Although Portland this time of year tends to be wet and gray it's citizens appear to be decidedly pleasant and upbeat. It is a wonderful venue for Photolucida. The city center has done what a lot of cities Portland's size haven't been able to pull off. It has retained it's older core and tastefully built upon that. Pervasive streetcars, well maintained streets and dignified shops show Portland to be prosperous in an old school way. The scale of the downtown and adjacent areas as well as a variety of destinations make walking enjoyable.
Nevertheless, the volume of young street people signals something gone wrong. The Sunday morning feeding of the homeless a block away from The Benson Hotel in O'Bryant Square, while certainly charitable, is truly shocking. According to this 2009 story Oregon led the nation in homelessness. Although desperation or substance abuse can lead to aggressive behavior, at no time did I see anything like that.
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