Considering moving to Portland. What should I know as a FTM?

[Alasdair]

Hey Everyone,
Im going to Portland, Oregon this weekend and next week to do some "investigating"- Im wanting to move there to have a safer place to transition. I live in the dirty dirty south (US) and I am not interested in being a trans martyr which could happen if I continue to live where I live while I transition  . Anyway, I have researched things I want to do and see while Im there but I was wondering if anyone knows of anything that I MUST check out while Im there. Or if anyone has/does live there and wants to tell me what day to day life is like there, any laws, etc etc that I would want to know about to help me decide if I would want to relocate to there that would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance

[gandaberunda]

Well, if you go to Mississippi Ave or Hawthorne, you'll pretty much connect to anything and everything you'll need to know-- from the Q Center to Buffalo Exchange :-)  If you want to check out some cool stuff in general, check out the Saturday Market, catch a movie at the Kennedy School McMennamins, or sing along at the Tony Starlight Neil Diamond tribute (may have passed already).  For something more hip, swing by the Doug Fir or get lost in the Shanghai Tunnels.  Anyway, enjoy!  Portland is fun!  I think there is a naked bike ride coming up in the next week or two.

[Janet_Girl]

And I do believe the the Rose Festival is going on downtown, at the Waterfront Park.  And there is always something going on at CC Slaughters at 219 NW Davis St downtown.

And it is going to be warm this weekend.  In the 80's.  Hawt Dam.  Momma's ready.

And Gender Identity is protected, under the Oregon Constitution.  My days are boring.  Up at 7 AM, off to school by 10:30, home at 6PM, home work and dinner and then bed.  Weekends I am usually doing house work from the week and more homework.  And once or twice a month I am doing some volunteer work with the school.  This Sunday I am going to help out with the PAWS team and helping out with the low income/homeless and their animal companions.

[Cen]

I've lived in Portland for about 5 years now, though I haven't seen many of the sites.  Just wandering around downtown can be pretty fun sometimes.  If you're into beer or wine there are a ton of microbreweries and wineries in the area.  The Powell's books downtown is also pretty cool, IMO.

Some bonuses I liked after living in Dallas,  TX:  The beach, mountains, and forests are all a short drive away.  Riding a bike and using public transportation (Trimet) is a viable option, which is how I got around my first year here.  People just seem to be nicer.

Day to day life depends on you.  For me, my day usually consists of fitting in a jog, going to work and/or class, housework, studying, spending time with my girlfriend, reading, and playing games.  Once or twice a week I'll meet up with some friends for some movies or games.