Historic Downtown Gresham

About a year ago we went to see a gingerbread house display at the Gresham Historical Society.

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/12/gresham-oregon-christmas-at-historical.html

We saw all sorts of interesting art nearby, many of them coming from the Gresham Outdoor Public Art project.

https://www.greshamoutdoorpublicart.com/

The next three posts will go over GOPA locations, including a convenient route. In the process we found a lot of art beyond the what was included on the map. This post is about that.

There was a nice sense of the history. The best example might be at Jazzy Bagel, which apparently nods to the area's historic jazz festival, but also honors its building history with a mural depicting the old Rexall pharmacy.

It does not stop there. Inside there is more art on the jazz theme...

... and outside a bike rack celebrating the music.

Plus, there are bagels.

There is a lot of food available along North Main Avenue. For the places we have been, like The Local Cow, we have found a fun atmosphere, and good implementation of a theme.

History can be honored in more ways than one, like this stack of old yearbooks.

First hearing of The Local Cow, I thought it might focus on dairy products. In fact, it focuses on the beef part of the cow, though cheese is usually represented.

You would not have to go far for a dairy treat. iCandy right next door has ice cream, then Frenzi Frozen Yogurt is less than a block away, and Umpqua Ice Cream is right next to Jazzy Bagel.

We have barely scratched the surface of the food available in downtown Gresham, but close together you can find pizza, Chinese, Thai, Lebanese, Mexican, pub fare, and comfort food. Sugar Cubed isn't really a restaurant, but is has baked goods.

You can probably find something to eat there, or to take home.

Then there is the art that you find as you walk along. Yes, there are the items featured in the GOPA brochure, but there is more. There are other murals that aren't listed. There are these posts.

My eye was caught by posts featuring a Northern Flicker and a Wilson's Warbler. Those are birds that show up in my yard occasionally, but not often. When they come, are they coming from Gresham?

My real point, though, is a thought that perhaps art begets are. Hey, here are these cool things, that gives me an idea.

But it can also be reasonable to say that Gresham is a nice place to hang out.

Accessibility: The streets are navigable and the places that we have been in seemed to be okay for navigation, but there are many places we have not made it to. It may not hurt to call ahead if you have interest in a specific restaurant.

COVID: There sure was not a lot of masking, however most of the places do have outdoor dining, which probably helps more in warmer, drier weather.

https://greshamoregon.gov/