Hometown

Every time I go home, I make it a point to spend quality time with my beloved Portland. This place forces me to consider how much where we live influences who we are, since I believe myself to be a native Portlander, but am unsure whether I was born that way, or whether the city shaped me to be its own. The homeless in the more real parts of town, the crowds outside the shady bars, the hairdresser wearing fishnets and covered in tattoos are all as much 'Portland' as the businesspeople in their suits, carrying expensive briefcases and coffee, and the hip thirty-somethings in small groups of three or four crowding out the upscale restaurants and cafes. Did these people adopt the city as their own, or are they the Aborigines, who have always been this way? It is easy to tell who does not belong to the city; they are ones with large umbrellas, inadequate clothing, and guide books. I pride myself on not even owning an umbrella, much less ever using one. I don't own the guide books, and I know how to layer in order to stay warm against the almost omnipresent raindrops.
Which leads me to the question of adaptation.
Although P-town is my hometown, I now reside near Seattle, and have made it a goal this semester to come to know Seattle like I know Portland, to gain knowledge of all the cool shops and restaurants around the city. Last night my two roommates and I went down to the U District (the area of Seattle surrounding the University of Washington) for some used clothes shopping. We hit up Buffalo Exchange and Recycled Fashion, and I finally found a pair of boots that I have been looking for. We are planning on going again for some more second-hand finds, maybe trying one of the many Asian food places along University Way. Seattle is indeed a beautiful city. Kitty-corner to one of the shops, jutting out above the under-construction warehouses, was a black, cathedral-style tower, with the light shining on it just so against the black sky, making it one of the most striking and beautiful scenes I have encountered here. I am looking forward to many such scenes in my future.