We enjoyed our week in Portland, despite the empty storefronts, familiar businesses that fled downtown, and various reminders of the protests and riots of the past couple of years. We were staying downtown, and I suspect things were more normal out in the various neighborhoods.
We have a long relationship with Portland. Meda’s grandparents moved there from Hawaii, as I recall in the later 1930s. Meda’s mom moved teh family back there after her divorce. Single mom with four kids. Meda went to Parkrose High School in northeast Portland, and we visited her mom there for at least two decades before she moved down to California to be near her other two daughters. We would regular catch a bus mid-morning to downtown from Council Crest in the southwest hills, where her mom lived at that time, and then back in the late afternoon. We walked downtown during the years all the streets were dug up for construction of their light rail system. And we have enjoyed the benefits now that the system is built out. We enjoyed watching and having brief conversations with Walter Powell, who occupied a prominent spot in the original Powell’s Bookstore as he bought and sorted piles of used books. So we’ve spent a lot of time in Portland over the years. For a while we toyed with moving there, at least part time, but I think that window has closed.
In any case, here are my impressions of Portland from our visit at the end of March 2022. They begin with three shots of Meda and me, in an empty airport concourse in Honolulu on the morning of our departure, on the plane in our upgraded seats, and then on the Max light rail from the airport to within a block of our hotel downtown. At $1.25 each (at the geezer or “honored citizen” rate, one of the best bargains to be found). There are also a number of photos taken during our two visits to the special Frida Kahlo/Diego Rivera exhibition at the Portland Art Museum, and others at the Portland Saturday Market.
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“Cat Lovers Against White Supremacy.” How very, very Portland…and Meda and Ian.
Welcome back!
WOW! Just so very compelling ! VERY moody, Ian. Truth and beauty all in one amazing display. How fortunate we are to have you display this reality to us. You hit both the general as well as the specific. Thank you for this lush exhibit.
Mahalo Ian – Having lived in Portland at one time with the idea of perhaps settling there in 2006, I appreciated the fast forward to what it’s like there today. For me, Portland just couldn’t compete with Hawaii I returned home. after six months. However I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent there. I will say that it is sad to see that spectacular city so run down and closed down in so many ways. I hope she will regain her sparkle over time.
Thank you for your well-stated observations and for sharing your personal Portland connection.
Dear Ian,
It is so saddening to see these pictures of Portland “Downtown,” which had experienced such a revival. Just a few years ago, professional meetings kept the Marriott busy and introduced so many to a city/town with culture and views. Your photo of the mountain on a clear day brings back memories and may bring hope. Few cities have the mix of the magnificent views, history of solid education, art communities, diversity, etc. … all so close at hand. Time will tell what the path forward will be. All so bitter sweet. Thank you for capturing it so poignantly.
Portland will bounce back. Any place that embraces uniqueness, creativity, diversity and a little of the “weird” always will. Look at Berlin. Plus there’s just TOO much good beer going on there to let it all go to waste!
It’s just sad that the place was turned into a battleground over divergent, extreme political beliefs, mostly egged on by the Washington/Oregon “Easterners” thinking this was their big opportunity to push their white supremacist, intolerance doctrine with TFG allowing/encouraging federal “LEOs” (many with the same beliefs) to run roughshod.
Thanks Ian for sharing your visual view of Portland. You had a number great evocative pix there! The boarded up buildings are indicative of the recent years in the US. Covid and unrest has taken its toll on our urban areas. But, I believe good things are around the corner and the US will get on to better footing.