15 Ways to Rediscover your Town

I've lived in Portland for almost 2 years now. This amount of time is not nearly long enough to get to know the entire city, but I do have it pretty well figured out for all intents and purposes. When I first moved here I tried to take a different route every time I went somewhere so I would be able to understand the layout a little better. Now that I've settled into my routine I tend to always take the road most travelled. I've decided I want to return to that adventurous spirit I once had and discover (or rediscover) some of those hidden places Portland has to offer. Here are 15 ideas for seeing new places in your own hometown.

1. Buy a map of your town and highlight all the routes you've taken. Next time you go for a walk, bike ride or drive follow a different path to get to your destination.
2. Go to open houses all around town. Let your dream home become a reality (if only for an afternoon) and find new neighborhoods you might not have known about.
3. Look for local theater productions and see a play. You may even see someone you know on stage.
4. Go on a public art tour. Try to find as many murals and sculptures as you can. Mark the ones you find on a map.
5. Rediscover history by reading old newspapers at the library. “Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft.” - Winston Churchill
6. Research your towns sister city and visit it if you can. 
7. Wake up early for the early bird breakfast at your local diner. See who's up and about at that time and experience a different side of your town.
8. Organize a scavenger hunt for you and your friends. With a little research you can discover amazing places you never knew were in town.
9. Take a day to visit the flea markets, craft fairs and antique shops in your town. You'll meet some very interesting people with wonderful stories.
10. Do some research to discover if you town is the setting for any movies, TV shows or books. Then try to find the landmarks.
11. Collect pamphlets from hotel lobbies to discover some activities tourists might do when visiting. You don't have to go out of town to go on vacation.
12. Set your alarm an hour earlier to take an early morning bike ride. Let the trails lead you where they will.
13. Start a walking or running group, take turns leading the route in order to find new trails and sights.
14. Find out if any famous people are from your area. Find the house they grew up in and the places they used to work.
15. Find the highest point in town or take a hot air balloon or helicopter ride to see your town from a new perspective.

Take some time to rediscover where you live. You may be surprised what you find right in your own back yard. Do you have more ideas to add to the list? Tell me in the comments below.

Getting Around

My first semester of college I took a microeconomics course. I learned a lot from this class but one of the biggest things I took away was the following.

"When traffic is congested, each driver is imposing a cost on all other drivers on the road --he is literally getting in their way (and they are getting in his way.) This cost can be substantial: in major metropolitan areas, each time someone drives to work, as opposed to taking public transportation or working at home, he can easily impose $15 or more in hidden costs on other drivers." - Microeconomics by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells

In that class I also learned that "You don't need to know this," means, "You need to know this," in professor speak, and that you should never enter a jungle alone (I don't remember why, but I wrote it down in my notes).

The point is, I had never really thought about the negative economical factors involved with automobiles. The environmental impact is something I've always known is terrible. Automobile driving is a major cause of:

1. Global Warming: Carbon dioxide emissions from autos are the largest contributor to global warming.
2. Air Pollution: Automobiles produce nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter that contribute to smog and respiratory illnesses.
3. Water Pollution: Automobile manufacturing, gas and oil production, road runoff of fuel, oil and antifreeze, underground gasoline storage tanks and marine oil spills all pollute our water.
4. Habitat Destruction: Oil drilling, metals mining and road construction all damage wildlife habitat.
5. International Conflict: Nations compete over oil reserves. The US currently imports 48% of its oil -- the highest levels ever. Many analysts ties this oil dependency to the hundreds of billions we have spent on Persian Gulf wars.

Americans drive an average of 231 miles per week, which comes out to about 12,000 miles per year. For a car with average miles per gallon (21), this is 571 gallows of gasoline annually. Given that every gallon of gasoline used emits 20 pounds of CO2, that means our cars are emitting 11,420 pounds of CO2 each year. The Union of Concerned Scientists stated, "personal use of cars and light trucks (including pickups and SUVs) is the single most damaging consumer behavior." In fact, the most significant change an individual could make toward reducing their carbon footprint is to cut down on how much they drive. Here's how:

Lastly, be a considerate and cautious driver. Fast accelerates and decelerations are damaging to your vehicle and the environment. Moral of the story: Be the tortoise, not the hare. In this classic children's tale, the tortoise proved that slow and steady won the race. The arrogant hare who burst from the gates and slams on his breaks for a rest proves that being a jerk never got anyone anywhere. Or at least that's what I got out of it.

How do you cut back on your car time?

What in the world are bike lanes for?

With the nice weather and the onset of spring I have been enjoying riding my bike around town rather than driving. It has been lovely to fill my lungs with the sweet smell of blooming flowers and listen to the bird songs, while exercising my body on my way to and from class and running errands.

Unfortunately, today a woman in an SUV yelled at me.

For some reason I really hate these stickers, and SUV lady had one.

Image credit: http://www.mr-miata.net/2010/12/family-car-stickers/

The following is my artistic rendition of the encounter:

Stopped at a stoplight next to SUV lady on Howes St. heading north.

(don't worry mom; I was actually wearing a helmet, It just looked funny in the drawing)

Lady leaning over to the passenger seat and totally not looking at the road to yell at me.

Lady leaning over to the passenger seat and totally not looking at the road to yell at me.

I have compiled a list of possible uses for that bit of road bordered by two white lines found between the car lane and the sidewalk.

1. Extra space for driving while texting. (Saw that happen once: young girl was texting and nearly hit a biker. But that's a story for another day.)
2. Parked vehicle door opening space.
3. Alien spaceship landing zones.
4. Area for delivery trucks to stop in order to not block car traffic.
5. Saved road in case of future lane expansion.

But enough of that. I know SUV lady probably doesn't read my blog. For other readers I have including the list of basic rules for bicycles according to the Fort Collins Government website:

• In the state of Colorado a bicycle is a vehicle, you have the same rules and responsibilities as a motor vehicle
• Ride in a designated bike lane if one is present, otherwise ride as far to the right hand side of the road as practicable
• Don't weave in and out of parked vehicles - hold a straight line of travel
• Ride with traffic
• Ride single file
• Don't cling to other vehicles
• Obey all traffic signs and signals
• Use a light at night
• Yield to Pedestrians and give an audible signal when passing

Further information and reading:

• You can find a complete list of laws for Fort Collins bicyclists here.
• For bicycle laws in the state of Colorado, click here.
• And a link to the Complete Colorado Cycling Manual.

For your state these laws may be different. I believe everyone should read up on their biking laws before they go around yelling at bicyclists who are indeed following the rules.

Thanks for reading, leave a comment about your encounters with people not following traffic laws.