Portland L

Laurelhurst Park
Sunday, January 15
This park is a real find. Located in the middle of a sedate neighborhood (39th and Ankeny SE), it has winding paths, both paved and unpaved, and cedar and holly trees, giving it the look of perpetual springtime, and, the best part: a lagoon with gulls and ducks. I amble along the gravel paths, enjoying the rare sunshine. But it is a little chillier. (I'm sure this is a popular spot in summer.) One of the things those of you not from Portland may not understand is that it gets colder on the days in which the sun is out. It had probably rained 17 out of the last 20 days, but the temperatures have been relatively mild, reaching 50 almost every day--which is my own break-even point for warmth vs. cold. So the rain is a trade-off I'll take almost anyday. But even hardcore Portlanders have begun to mope around lately, so I'll suffer the sunshine for them.

After looping around, I get back into the car to drive to the nearest commercial area for lunch, which turns out to be Belmont Av. and I'm delighted as this is one of the funkiest streets in all of Portland. I'm fortunate there's nowhere to park and have to drive an extra block to 33rd and Yamhill, because here I am treated to what I am coming to expect as the 'surprise of the day.' The entire intersection has been painted. There are yellows and pinks and interlinking swirling red lines. Then I notice that each corner has arches over the sidewalks made of tree branches. And then I look up and see the overhanging sculpture. And then the colorful kiosk/community bulletin board. Each turn of the head reveals further treasures. There is the vibrant Sunnyside Piazza carved into the corner of a lawn, anchored by an ornate wall of mosaics and cob. (I don't think I ever hung out so long at an intersection since I was a teenager!)

I want to know more about all this and I ask several passers-by. They look so happy and comfortable--everyone is smiling as they cross the street, I just assume they live here. But they don't! One points at a sign and I see this is an "intersection reclamation" project. There is a before-and-after cartoon. The former shows people fuming and speeding through. The "after" shows them lingering and smiling. I guess you would have to call this project a success.