Portland Bridge Art at the Paramount Hotel

Looking through the hotel information in my room, it mentioned an exhibition of art on each floor. This involved photographs of Portland bridges by photographer Gary Wilson, as well as a table on each floor designed by students at the Oregon College of Art and Craft. They said it was worth seeing and I have to agree.

While I was initially disappointed that the same bridge would be represented on multiple floors - meaning that not all Portland bridges were included - I was interesting to see different students' takes on the same bridge. Here are three different takes on the Steel Bridge:

Each floor also had a glass engraving of a bridge photo with different facts. The first one (if you were going up from lower floors) would have the most basic facts, but then subsequent engravings would have stories and history. That could include whom the bridge was named after or times it was rebuilt. One interesting thing to see was that the busiest bridge is also the one with the most clearance, so it is the one raised the least. That is very practical, but I had never thought about it.

One nice touch was a small map on each panel showing the location of the bridge.

I appreciate the inclusion of students into the display. It added a nice three-dimensional element, but also must have been a great experience for them.

I'm afraid it is much easier to include pictures of the tables and do justice to them than it is to the pictures, and I always have some reservations about photographing photographs anyway. I do want to make a few points about them and the overall exhibit.

First of all, the engravings were a great idea. The are beautiful, but the bridges are already beautiful. However, because they look so different from the actual photos, it gives a different take on the photos, and a different way of viewing them. Challenging perception is important for any art exhibit, so helping the viewer get there is valuable, but not easy.

I think the engravings and the tables work together to accomplish that, and I believe a lot of the credit goes to exhibit curator Tess Pappas.

That was also true with the arrangement of the photos. In a superficial way it was very basic. The floor layout is in kind of a U-shape. In front of the elevator is the table and the engraving, but as you enter from either stair way there is one photo directly in front of you.

Then there are two pictures on either arm of the U, plus a larger one. (There are also bridge pictures inside the guest rooms.) The pictures that were paired in the passageways often had a kind of theme. For example, maybe there would be two showing people working, or two focusing on the cogs and gears.

Wilson has a good eye in general. Specific things that appealed to me included interesting color saturation, and also a way of focusing that while you know is representational, becomes kind of abstract. There is so much engineering and art in these bridges - functional and well-formed. It makes me wonder what he could do with Marquam - the most prosaic of the bridges.

For a nice comparison, check out the mezzanine, which has Wilson pictures of trucks, still exploring metal and engineering, but on a different scale.

http://www.photographicimage.com/A_conversation_with_Gary_Wilson.html

http://garywilsonphoto.com/home/

https://ocac.edu/

http://www.portlandparamount.com/

The Paramount Hotel Portland

http://www.portlandparamount.com/

Recently I scheduled some time for myself by making a reservation at the Paramount Hotel.

 One consideration was location, and the Paramount could not have been more convenient. I stepped off the MAX and walked one block past Director Park. Something that was kind of nice at a regular time felt especially helpful when walking over snow and ice.

The room was comfortably furnished. I especially liked the comfortable chair and ottoman with a 3-way bulb in the lamp right behind the chair. I did a lot of reading in there. I did not use the work desk as much as I might have, but at least the possibility was there.

Safe, fridge, and television were also there.

There were also several steps that they took toward being environmentally friendly, from refillable dispensers to instructions on how to get sheets and towels washed that make you think about whether they need to be washed or can be used again. This has become more common, but it is something I strongly believe in and appreciate. But i really chose this location and room for the tub.

I never get to soak in a bath. I did twice. This one fills quickly and has jets available. It is not long enough to fully stretch out in, because it runs up against a shower stall. After all, it is not always practical to soak. But it is an option here, and I took advantage of that.

I did not use the fitness or business centers, but I did stop by to check them out.

Your criteria may vary, but I enjoyed the getaway.

Old Aurora Colony Museum

When my sisters visited the Museum of the Oregon Territory, in talking with their guide he told them that the Old Aurora Colony Museum was great, and had a really cool story. This summer we checked it out.

One thing that was helpful is that there are a lot of artifacts. The start of the colony goes back about 150 years but it lasted into the early 20th century, so you don't have to go back very far.

There are still original buildings, though some have been rebuilt.

The "Emma Walk" - a self-guided tour in the footsteps of Emma Giesy - can show you more of the history by going around the town. Staying on the museum grounds still shows you a lot, with a garden and outbuildings.

Inside there are displays showing you how their homes would have looked.

You can also see more about how they would have gotten around and worked.

There were also displays with historical information, and an educational film.

Really, the best thing was the docent there. It didn't matter what question we asked, she knew. Tourism is often a labor of love for those involved, which we have seen many times. She was thrilled to play the music boxes for us (recommended), and was extremely helpful.

We had to agree that it was pretty cool.

http://www.auroracolony.org/

Return to Lloyd Center

Last Saturday I was running an errand in the Lloyd District. I decided to stop in at Lloyd Center for lunch.

My sisters and I used to go there on a regular basis. There were some stores they had that you couldn't find other places, and we liked going there. Many of those stores have closed down, or they now have other locations that are closer to us, so there haven't been many reasons to go.

It was all decorated for Christmas - which I love - and the new skating rink was open. Those are two related thoughts, as the rink circled a tall tree that rose up to a set of oversized ornaments hanging from the ceiling.

It was cool to see that, even though I have since learned that the renovations have displaced many competitive skaters who have few other options.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/09/lloyd_center_ice_rink_will_be.html

That is not all that has been lost. I didn't do a lot of exploring, but at least on the food court level it felt like there was more closed than open. I knew the movie theater was gone, and the arcade, and you can't really tell there was ever anything there. In addition, many of the food spaces are closed and shuttered, or conspicuously open and empty.

For shopping, Sears has been sold, and it's not looking good for Macy's:

http://www.oregonlive.com/window-shop/index.ssf/2016/11/lloyd_center_sears_sold.html

One of the Christmas balls had deflated; that seemed like the most apt symbol.

I know that they are working on renovations and plans to revitalize, but I can't help but wonder whether these plans will actually serve the neighborhood, or if they are geared toward a mythical ideal of what customers they would like to see. I don't have much faith in "lifestyle centers",

http://www.oregonlive.com/window-shop/index.ssf/2016/06/lloyd_center_future.html

One thing my errand reminded me of is that the various corners of Portland have interesting and irreplaceable residents. Why are we taking ideas from California?

It's a concern, but I wish them well. We used to hang out there.

http://www.lloydcenter.com/