It’s true what they say. Portland really has a lot of things going for it.



Last weekend the wife and I packed up the squirt and headed south, ending up in the City of Roses for a one-night stay. The trek gave me a chance to do what so many others have already done — contrast uber-hip, uber-now, uber-cool Portland with my very own beloved City of Destiny.



Really, there is no comparison.



In Portland, the public transportation is amazing. The politics are decidedly progressive. And it’s easy to find food that’s not pumped full of weirdo hormones, antibiotics and hydrogenated oils. In many ways, Portland really is the city of the future.



Then there’s Tacoma. First, the only way to call this town of ours “cool” is ironically. Hip we are not — try as a few may. Public transportation in Tacoma is, at best, a work in progress. The politics can be backwards and backwoods. And trying to find food actually fit for consumption at 95 percent of local supermarkets is an exercise in futility. Tacoma is very much — like it or not — a city of yesterday.



While it would seem observations like this would make Portland the unquestioned winner in a battle of towns, there’s more to consider.



The thing about Portland is it knows how cool it is. This is where the trouble starts for the City of Roses, and where Tacoma makes up considerable ground.



Hanging out in Portland feels nothing like hanging out in Tacoma. If you find yourself sitting at any one of Portland’s eleventy zillion coffee shops (aside from the Starbucks, that is) you’re liable to drown in the hipness. The look is everywhere — you know, rock and roll hair, indie beards, tight, vintage T-shirts that probably cost $50, and rolled-up pant legs fit for bicycling (the coolest way to travel in Portland). For a town billed as unique, it’s a strangely cookie cutter scene.



Portland is the city of the moment — meaning every artist, hipster, leftist and hanger-on that’s ever fantasized about being part of the next big thing is there, or is trying to figure out a way to get there. Those already in Portland seem at one with the coolness this provides them, and, generally speaking, their attitudes exude this. Try telling someone immersed in Portland that you’re from Tacoma and see what I mean.



In Tacoma, luckily, we don’t have this problem. We’re here because we want to be, not because someone told us it was cool or because we think it will inch us up the hipster food chain. Sure, there’s less art, less business and less going on in general — but there’s also far less posturing and pretension. A city like ours could never support such nonsense.

So, what’s the moral of this story? I’m not sure. What I do know is it’s far more meaningful to lead the place where you’re at in the right direction than to simply jump ship for the current “it” location.



In Tacoma, we’re getting in on the ground level, and that’s a better definition of hip than anything PDX has to offer. If we’re lucky, hopefully someday there will be a number of similarities between Portland and Tacoma — and better yet, still plenty of differences. If we ever become that hip I might have to leave.