Adventure of the month

I knew approximately three things about Portland: 1. It is located somewhere in the Northwest. Ask me to differentiate it from Seattle on an unmarked map and I would have, at best, a 50% chance of getting right. 2. Based on reporting by famed documentarian, Fred Armisen, it is a designated hipster preserve. 3. A new friend, who is earning cool points by the bucketful, has spent a lot of time there. As a result of this, he send me off armed with what some would call an exhaustive list of recommendations. Now here's one thing I did not know: 1. How cold it could get. By conflating it with Seattle, I pictured gray, rainy days but nothing that would require serious layering. I was oh so very wrong.