

Why Do People Have Such Strong Feelings for the Portland Airport’s Carpet? - dnetesn
http://nautil.us/blog/why-do-people-have-such-strong-feelings-for-the-portland-airports-carpet

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galago
Transit hubs, and airports especially are often a location where critical
transitions happen in peoples lives. I used to live in Portland, and I can
think of several times where important events happened on that carpet. This
includes the last time I saw people that I care about. I can recall a couple
times where my flight was late and I spent anxious time trying to sleep in the
terminal. I feel that its deeper than kitsch, even if people don't admit it.
The article touches on this, but it doesn't go to far in.

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santaclaus
I've been meaning to try Rogue's PDX carpet beer [1].

[1] [http://buy.rogue.com/rogue-pdx-carpet-ipa/](http://buy.rogue.com/rogue-
pdx-carpet-ipa/)

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fuzionmonkey
As a Portland native, I'd say there's nothing Portlanders love more than
Portlandy things from Portland.

But in seriousness, I think it's fairly clear the whole obsession with the
carpet was started by photos shared on Facebook and Instagram. People didn't
used to take pictures of the carpet -- it was just a peculiar design that was
recognizable but not necessarily noteworthy. I remember seeing PDX carpet
photos with the classic "feet on ground" composition circulating Facebook
several years ago and it has steadily spread since.

But the announcement of the carpet's eventual replacement really galvanized
the phenomenon because it turned it into a news story and created a cottage
industry for carpet memorabilia. I think the whole thing is hilarious.

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jusben1369
That carpet always made me feel a little nauseous - especially on early
morning flights. But I do agree it's different. I think Portland has so many
wet days and is generally gloomy that the carpet is quite a cultural shock.

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gimmeabreak
Portland is not generally gloomy.. The people love the carpet because it's
Portland.. There are consortiums of folks who identify and highlight obscure
oddities to make Portland stand out in some little way. It's hipster culture.

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Atheros
If an Andy Warhol print hanging in the New York Museum of Modern Art, which
even the museum doesn't take very seriously, can be worth millions, some
previously ubiquitous carpet in a popular city can be worth tens of millions
of dollars also (of course divided by the number of reasonably sized samples
that exist).

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neonscribe
Why Do People Have Such Strong Feelings for the East Berlin Pedestrian Signals
[http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/the...](http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/the-
little-traffic-light-man-that-could/279968/)

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jrockway
What an interesting article. I've been to many airports with carpet, but for
some reason, PDX is stuck in my mind -- and the carpet is specifically stuck
in my mind. I have no sentimental ties to the city (I've been there, it's
nice, but that's true of a lot of places).

