Portland: The Promised Land

It seems that recently all my friends have been flocking to Portland. It is a Bastien of Mid-West hippies finally breaking free from the conservative ties of the Heartland, going to the place of cheap pot, used bookstores and cappuccino. One friend is attending Reed College , another returning to Green Mecca after a stint in Asia, and a musician and his woodworking girlfriend trying to break into the art scene. In high school I idealized the Northwest. Seattle+Portland= HEAVEN. Coffee Shops, Rainy Days, the Ocean, Rain forest, Mountains. Where 20 somethings read poetry with berets caps tilted jauntily. Where the politics of liberalism moves people to be activists. Oh Holy place where land and water meet! The second coming of Christ will happen in Seattle, he'll grab his disciples from the Portland Metro area and proselytize to more heathen places like Utah, Kansas, and (GASP!) New Jersey.

But perhaps, even in Portland, people's farts still smell like rotten eggs.