#enlightened

I went to the 82nd and Foster Fred Meyer today and purchased: organic soymilk, craft beer, bulk amaranth, Greek yogurt, Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour and some produce.

SO YOU FUCKING WAKE UP

All i know about 82cnd is they have some excellent Dim Sum parlors. I've been meaning to head over there but I'm waiting until it gets cleaned up a bit.

I took a stroll around Camden, New Jersey last year, and I recently spent nine days in North Korea, but even *I* know better than to go east of 82nd in Portland.

Guarantee Anon drives a Honda Civic with a body kit, oversized spoiler and Affliction decals on the rear window.

I live east of 82nd and I'm not poor. Thoroughly middle class, like my neighbors. We live in charming 1950s homes with spacious yards, located on quiet residential streets and cul-de-sacs.

My neighborhood has "hipster" beer / food / wine. We have bike lanes. We have parks, farmers' markets and food carts.

But we also have a lot of other cool shit you "never ventured east of 50th & Hawthorne" slobs are missing: MAX access. I'm within walking distance of a Target, a Home Depot and a Freddie's.

And I don't have to deal with Last Thursday. I don't have to worry about some developer buying the lot next door, slamming a 6-bedroom home onto a 5000 sf lot and selling it to a California chode who drives a Mini Cooper to his job at a startup (that bubble will never burst!).

It's pretty cool. Sure, it takes 40 minutes to bike to work instead of 20. But I don't have to deal with the Williams / Vancouver clusterfuck of douchebaggery ever again.

And fuck New Seasons. Unless they want to build one out here, which would be yet another feather in my cap.

HIPSTERS *drops to knees and shakes fist at sky*

Fred Meyer on 82nd... YUCK!!!!

Chunty I'm with you...I also live east of 82nd (aka "shady-second") here. I would MUCH rather deal with the meth heads and white trash and hookers than having to deal with the assholery living close in. Plus, I live in a 3 bedroom/2 bath house and pay under $1300/month in rent :)

Another "east of 82nd" Portlander here (as in "further out than Gateway, dangerously close to Gresham" east) ]:0

Living in a nice, quiet, 3 bedroom/2 bath, 1,500 SF apartment with a secluded, landscaped courtyard and a pool...for less than a grand a month. :)

Lots of beautiful Doug Firs. Views of 2 of the volcanos close by. 3 grocery stores within easy walking or biking distance. Ditto 2 thrift stores, a drug store, bank and
locally owned pet store, bike shop and coffee joint.

2 blocks from the Max. 5 minutes from the airport (w/o any noise). A mile or so from both 205 and 84 and 30 minutes to downtown on MAX. Bike lanes galore. We walk the streets after dark all the time with no problems (the occasional "interesting Portlander" as seen in all your finer areas of town aside).

I like it "out" here. Of course, I've lived and liked (or at least seen the good side of as well as the negatives of) a variety of areas in this town over the going on 20 cumulative years I've lived here (Alphabet District brownstone, inner NE before gentrification, close-in SE, etc..)

it always amuses how many seem to think anything east of 82nd is a burned-out ghetto or something. As if they've spent so long ensconced in their trendy little enclaves (the Pearl, close-in SE, downtown, NW, where-ever) that when they do venture out, they see a terrifying, warped world that those of us who get around more don't. Weird.

I hate to think it's mostly to do with the diversity out past 82nd (a little too "colorful" for some? Or is it more of a class thing? Or both?) but I strongly suspect...

Stop typing on the Internet, or you'll get carpal tunnel syndrome and ruin your career giving handies at Honey Suckles.

That was a stupid rant if ever I read one.

It's not Portland east of 82nd - technically you're quickly approaching the nightmare of Rockwood, Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale, Corbett, etc. Rockwood is a shit hole, overflowing with violence and thugs. You couldn't pay me to ride the MAX to 181st stop in the middle of day. It's not a matter of hipsters being pussies - it's a matter of the criminals being fucking criminals and the real victims are the families that can't afford to live anywhere else but the wretchedness of these underworlds.

What about the nightmare of Tigard, Tualatin, Beaverton, Tanasbourne, Hillsboro, Aloha, etc...pretty scary dreams if ya ask me.

^^^ I agree. Strip malls, gas stations, 8000 unit luxuary apartments, Chili's and TGIFriday's as far as the eye can see. No thank you.