Remember: our rules allow pointed disagreement, but require respectful discussion. -- My family and I just returned from Portland, OR. Nothing profound, just some reflections on similarities/differences between there and Minneapolis. First, you do need extra time in the airport. Security was tighter, but not dramatically so. Portland, like Minneapolis, is a beautiful city with lots of green space, public parks, etc. It does have a little terrain, unlike Minneapolis, with views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood, and the spectacular Columbia River Gorge a short drive away. The same tensions, there as here, between different reactions to the 11th -- peace rallies downtown contrasted to the 'blow-em-to-bits' interviews in the newspaper. Singing 'America the Beautiful' at religious services first in Mpls then in Portland was an emotional experience. Civic leaders both places publicly criticizing the small number of attacks against Arab/Muslim businesses and institutions. "Saturday Market" (which runs Saturdays and Sundays March-December) is a mixture of the Uptown Art Fair and what the Powderhorn Art Fair started out as. Portland is considerably less diverse than Minneapolis, so everything appears a little blander. One striking difference is Portland's cleanliness. Driving on 35W yesterday, I felt sick seeing it littered with hundreds of pieces of trash in many places. Although it seems so trivial from the perspective of the 11th, it's a piece for me of how we decide to live together. Glad to visit, glad to be home and see again the things we value in our city. Larry Rudnick, Fulton _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
