Another Day in Portland

I went for a run yesterday along Portland's waterfront and came upon these two gorillas, who apparently escaped from the zoo. I laughed as I ran away and looked at the cityscape--tall buildings reaching for the sky behind me--with pride. "Only in Portland," I caught myself saying. People hardly even gave them a second glance. (In these tough economic times, I give this rillas props for creative panhandling.)

And it may well be true. Portland, Oregon is the coolest, fantastically strange, quirkiest, hipster hotbed on the planet. It's small enough that you run into friends on the sidewalk and drive by each other on the streets, but it's big enough that you can get lost in the city center. It's liberal enough that you can protest just about anything you'd like and people will give you a thumbs up when they walk by, even if they don't agree that Frosted Flakes have too much sugar. It's all about being an individual here, all about standing up for what you believe in and having a voice.

If you've never visited our beautiful city, check it out. Portlander's LOVE gay people and have lot of special promotions for queer visitors.

Check out Gay Portland.

Portland also has an active and amazing Queer Center, and, (god willing) soon will have a gay Mayor! Go Sam Adams!

* The photo is of Dipstick and I from Portland Gay Pride parade a few years ago.