Dear NYT, update

This morning, the story on Portland's Dining and Drinking and cheapness is still the number two most emailed story at the New York Times, after spending all day Wednesday and Thursday being number one.

Maybe because so many people west of New York only subscribe online and are interested in nearby Portland?

Or should we be preparing for the alien take-over?

(I keed, I keed, is joke)

One of my friends told me that I should be looking forward to the rise in wages the New Yorkers would bring, and I told him to calm down and get ready to wear an apron and a name tag. I think we're still friends, but it took me a while to get out of the composter he stuffed me into.

Honestly, all keeding aside, it makes me happy that Portland is seen for how amazing it is, and that we aren't dismissed as some sort of marijuana plantation clearing house. Our historic legacy and unique climate being a magnet is only enhanced by the continuously evolving art, music and literary cultures, and now the food and drink. More than Stumptown Coffee and Voodoo Donuts? Sure, why not get all of it out in the open to be enjoyed, and the local business owners keeping the dollars in the neighborhood?

There might be a blip of culture homesteaders who cash out and migrate here from The City, but we're still too far out here for there to be a huge wave like there was to Southern California, because our weather isn't as seductive, we're still too far from Japan, and even further from Europe than the East Coast. We're liberal, but isolated in the conservative zone. Might as well just go to San Francisco, where prices are more like New York and half of the old college pals are there and looking to sell, skip down to LA all the time, more familiar territory.

Just as truckers hats and flannel were a fad and are now so passe back east, I think the folks on the west coast predictably like having some rougher edges and aren't so easy going that they're all willing to become a servant class to new residents expecting submissive and impeccable service. We don't all need to be famous and we're not all eager to please and live for a big tip and a pat on the head. Have you noticed how many east coast men are over-grooming their eyebrows? What's with that? I don't think that many guys are working at drag clubs at night, I really don't. It's all cool, whatever, but again, a coastal difference. We're still goatee-ing it and no-make-up-ing it out here, because we seem to like to please ourselves first. Very cool with me. That's why I'm here.