Tag: Busses in Portland
George Rogers Park
I've told you about my new friend Amy who lives in Lake Oswego. She is sweet and funny and knows a lot of fun places to go, because she has lived in the area for more than 30 years!
The other day I took the #35 bus from downtown Portland to downtown Lake Oswego, and Amy picked me up for lunch.
She drove me down to George Rogers Park. I knew the name as a place for the booths of the summer Art Festival, but clever Amy drove past that part and headed down to the river, where we found this: A beautiful, restful window on the Willamette.
This was the location of the old iron foundry over a hundred years ago, and is now a quiet, beach-y place for folks to get right down to the river. Moms and kids were playing in the water and a young man was renting kayaks, canoes and paddle boards! That seemed like a really good idea…. for another time.
There are statues celebrating the indigenous people, who knew the value of this area before anyone else.
And as we walked down by the water, we saw a mermaid! Well, a young lady in a mermaid costume, anyway, and the fellow who was photographing her. I'm not sure what story they were telling, but it was a nice surprise, anyway.
I will make sure and come back to this lovely, quiet place. Maybe there will be mermaids, maybe kayaks. Who knows?
Author JudyPosted on July 21, 2022 Tags Busses in Portland, George Rogers Park, Kayak rentals Rogers Park, Lake Oswego, Willamette River Access1 Comment on George Rogers Park
Swinging Symphony
Ceiling of The Artbar
One of the many things I love about Portland is that theater and music are everywhere! Last night we took the number 15 to The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall downtown and enjoyed "Swing is the Thing".
The Schnitz
But first, dinner! The Artbar, a pretty restaurant in the same theater complex, fed us not-too-fancy quiches, fries, and nice local wines. As we entered the lobby of the theater, we heard applause coming from the balcony and went to investigate. Two pairs of dancers were jitterbugging to lively swing music, egged on by the well-dressed crowd. We could tell we were in for a good time.
"The Schnitz", as it is sometimes called, was built in 1928 and has been restored to its historic voluptuousness. Ceiling decoration, lighting, and painted iron railings all let you know you are in a special place. The performance included the entire Oregon Symphony, directed by Jeff Tyzik and, at certain points, the theater took on the feeling of a opulent lecture hall, with Mr. Tyzik explaining the finer points of jazz and swing and how they morphed into early rock and roll.
Mr. Tyzik and the Symphony were assisted by Julie Jo Hughes, a wonderful vocalist, and Dave Bennett, who plays clarinet and does vocals as well as a wicked Jerry Lee Lewis turn on the piano. Dancers Stephen Sayer, Chandrae Roettig, Hunter Krikac and Karine Hermes came on stage every now and then to stun us with gravity-defying moves and light footwork.
Dancers put on a show before the show!
The first half of the program was dedicated to swing music, starting with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "Pennsylvania 6-5000" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". There was also an original piece called "Harlem Street Scene", written by director Tyzik. It had a swingy, jazzy dissonance that was easy on the ears but definitely not boring.
The second half was rock and roll, and not nearly as good as the swing portion. If it were not for Dave Bennett's crazy acrobatics on the piano, the music selections would have felt disappointingly like a mother-daughter dance.
No, I take that back. A song that was not even listed on the program, Julie Jo Hughes singing Peggy Lee's "Fever"and taking a turn dancing with Mr. Tyzik as he was conducting, was knock down gorgeous.
When the show was over, we crossed the street to catch the bus back home, along with some other music lovers and a violinist. Another lovely night in Portland!
In the Mooooood at The Schnitz
Author JudyPosted on October 26, 2018 October 26, 2018 Tags Arlene Schnitzer Theater, Busses in Portland, Dave Bennett, Harlem Street Scene, Jeff Tyzik, Julie Jo Hughes, Oregon Symphony, Portland, swing dancers, Swing is the Thing, The Artbar, The SchnitzLeave a comment on Swinging Symphony
An Afternoon with Kestrel
A place of tiny magical things
You are your Mom and Daddy's only child, so you get a lot of alone time with them, and with me, when I'm around. Cousin Kestrel is Jasper's little sister, and she doesn't. Everything she does, including lunchtime at school, is with Jasper.
Jasper is a very nice brother, but we all need some time with our people when it is just US. Kestrel and I got that the other day.
Someone made a Fairie House!
Auntie Katie made plans for her and Jasper, and I made plans for us. After I 'kidnapped' her from Books with Pictures, we walked past the giant banana painted on the wall at SE 12th and Division, past a fairy house in some one's yard, all the way to Hawthorne Street, where we caught the number 14 bus.
At 32nd Avenue we got off and walked to The Hazel Room. This is a lovely little lunch place in a big house, and I have walked past it dozens of times. They don't sell hamburgers or french fries, so Grandma Nelson wouldn't like it. Inside it is pretty and old-fashioned, with old wooden floors and wallpaper. There are lots of elegant tea pots on the window sills. Kestrel is a very picky eater, so I read the menu to her and let her choose. She asked for french toast. When it came, it was so big that we shared it, but she said it was the best french toast she had ever had! Fat and sweet, it most more like toasted cake..yummmy!
Brunch at The Hazel Room
When we had played reading games and finished our lunch, we headed down Hawthorne to our main destination: Fernie Brae. This is a shop that sells fairie things. Handmade fairie dolls, beds, houses, jewelry, paintings, costumes, wings and wands…if a fairie could want it, they have it.
Everything is so beautifully made, we spent an hour in the small shop, looking at every tiny thing.
Admiring the lovely stones
I knew we had just a little while until my bus pass expired, so Kestrel picked out a tiny dragonfly treasure, a jasper stone for Jasper and a rose quartz heart shaped stone for herself, and we caught the bus back to Ladd's Addition. Walking through the shade of the old trees, we made up stories about which fairies lived under the trees and in the bushes.
What a wonderful, magical day!
Author JudyPosted on August 21, 2018 August 21, 2018 Tags Books with Pictures, Busses in Portland, Fairies in Portland, Fairy Houses, Fernie Brae, Ladd's Addition, Lunching in Portland, Portland with kids, The Hazel RoomLeave a comment on An Afternoon with Kestrel
Art and Poke
Park Blocks
Sunday was predicted to be another hot day, getting up to 96 degrees. I had gotten some good ideas about my story and wanted a new place to write, and Auntie Bridgett was heading off to the Portland Art Museum on the number 15 bus for her monthly 'Drink and Draw' meet up. (On a Sunday morning, the 'drink' is coffee). I invited myself along. Walking up the Park Blocks, we met Jake, a writer who Bridgett met last summer in this same spot, who is working on a story called "Book of Miracles" about touring with the Grateful Dead. We talked about writer's block and wished each other well.
Writing in the Art Museum is always good. I am surrounded by wonderful creations made straight out of someone's head, giving me confidence that more wonderful creations can come out of my own.
Diebenkorn
Once in the museum, we split up. I found a comfy bench in front of the Proctor statue called Indian on Horseback, where it was very quiet and good for writing. My characters are coming to life and I am enjoying them so much! Whether it's the art or just Writer's Block disappearing, I am glad for it.
As people came in, kids started being just a bit too noisy for my taste, so I moved over to the Diebenkorn exhibit, where it was still quiet. I met Linda and Paula, two ladies who are in the Drink and Draw, and we chatted. When the drawing part was over, we all moved to the coffee shop, where the artists talked and I started looking up what children's books were popular in 1903.
Snacks!
Proctor Statue
At lunchtime, we wanted to try something new. We wandered just a block down Park and went into Shigezo, a wonderful Japanese restaurant. We enjoyed poke (say po-kay), seaweed salad, delicious grilled pork belly, and some disappointing potatoes. But a small flask of sake (say sah-kay), smelling like bread and warming as it went down, made everything better.
Yummy Poke
After lunch, Bridgett wanted to head back to the museum to buy the exhibit book on Diebenkorn. The heat was kicking in, and it was 85 degrees, even in the shade. We caught the bus and were glad to be home. By dinnertime, it was 96 degrees, only dropping to 90 by 8:00. Auntie Bridgett and I went for a walk in the park, seeing the new handrails by moonlight and a lot of folks who came out to enjoy the "Silent Disco" (using wifi headphones for music) and the relative cool of the evening.
Back at the house, we played Scrabble, and I was having a great game! I was ahead…right up until the end, when Grandpa Nelson caught me, passed me, and ate my lunch. Fun, anyway.
Author JudyPosted on August 1, 2018 August 7, 2018 Tags Busses in Portland, Drink and Draw, Museum Grounds coffee shop, Portland Art Museum, Richard Diebenkorn exhibit, Scrabble, Shigeza Japanese Grill, Writers in PortlandLeave a comment on Art and Poke
Goose Hollow and Beyond
Getting Around on MAX
My friend Terry Soria is in town! She is visiting her daughter and son-in-law, and she made time to have brunch with me. Her family lives way over on the northwest edge of Portland.
I knew it would be a long trip, so I started early. I caught the number 15 bus at 7:30 and rode up to Providence Park in Goose Hollow. Then I got onto the red line train (blue would have worked as well) and rode through the mountain, past the Washington Park station in the tunnel, to the Sunset transit center. This is where my plans hit a snag. I had planned my trip using the Weekday schedule, and I was traveling on Saturday. The commuter bus, the number 62, runs less often and was going to make me very late to meet Terry and her family.
Terry and the BEST Coffee!
Sweet people that they are, they came to the transit center and fetched me! We drove to Grand Central Bakery, on NW Cornell, and had a wonderful second breakfast of croissants, coffee, and sandwiches. We chatted about how our family's are, how work is, and how fabulous Portland is. They told me of their visits to the Columbia locks, Multnomah Falls, and the Microbrewery festival. Yum!
And they had another full day planned, an exciting jet boat ride on the Willamette from Portland all the way upriver to Oregon City! So they drove me back to the transit center where I caught the train, along with a dozen happy Japanese tourists heading to the zoo.
Art at Lincoln High School
I have always wanted to see the area of town called Goose Hollow, so I got off the train there and walked. None of the shops were open yet, but I got to see the new construction at Providence Park. Situated just at the foot of the west Portland hills, this has been the main athletic field in town since the late 1800s. It was originally called Multnomah Field, and is where the Portland Timbers soccer team plays. I also enjoyed the mosaic and painted tile artwork along the walls of the Lincoln High School field.
This area is called Goose Hollow because, as the story goes, housewives in the 1800s would let their geese into the grassy area to eat and grow nice and fat before selling them. Apparently it would be quite a sight to see a few dozen geese strutting through field and road, stopping traffic when they pleased. These tall, proud geese are memorialized in a delightfully cocky bronze goose standing on the train platform.
Cool Goose, Dude
Ready to head home, I walked down to Salmon and caught the number 15, finally taking a picture of the salmon coming through the building. In the evening we got to have some more fun, but I will tell you about that tomorrow!
Giant Salmon in a Building
Author JudyPosted on July 30, 2018 July 30, 2018 Tags Busses in Portland, Goose Hollow, Grand Central Bakery, Lincoln High School, MAX trains in Portland, Public Art in Portland, Sunset Transit Center, Trains and busses in Portland, Trimet, Washington Park, Washington Park Zoo1 Comment on Goose Hollow and Beyond
Return to Cascadia Circus
Carrot and Foxglove the Clowns
Since it is summer, you went horse camp and Cousins Jasper and Kestrel went to Circus Camp! Friday, I took the number 15 east to Taborspace to see their show under the "little" big top. This is the only tented circus in Oregon, and even though the tent is small-ish, it lends shade and a real special atmosphere to the show.
Like last year, the kids spent a week learning how to balance, walk on stilts, work as teams to do tricks, and be confident in front of an audience. They are older and more experienced, and I was more impressed than ever.
Ringmaster Paul
The Cascadia Circus is a non-profit group run by Paul, Ringmaster, jokester and independent operator. His British accent and clownish ways make everyone feel comfortable doing new things. Jasper made up his clown name of Carrot, and Kestrel was Foxglove.
Juggling scarves
They juggled scarves and rings, walked on tight ropes (18 inches off the ground while holding Paul's hand), balanced on balls and did gymnastic poses. It was delightful! I hope they go to Circus Camp next year, so I can see another show!
Confident on stilts!
Author JudyPosted on July 23, 2018 July 21, 2018 Tags Building confident in kids, Busses in Portland, Cascadia Circus Camp, summer camps in Portland, Summer for kids in Portland, Taborspace1 Comment on Return to Cascadia Circus
Rose Show Plus
Roses in a yard on the way to the Rose Show
This is a mostly happy post, but fair warning for the next paragraph. It is sad but true. Yesterday was my very first Portland Rose Show. I took the number 70 bus up Cesar Chavez Boulevard and changed to the Red Line train to Lloyd Center. The whole trip took about 30 minutes.
At the train station, some artists were painting a memorial mural to two men who died at that station last year. Ricky Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche were killed after they defended two young women who were being verbally attacked by a man named Jeremy Christian. Mr. Christian stabbed and killed the men, and is now in jail waiting for his trial. The train station mural is bright and beautiful, with quotes from the young women and their defenders and expressions of solidarity.
Part of the Memorial Mural at Hollywood MAX Station
At Holladay Park I got off the train and enjoyed the shady trees, fountain and statues, then crossed the street into the Lloyd Center Mall. This is a bright, open space on three levels, with huge skylights and even a year-round ice rink! This is where Tonya Harding practiced when she was getting ready for the 1994 Olympics.
Skater doing his thing
Inside the mall, it didn't take long to find the Rose Show. It ran the length of the second level, on at least 60 long tables filed with single specimens in tall vases of huge floribundas, tiny miniatures, and mixed bouquets.
There were styles of display I had never seen, like "Floral Portrait" (a single perfect rose pinned to black velvet in a gold frame) and "Floral Palette" (a set of five roses displayed light to dark, left to right).
Floral Portrait
Kathy Kromm of The Portland Rose Society
There were a few creative arrangements, but the emphasis here is clearly on growing beautiful roses rather than decorating with them.
I asked Kathy Kromm of the Rose Society why I didn't see any specimens of Mlle Caroline Testout, the rose that started it all back at the turn of the century? "It's not much of a rose," she answered sheepishly. "We can grow better roses now, with more disease resistance."
Walking around the displays a third time, I noticed that there were many "old" roses, labeled Old Garden or Victorian roses. Most of them had small blooms but were intensely colored and had interesting foliage, like Moss Roses with their dark green, fuzzy-spiky sepals. I can see where Mlle Caroline Testout, which has a large round bloom in a bright pink, would have captured rose enthusiasts' imaginations at the turn of the 20th century.
Crested Moss Rose, developed in 1827
But I know I can find Mlle Caroline Testout in the East Rose Garden in Ladd's Addition, about two blocks from Auntie Katie's house, so I didn't worry.
When I had smelled and seen all I could, I caught the train and bus back home and had a rest before meeting Auntie Katie for snacks at the Nerd Out. I like being close enough for visits! I will enjoy having adventures with Cousins Jasper and Kestrel, and I will tell you all about them.
Author JudyPosted on June 8, 2018 May 29, 2019 Tags Busses in Portland, Holladay Park, Hollywood MAX station Memorial, Lloyd Center, Lloyd Center Ice Rink, MAX trains in Portland, Portland Rose Show, Portland Rose Society, Tonya HardingLeave a comment on Rose Show Plus
Shakespeare and Nachos
Last night Grandpa Nelson, Auntie Bridgett and I got all bundled up and took the #20 further than we ever have, all the way to Northeast 17th and Burnside. Then we walked north to Glisan, where we found the Mission Theater, an Evangenical Mission Church that has been renovated and turned into a restaurant and movie and live theater by McMenamin's. This is the same company that has saved the Kennedy School, Edgefield Poor Farm, and many other beautiful old buildings here in Portland by turning them into venues that people want to visit.
Foyer of Mission Theater
As a restaurant, the selection is limited but tasty: Nachos, hummus plates, and pizza. The wine, ale, and beer selections are good. The theater itself is well done, with curving balconies and old posters and programs on the wall, but the bathrooms are very dark. The stage isn't big or fancy, since it is usually used for movies.
The performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest was by OPS, The Original Practice Shakespeare Company. We saw them do Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like It in Laurelhurst Park this past summer. Each actor only learns their own part, and carries a scroll with them. Since every performance is about half improvisation, the performances are unpredictable.
Shipwrecked Lords and Ladies
Last night was a mixed bag. The woman playing Prospero the Wizard was good and very gentle, which is unusual for that role. The woman playing Caliban was a very sympathetic monster. Some of the shipwrecked lords were quite screechy, but the story was well-told and pretty easy to understand.
Caliban the monster leading the Lords into trouble
One thing I really like about OPS is the audience participation. When Prospero is describing how she was exiled to the island, the audience groaned in sympathy, and she looked out at us and said, "I know, lousy, right?" We got to boo and cheer and some folks even helped hold Miranda's drawings up so the audience could see them. It is fun to be part of the show.
When Prosero had broken her staff and given up magic to return to Milan, we gathered our things and walked back down to the bus stop.What a lovely evening.
Author JudyPosted on November 22, 2017 November 21, 2017 Tags Busses in Portland, McMinamen's Pubs, Shakespeare in PortlandLeave a comment on Shakespeare and Nachos
Chilly Morning
It is cold this morning, just 40 degrees, and the wind is blowing. The three tall Fir trees across the way are swaying like the Andrews sisters singing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and waves of yellow leaves keep washing past our windows.
Mousekin the cat thinks she wants to go outside. She looks expectantly at the doorknob, but as soon as the cold hits her nose she looks offended, as if to say,"I didn't order that." So she naps on the rocking chair or lays in wait on the stairs.
Pigeons holding on
I will be taking the #15 downtown today to do some more research into Portland history. Today I am looking for information on what schools were open in 1903, the first year Teddy Roosevelt visited the city. I will be sure to bundle up!
I hope you stay warm and have fun.
Author JudyPosted on November 7, 2017 November 7, 2017 Tags Birds in fall, Busses in Portland, Cats, Fall in Portland, Teddy RoosevetLeave a comment on Chilly Morning