FOREST PARK

Last Sunday I went to a hike in Forest Park. It was my first time there and I was amazed at how close it was to the city. As soon as you walk out of the park you are in a residential neighborhood. 

Within the park there are thousands of trails. We walked up and up and jumped form trail to trail. The Wildwood Trail led us to a great view of Mount St Helen. It gave me a new perspective of how small Portland is compared to its mountainous neighbors.

DID YOU KNOW

Forest Park is the 19th largest city park in the U.S. with 5,000+ acres. NYC’s Central Park, commonly thought as the largest city park, is actually ranked 138th with only 843 acres. (Go Portland!) 

6 days ago

SPRINGWATER CORRIDOR

Two weeks ago the agency closed early because it was so beautiful outside. At 3pm Susan, Mark and Tom sent an email that said, “for god’s sake please get outside!” So we did.

Two other 12ers and myself decided to go on a bike ride. We road 4 miles down the Springwater Corridor, a trail along the Willamette River. There were walkers, runners, bikers, and picnickers. It was beautiful to ride beside the river and admire the landscape—I realized I love longer scenic rides. We stopped at Sellwood Park, laid down and watched dogs play in the water. It was a wonderful break in the work day. We rode 4 miles back to the agency and went back to work, albeit sweaty. 

DID YOU KNOW

Although it didn’t have a name yet, Sellwood was established around the 1840s by emigrants traveling over the Oregon Trail. Portland was a bit far from Sellwood because there wasn’t any transportation; so the Sellwood Real Estate Company started providing a free passenger ferry from downtown Portland (with the intent to attract home buyers and Portlanders).

1 week ago
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THE NAKED AND FAMOUS CONCERT

I was working late one night at the office when I got an email that made my night, “12ers? Free show?” The EA team had an extra ticket to The Naked and Famous (TNAF) concert in an hour. I am actually a huge fan after seeing them play in Brooklyn last year. They are a band from New Zealand that sounds like a rock infused Passion Pit + MGMT. 

I got so excited that stuck my ID, credit card and keys in my back pockets. I mention this detail because I lost my ID that night. Moral: don’t leave shit in your pocket when going to a concert. 

Either way, the concert was much more fun this time. I wasn’t as close but I knew the songs and sang along, loudly. The venue was huge and had a victorian touch inside, including a chandelier. When everyone started jumping the floor bounced with us. I thought the floor was going to break but someone mentioned it was a spring floor, which apparently it is. All in all it was an awesome, awesome show. And it was the last stop on TNAF’s tour!

Here’s the music video to the song played live above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdO85Qf4Poc

DID YOU KNOW 

Crystal Ballroom opened in 1914 as Cotillion Hall. It had a mechanical “floating” dance floor, which is a spring floor that bounces with dancers. It was thought to be the only one on the West Coast at the time of construction. Famous entertainers performed there including the Grateful Dead, Tina Turner, and Marvin Gaye.

1 week ago