Portland Timbers defender Zarek Valentin sits down to talk about the Rose City, his dog and his aims to take up hiking.
What are some of your favorite things to do so far in Portland?
“My fiancée and I are huge on restaurants, so we love going to new restaurants. Portland is such a great city for food, so we really enjoy that aspect of it. But, I’d love to get into hiking more. I recently purchased some hiking shoes, so once we get into summer, that will be part of the regeneration process for me.”
Portland is definitely a dog friendly city. Where are some of your favorite places to walk your dog?
“I walk my dogs down on 23rd. My dogs don’t have the greatest stamina, so I can’t go on extensive hikes with them. I usually walk down Burnside, make a left down 23rd and head down to a few of the coffee shops in the area. Once a week, I’ll reward myself with Blue Star and hang out there with my dogs.”
Compared to past cities that you’ve lived and played in, what stands out about Portland?
“I’ve lived in a few different places with very different cultures. For me, Portland has the best combination of everything that I look for in a city. It’s not an overwhelmingly big city, the culture is great, along with the shopping, food and outdoors scene. I also love the climate. I think it’s perfect. For me, it just has a little bit of everything.
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