Skip to main content

Visit to Portland, Oregon

Image
By
In July, I traveled out to Portland, Oregon for work.  Though I had a hectic schedule and did not have access to a vehicle, I did have sometime to walk around Downtown Portland.  Maggie was kind enough to lend me her Nikon CoolPix camera for the trip, and my entire photoset on Flickr is here.

DSCN2918

Being from Pittsburgh, I have a fond appreciation of bridges and different styles.  In North Carolina, we don't have many truss, cantalever, suspension bridges around to cross on a daily basis.  In Portland, it's different - from the century old Hawthorne Bridge:

DSCN2907


Or the bascule Morrison Bridge:

DSCN2917

Portland's bridges over the Willamette River are certainly a combination of age, style, and functionality.

Another impression leaving aspect of Portland is the amount of green - specifically green spaces.  This includes Tom McCall Waterfront Park.  The land occupying the park was once part of the Harbor Drive Freeway.  The once main North/South route through the city was removed in 1974, and the park opened in 1978.

The park is now home to numerous concerts and events, and even on on a busy weekday was full of people.  Bikes, sunbathers, office workers on their lunch breaks, kids, and more filled the lineal park along the west bank of the Willamette.

DSCN2934

DSCN2920

But within Downtown Portland there are a number of different parks including the Ira Keller Fountain.  Possibly the most popular of the urban fountains within Portland. 

DSCN2969

Near Portland City Hall are two plaza squares that both have unique histories.  First, Chapman Square, which is home to the Oregon Trail memorial statue, was actually designed and planned for use by women and children only.

DSCN2902

The adjacent park square, Lownsdale Square, was originally intended as a gathering place for men only.  The centerpiece of Lownsdale Square is the Soldiers' Monument which is in tribute to the Oregonians that were killed in the Spanish-American War.

DSCN2980

Now, members of both sexes can mingle and relax at either square.  My have times changed!

I came away very impressed with Portland and wishing I had more time to explore and experience the city.  I've yet to see the Pacific Ocean and I was only 60 or so miles away!  I immediately told Maggie that we need to add the Pacific Northwest and Portland to our must visit list!

Labels:

Comments

John Spafford said…
Nice Pictures Adam. Thanks for confirming what those of us who live hear already know - that the Pacific Northwest is indeed a great place to live and work! You'll need to come to Seattle next time your out this way.
11:52 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more