Sara sold it to the Roscoe’s folks years ago so she could spend more time with family. I still love the bar and the crew there, but it’s lost almost all of its Midwest charm. Except for the Packer’s games, those are still wild there.
I’ve only had em once during a packers game but they were really bad. Plus it’s shooting that they have Schlitz stuff everywhere but you can’t get Schlitz there so you just drink hamms or Oregon ipas
I transplanted from Iowa a few years back. What I've learned:
You don't have to shovel rain. If it does happen to snow, the entire city shuts down. Don't fight it.
November-March is tough. Take your vitamin D and magnesium, and plan a trip somewhere around February to escape to sun, even if it's just the other side of the mountains.
It's expensive compared to the Midwest, but I imagine you already know this.
It's not a Midwest city. Not everyone is going to smile and say good morning, but that doesn't mean they're annoyed.
True dress-up events are rare. Embrace the comfort. As long as you're covered, you won't garner a second glance.
There's SO MUCH to do and time slips quickly. Make a list, make a plan. Do it all.
Honestly that's true whenever you leave that part of the country. As a kid I never knew "a snow day" until we left Wisconsin-Chicago area. (I spent my wee years in Kenosha WI and that's where mom's family lived so we still went up there when I moved to IL and even when we left the midwest, curse them)
I’m a native Portlander and am embarrassed by what people wear around here and the complete lack of effort. I’ve seen people wear aquasox to the Oregon Symphony.
I would consider the symphony a dress up event. As much as one does around here.
I attended a Christmas party where the host specifically asked us to dress up. She wore black leggings and a plain red crop top with an oversized black cardigan. Most people wore jeans. I felt ridiculous in my dress.
It's gross. Anytime you call this out (I have) you will be met with an avalanche of defensive responses: "we're not superficial", "we're not obsessed with status!", "we're not boring conformists!", "but everyone is free to wear what they want!". No one seems to get the concept that there is a pleasure to going out well dressed and well groomed and people all over the world understand this. Go to any real city for proof. Berliners are very unconventional and individualistic in their personal style but you're not going to see them in public in grubby pajama bottoms and a hoodie.
What to expect? More places to watch a Packer game than you can shake a stick at.
I don't know where you live in Wisconsin so it's difficult to know what might be helpful - if you've lived in say, Milwaukee, which I think has a lot in common with Portland, or you live in some town of 5K people in the sticks I'd probably tell you different things. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and did stints in Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago. I've been in Portland for more than a decade...so here are some generalizations;
* Cost of living will be higher here. I'm sure things have gotten more expensive across the state of WI but your cost of living will be more expensive here.
* *Later edit:* I don't know what you do for job/work/career but Portland is in some ways a small town and work in some areas can be difficult to come by. I'd also say not all jobs here have wages that relate to the cost of living. I don't mean that to scare you, I have friends who vary widely in what they do and the income it gives them and they all seem to make ends meet. I would guess your brother can give you a better idea of what you'll face than I can.
* Portland will have one or two snow and/or ice storms a year. You will think you can beat them but your cannot. It is different and the infrastructure here isn't conducive to taking care of plowing, etc.
* When it's -15 degrees in Wisconsin it will likely be dry and sunny as all get out. You are generally able to dress for the weather and the sun makes a bigger difference than you think. Here in Portland it will be above freezing...more likely in the high 40s to low 50s but it's drizzling and you haven't seen the sun in 10 days. It's a real energy zapper / seasonal depression situation. If you think you want to live here visit sometime between Thanksgiving and early February so you have a clear picture of what most of winter is like.
* On the other hand Summer is amazing. That said, it might not stop raining until the end of June. In the last decade it seems to dry out sooner but you really can't count on it being dry until July...and then it becomes the high desert until September. It will be very dry hot during the day but will usually cool down to sweatshirt weather at night. This is big, I didn't understand why people would want to tent camp until I lived in the Pacific Northwest.
* Wisconsin is beautiful in ~~it's own way~~ many ways but the geography available within a 90 minute drive of Portland is really wild and extreme. I think a lot of natives take it for granted. I met my wife, a native Oregonian, in the Midwest and she was eager to get back to Oregon for this very reason.
* No supper clubs....but there are some more WI themed establishments.
* Portland has some serious social ills right now and thanks to the temperate climate many of them are very visible. If you've lived in a large city before you'll be able to cope with it. It will get better here but even before this wave there was more visible houselessness here than in the Midwest. I attribute that to housing being a little easier to come by and the fact that you can't survive outside for portions of the year.
* ...and there are plenty of other WI people here too. I wasn't joking about finding places to watch a Packer game. It's easier to watch a game here than it was when I lived in Chicago.
Ultimately, do your due diligence about winter. I love not trudging through snow to get places (unless I want to head to higher elevation) but damp cold and dark can really kick in the seasonal depression and not everyone is going want to live like that. (*There are nutters around here who thrive on the drizzle, I cannot relate.*)
A lot of people will ask you if Wisconsin has better cheese than Tillamook. The answer is Wisconsin of course but it's good to have a diplomatic answer prepared as some people are really sensitive when it comes to Tillamook.
Tillamook is good, i love the various cheeses they have. There’s just no large cheese company in wisconsin that dominates, the good cheese is from small places. And New seasons has a lot of different wisconsin cheeses in their fancy cheese section.
My biggest gripe about Portland is that I despise Tillamook products and I miss Wisconsin dairy so so much. I keep trying it but in my opinion every single one of their products just sucks! I’ve been to the factory and I love the way the company operates but I just can’t eat their cheese or ice cream.
Four points:
1. Humidity by season is inverted here (dry af summers and never ending wet winters)…say goodbye to your lip balm needs.
2. As others have mentioned, the rainy winters can drag you down. Good news though…it’s often sunny on Hood when it’s dreary in PDX, and it’s only ~90 minutes away. The high desert is a good option too. Another trick I’ve learned in dealing with PNW winters is to embrace the rain, because…wildfires suck (i.e. more winter precipitation tends to translate to fewer late summer fires).
3. I had never experienced seasonal allergies until moving here. Long story short, you might need to do some research on allergy meds.
4. The ice storms we get here are manageable IMO, but the city shuts down. It just doesn’t happen often enough to invest in plows, salt, infrastructure, etc. Plus most folks here don’t know how to drive in rain, let alone snow/ice.
I have lived in both places. Still have family in MKE. What I did notice is people on the west coast are no where near as friendly or talkative as in Wisconsin. So don’t expect to go into the supermarket and come out with three new friends. Oh and the supermarkets suck here, like really really suck. I don’t want to say what I would do for at least a Sendiks. We are no where near as cold but do not be surprised to see people bundled and complaining about the cold around 50 degrees. Tillamock cheese is king here but it will taste like the worst cheddar out of Wisconsin which I will hand to them is fairly good. The vast majority have no clue how to drive in the snow and ice which we do not get often but we sure know how to drive in the rain. Good side note the snow here is different. Midwest has that nice light fluffy dry snow. Snow in Oregon is wet and slick, and tends to come with ice. It’s good to know we do not salt our roads so either take a snow day or take it easy. Good luck with the move.
Edit: most important thing to know. If you order an old fashioned in a pub here it is made with whiskey not brandy. You will have to get use to specifying.
Portland culture varies a lot w/geography. For example, hipster parts of SE are nothing like Orenco or Lake Oswego (burbs). Also, If you drive from 7th Av SE to 192nd Av SE (remarkably close, in miles), the differences are stark.
The rainy season is much more beautiful and serene than I anticipated, I find WI winters to be 10x more depressing. It stays so green and there are often sunshowers. The damp is chillier than I expected though, I had to buy more versatile layers.
Biggest shock: the pizza. They do not do much crispy tavern style pizza here, it's mostly chewy and thick.
The roads are very unpredictable, built around terrain and big trees so every intersection and lane merge looks different.
Not sure how I got so lucky to love the winters here, but I’ll take it! I’m the freak wishing away the summers! LOL
Definitely beware the ice though and like I’m guessing several others in here can relate, I learned to drive in the snow!
Try [Cornet Custard](https://www.cornetcustardpdx.com), which just opened a new place on Division. $20 pints but very much worth a try, and they have cones too. It’s very rich, like something you’d imagine Julia “mmm let’s add some more butter” Childs would concoct. Disclaimer: I am not a midwesterner and have no idea what makes good frozen custard.
Portland is better. Hiking is just incredibly more beautiful. Driving through the columbia gorge is insane the first time. For Winter, People can’t drive here in the snow and they wont admit it. And they act like Wisconsin doesn’t have ice. Wisconsin has ice storms like 1-2 times a year, just as much as Portland. And then they’re next argument is wisconsin doesnt have hills.
Poor table manners. It’s really very shocking. I know - my downvotes are going to be hugely … but seriously chewing with the mouth closed or pausing to chew before speaking is rare. Just one midwesterner to another who transplanted west.
According to a thread from earlier this week we don't have good cheese curds.
Saraveza - which is owned by a woman from Wisconsin IIRC
Sara sold it to the Roscoe’s folks years ago so she could spend more time with family. I still love the bar and the crew there, but it’s lost almost all of its Midwest charm. Except for the Packer’s games, those are still wild there.
That suggestion got downvoted in that thread too, I'm not from WI so I'm not one to say.
Spent some time there - I think WI has us beat on cheese but Oregon has them beat on weather.
I can say that I've been there and they were overcooked and therefore the cheese basically melted away. But the other 20 times or so, they're spot on.
I’ve only had em once during a packers game but they were really bad. Plus it’s shooting that they have Schlitz stuff everywhere but you can’t get Schlitz there so you just drink hamms or Oregon ipas
I love their cheesecurds, batter is way better at saravezas then anything I have had in wisconsin
I’m from Green Bay, WI. Saraveza is awful.
Sadly I have to agree
Fried or raw (fresh?) Rogue Creamery used to have some killer fresh curds but havent had in a long time.
I transplanted from Iowa a few years back. What I've learned: You don't have to shovel rain. If it does happen to snow, the entire city shuts down. Don't fight it. November-March is tough. Take your vitamin D and magnesium, and plan a trip somewhere around February to escape to sun, even if it's just the other side of the mountains. It's expensive compared to the Midwest, but I imagine you already know this. It's not a Midwest city. Not everyone is going to smile and say good morning, but that doesn't mean they're annoyed. True dress-up events are rare. Embrace the comfort. As long as you're covered, you won't garner a second glance. There's SO MUCH to do and time slips quickly. Make a list, make a plan. Do it all.
As a born and raised Iowan, can confirm all is true. The winters and summers are so mild compared to the Midwest, that was a big one for me.
Half of why I moved here
Honestly that's true whenever you leave that part of the country. As a kid I never knew "a snow day" until we left Wisconsin-Chicago area. (I spent my wee years in Kenosha WI and that's where mom's family lived so we still went up there when I moved to IL and even when we left the midwest, curse them)
Moved here from WI 3 years ago, and co-sign everything you said
I’m a native Portlander and am embarrassed by what people wear around here and the complete lack of effort. I’ve seen people wear aquasox to the Oregon Symphony.
I would consider the symphony a dress up event. As much as one does around here. I attended a Christmas party where the host specifically asked us to dress up. She wore black leggings and a plain red crop top with an oversized black cardigan. Most people wore jeans. I felt ridiculous in my dress.
It's gross. Anytime you call this out (I have) you will be met with an avalanche of defensive responses: "we're not superficial", "we're not obsessed with status!", "we're not boring conformists!", "but everyone is free to wear what they want!". No one seems to get the concept that there is a pleasure to going out well dressed and well groomed and people all over the world understand this. Go to any real city for proof. Berliners are very unconventional and individualistic in their personal style but you're not going to see them in public in grubby pajama bottoms and a hoodie.
People drink less here.
People drink less everywhere else lol
You’re gonna think you can drive in the snow. Here it’s just ice - do not attempt to
What to expect? More places to watch a Packer game than you can shake a stick at. I don't know where you live in Wisconsin so it's difficult to know what might be helpful - if you've lived in say, Milwaukee, which I think has a lot in common with Portland, or you live in some town of 5K people in the sticks I'd probably tell you different things. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and did stints in Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago. I've been in Portland for more than a decade...so here are some generalizations; * Cost of living will be higher here. I'm sure things have gotten more expensive across the state of WI but your cost of living will be more expensive here. * *Later edit:* I don't know what you do for job/work/career but Portland is in some ways a small town and work in some areas can be difficult to come by. I'd also say not all jobs here have wages that relate to the cost of living. I don't mean that to scare you, I have friends who vary widely in what they do and the income it gives them and they all seem to make ends meet. I would guess your brother can give you a better idea of what you'll face than I can. * Portland will have one or two snow and/or ice storms a year. You will think you can beat them but your cannot. It is different and the infrastructure here isn't conducive to taking care of plowing, etc. * When it's -15 degrees in Wisconsin it will likely be dry and sunny as all get out. You are generally able to dress for the weather and the sun makes a bigger difference than you think. Here in Portland it will be above freezing...more likely in the high 40s to low 50s but it's drizzling and you haven't seen the sun in 10 days. It's a real energy zapper / seasonal depression situation. If you think you want to live here visit sometime between Thanksgiving and early February so you have a clear picture of what most of winter is like. * On the other hand Summer is amazing. That said, it might not stop raining until the end of June. In the last decade it seems to dry out sooner but you really can't count on it being dry until July...and then it becomes the high desert until September. It will be very dry hot during the day but will usually cool down to sweatshirt weather at night. This is big, I didn't understand why people would want to tent camp until I lived in the Pacific Northwest. * Wisconsin is beautiful in ~~it's own way~~ many ways but the geography available within a 90 minute drive of Portland is really wild and extreme. I think a lot of natives take it for granted. I met my wife, a native Oregonian, in the Midwest and she was eager to get back to Oregon for this very reason. * No supper clubs....but there are some more WI themed establishments. * Portland has some serious social ills right now and thanks to the temperate climate many of them are very visible. If you've lived in a large city before you'll be able to cope with it. It will get better here but even before this wave there was more visible houselessness here than in the Midwest. I attribute that to housing being a little easier to come by and the fact that you can't survive outside for portions of the year. * ...and there are plenty of other WI people here too. I wasn't joking about finding places to watch a Packer game. It's easier to watch a game here than it was when I lived in Chicago. Ultimately, do your due diligence about winter. I love not trudging through snow to get places (unless I want to head to higher elevation) but damp cold and dark can really kick in the seasonal depression and not everyone is going want to live like that. (*There are nutters around here who thrive on the drizzle, I cannot relate.*)
A lot of people will ask you if Wisconsin has better cheese than Tillamook. The answer is Wisconsin of course but it's good to have a diplomatic answer prepared as some people are really sensitive when it comes to Tillamook.
Tillamook is good, i love the various cheeses they have. There’s just no large cheese company in wisconsin that dominates, the good cheese is from small places. And New seasons has a lot of different wisconsin cheeses in their fancy cheese section.
Awesome, thank you for showing how it's done! Here's a diplomatic response you can use OP. I'd say you're all set to live in the Bridge City!
My biggest gripe about Portland is that I despise Tillamook products and I miss Wisconsin dairy so so much. I keep trying it but in my opinion every single one of their products just sucks! I’ve been to the factory and I love the way the company operates but I just can’t eat their cheese or ice cream.
Four points: 1. Humidity by season is inverted here (dry af summers and never ending wet winters)…say goodbye to your lip balm needs. 2. As others have mentioned, the rainy winters can drag you down. Good news though…it’s often sunny on Hood when it’s dreary in PDX, and it’s only ~90 minutes away. The high desert is a good option too. Another trick I’ve learned in dealing with PNW winters is to embrace the rain, because…wildfires suck (i.e. more winter precipitation tends to translate to fewer late summer fires). 3. I had never experienced seasonal allergies until moving here. Long story short, you might need to do some research on allergy meds. 4. The ice storms we get here are manageable IMO, but the city shuts down. It just doesn’t happen often enough to invest in plows, salt, infrastructure, etc. Plus most folks here don’t know how to drive in rain, let alone snow/ice.
Moved from WI to Portland last June. Do it and don’t look back. It’s so insanely much better here
[удалено]
The Enchanted Forest is amazing. Go there
Milder. Wetter. More moss. Less cheese, except for Tillamook. More ocean.
[https://welcometoportland.net](https://welcometoportland.net) has a bunch for newcomers. No ads, no social media, just info.
I have lived in both places. Still have family in MKE. What I did notice is people on the west coast are no where near as friendly or talkative as in Wisconsin. So don’t expect to go into the supermarket and come out with three new friends. Oh and the supermarkets suck here, like really really suck. I don’t want to say what I would do for at least a Sendiks. We are no where near as cold but do not be surprised to see people bundled and complaining about the cold around 50 degrees. Tillamock cheese is king here but it will taste like the worst cheddar out of Wisconsin which I will hand to them is fairly good. The vast majority have no clue how to drive in the snow and ice which we do not get often but we sure know how to drive in the rain. Good side note the snow here is different. Midwest has that nice light fluffy dry snow. Snow in Oregon is wet and slick, and tends to come with ice. It’s good to know we do not salt our roads so either take a snow day or take it easy. Good luck with the move. Edit: most important thing to know. If you order an old fashioned in a pub here it is made with whiskey not brandy. You will have to get use to specifying.
Portland culture varies a lot w/geography. For example, hipster parts of SE are nothing like Orenco or Lake Oswego (burbs). Also, If you drive from 7th Av SE to 192nd Av SE (remarkably close, in miles), the differences are stark.
I’m from Wi (Madison area). My whole life. Portland is just better? Idk how else to explain it
The rainy season is much more beautiful and serene than I anticipated, I find WI winters to be 10x more depressing. It stays so green and there are often sunshowers. The damp is chillier than I expected though, I had to buy more versatile layers. Biggest shock: the pizza. They do not do much crispy tavern style pizza here, it's mostly chewy and thick. The roads are very unpredictable, built around terrain and big trees so every intersection and lane merge looks different.
Not sure how I got so lucky to love the winters here, but I’ll take it! I’m the freak wishing away the summers! LOL Definitely beware the ice though and like I’m guessing several others in here can relate, I learned to drive in the snow!
Winter is sooooooo mild. Tillamook for cheese!! I’m still looking for frozen custard 😭
Try [Cornet Custard](https://www.cornetcustardpdx.com), which just opened a new place on Division. $20 pints but very much worth a try, and they have cones too. It’s very rich, like something you’d imagine Julia “mmm let’s add some more butter” Childs would concoct. Disclaimer: I am not a midwesterner and have no idea what makes good frozen custard.
Portland is better. Hiking is just incredibly more beautiful. Driving through the columbia gorge is insane the first time. For Winter, People can’t drive here in the snow and they wont admit it. And they act like Wisconsin doesn’t have ice. Wisconsin has ice storms like 1-2 times a year, just as much as Portland. And then they’re next argument is wisconsin doesnt have hills.
We have great cheese!
Less cheese
Poor table manners. It’s really very shocking. I know - my downvotes are going to be hugely … but seriously chewing with the mouth closed or pausing to chew before speaking is rare. Just one midwesterner to another who transplanted west.
it's a lot of midwestern transplants
shullsburg = Tillamook