Portland

2.8.12 Lewis & Clark

On Wednesday I decided to take a trip up to Lewis & Clark College, to visit my friend Lillian, while I was up there I thought it would be a great opportunity to compare our school (PSU), to Lewis & Clark.  I waited at 6th and Salmon for a bus to take me up to the campus free of charge.  The bus took about 20 minutes for me to arrive at my destination, the bus was surprisingly packed, people even had to stand up the whole ride.  I remember one person in perticular that was just staring at me, knowing that I would never talk to them.  I decided that my best vantage point was to watch in the cafeteria.  The first encounter was three girls arguing about soup, saying that “baked potatoes don’t count as soup.”  People just file into the dining hall like a pack of mules ready to be fed the days ration.   Amazingly it is very similar to our dining hall in the sense that they have a few different stations with rotating items every meal.  The inside of the eatery is littered with backpacks, just as if the students just got out of class and went directly to eat.  I have noticed that many people do not go to eat alone, typically in groups of three.  I wonder what the reasoning for this is, maybe because they aren’t used to eating alone.  Some people might just want to bring one friend but the other has to tag along.  In terms of the population they aren’t that different to the students at Portland State, they general look like, and seem very friendly.  The area that I decide to squat in is used as a greeting area, many people are discussing plans on where they are going to sit and eat.  Very similar to the area known as victors lobby.  As the campus is concerned I would love to explore it more, there is one thing that don’t like about the campus and that is DSA, designated smoking areas.  These are incredibly inconvenient, but I see that they serve a purpose, I can tell that the ground is far cleaner than that of Portland State. The rest of the campus is like you are in the middle of the forest with vast amounts of trees, and buildings with extremely old architecture that you can tell have been preserved, with a great amount of character.  The lawns around the campus are very prestine and have almost a holy sense about them.  On a warm day one could just spread out on the lawns an lay for hours, throwing frisbee listening to music, and doing homework.  This campus is starting to make me reconsider where I end up next year. 

2.6.12 Forest Park

12:00PM on a beautiful monday morning, sun shining through the curtains of my room.  The sun was just provoking me to go on an adventure.  I decided that the sun’s encouragement was just the thing I needed to get out of bed.  I gathered my belongings and headed to the street car station.  This station was just located in the park blocks near my dorm room so it wasn’t too far of a walk.  I got off the street car early so I didn’t have to pay the toll for the ride.  I walked straight up Glisan to NW23rd, to meet a few friends who also wanted to accompany me on the hike.  Once I got to NW23rd, I realized because of the nice weather a great amount of the population was dressed in their best attire.  Wearing suits, dresses, top hats, ties, and very expensive shoes.  They had this type of glare that made them seem important or even a big deal.  Quite frankly I could care less, by that time I was just hungry, so I stopped at a convince store and bought a bag of chips, a water, and a few other goodies.  After the store we decided to press on, we walked up Thurman street and to a bridge with stairs that led to Forest Park.  Forest Park was gorgeous, green, mossy, cold, and reminded me of home.  On the trail there was a sign that said “endangered trees turn back,” but we decided as a group to just continue on our merry way.  In our whole trip we only saw one other group, this group was sitting in circle on top of cut down trees.  We just quickly smiled, said our hellos, and set our sights down the road.  We found a few cut down trees that made bridges across the small creek that formed from the recent rain.  At the end of our trail there was a small cottage that was made completely out of stone, It was actually extremely unique, it was mainly one big room with a pointed roof.  After the stop at the cottage we wanted to head back, and make it in time for victors.  Although I didn’t see anybody up there, I did learn something great about Portland.  There can be a great city, incredibly urban, and within ten minutes I can be deep inside dark woods.  This was the day that I learned that Portland has a little bit of everything, and something different can just be right around the corner.  

2.1.12 PSU Area

Today, I woke up and gazed out my small dorm window, and looked as far as I could see.  My eyes rolled through the tennis courts around the campus and up to the hill side above.  When something caught my eye, it was a giant wall, obviously ugly even from my vantage point.  I became fixated on this wall and decided that this was going to be my destination today.  After a few blocks I became tired, over the last few months I have become lazy and having noticeably less stamina, but nevertheless I pressed on.  Zigzagging up the hill side I finally came to my destination point, and found a nice cold curb to sit on.  The wall was as ugly as I anticipated or maybe even uglier.  I looked around my surroundings and could tell that many drunken nights have be spent up here, probably ones that they won’t remember with people they won’t forget.  The view on the other hand is beautiful, everything can be seen and it has this feeling that everything is in arms reach.  Construction is definitely being done at the wall because of the vast amounts of orange tape, stakes, and metal barbs.  The cars from this distance look like “hot wheels,” and the people remind me ants.  All that lies below me feels like a joke, as if it doesn’t matter, as if it could just disappear, and nothing would change.  On my way up here I didn’t see a single soul, except for a flock of chirping birds.  The houses around this area are massive, like the well fed cattle we saw in a documentary in class.  I start to wonder about the cars and the different relationships they have to another.  All the people in those machines on the freeway, riding the same piece of Earth and never knowing each other.  I think about the speeds that they are traveling, fifty, sixty miles an hour.  What if people moved that fast, then what?  What a game changer, the automobile, the hundreds of varieties they come in.  How they are just like people, all assortments of colors, different types, fast, slow, old, new, long, short, the lists are endless.  I can see my small dorm room window in the distance now.  I see a group of students gathered on the street, and think how together they are.  Then I take a look at myself, and think how alone I am.  Being alone is a commodity that I do not face to often, and realize how blissful it is.  How different it is, how pretty, how calming.  I begin to listen to the city, the hum of the cars, the sound that gives the city life.  Its hard to hear when you are part of the city, down there, but up here you feel like a separate entity.  I see the goosebumps on my skin and know that I have worn out my welcome at the wall.  I will now embark on my journey back to the small dorm room window, and join the city once again.  

1.25.12 Pearl

Today I went to Starbucks over by Powell’s Books, I sat in the crowded room with high ceilings.  As soon as you walk into the building there is a wall of windows towering as high as they can possibly reach.  The lighting was slightly dim, but dim in the sense that it was welcoming almost had an aura feel in the room.  Other than the wall of windows the room was quite square, with two of the walls being completely windows.  As I look outside I can tell that the air is cool, but not cold enough to wear an extremely heavy jacket.  It wasn’t raining even though I’m guessing it will.  From where I am sitting I can see two other stores besides Powell’s Books.  One being Sun La Table which I’m guessing is some sort of home store, like a pottery barn, but I have no ambitions to set a foot in there.  Another is Anthropologie which is a women’s high fashion store, which I have actually visited on occasion to pick up gifts for my mother.  At the entrance to Powell’s Books on Couch I see two men both holding signs to receive tokens from people, for the endurance in the cold.  Today I didn’t bring a companion with me on my adventure due to conflicting schedules, I would have really liked people watching with a partner, but alone will suffice.  This Intersection of 11th and Couch in reality is very nice, it doesn’t give me the feeling of traditional Portland feel.  Then again what do I know about The Portland feel yet, I have only lived here for less than six months.