state of love and trust

greetings from portland, oregon.

on the plane (surely one of the longest non-stops in the lower 48, clocking in at 5 hours from atl), i envisioned portland looking mainly like the movie 'singles,' a mid 90's fav that featured a bunch of seattle rockers making cameos around bridget fonda and matt dillon and friends wandering around wondering why their life wasn't going anywhere and why the move title still applied to them. at the time, i didn't really like the movie, but loved the sound track. this includes a forgotten soundgarden gem, 'birth ritual' and my all-time favorite pearl jam song, 'state of love and trust.' my band in high school opened a few shows with it and it was always one of our favorite rockers.

back to the movie, i could have done with a dose of my own medicine (whenever someone dislikes a movie i like, my first response is, "well, did you understand it?" mature, yeah, i know). but in this case, that really was the truth. i didn't really get the premise. now that i'm about the same age as the characters in the movie, i relate to it a lot more (although i'm hyper-structured and type A in my career and life direction and could probably be more spantaneous and free-flowing, so i'm not particularly like them). ok, anyway, i like the movie, now, right?

met up with rusty at the airport (we're here for a week of customer visits) and he showed me around a bit this afternoon.

portland actually looks just like seattle. reminds me a bit of parts of beacon hill in boston. lots of cool funky shops. young people walking around. some of the grunge ethos is still apparent. nice turning of the leaves--soft oranges and faded greens. downtown in my hotel, there's a few skyscrapers, but not many. not sure how to describe the architecture, but wikipedia says:

The Architecture in Portland, Oregon includes a wide range of styles and a few notable pioneering buildings in Portland, Oregon. Notable architect Pietro Belluschi began his career in Portland with the prolific firm of A.E. Doyle, leaving his imprint upon the city until the 1980's. Other notable architects and firms that have worked in Portland are Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) and Michael Graves.

The scale of many projects are small, due to the small size of downtown Portland blocks (200 feet by 200 feet) plus strict height restrictions enacted in order to protect views of Mount Hood from the West Hills. Although these restrictions limit project size, they contribute to Portland's reputation for exceptional urban planning and livability.

Many historic buildings, ranging from cast iron construction to glazed terra-cotta buildings, have been preserved and re-used.

Portland is a leader in sustainable architecture with one of the largest collections of LEED-rated Green buildings, though the city is best known for its emphasis on urban design and new urbanist-style development.

should be a good week.