Spring Break
Portland's treasures not in hiding
Scott Dennis
Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: Forum
A pleasant spring stroll through Portland last weekend made me realize that the City of Roses is an infinitely fascinating setting with something of interest for every major at OSU. In fact, I discovered during my travels that the Oregon State campus has much in common with our neighbor to the north besides our northwestern backdrop.
Our story begins, of course, with the prologue. It began with the forging of the great rings. Three were given to - wait, wrong prologue. It actually began with theater tickets - two of them. I was going to see my first real play, "The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands," at the Keller Auditorium in beautiful downtown Portland.
We parked at Lloyd Center and, having just missed the MAX train, decided to walk to the next station. To make a short story even shorter, we ended up walking all the way to the auditorium, passing a startling variety of enchanting architecture along the way. The highlight of the walk was my discovery of the Royal Palm Hotel, whose flourishing tropical flora proved that it would be possible for me to plant a king palm in my front yard despite our chilly climate.
The low point of the whole shindig was our treacherous trek across the windy Steel Bridge. Not only did I have to traverse 211 feet of a narrow walkway, but I had to do with a murderous wind sweeping me toward the already too-near edge. Then my walking partner was kind enough to remind me that this particular bridge - nearly a hundred years old - could go up at any time should a ship decide it needed through. Very reassuring.
Did I mention I'm not a fan of heights?
On our way back from the spectacular play I noticed that many of the most intriguing elements of the city are reminiscent of things found on the Oregon State campus. Let's start from the ground up, or, to be more specific, underground.
Both Oregon State and Portland are famous for their mysterious underground tunnels. Each has different ways of looking at its remarkable subterranean networks, though. One treats its historic underground system like a shameful part of its past and tries to conceal it as much as possible. Portland, on the other hand, realizes that it has an interesting tourist attraction on its hands and treats it accordingly.
Our story begins, of course, with the prologue. It began with the forging of the great rings. Three were given to - wait, wrong prologue. It actually began with theater tickets - two of them. I was going to see my first real play, "The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands," at the Keller Auditorium in beautiful downtown Portland.
We parked at Lloyd Center and, having just missed the MAX train, decided to walk to the next station. To make a short story even shorter, we ended up walking all the way to the auditorium, passing a startling variety of enchanting architecture along the way. The highlight of the walk was my discovery of the Royal Palm Hotel, whose flourishing tropical flora proved that it would be possible for me to plant a king palm in my front yard despite our chilly climate.
The low point of the whole shindig was our treacherous trek across the windy Steel Bridge. Not only did I have to traverse 211 feet of a narrow walkway, but I had to do with a murderous wind sweeping me toward the already too-near edge. Then my walking partner was kind enough to remind me that this particular bridge - nearly a hundred years old - could go up at any time should a ship decide it needed through. Very reassuring.
Did I mention I'm not a fan of heights?
On our way back from the spectacular play I noticed that many of the most intriguing elements of the city are reminiscent of things found on the Oregon State campus. Let's start from the ground up, or, to be more specific, underground.
Both Oregon State and Portland are famous for their mysterious underground tunnels. Each has different ways of looking at its remarkable subterranean networks, though. One treats its historic underground system like a shameful part of its past and tries to conceal it as much as possible. Portland, on the other hand, realizes that it has an interesting tourist attraction on its hands and treats it accordingly.
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