I Love Portland in the Winter
I’ve heard talk, not from me, but I’ve heard talk…that people begin to get depressed and freaked out by the weather at this time of year in Portland. They begin to feel that the sky is always gray and that it’s always raining and somehow they can’t do the things they want to do because of this.
Don’t get me wrong, I love summer as much as the next guy (well, unless it gets over 90 degrees) but personally I don’t get it. Maybe by March if it’s still super wet it begins to bug me a bit, but considering that it only started getting cold in the last month and that there are still many days when you don’t need a coat at all…
And really, there’s no lack of activity in Portland inside if you’re not up for piling on the rain gear and sticking to your outdoor routine. Winterhawks and Lumberjax games, bowling, swimming pools, roller skating, ice skating, indoor soccer and dodgeball leagues, rock climbing, kick boxing, glow-in-the-dark putt putt, movie theaters, dinner theaters, regular ole theater, jazz clubs, rock clubs, country dancing, ballroom dancing, bingo parlors, massage parlors (both kinds!), restaurants, dinner parties, cocktail parties, Guitar Hero parties, heck - even patios at bars like the New Old Lompoc and the Lucky Lab are winter friendly!
So the sky’s a little gray (hooray, no skin cancer!) and it’s a bit wet (hooray green grass in January!) but tell me…why do YOU love Portland in the winter?
Dark beer tastes better in winter.
One word: Shopping. When the weather is blah and grey, the first thing I think of is grabbing a cup of joe and hitting the shops. I just have to look up at the clouds and say “yep, it’s a shoppers sky!” and I’m off to the races.
its just depressing. you go to work in the dark, you walk home in the dark. the rain seeps into your bones after a while you just want there to be an ounce of sunshine. i go out, i’m only 34 but the winter humdrum maakes me go batty sometimes.
Sorry…it still blows. Nice try.
You don’t have to “shovel” rain, either.
Born ‘n bred in the Pacific NW and wouldn’t trade it for anything…
I love it. Nice time to curl up with a book!
I <3 the rain. Good book weather, good splashing-in-the-puddles weather. I like walking in it, and as long as it’s not too bloody cold outside, I can go for miles. Plus, I can breathe easier with the extra moisture. Yay winter in pdx!
Lloyd ice sucks. Unfortunately, you have to leave the city limits to find a decent sheet of ice. Valley (Beaverton), Sherwood, and Mountain View (Vancouver) are all viable options. (Valley smells like a goalie’s jock strap, but it’s got that special homey feeling you get from a facility built in 1960 that hasn’t been properly maintained for at least a decade.)
When I first moved to Portland in ‘89, there was a temporary rink set up on Pioneer Courthouse Square. It was tiny, and entirely enclosed in a tent. But it was fun. That was the last year they did it.
Then there was the 2004 New Year storm when we ice skated in the driveway and down the street.
(BTW Winter Hawks is two words.)
Yeah, winters in Portland are awesome. All cuddly by the fire, lots of movies n’ beer, stocking up on all the books I’ve been meaning to read and then actually reading them. Ah, and sleeping a lot, and then sleeping and then sleeping some more until you realize it has thrown you into a vitamin D deprived seasonal clinical depression. That part is not so fun.
My advice - fish oil, vitamin D, light box, and buy a good rain suit and just walk and/or go hiking as much as you can or go to the gym or snowshoeing or skiing up at Hood. This is especially important if you work in an office with those evil florescent soul sucking lights.
That was quite an impressive list of things to do! Indoor mini-golf downtown? Sign me up!
Being an east coast transplant I really appreciate the mild winters. No snow, no scraping my car for 20 minutes on the way to work, no giant storms that seem to shut everything down for days, and no outrageous heating bills!
I find I see a lot of movie and read a lot of books until March comes around. I think getting outside, even if it’s not bright and sunny helps my mood. Any light is better than none.
“…no giant storms that seem to shut everything down for days…”
Right. Here, it’s the one inch of snow that shuts things down for days. Just wait. You’ll see.
True true Steve, but that in itself is entertaining as it provides sooooo much opportunity for mocking… ;)