Welcome to a belated Rose City Wednesday, friends!
Last weekend was truly glorious in Portland: blue & sunny skies, warm, with the fluffy Kwanzan cherries spangling the streets in the north end & the rhododendrons blazing elsewhere. In celebration of this fact, I betook myself for a walk along the Eastbank Esplanade on a brilliant Sunday afternoon..
 |
| The walkway on the lower level of the Steel Bridge, looking east |
The Esplanade goes from the lower deck of the Steel Bridge to the Hawthorne Bridge in a north-south direction. At that point it connects with another bike & pedestrian trail, the Springwood Corridor that ultimately leads to the southern suburb of Boring. The Esplanade was built as a replacement for a bicycle bypass that was washed out in a flood in 1996; construction took three years, beginning in 1998 & being completed in 2001. The Esplanade’s full & official name is the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade, in honor of the mayor who was in office at the time. It’s a lovely walk, easily accessible from Rose Quarter Transit Center on the east or from Waterfront Park on the west.
Here are some things I saw along the way!
 |
| Fishermen on the Kevin J Duckworth Memorial Dock-also part of the esplanade structure |
 |
| A typical stretch of the Esplanade with the Burnside Bridge in the background |
 |
| This Canada Goose was also enjoying the sunshine! |
 |
| At some points the Esplanade is made up of these small girder bridges |
 |
| View of downtown Portland with paddle wheel steamboat |
 |
| Sculpture near the Oak St sign-although the only exits off the Esplanade are at four the bridges Steel, Burnside, Morrison, Hawthorne), streets are marked along the way |
 |
| The Echo Gate below Morrison Bridge |
 |
| At the southern end of the Esplanade, we leave the floating docks & bridges behind-that's the Hawthorne Bridge in the background |
 |
| Statue of Mayor Vera Katz |
Thanks for letting me tag along, John. A virtual stretch of the legs, with interesting sights to see.
ReplyDeleteHappy to have you along, Martin--thanks!
DeleteThis is a great view of your new city! It is very appealing; thank you for the tour!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Cheryl! Glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteA beautiful place to exercise that dog. I have a thing for rusty metal sculpture, and am always charmed by sculpture of people sitting about in the landscape. I have a photograph of my mother and me, taken ten or fifteen years before she died, sitting on a park bench in Montreal with a bronze stranger. No doubt Mayor Vera has had to share that perch with many many people she would never otherwise have had anything to do with.
ReplyDeleteHi Mairi: Thanks! It was a great outing--& actually continued after the esplanade--I forgot to put the "continued next week" tag at the end. Yes, even in the time I was around that little plaza several people posed with Mayor Vera!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice venue. Parks and walking areas are probably one of a city's most important resources. They restore the soul. Love the statue of the the mayor.
ReplyDelete