I have had the great pleasure and opportunity to take some time this past month to visit family back east. I spent time with my sister where I grew up, just outside Boston. The trip was restorative, and on many levels it gave me lots of time for reflection and remembrance.
I feel so tremendously lucky not only to have grown up in such a rooted community, but also to have acquired a strong desire for adventure and travel. That sense of adventure lead me, ultimately, to Portland, which has been my home now since 2003. I could not be more excited for everything that 2017 has to offer in Portland.
It is my hope that with every trip I take, I learn something. Sometimes I learn about the local landscape, history, or culture. Sometimes I learn about myself.
I offer you the things I learned (and other random thoughts) during my recent trip to Boston:
- The minute I get off the airplane at Logan airport, my Boston accent comes back in full effect.
- There is no coffee in the world that tastes like Dunkin’ Donuts. For better or worse, this is the coffee of my youth, and I love it.
- Everyone here drives like me. And I don’t like it! I promise to become a more polite, patient, and practiced Portland driver. I have seen the error of my ways, Portland. Really, I have!
- If a chef from Portland could figure out how to fly some Ipswich clams (with bellies) into town on the regular, I will happily frequent your establishment, follow you on Twitter, stalk your Instagram, and tell everyone I know and meet about you.
- My memory that “everyone back home knows how to drive in the snow” is a complete and total fabrication. I’m revising that to “cities back east have an army of snow plows so you never actually have to drive in the snow.”
- I spent an afternoon with my 4th grade teacher. 4th grade! It’s so interesting to interact as adults. I was super relaxed and chatty and had a great time, but in the back of my mind, I knew if she told me to sit up straight, I would have bolted upright in my chair. Some relationships evolve over time, but they can also revert in an instant. (Note: she never did tell me to sit up straight.)
- I met with another Realtor while I was in town. The real estate markets in both Portland and Boston are active, rising, low-inventory, and strong. Which, when you consider Portland had a 50% chance of being named “Boston” when it was founded, is kind of cool.
- I had the pleasure of meeting with local clients. I so rarely get to see my relocation clients before they get to Portland. It was fun to experience their enthusiasm and see where they were coming from. It gave me a much greater sense of what they are used to walking to and their current public transportation setup, and helped me envision a comparable location in Portland.
- I stayed in Boston for an additional 4 days due to snow and plane schedules. Those four days taught me that I really, really wanted to get back home. To Portland. To my family, my dog, my parrots. To all of it. Vacations are terrific, but coming home sometimes is the best part of any vacation. Especially when you’ve gained additional love and admiration for wherever you call home while you’re away.
— By Danni Duggan, OR Real Estate Broker, Premiere Property Group, LLC
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