Living like a tourist.

It's always interesting me to me when someone says to me, "Bend needs jobs that actually pay something..."

Deju vu all over again. Except I remember people just hoping for jobs, any kind of jobs. The 1980's in Bend were tough. Downtown Bend was half empty.

We needed jobs.

We talked a lot about that. The mills were closing. What were we going to do?

Tourism was what we had in front of us, and tourism is what we went for. Except that we had no illusions that it would get us rich. Tourism at least provided jobs, even if most of them were minimum wage. We were really pretty happy when a few buildings were renovated downtown and it filled up with modest Mom and Pop businesses. All well and good to say we were short-sighted to pursue tourism as a solution, but I think it was the only realistic option we had.

Every once in a while, someone would open something a little fancier, a little more upscale, but I have to say that even through most of the 90's these kinds of stores didn't do all that well.

I wonder sometimes if Bendites -- especially newer Bendites-- mistook the money that tourists flashed when visiting Bend as money that they should flash while living here. But it doesn't necessarily follow. The idea of moving to a tourist town and living like a tourist is pretty crazy, really, unless you're on permanent vacation. Otherwise, you're probably servicing the tourists, and that doesn't pay all that well.

So for a time in the early oo's, high end businesses actually survived, and some even thrived. But I have to believe, stripped of the boom, that it was an illusion. It's nice that people keep opening downtown, keep filling those vacancies, but I really wonder if they are following the 80's model (maybe a little too severe) the early 90's example (probably pretty close in potential to what we're currently experiencing); the late 90's example (started getting alittle ahead of ourselves, but maybe healthily aspirational); the early 00's example (O.K. going a little nuts now, but business was booming!); the late 00's example (all but delusional).

But tourism is what we've got. And unless something really exceptional happens (and even if it does it will take years to take effect) we're stuck with selling our 'lifestyle' and 'retirement' and our 'tourism'.

We're lucky, in fact, that we've been able to pull that off. There are plenty of towns who would like to have what we have. I was talking to a merchant from Ashland who was saying that downtown Medford seems to be emptying out.

In other words -- tourism, in it's own terms, has worked. It just doesn't provide big jobs, but lots of little jobs.

That's O.K., if you understand that's what's happening, that you can expect to earn whatever these folk are willing to spend, but you don't try to outspend them yourself. Let them drive the big SUV's; dine in the fine restaurants; stay in the boutique hotels, and let them have a fine old time. Maybe once in a while, you can save up and join them.

But as an every day Bend way to live, unless you've brought the money to Bend with you, you may want to re-examine your plans.

Poverty with a view still holds. We're a tourist town. Get used to it.