MetaChat - The New York Times and Portland, Oregon should just get a room already.

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05 November 2007

The New York Times and Portland, Oregon should just get a room already. Seriously-- what's up with the ongoing crush the Times appears to have on Portland?

post by: dersins at: 13:19 | 20 comments

I noticed that also. Portland is great and all but it's term as the "next big thing" has to be just about up.

posted by danf 05 November | 13:45

Speaking of Portland, I had to get a refund (still has not been credited to my acct.) for the Decemberists next month, who canceled their whole tour due to an unspecified illness in an unspecified band member.

Part of me wants to read this as shorthand for an addiction that is persisting, but who really knows?

But the rest of the band could use the rest, it seems. They have been pretty constantly busy for the last year or so.

posted by danf 05 November | 13:48

I'm just glad I'm getting out of here soon - all of this attention is just going to keep pushing rents up and drawing the kinds of worthless, annoying cockbaskets that the city typically calls "the creative class".

posted by cmonkey 05 November | 13:53

Come to Cleveland, cmonkey!

posted by sciurus 05 November | 13:58

worthless, annoying cockbaskets that the city typically calls "the creative class".

*applause*

posted by jonmc 05 November | 14:06

cmonkey, where are you headed to?

posted by ramix 05 November | 14:14

Come to Cleveland

Isn't pittsburgh the rust-belt Portland (minus the hype, which probably goes without saying when "Rust Belt" is a valid descriptor...)?

posted by dersins 05 November | 14:14

Portland seems like one of those few cities that it is acceptable among certain circles in NYC to be from or to go to. As in you'd only leave NYC for something more hip than NYC prime. Like if you have a consulting gig and your employer is making you go to Portland for 5 months, but that's okay because they're very environmentalist and progressive.

Whoa be it unto the NYC yuppie who gets stuck with a stint in St. Louis, or gasp, even worse, Oklahoma City. Strip malls and mini-vans can be a culture too, NY Times.

posted by geoff 05 November | 14:43

You think it's bad now? Give it a couple years, it'll be The Portland Times.

posted by cortex 05 November | 15:06

It's an attempt to drive housing prices in places in Brooklyn down while bumping ours up and simultaneously dumping people like The Decemberists and Spoon on the NW (my S.O. and I have been wondering the same thing, dersins, and that's all we can come up with).

posted by sleepy_pete 05 November | 15:08

I guess we could just rename "New York" to "Portland, Jr.". or "The Lesser Portland" if it would make them feel better.

posted by cmonkey 05 November | 15:32

Spoon is from Austin, not New York.

posted by muddgirl 05 November | 15:41

On second thought: It is all part of the vast NY Times conspiracy to find a West Coast city to call its own. They conceded LA last year in a New Yorker issue, my favorite quote was "In NYC it is the clothes you wear, in LA it is the car you drive." Sure, they'll never have LA and are only able to describe in abstract status-identifying metaphors, but they can latch onto Portland like the little brother in the indie band.

posted by geoff 05 November | 15:42

I am so fed up of hearing about how wonderful bicycles are! I've lived in Portland for 14 years, and for the last 12 of those I have not owned a bike, and have no interest in getting one. No way am I going to ride a bicycle in the rain!

posted by pieisexactlythree 05 November | 16:12

I'm glad you mentioned that the Decemberists canceled their tour, danf, I have tickets for it too, and didn't know it had been canceled :(

Guess I'll have to see if I can get tickets to Flogging Molly after all, it ended up being on the same night and I've always wanted to see them :)

posted by Sil 05 November | 16:25

Portland is a pretty nice city, but I like me some snow. (Though it seems everyone in Portland has at one point lived in Wisconsin).

posted by drezdn 05 November | 17:12

Spoon is from Austin, not New York.
posted by muddgirl 05 November | 15:41

They sure are. And what's his face (you know, tall boy) lives in Portland. That's what I meant. Austin can definitely have him back if they want him.

posted by sleepy_pete 05 November | 17:15

I'm just happy they stopped talking about Williamsburg, and if they continue to ignore Vermont 11 months out of 12 that would be swell also.

posted by jessamyn 05 November | 17:36

Sil, Tegan and Sara are playing there that week also. If it did not involve a Tuesday night and a 200 mi. round trip, I'd be there.

posted by danf 05 November | 18:01

I enjoyed the hell out of Portland while I was there prior to moving out here. It was one of the most civilized, polite and engaging places I've ever visited.

posted by Lipstick Thespian 05 November | 20:16

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