok - so we were only rated #18 of the worlds "Most Livable Cities" list by Monocle magazine, but we are as good as it gets in the US! http://www.businessinsider.com/monocle- ... 011-6?op=1 Other Cascadian spots follow close behind with Vancouver, Canada at 20th and Seattle, Washington in the 25th spot.

While there are a number of things i dont care for about this video, I do think it offers a good "feel" for/of Portland:

Sooo... Who's coming to visit?!

[ffuu]

According to the list Helsinki is the best city in the world... So I'm not exactly convinced

[loveliberate]

heya, I am not sure that I understand what you mean... Do you not think Helsinki deserves the #1 rating?

Of course, all of these rankings are based upon the criteria of the folks who make the lists and are undoubtably at least somewhat biased besides. Personally, I'd of course include a cities vegan friendliness in my criteria for example.

Regardless, Come Visit! And then let me know what you think.

[ffuu]

Well I haven't lived in any other cities on the list but I have visited some. And based on that I don't think that Helsinki is the best city in the world. Although yesterday and today Helsinki seems to be a great city. It's already really dark in the evenings but still warm and cycling in the city is awesome. Plus today is pop-up restaurant day!

Portland looks amazing in the video! Would love to come and visit some day, never been on that side of the Atlantic.

[beforewisdom]

I heard that Portland isn't so great for employment, particularly for professionals, even during normal non-recessions times. Aside from that everything ELSE I've read about Portland sounds fantastic and I do plan to visit one day. I'm guessing the summertime is the best time to travel there, which will have to be next years since I have less than a day of leave time

[fredrikw]

If I were to trust the subjective judgement of a magazine by its name, "Monocle" would come quite far down the list. Without having read the magazine, somehow I doubt I value the same things as them. But whatever floats your nationalistic/local patriotistic boat I guess

[loveliberate]

ffuu,

I have been to all of the N. American cities on the list, think well of all of them (insert: "comparatively", "as far as cities go" & other standard disclaimer" ) and agree that Portland is the best of the bunch! Hopefully I will get to visit many more of the cities from this list someday... I had not previously heard of a "pop-up restaurant" but what I've read online sounds neat! Are there many vegan/vegan-friendly ones there?

I definitely hope that you do make it over here to Portland & then you can smuggle me back to Helsinki in your baggage!

[JP]

If I were to trust the subjective judgement of a magazine by its name, "Monocle" would come quite far down the list. Without having read the magazine, somehow I doubt I value the same things as them. But whatever floats your nationalistic/local patriotistic boat I guess

LOL! always a ray of sunshine

One caveat is that your own city might just feel a bit boring and quick visits in other cities only show the new and exciting stuff so its hard to make a judgement based on own subjective feelings.

Sometimes some cities just grab you, strongly, and you cant even put your finger on it why...

...which is why i am harping on about berlin to everyone at the moment

[loveliberate]

I heard that Portland isn't so great for employment, particularly for professionals, even during normal non-recessions times. Aside from that everything ELSE I've read about Portland sounds fantastic and I do plan to visit one day. I'm guessing the summertime is the best time to travel there, which will have to be next years since I have less than a day of leave time

Beforewisdom, I have also heard that jobs can be tough here. I find that this is not particularly true or at least not so much more so than most other places I have talked with folks about. Some places here cannot get enough qualified folks and this seems most true of many professional or para-professional lines of work. It is definitely true that other places are swamped by applicants, not just because of the economy but also because so many folks want to live here!

As for when to visit, that really depends on you and what you want to do while here. I am a strong advocate of "off-season" travel, particularly if your goals include meeting local folks and getting a feel for what's its like to live here. As our weather tend to be rather mild overall, even midwinter visits can be quite nice, esp. in the city itself. July and August are the only months you can expect consistent sun and heat though.

Personally I suggest visiting sometime in either April/May or September/October as you'll likely get the nicest mix of weather & social conditions. Please drop me a line if you are coming out -I'd love to meet-up & show you around if you like!

[ffuu]

ffuu,
I had not previously heard of a "pop-up restaurant" but what I've read online sounds neat! Are there many vegan/vegan-friendly ones there?

yeah, at least five vegan pop-up restaurants that day within 2 km from my home

[JaFlowYoga]

Even better than visiting, I will be moving there!!

[Adena]

Neat! I've always wanted to visit Portland, actually. A lot of people from my hometown have tried moving out there...but they always come back. They always rave about it, though. Maybe next year I can visit!

[loveliberate]

Lucky you Ja!

Adena, please do come visit! Why have the folks who "tried" to move out here not stayed?

[Adena]

Lucky you Ja!

Adena, please do come visit! Why have the folks who "tried" to move out here not stayed?

I assume the job situation mixed with longing for the world's secretly most livable city, Des Moines! Just kidding. I like it here, but there's pretty much no excitement or tourist attractions. I'm pretty sure it was the job situation.

[sergio]

I wish I could visit Oregon/Washington someday but I think I would prefer not to spend too much time in cities.

I won't trust anyone who has placed Madrid as the 10th city in the world, no way!. It's also funny to see how they've picked football players to represent Barcelona.