Portland markets itself as progressive, accepting, artsy — the kind of place where “everyone belongs.” But when I visited, the contrast between the image and the reality felt impossible to ignore. I saw activists holding signs about equality while stepping around homeless camps like they were trash. I watched a man overdose outside a vegan cafe while everyone kept sipping lattes like it was normal background noise. Then a local told me, “What you see on Instagram isn’t Portland. This is.” It made me wonder: How can a city preach compassion yet coexist so comfortably with visible suffering? And why do tourists get blamed for “not understanding Portland,” when maybe the city doesn’t understand itself? #Travel #Portland #RealAmerica