Also, remember that we hate Californians. Especially the ones from L.A. Especially the drivers. Actually, my parents are Californians but it’s a well-known joke that Oregonians aren’t too happy about Californians escaping L.A. and cluttering up our pristine valleys instead.
But seriously, I did undergrad at University of Oregon and it’s a great school–a beautiful campus, fairly pleasant town (unfortunately a lot of meth use and transients–street kids, etc., at least last time I was there–about 3 years ago or so.)
I lived about 10 minutes away from school, near the music school, on E. 18th. I lived with a roommate I found on Craigslist and together we paid $600 a month for a decent 2 bedroom apartment. (You can take a look on Google maps.) It was a sketchy-ish neighborhood but cheap. Further up 18th, towards Hayward field, etc. the neighborhood becomes nicer, beautiful old homes but a lot of frat houses too, alas. Lots of students rent houses around that area. The bus system is free with your tuition (or was when I was there) so as long as you’re on the bus line you should be fine. There’s a Trader Joes on the bus line and a Whole Foods-ish type place (Market of Choice) on the northeast part of campus.
As others have said, it’s a serious hippy place so there is actually few "co-ops / communes" you can live in if you’re into that. Otherwise, I’d take a look at Craigslist–I came back from a study abroad program and found a decent place for winter term with just about 2 weeks to spare. :eek: I believe there’s a roommate / apartment finding service run by the University as well, which you could take a look at (on the school website.)
Eugene is about 2 1/2 or so hours from Portland, an extremely awesome city with an amazing music scene. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot to do in Eugene, although there is a decent art house theater in a converted church and a few decent music venues. Don’t know how much time physics grad students have for fun though.
The Oregon coast is beautiful, as is the Rogue river area (hell, almost all of Oregon is beautiful) so if you like outdoorsy things you will be in good company.
Yep. Everyone hates Californians. My uncle moved to Oregon from California, and he really hates Californians.
Here’s the problem I have with driving in Oregon: First, the speed limits are too low. Around Portland there’s a nice wide freeway, and it’s posted 50 mph. Many Oregonian drivers drive under the speed limit – in the left lane. And they won’t move over for faster traffic. Now, if I’m speeding it’s on me to get around people who are doing the posted limit. But if they’re doing under the limit, then they should move over. And they also seem to like to position their cars next/near to cars in the other lane creating a rolling roadblock. It happens up here too, but it seems worse in Oregon. In L.A. people seem more courteous.
Johnny are you talking about some other Portland? Hardly any drivers stick to the highway speed limit in Portland, much less hang out in the left lane. The speed limit is 50 but everyone drives 55-60. And saying LA people are more courteous is at best disingenuous. I’ve driven in LA several times and it’s a white knuckle ride going 30 MPH over the speed limit and passing no one.
The weirdest Oregon thing is having other people pump your gas. This usually means you have to spend a longer time at a gas station waiting for the guy to come and stick it in, and then to come and take it out. Because he is trying to do that for 6 other cars at the same time. Plan an extra 2-5 minutes or more for each fill up.
Also, be wary of them leaving your gas cap off or loose. Twice now I’ve lost gas caps at the gas station. More times than I can count they have put the thing on loosely so that my ‘check engine light’ comes on the next day.
I love Oregon, but I wish wish wish wish wish I could pump my own gas. I’ll never get used to it.
Every time I’ve driven through Portland, people were doing 50. In any case, it’s too wide a freeway for a 50 mph limit. The left-lane hogs seem to live in other parts of the state.
Yes, L.A. drivers can be a little speedy. But in hundreds of thousands of miles of L.A. driving, I’ve found that people generally get out of the way for faster traffic. L.A. drivers seem a little bit more willing to let people in, too. I think it’s like this: Everyone knows people drive fast, and everyone knows how crowded the freeways are. So they know what to expect (most of the time). It’s like, ‘OK, I know what you want to do and I’ll let you do it. I expect the same when I want to do it.’ Don’t get me wrong; I have over 100,000 miles just on motorcycles in the L.A. area. I’ve seen a lot of people who weren’t paying attention. But for the most part people will move over and let others in. (And most people will edge over to allow motorcycles to pass, and motorcyclists will wave ‘Thank you’.) Here in Washington and in Oregon, people don’t seem to know they have mirrors that will show them what’s behind them.
I’ve lived in Oregon all my life (well, until a few years ago) and that’s not my experience. I used to deliver pizza too so I spent some time on the road. And the freeway is only 50 mph within or close to city limits (I believe). Actually, I think it’s 55 now–was changed a few years ago and raised by 5 MPH everywhere. But yeah, everyone speeds, of course, as they do everywhere else.
Don’t get me wrong, I hate it when drivers do that roadblock thing too, but I don’t think it’s an Oregon specific issue. It didn’t happen to me regularly or anything. It did once happen to me when I was going up a major hill near my house… two huge trucks and one decided to try to pass the other. They didn’t seem to realize that if you’re going up a huge hill and you’re a semi-truck, you’re not going to have much luck going more than 25 MPH. You are definitely not going to put on a burst of speed. But then, they were definitely not from “around there” or they would have realized how major the hill was. They were long distant truck drivers and didn’t have Oregon plates. No doubt they were from California. I did manage to find a cite… doesn’t prove much, but take that, #14! Who’s number 1! Oh yeah!
Oh, don’t get me started on trucks! IME they’ll happily follow one another until someone is just about to overtake them. Then one will move left to pass, causing the overtaking car to slam on its brakes. And then be stuck behind them for two or three miles. :mad: In Washington they passed a law that would cite drivers who ‘cut off’ trucks. That was especially galling, since the truck drivers are the ones who cut people off. The signs have disappeared, so I don’t know if that law is still on the books. IIRC, trucks in California are supposed to stay in the right two lanes. That doesn’t seem to be the rule here.
And then there are those signs: ‘This truck pays $14,000 per year in road taxes.’ Well, yeah. You’re using public roads to make money. And you’re damaging the roads far more than cars do. (Check out the 5 in downtown L.A. if you don’t believe me.) You should pay taxes!
Ah, hell. I got started on trucks. I’d better get back to my data.
There are only two stretches of highway in the Portland Metro area (that I can think of) where the speed limit is 50: on I-5 at the Terwilliger curves and on highway 26, in the West Hills, just outside of downtown. Everywhere else it’s 55.
Don’t get me wrong; I agree that the speed limits are too low. Well, that stretch of 26 is probably justified, but the “curvy” section of I-5 is ridiculous - it’s, like, one turn that can easily be handled at 65-70. Similar stretches of highway in California have a 65 speed limit.
I have to agree with EvilTOJ, people don’t stick to the speed limit (or under) here any more than in other cities, and I don’t see them going slow in the left lane very much - again, no more so than anywhere else. Getting out on I-5 outside of town, though, is a different story.
Something I’ve noticed, too: when I see some driver acting like a jackass on the highway, more often than not the car has California plates.
Once, when I was 19, while driving from San Jose to LA, a truck pulled this on me for about the 453rd time. I got pissed, and once I could finally pass the fucker I flipped him off. Not long after, as I was coming up behind another pair of trucks in the right lane, one pulled out in front of me, but instead of passing the other truck they both slowed down to about 45 and stayed that way for a good 20 miles. I had forgotten about CBs, you see… lesson learned.
At first I read this comment and found it a little odd, wondering “what, will the hippies attack you if you get out of your car because they hate gas-guzzlers so much?” but then I read a little more and the “full-service” thing dawned on me. :smack:
I still don’t get it though - I’ve heard of these kinds of places before (it’s like that in Mexico too) but why don’t they want you to pump your own gas? Do they think the general public isn’t qualified to handle it (the dangerous task that it is), or what?
I put the “that I can think of” qualifier in there for good reason… because I wasn’t thinking. I sort of forgot about I-5 being 50 mph from the Terwilliger Curves past the Marquam bridge… and all of 405… and the end of 84 at 5.
Just thought I’d call myself on it before someone else razes me.
The odd thing about it is, our gas prices are still the same as neighboring states (OK Washington that I know of). You’d think that gas would be cheaper across the river in Vancouver since you have to actually get out of your car and pump it yourself there, but it’s comparable. When it’s cold and rainy out (when ISN’T IT?) I’d rather have some schlub pump my gas so I can stay warm in the car.
Actually, my parents are Californians but it’s a well-known joke that Oregonians aren’t too happy about Californians escaping L.A. and cluttering up our pristine valleys instead. 
I did manage to find a 
I guess you folks have some taste.
