52 Secrets of PDX Project: Interrupted by Tourists

Traffic has been something that has increased over the past year in Portland. It was only about a week or so ago that the department of transportation admitted that our freeways in the city are at capacity & can take no more cars without creating huge traffic jams. Too late – traffic jams at any hour seem to be the norm.

Another thing I have noticed this year is that Portland has done a great job increasing summer tourism. I’ve worked in downtown for six years now, and this is the first year where I’ve had to plan lunch around when the tourists would hit the food carts. Or am used to getting asked if I know how they can get to X destination as I’m walking to and from the office building. And there has been days where I just want to scream “if you’re going to stop walking to look at your cell phone, get out of the middle of those walking”.

Yeah, it appears I have become one of those Portlanders.

While on vacation this past week, one of my goals was to tackle the 52 Secrets of PDX project I have been wanting to do. I started it around 2 weeks ago. Having the week off, I thought I would knock off some more places.

I thought wrong.

I did get a few places, but the rest resulted in my tossing up my hands in frustration as I could not get anywhere due to everyone taking the last week before school starts to visit the city. After not being able to get to where I wanted to go due to the tourist congestion for the 5th time, I threw my hands in the air and said fuck-it. This is a project that may need to be done in the fall – when there are fewer tourists around.

Here is what I did get: