The July sun warmed us, a
cool breeze from the distant Pacific miles to the west freshened our steps. Our
car had become a distant memory as we walked through the districts and shops in
Portland, the City’s sweetness addicting us.
If ambitious, you can walk
the major districts of Portland in one day. There are far too many treats for
the senses along the way to ever do this. Two major rivers, lush hills to the
West and Mount Hood to the East beckon you from all corners.
Portland invested heavily in
mass transit starting in the 1980’s. It paid off. Today, the major light rail
lines run from the Airport/Gresham through downtown and then west to the farm
to table community of Hillsboro. In the downtown area you have the streetcars
running north to south. The train station and airport are linked by this
system. An honored citizen (senior citizen) can travel on the system for $1
anywhere it goes. Portland has been called the city of bridges. There are
eleven bridges that cross the Willamette River downtown and two major ones that
cross the Columbia River. Amtrak Trains link you with Vancouver BC to the
North, Los Angeles to the South and Chicago to the East. The Portland airport
is ranked #1 in the US for passenger comfort. All this makes for a great canvas
of wandering.
To wander on foot is to
discover the real Portland. There is a special spirit here. “Portlandia”
abounds here from the names of goats prominently displayed at farmer’s market
cheese stands. When we ask a woman where the nearest place to have a cup of tea
and cookie, she invited us over to enjoy tea at her home. Many young people
move to Portland for the quality of living, sacrificing greater financial gains
that could be made elsewhere.
There are well known
districts such as funky Halsey, “The Pearl” with Powell Books, galleries,
unique shops, design stores and wonderful places to eat or the “NW District”
with its alphabet tree lined streets and distinctive homes.
Some of our favorite
districts are less known including the Cultural, Stadium, Hollywood, and the
industrial East Side. These are the quiet ones. Where museums, Portland State
University, the park blocks with farmers markets, elegant buildings and raw
bone commerce are located. The streets in these districts are less traveled or
crowded. You find surprises here such as a firm that manufactures violins, the
neighborhood grocer, Produce Row Café located in a warehouse or the Alligator
Restaurant. Small retail stores, cafes and other enterprises are spaced between
apartment buildings and business locations. The scale of the buildings are very
human here, most one to four stories. They invite you to pause and enjoy their
architectural beauty. There is time to visit with the retail shop owner and
turn the merchandise at your own pace. These districts massage you with their
slow wonderful pace of life. It is not hard to find a good cup of java and
comfortable chair to soak it all in.
Wherever you wander in
Portland, you will find friendly people who seem to have found a fuller way to
live than the normal city dweller. Musicians craft wonderful sounds for farmers
markets, artists paint scenes, and small business has a chance to flourish.
Even social workers interfacing with the less fortunate street people know
their names and treat them with dignity.
Portland is a wonderful
place. You find yourself asking people you meet why cities are not all like
this? I think they know the answer but never say.
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