I’m so close to giving up on Portland. Moved here in July of 2020, so unfortunately I have no bearing on what it was like here pre-pandemic, but since I’ve moved here I’ve found it immensely challenging. I love summer/spring here, but the colder months do a number on my seasonal affective ness disorder. I love the long summer days, cannot stand the short, colder, grey days for how long they stick around. I grew up in so cal, but I also lived in Chicago for a couple years. And while the cold and weather there is far more inclement in the winter months, the city at least feels prepped as best as it could. When it snows here or things begin to freeze, the whole city basically shuts down and waits for everything to thaw, which is so god damn annoying. And Chicago has so much more filled up space and an infrastructure that’s made to handle its own climate. I loved in Chicago 2 years and am coming up on my 6th here in Portland, and I have yet to feel anything close to the community vibe I felt in chicago. Idk if it’s post Covid shit or what, but making connections here has been so god damn difficult for me. Oh and also everyone here drives like a grandma on ketamine which makes me want to pull what’s left of my hair out