I wish you'd gone into more detail about how living in Reno changed you, Eve. I am much older than you, at 70, and I threw myself out of the house at 16 and have lived all over. I am a HUGE fan of forcing ourselves to live differently as a way to see ourselves in new lights. You did a lovely job of expressing some of that, but I think there is a much richer article here about some of the fundamental shifts that we see in ourselves when we force change by moving to a random city.

As a city girl, you will likely love Portland. It is rich with culture and much to love; but above all, if you learned to love nature in Reno, I invite you and your love to discover the Oregon Coastline. As a fellow writer, that part of the world is why I gave up living in Colorado and all those mountains to be near the coast. I am deeply motivated and inspired by the coastline, and you will be close to it.

Being writers, one of THE best ways to instigate literary invention is to move around. I travel extensively, adventure travel, massively dangerous sports, and I immerse myself in other cultures. Those things cause me considerable discomfort, but as a writer, dear god the insights, the perspectives, are priceless.

My father told me once as a child that I should write down all my first impressions of a place. that was excellent advice. I'd add to that, how we feel about a place. I hated NYC with heart and soul, being first and foremost and forever a farm girl. Your NYC reference points give you a unique take on Portland just as my farm/military girl reference points gave me a take on NYC. It was not for me. I considered Portland when I chose to move but it was too big city.

I'd love to see another piece like this which delves more deeply into how these moves are shaping who you are and how you think and how you perceive things as a writer. But that's just me. I hope you love Portland.