City Cast Portland executive producer John Notarianni conducted the interview for the segment.
Local tour guide and founder of Throw Snakes Tours, Dresden De Vera recently shared his wisdom on how to make new friends in Portland, but he also answered our question about what places make Portland feel like home:
“Mt. Tabor is the beating heart of the city. From Mt. Tabor, you have people who enjoy nature, who enjoy alternative events, like the Soapbox Derby. You have Hawthorne, Division, and Belmont as arteries. Then you also have Montavilla at the foot of it. It's the heart of Southeast, and Southeast is the heart of Portland.”
“It's kind of for the same reasons, just because it's a really great, walkable, really intentional park that was designed by the people who designed Central Park. There's a lot of care that went into that. And so it really does feel like a miniature touch of actual nature.”
“I'm a spiritual person. And so it's where I get the most recharged. I'll just feel weighed down and concerned and then I'll go there and then I'll realize: ‘No, God's plan is good. God knows everything. He can do everything. And I know that he loves me.’ And there's something about that comfort that makes me feel capable of the world again. I don't identify as Catholic. I identify as ‘God is love,’ and whatever path you took towards getting to that state of love is the right path to be on.”
