HN user
There's plenty of variety in Portland. There's the farmhouse inspired offerings from Upright, a wide range of sour beers from Cascade, all the quirky experiments coming out of Burnside Brewing, and the strong, complex, barrel-aged from Hair of the Dog.
I'd wager that we have a greater diversity of beer being brewed in Portland than just about any other city on the planet.
If only other countries would follow suit. Afew years ago I had a great plan in place for an internet cafe (and more) planned for a great location in Grenada, and was basically told that I needed close to $300k in assets and/or financing in order to qualify for residency and make it happen. The entire project could have gotten off the ground for less than $200k (for which I had good faith agreements), and my plan involved hiring at least 3 locals to start with, so why did I need the other $100k?
"Just because..." was pretty much the only answer that the immigration officials could give me.
Oh well, it was a great 9 month vacation while it lasted...
"No mention of expenses for passengers."
Nor of the time factor involved. Commercial flights already take the better part of a day, even for short jumps. I can't imagine having to arrive at the ferry terminal 4-5 hours before my flight so that I can get to the terminal in time to spend 2 more hours waiting for ticketing and security and all the other delays.
"And building a 4 story metropolis underneath doesn't make sense unless there is a reason to visit"
I think his comment about "free trade zones" hints at the reason for so much office space. It seems to me that it would be a conveniently located off-shore haven for businesses (especially from Asia) who do massive amounts of shipping in and out of the ports of SD and LA.
They could also build the Duty-free version of the Mall of America; 400-500 stores full of tax-free stuff that would appeal to international travelers.
It's an interesting concept, and in a way it seems like the only viable solution. With the massive sprawl surrounding SD I think you'd have to go a good 2 hours from the central city to find a big enough patch of land to build a new airport.