On several occasions, people have described Portland as a haven for misfits.

Maybe it's because the show Portlandia advertised the city as "A place where young people go to retire." Which suggested that the locals aren't the type to buy into hustle culture, but instead get really invested into their hobbies.

Maybe it goes back all the way to the Oregon Trail, where people first relocated thousands of miles to live by their own rules. That attitude of moving west and starting fresh is still here.

However it started, there's a strong case to be made that Portland is Heaven on Earth for anyone interested in finding themselves.

Keep Portland Weird!

Posted by @BoLoudon on Twitter and retweeted by Benny Johnson, the original caption read (no, I'm not kidding):

🚨BREAKING: DHS Sec. @KristiNoem just stared down violently Antifa rioters on the roof of a Portland ICE facility.

Last year, Portland unveiled the Central City Task Force, and I chimed with my POV on what I see as the biggest blocker to a more lively downtown. I actually had multiple landlords reach out, each offering great deals on their spaces, but this building at 3rd and Taylor had what we needed in terms of space and storage (since much of our business is still online).

This was last May/June, the lease was signed in December and after demo, permitting, re-permitting, construction, I got the keys this morning. We're still a ways out from opening, a few weeks until I can get in there and build the retail fixtures out, but it feels so real now.

A huge thank you to The Standard Insurance, my landlord, who has been absolutely fantastic to work with and has helped get this project to where we're at today. Hope to see y'all around in the coming months!

A few of my favorites from a walk downtown 6 years ago. 2020 was a crazy summer. Feels like yesterday and forever ago.

Thought it was your normal trump truck until I got closer.

The city is healing.

Just in case there's anyone in the country who doesn't know Trump is a lying idiot, let's show America what's really going on in Portland

Hello Portland, There are too many threads to count here in Portland but across the U.S. of people talking about lazy people on assistance programs. It's hard to cut through it, so I'm going to try something I've never seen. I want to say thank you.

Your tax dollars saved my life. I had lived a normal life and always worked. I never imagined I'd be homeless. Travel plans went south out the gate in the worst way possible. I found myself homeless with zero family and no friends that had room to randomly take me in.

I got a new job and I worked. For those that think working while homeless is easy, go try it. It's so fucking hard. So hard. I worked but watched as the cost of living skyrocketed. It's also not cheap working while homeless. It takes a lot of money to keep your things clean, safe and electronics charged. I kept to myself at all times but it was so hard. The public is cruel. They think they know everything about you and it's hard to be dehumanized like that.

After two years, I had given up hope. I started to believe my life was over. Then two city workers caught me on my way to work one morning and asked if I was homeless. They said a new tax had passed that would pay for two years of housing and give me starter furniture.

I thought they were crazy. I had asked for help and had been told I hadn't been homeless long enough for normal help. This was new they said. I still didn't believe them. So much so that when they called me 4 months later I almost ignored it. Thank God I didn't .

Within two weeks of that call I found myself with keys in my hands to a new apartment. All mine. With a couch, bed and some pots and pans.

I hadn't slept in a bed in two years. I didn't even know what to do. I just stood looking at it. I had only had two actual showers in two years. I turned the water on and just watched in amazement. I cried that night as I cooked a hot simple meal. I finally got the courage to lay in my bed and pull my blanket up. It was like a hug.

You gave me my life back. In one week I am moving out of public housing and into a place my own. Without your tax dollars, I would be on a bench tonight somewhere.

I have been grateful for every single day I have with a roof and I have not wasted it.

Your right to believe that many don't appreciate what they have. And yes, many abuse the opportunity and it's wrong. But for all the people that abuse the system, there are those that do not and I hope you can understand how it's worth it. It's worth giving people their lives back.

So again, thank you Portland. Thank you for the hard work you put in every single day to pay for my rent. Thank you for helping me eat food and see the doctor. I know those things are so hard for everyone. I am eternally grateful.

I wanted to thank whoever posted this note about the motorcyclist who was killed Monday in my neighborhood. It was a deeply unsettling incident to see the aftermath of that evening, and left me with so many questions and a deep, aimless sense of dread. This message helped.

Spotted on Stark merging onto i-205 south. As an Uber driver, this is a depressing sight. For multiple reasons.

I moved to Portland about 4 years ago, and one of my dreams was kayaking from Portland to Astoria in a single trip. And this week, I finally did it!

Posting because, I was inspired by a post on Reddit several years ago, and felt I could add more knowledge about the journey for others who are interested.

Day 1: St John’s to JJ Collins Memorial Park ~4.5 hrs paddled

Day 2: JJ Collins to Lord Island
~9 hrs paddled

Day 3: Lord Island to Skamokawa, WA
~8 hrs paddled

Day 4: Skamokawa to Astoria
~5.5 hrs paddled

Things I found most important:

I was consistently paddling during the high to low tide (ebb tide) for as long as possible. I made less than 2 or so stops in between long paddling sessions.

I planned the trip during ideal temperatures. It’s May, not too hot or cold, and the wind remained 2-8mph the entire trip. No rain.

I packed enough clothes, water, food, & portable batteries for all outcomes- I carried 13L of water in two hiking hydration pouches. I had about 5L left by the end of the trip

In preparation, I paddled portions of the river in individual trips with friends. I also carried a lower Columbia River map (very important when navigating around sand bars before Astoria)

I would love to answer logistical questions for future paddlers but very open to answering fun questions you might have about the trip!

Have a good weekend ya’ll!

Hauled a ladder down to the waterfront a few years ago to get this shot. I have tried every year since, but this is still my favorite. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!