BarkDust

Oregon Eccentricities....

.....or what we've learned in the last couple of weeks... 1. Step off the curb at any corner and just walk, no matter what the traffic situation is. In Portland, pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way. The driver's manual says that "there is a crosswalk at every corner--marked or unmarked." 2. If something is a little expensive you say it is "spendy". As in, "Cha Cha Cha has great Mexican food and it's not spendy." 3. Dogs are permitted everywhere. Cats on leashes apparently are too, but we did overhear one woman complaining that Hollywood Video wouldn't let her bring her cat in. Restaurants that have sidewalk seating often have a bucket of water sitting by the curb for the pooches. 4. Bikes are a valid form of transportation. Every major road has a bike lane. There's even a city program where you can donate your old polluting car and get $500 for a bike (anyone got an old VW diesel Rabbit laying around that you'd sell me for $100?). 5. If you do drive a gas-burning vehicle you should liberally cover it with stickers that represent your personal political or sexual identity..."When Clinton lied, nobody died"..."Jesus was a hippy" and lots of unoriginal Phish and Grateful Dead stickers. We've thought about carrying our digital camera with us 24/7 just to photograph all the whacked out bumper sticker messages.

posted by Deb @ 8/19/2004 05:43:00 PM