Best laid plans and so forth…. yesterday the weather made it impossible to photograph unless I wanted to risk damage to the camera. ( I did walk, but in pouring rain along the Sandy River so that at least the dog would have some fun.)

Which will not stop me from presenting the beauty of my city, culling from the archives a lot of architectural details I’ve photographed in the last 12 months in Old Town. Here is a short description of the history of Portland’s urban core: http://pdxoldtown.org/history/

The photographs do not include China Town, or anything further North. Mostly I walked between 2nd and 6th Ave, with Burnside the limit to the North and Washington to the South.

The area has undergone a lot of change  – show me the area that hasn’t – and it is amazing how a lot of money and a bit of restoration brought out the amazing architectural features that were there all along, unnoticed for decades.

The bar scene is hopping, and posh stores and hotels have moved in as well – a mere stone throw from the major shelters and food stations for the homeless population that start at Burnside and push North.

If you walk there in the late afternoon lines extend for blocks of those waiting to score a bed for the night, while across the street the more fortunate wait in line for overpriced, overhyped Voodoo Donuts.

The Skidmore Fountain is a gathering place for buskers and travelers, particularly during the Saturday Market where crafts and Kitsch are sold every weekend.

 

Let’s hope that the weather obliges tomorrow for a walk in “real time” – but what I am posting today is a pretty current state of affairs in this city.