> Portland, Oregon, by the way, is quite massively over-rated by "new
> urbanism" outsiders. This ain't no transportation/city planning
> paradise.
> It's simply 10 percent better than Denver and Phoenix. And we have
> water
> and trees. That's all.
When I was there in July, I found the atmosphere oppressive--cops _everywhere_! I mentioned this to the content planner for the conference I was at (there's some sentiment for moving it back to the Bay Area, though he prefers Portland), and first he paused, then said, "You know, last night I did see a man in a wheelchair get arrested."
The transit system worked well for me, because all I did was go from the airport to downtown and back, and across downtown, but when I was looking for a doctor for my sprained ankle, I got a good gander at its limitations.
All the best,
John A