I visited the States for the first time when I was 21. At the time I lived in London and was doing a one-year paid internship as a part of my degree. Instead of traveling home on my holiday, which is what I usually did, I counted my pennies and decided I had enough saved […]

I visited the States for the first time when I was 21. At the time I lived in London and was doing a one-year paid internship as a part of my degree. Instead of traveling home on my holiday, which is what I usually did, I counted my pennies and decided I had enough saved up for a transatlantic flight. Choosing my first-ever U.S. destination was a no-brainer ? I was set on exploring Portland, OR and wanted to get a taster of the Pacific Northwest.
This all happened before social media was a thing and before smartphones made exploring new places so easy ? my preparation and inspiration for the trip was a copy of Chuck Palahniuk?s Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon, a book that would guide me to some of the most strangely interesting places in Portland that I?ll never, ever, forget. What initially drew me to visit Portland was the environmental consciousness in city planning and the focus on walkability and public transport that promote both wellness and equality in city living ? these subjects, along with lack of racial diversity, and displacement in the region, still deserve much more attention and focus. What brought me back to explore the Pacific Northwest region from the Oregon ...