"hello, hello, hello, how low"

B and I are living the suburban youth I never had.  Cruising the mean streets in a borrowed escalade, listening to Nirvana, and Macklemore, and whatever else they play out here on the radio. 

So far we've hit two donut shops (Tonalli's and Annie's), gone to Uptown Market and Mcmenamins for drinks, eaten at Burgerville (in addition to the poached chicken place) and gone to see Stories We Tell, the Sarah Polley documentary.  I also ate some fish tacos at the amazing suburban farmer's market, and bought berries, and kimchi, and salmon jerky.  Yesterday my father-in-law smoked twelve pounds of beef brisket, and I think the eating is about to commence.

I was telling B, as we cruised that Portland has a Chicago's worth of stuff packed into a small city.  It's overwhelming.  I also don't understand how Portland supports all these businesses.  Do people here have the money to eat out all the time, and go to artisanal cider bars?  (Okay, so just checked and the median household income in Portland is about $13,000 higher than Providence, RI and about $10,000 more than Baltimore, MD.  I guess that extra money supports a lot of microbreweries and food carts.)

Still, despite the fact that Portland, OR is living the dream, I still feel East Coast, even if that means more Dunkin' Donuts and fewer fresh blackberries.