Dear Liza,
Grandpa Nelson and I took a walk the other day, all the way to Downtown. Usually we take the magic 15 bus and then decide to walk home, but we finally figured out that it is DOWNHILL to downtown, and UPHILL home! So the three miles going in that direction are sure easier!
We walked down Salmon Street most of the way. The houses and trees are all from the 1900s and are interesting and beautiful. The street is also a Greenway, so there is less car traffic.
We saw some interesting things, like this sculpture on a balcony, made out of old bicycle wheels. There were also some arching fig trees big enough to sleep in.
Nearer the river, we found this iron sculpture that memorializes the Phoenix Ironworks’ location from the 1890s. The almost abstract piece lets you see a bit of the roofline of the factory. Many of the manhole covers in Salinas and other places were built right here!
From the part of the Hawthorne Bridge that goes over the warehouse district, I was able to see old industrial buildings and their decorations up close. It is nice to think that even cement factories had tried to be pretty.
More modern art installations stood on other buildings, like these store mannequins looking surprised to be out in the open.
Once across the bridge we stopped for lunch at The Good Earth, a fresh sandwich shop. Very tasty and friendly. It is in the same building as the Police Station, and there are some fancy decorations in the walkway out front.
Finally, we got to the Portland Art Museum! Grandpa Nelson hadn’t seen the Paris 1900 exhibit yet, so this was his first time. We watched “Voyage to the Moon”, enjoyed seeing Paris again, and watched moms explain the pictures to their kids.
The walk had been three miles, though, and we were pretty tired. As we left, we saw this fine fellow polishing “Eye of Orion” by Manuel Izquierdo, a bronze sculpture that needs Just a little care. We caught the bus home and had a nice rest.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 