Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Portland Streets

We set out to wander around Portland and argued about the use of guidebooks. Claire is Type A and requires certainty, while I need to wander. I disagree with the old adage; to err is divine.

Portland is certainly fascinating to roam; there are wild roses on the highway medians and feral hippies in the shopping districts. Ludicrously ostentatious yuppies brush up against an equal number of otherworldly vagrants in some sort of social chess game. The class divides are almost unreal here. Extreme poverty and extreme luxury share the same blocks. Canadians joke that America believes in God, guns and gated communities. But Portland revels in feudalism.

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