Everyday things that are different in Portland (Burns: to buy, DMV)

[gma221]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Oh how I wish women's hats would come back.

I have a plan to bring back the rain bonnet! (I'm half-serious...)

[Yankeemama]

I wear a nice straw hat all summer with sunglasses and in Spring and Fall, baseball hats work... hats are always in style in my world.

[MNCheri]

This is all very helpful.

Does anyone know how many days you have to tag your car in OR or get an OR drivers license? I know some states have very specific deadlines you have to follow and I can't decipher the OR DMV site.

And does anyone know if I'm going to have to take the driving test? I've had to take the written test when I moved between states but never the driving test and the DMV site makes it look like you do, even if you have a valid license from another state. Really?

[sueisme]

We had NY licenses and plates and needed only the written test. But *read the manual* before you take the test (offered on computer terminals at a variety of DMV sites.) The road rules are a little different. You can actually make a *left* on a red light on one-way streets. (As my husband said, "Left and red are two of my favorite colors, but I never thought to put them together while driving.") The folks at the DMV (for NY expats, anyway) are shockingly friendly and helpful. And they smile, too.

[sueisme]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Oh how I wish women's hats would come back.

Wear your hats anyway! My best buddy in Bklyn used to wear hats (her collection was from the 1920s - early 1950s) when we went out -- and looked completely great. I was always a little in awe of her...(and her hats.)

[Yankeemama]

I couldn't believe how nice the workers at the DMV are... They say hi when you walk in the door, SERIOUSLY. Oregon will blow you away, in a good way!

Originally Posted by sueisme

We had NY licenses and plates and needed only the written test. But *read the manual* before you take the test (offered on computer terminals at a variety of DMV sites.) The road rules are a little different. You can actually make a *left* on a red light on one-way streets. (As my husband said, "Left and red are two of my favorite colors, but I never thought to put them together while driving.") The folks at the DMV (for NY expats, anyway) are shockingly friendly and helpful. And they smile, too.

[sueisme]

Darn it. I must read before I post. My husband said "Left and red are two of his favorite *words*..." Otherwise it makes no sense and he (usually) does...

[Nell Plotts]

Funny DMV stories about Portland returnees: Husband and I are very competitive academically, particularly when it comes to driving. I studied the manual very hard and passed on the first go with a 95% or better (the testing system tells you you passed if you answered enough to win a licence). He took two visits to accomplish same.

I met with a classmate, a Rhodes scholar, and asked him if he had taken the test. "Not yet."

[aroseinrain]

almost forgot:

U-turns are only allowed when you have *something like* 150 ft visible clearance in both directions, no hills, no cross streets, and no other cars around, on tuesdays in odd numbered months. Well, basically, U-turns are only permitted when there is a posted sign allowing them -- unlike in California where U-turns are allowed unless there is a sign saying you can't do it.

[sueisme]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Funny DMV stories about Portland returnees: Husband and I are very competitive academically, particularly when it comes to driving. I studied the manual very hard and passed on the first go with a 95% or better (the testing system tells you you passed if you answered enough to win a licence). He took two visits to accomplish same.

I met with a classmate, a Rhodes scholar, and asked him if he had taken the test. "Not yet."

Ha! My husband, with a graduate degree from an Ivy League school posted this on Facebook after his first DMV visit:

Q: What's the penalty for driving without your insurance card in Oregon?
A. How the f**k would I know.
That's why I just failed my written driver's license test.

He actually read the book for the second test.