Reasons to love Portland Oregon

I don't always work at my office, but when I do I like to take walks around the capitol. Working in Salem earlier this week, I saw the following at lunch:



It is supposed to get really hot today, but on Wednesday it was perfect. Low 80s, not at all humid. I walked to the farmer's market for lunch and flowers, strolled back with a coffee, and saw these kids playing in the fountain on the capitol mall just yards from my office. It is a bit hard to tell from this cell-phone photo, but there were about 25 kids of a wide range of ages frolicking in the water. I know that the department in charge of the capitol grounds hates that people play in the fountain (I can just see them screaming "liability, oh the liability!"), but it was such a nice scene. I tend to be very "I heart Portland" focused, but I do enjoy my forays outside of the bubble.

Back in Portland, I had a meeting downtown yesterday. I hopped on the bus, which I love here in a way I never did in any of the other places I've lived. The bus picks me up and drops me off 2.5 blocks from my house and takes 10 minutes to get downtown. The drivers tend to be cheerful (this was rarely the case in L.A.).

On my way home, the driver pulled to a bus stop and called out "we've got a wheelchair!" Immediately the three people sitting in the seats that fold back to make way for a chair jumped up and moved down the aisle. There was not a moment's hesitation. A guy seated nearby quickly moved in to lift the seat bottom. Even on a warm afternoon on which many riders had been waiting more than the usual wait for a bus, everyone involved was cheerful and willing to help the disabled rider. I am almost always glad I live in Portland, but especially so when I see this kind of behavior. Yay for the small city, yay for the state!