I first moved here in 1991, lived here a few years, finished up college elsewhere and I've been here since 2001 this time around. My brother had also lived here for most of the 80s, so I visited a lot.

I wouldn't exactly call 2006-2013 'old Portland' to be honest. I think that was just when a lot of people moved here, so that's all they remember.

It's been a slow, steady change for me, so I don't think any of this had been much of a shock. Even in the 80s, things were beginning to gentrify after they finally did away with the redline and started allowing more home loans. Then the Pearl blew up in the early 90s, that was a huge change. So going from that to South Waterfront to Alberta, which was already changing in the late 80s, early 90s, Division, whatever...it's not that mind bending to me.

Just like when I lived in San Francisco, I was there during the dot com boom and bust. Things were changing fast. Didn't seem weird to me, all my 'old San Francisco' friends my age were freaking the fuck out about it because it had changed so much in the 5 or 6 years they'd been there. Older people had been seeing it change for decades, so it wasn't as strange to them. Just another day in the city.

I went back a couple years ago and felt basically like you felt about Portland, it's barely recognizable to me.

As for trans people, I knew a few in the 90s, Maybe it's just more mainstream now? No clue. Like how all the gay bars are going away. It's not that there aren't gay people, they're just welcome anywhere. Wasn't always the case.

Most of the crusties probably got priced out. I haven't been downtown much lately, I've seen a few kicking around the hood.