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What’s the thing you love? Think about it for a second.
Sure, we live in a time that caters to our instant whims and fleeting, immediate curiosities, even feeds on them (hi, social media algorithms), but how often do we get a moment to dig a little deeper and think about our real longings?
So, we’ll ask again: Creatively, careerwise, sexually, just for plain fun—what desire sits at the center of your heart, right now?
Keep that thought close as you explore this year’s Reasons to Love Portland, a list of 25 ways people of this city are unabashedly fulfilling their fantasies.
The results are boundless; Portlanders have turned this city into a haven for comic books and romantasy books, a home for dedicated crow counters, for an interior stager who doesn’t use the same piece twice, and a set designer leaving his mark everywhere from Broadway to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
Need some inspiration to find your own thing? Try a jog with the sober run club or get some creative discipline from the Sit Down, Shut Up, and Write weekly gathering over at BOLD Coffee & Books. Or wiggle out your winter woes at the Portland Winter Light Festival’s Fun Luv’n Silent Disco. And if you’re looking to fulfill a saucier desire (it’s Valentine’s Day, after all), make sure you pick up your fetish wear from Fantasy for Adults Only, where each piece has been sourced with care for the community.
This city is fertile soil for any kind of love to blossom alongside the richness of spring right around the corner. So get a head start before the blooms. Here are the reasons to love this city and, most importantly, encouragement to love yourself. —Robin Bacior, Arts & Culture Editor
