I’ve already posted about many of the awesome things Portland has to offer.  But the town with a gazillion pseudonyms holds a true place of awesomeness in my heart for so many more personal reasons than I shared before.

As I pulled away from PDX last Monday afternoon, headed towards the snowy caps of Mt. Hood and far beyond, back to the Rocky Mountains, I began to think about all of the things that have meant so much to me over the course of this short adventuresome stint in the PNW.  I am certainly happy to be home, but believe I will always miss at least 10 really awesome things about my life in Portland –

1.  The Pearl.  My posh “pearl bubble” was where I was so comfortable.  It offered EVERYTHING I needed within walking distance!  Snooty – maybe.  Lacking true PDX culture – another maybe.  I loved it nonetheless, and will SO miss being able to bi-ped-it anywhere my little heart desired.  This ability to walk anywhere I needed to go really rang true back in January and February when I calculated that I had actually not left the Pearl/NW 23rd/Downtown region of town in over 8 solid weeks.  Yowza!!  (By the way, my first day back in CO felt like I was living in the car, just to head to the market and fill up with gas – things are SO far away!!).

2.  Walkability.  Yes, this is sort of a combination of the above item of awesomeness, but being able to walk everywhere in life deserves two stars of awesomeness in my book.

3.  Culture.  PDX offered such a variety of culture and life – more than I’d ever experienced before.  This may be partly due to the fact that Portland was really the largest city and the only “downtown” area in which I’ve ever lived, but there is something unique about the Portlandia culture – naked bike rides aside.

4.  Movie Stars and Celebrities.  In my first 3 months of living in the city, I saw more famous faces than I have ever seen (in person) in my entire life.  Leverage and Grimm were two TV shows filmed in our neighborhood, so regular stars, as well as guest stars were pretty common sights.  These folks were literally our neighbors.  I did also have the chance to bump into Michelle Williams and Jason Segel on the street one Saturday afternoon.

5.  Green Foliage.  It’s always green and green is everywhere.  That truly is something quite lovely in life.

6.  Forest Park.  This gigantic urban park was literally a few steps away from home.  I will certainly miss my runs and hikes through the gorgeous green misty forest, downpours and all.

7.  Mt. Hood.  The Rocky Mountains are certainly breathtaking.  These are mountains – plural.  The towering peaks all fit together as a range.  Mt. Hood flies solo.  On a clear day, there is nothing more spectacular in the distance (and it always comes with bright white snowcaps – skiing happens year-round on the mountain.  CRAZY!).

8.  The Food Scene.  I wish my circumstances had been different and had allowed me to enjoy eating out and noshing per the “food scene” in Portland more.  I read that the city is actually rated #1 nation-wide when it comes to food – over and above NYC and San Fran.  I believe it.  People are crazy about their food in PDX – and their bacon!

9.  Apples.  Oh yes, the heirloom apple season in Oregon (the one and only that I had) will always have my heart.  Oh, yes, I will miss those apples so very much.

10.  Friendships.  In the little time I spent in the city, I developed some of the most amazing, loving friendships anyone could ever imagine.  These friends became my dearest family in the PNW.  This was the most amazing (and awesome) blessing of all.  I will miss my Portland family for sure.