“I think that Portland is a very self-reflexive, meta city,” Brownstein says. “I grew up in Washington, and Portland is a far more self-conscious city than Seattle. It’s a subtle difference. I think of it like a golden retriever and a yellow Lab. Yellow Lab owners never tell you—but a golden retriever, that’s just a little more special. Portland is the golden retriever to Seattle’s yellow Labrador. We just want people to know we’re a little more special. And I think we are a little more special. I’ll say it. But it’s definitely something that we’re aware of. We’re not just a dog.”