I had the opportunity to go down to Manzanita for a night this weekend, and one of Portland’s greatest features was on my mind.  Namely, the fact that within two hours of Portland you can get to so many different kinds of destinations: beaches, mountains, volcanoes, other (not quite-as-) cool cities, and so on.  Portland is in the middle of so many great things to do, and that is definitely one of the best perks of living in our fabulous city.  (It is also, undoubtedly, why Portland is home to so many lovers of the outdoors.)  This week’s song, “120 Minutes Away,” celebrates Portland’s central location.

A technical note: I played around with the settings on my microphone’s preamp, and as a result did something to the output volume settings on the microphone.  Anyway, the result of all of this is that “120 Minutes Away” is very, very quiet -- much quieter than I would like.  So you may have to turn this one up a bit louder, and I’m sorry about that.  I’m not sure why I fiddled with the knobs -- I guess I should have trusted in the maxim that if it’s not broken...

Finally, this song is very much in a fifties style, with that familiar chord progression -- think “Heart and Soul,” “Earth Angel,” “Goodnight, Sweetheart,” and so many other songs -- that just screams “oldies” (but goodies).  And yes, I reconfirm in this song that I am not a tenor.  Enjoy!

Lyrics:

For people who don’t live in Portland,

They might not get why it’s great.

“Okay,” they admit, “you’ve got a lot of good food,

And your transit system is first-rate.”

But one of the biggest secrets,

The thing all Portlanders know,

Is that although we love this city,

Half the fun is in the places to go!

So many things to see, so many destinations,

So many ways to play.

So many places to go, so much fun to be had,

120 minutes away!  (Or less!)

Drive to the east for about two hours

And there’s the Gorge and Mount Hood.

Off to the west and then north or south,

You’ve got coast from Astoria to Tillamook.

How ‘bout straight to the south?  Well, then you can go

To Eugene and be back in a day.

Or if it’s northeast that you like to go,

Mt. St. Helens will blow you away.

So many things to see, so many destinations,

So many ways to play.

So many places to go, so much fun to be had,

120 minutes away!  (Or less!)

The mountains or the beach,

St. Helens or Eugene,

Two hours or fewer and

You’ve got a change of scene.

So now if someone asks you why Portland is great,

You’ll know how to converse:

It’s easy to love a metropolis

That’s the center of the universe.

So come on and join us, let’s head out today,

Don’t forget your flip-flops or your skis,

Your hiking boots, your sunscreen, your umbrella or shades --

We’ll soon be anywhere you please.

So many things to see, so many destinations,

So many ways to play.

So many places to go, so much fun to be had,

120 minutes away!  (Or less!)

So many things to see, so many destinations,

So many ways to play.

So many places to go, so much fun to be had,

120 minutes away!

120 minutes away!