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I moved to Portland in 2011. I’m now fully spoiled for great coffee and beer, cool summer evenings, quirky lawns, and short trips to epic outdoor places. I love that Portlanders rarely get dressed up unless it’s in a costume. I love how hard this city falls for a new restaurant, and that I can be the most basic bitch in this town and the weirdest person in my family at the same time.
And while I will never admit it to the ever-critical out-of-towners, Portland needs to work on some things. Not everything, but some things. You know what I’m talking about. I want to know what’s going on in this city, but I can’t handle it from anyone who doesn’t love and care about her. Like how I can make fun of my brother, but you should keep your mouth shut. National news outlets do important work, but they don’t seem to know what to do with us if we aren’t all Portlandia and we aren’t all antifa.
I first subscribed to WW’s Daily Primer in 2020. It seemed like one of the few places to find out what was happening specifically in our streets and how it affected people. What our leaders were saying and doing. I was probably a bit manic on the refresh those days. Things felt out of control and the information was comforting, if not pleasant. Call it trauma bonding, but I never went back. I still want to know what’s happening specifically and locally, so I still subscribe.
Outside of crisis mode, one of my favorite Oregon rituals is voting by mail. My husband and I vote at the same time, usually over coffee and from different rooms, researching and hollering interesting facts or arguing down the hall. Willamette Week’s election coverage and endorsements are in there every time. The logic behind their picks is clear and well-supported. I don’t always agree, but I do take it seriously.
I support Willamette Week because I can tell they love and care about Portland. They write like it’s great and we can do better. We laugh and cry together because it’s home and we’re invested.