New York has the Statue of Liberty, St. Louis the Gateway Arch and San Francisco the Golden Gate Bridge. So what is the icon for Portland? The Portlandia sculpture, if you could see it for the trees! It's perched above the entrance to The Portland Building, but the canopy of the trees lining the sidewalk hide this piece of public art from--well, from its public.
Her muse is also on the Portland city seal. Thus, you might think there would be postcards, T-shirts and coffee cups emblazoned with her likeness, but you would be wrong! Raymond Kaskey, the artist who created the statue, the second-largest bronze sculpture in the world after the Statue of Liberty, holds the copyright and he has said that he has no interest in ever selling the rights to the city. What a missed opportunity for Portland's tourism industry!
Still, after lengthy negotiations, Kaskey did allow the producers of the television comedy, Portlandia, to show it briefly in the program's opening scenes. And if you are still alive 70 years after he dies, you could use it freely since by then it will be within the public domain.
That's just one of the quirky stories our tour guide Eric told us to prove the weirdness Portland claims as its own.
Joining his crocodile of followers as he led us in a walk around downtown, Tim and I felt as if we'd been dropped into one of the comedy sketches from the TV show Portlandia. That's because Eric not only knows his city of Portland, he shares it in a series of silly stories and little known trivia that kept us laughing as we got introductory look at the city through his eyes.
The tour began at Pioneer Square, affectionately called the living room of Portland, according to Eric. Once the site of a school for 250 students taught by three teachers--now that's my notion of crazy--in the early days of the town's existence, this public space in 1969 was on track to become an 800-car parking garage before the Portland Planning Commission rejected the proposal, calling for a public plaza instead. The community rallied to the idea, buying bricks personalized with their names for $100 each to pave the plaza and purchase this parcel of land. Of course, there are some facetious engravings, including one for Elvis but that's just one more manifestation of the weirdness of Portland's hipster culture. Nowadays, a Starbucks, incidentally the first one to open in Oregon, anchors one corner and serves coffee to weather-weary Portlanders.
The tour began at Pioneer Square, affectionately called the living room of Portland, according to Eric. Once the site of a school for 250 students taught by three teachers--now that's my notion of crazy--in the early days of the town's existence, this public space in 1969 was on track to become an 800-car parking garage before the Portland Planning Commission rejected the proposal, calling for a public plaza instead. The community rallied to the idea, buying bricks personalized with their names for $100 each to pave the plaza and purchase this parcel of land. Of course, there are some facetious engravings, including one for Elvis but that's just one more manifestation of the weirdness of Portland's hipster culture. Nowadays, a Starbucks, incidentally the first one to open in Oregon, anchors one corner and serves coffee to weather-weary Portlanders.
I can't recall all of Eric's stories, but a few did stick with me. Benson Bubblers, the iconic, four-faucet drinking fountains which continually spurt water, were gifted to the city by lumber baron Simon Benson. These were his attempt to wean the thirsty lumbermen in his employ from consuming alcoholic beverages during their breaks by offering clean drinking water as an alternative.
You can tell which of the now ninety fountains found in the downtown is one of his original 20 by the engraving around the rim.
Mill End Park, dedicated in 1948 as the only colony for leprechauns west of Ireland, is the smallest public park in the world according to the Guinness World Book of Records. Planted squarely in the center of the median strip of SW Naito Parkway next to Portland's city's waterfront, the garden, complete with a miniature park bench, thrives in a former streetlight's foundation, the light being removed after it was involved in numerous traffic accidents.
Then, there's the Voo Doo Doughnuts craze. Customers wait in line as much as an hour to sample a creation fashioned not by bakers but by doughnut artists.
Mill End Park, dedicated in 1948 as the only colony for leprechauns west of Ireland, is the smallest public park in the world according to the Guinness World Book of Records. Planted squarely in the center of the median strip of SW Naito Parkway next to Portland's city's waterfront, the garden, complete with a miniature park bench, thrives in a former streetlight's foundation, the light being removed after it was involved in numerous traffic accidents.
Then, there's the Voo Doo Doughnuts craze. Customers wait in line as much as an hour to sample a creation fashioned not by bakers but by doughnut artists.
These doughnuts--do not insult them with the spelling "donuts"--offer distinctly weird combinations such as Bacon Maple bar, a maple glazed topped with a strip of bacon or the chocolate-frosted doughnut filled with raspberry jam "blood" that oozes from the pretzel-staked heart, the Voo Doo Doll. Of special interest to beer drinkers here in Brewtown--but sadly, thanks to the FDA, no longer available--was the Hangover Doughnut with its topping of aspirin sprinkles.
Weird, huh? Yes, we thought so!
Weird, huh? Yes, we thought so!
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