My World & Welcome To It, The First In A Series. North Portland is the 5th quadrant of Portland, sometimes dubbed the “forgotten quadrant.” Considered by most citizens of the city to be sketchy & unpleasing, those in know recognize NoPo to be the Brooklyn of the most Brooklyn of cities, outside of Brooklyn, NYC. My inner-circle taunts me about my inability to venture out of North Portland. Since becoming a Stay-At-Home Mom, & because my adventure with cancer & 6 months of chemotherapy has left me as a weak as a bad metaphor, my universe is very small. In a cosmic stroke of luck, the cute oncologist’s clinic is located in NoPo. North Portland is a diverse mixture of residential, commercial, & industrial. It includes the Portland International Raceway (I can hear the speedy cars & the announcer from my garden), the University of Portland, & the massive cargo facilities of the Port of Portland. NoPo is a peninsula, with the mighty Columbia River on one side & the north flowing Willamette on the other. The confluence of the 2 rivers, at Kelly Point Park, is the end of North Portland & essentially the most northern point of Portland. The Columbia Slough, a narrow waterway, about 20 miles long, is about 10 blocks from Post Apocalyptic Bohemia. The slough is home to more than 150 bird species including eagles, 26 fish species, otters, beaver, & coyotes. It is one of the nations largest freshwater urban wetlands. On their famous expedition, Lewis & Clark actually landed & walked around North Portland after learning from Native Americans that the neighborhood was on the upswing, with many gay couples fixing up homes & plenty of fun spots to eat & shops to explore. North Portland is home to a flock of my friends on The Facebook, including my good close personal friends, audacious artists Scott Ringsage & David Lynch, at home in their world-class garden, & Pamela Perry & her quintessentially Portland AirBnB, plus my pal of 30+ years, Trish Rolin Coming home from The Husband’s Downtown shop, Boy’s Fort, I get off the MAX train at my neighborhood stop- Denver Avenue/Kenton. The first thing I encounter, & I mean, this is right at the train station, is DANCIN BARE, the neighborhood strip joint. Portland has more strips clubs, per capita, than any other American city. I am proud of that statistic. I think it is a great that a young girl with right charms can make a living while practicing her art. The sign is special to me because, not only does this business have a name based on a not so clever pun (like so many of Portland’s Thai joints & nail salons), but they spell out the joke for you on the sign? Twice. Funny, huh? As I cross the street where North Interstate Avenue & North Denver Avenue meet, I am greeted by a giant Paul Bunyon (recently added to the Nation Register of Historic Roadside Landmarks). He was built for a 1959 Lumber Expo held in the neighborhood. I think he is hot. A few years ago, Paul was given a new paint job as part of a new neighborhood street improvement in Kenton’s little downtown, which includes widened sidewalks, a bike lane, street art & new trees & plants.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 15:21:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015