Dinolandia

Dinolandia was delightful! 

You may remember local artist Mike Bennett from his participation in the Portland Winter Lights Festival, the Washington Park sesquicentennial, and especially Winterland PDX.

His most recent project is turning the old downtown Banana Republic location into a whimsical journey through three geologic periods just bursting with dinosaurs.

While the stars of the show are definitely the many colorful dinosaurs, I appreciate the attention to other details.

Notice how the display cases evoke a museum or study, while the painted door and curtains adds a veneer of grandeur.

A short video and some decor turns the elevator into the Find-O-Dino, which takes you back in time, and only coincidentally to the second floor.

Then it is easy to follow the dinosaur prints through the entire exhibit.

Each group takes the elevator separately, which allows for a timing where no one should be crowding each other. That has several benefits.

It also means there is a pause on entry. The wait was not long, but it was also full of things to look at. Here are the fossils and skeletal remains, plus a challenge to identify what matches the list.

There is also a spot for that critical photo opportunity, though without the pressure of other, more expensive attractions.

Once you are on the second floor it is a world of color.

Dinosaurs are grouped in their time periods, and shown (roughly) in their environments, including underwater caves.

Attention is paid to size, which is why having a two story space and fairly high ceilings is so important.

Without exactly calling it out for scientific rigor, attention is paid to science and it can be educational. I had not previously heard of diplocaulus. (There are signs for all represented species.)

There are also some inclusions by other artists, which is not at all surprising given Bennett's history of bringing others in and creating joy.

There are also some set pieces giving an idea of old-timey archeology expeditions, referencing the time when many of these species were discovered.

However, my favorite effect was when this scenery broke through the wall and continued onto the floor.

It did not break through solo.

I was amazed at how much there was to see. I have to consider this a good use of the space, and it makes it easy to see that following the prints is not only for crowd management, but also to help you see everything.

Then, as you get ready to head downstairs, there is this reminder that it does all end. Harsh.

There is still a lot to exclaim over in the gift shop, with posters showing all of your favorites,

messages and decor for your yard, 

and friends to take home. I was especially charmed by this row of axlotls.

COVID: The spacing out that occurs with the entrance does make for a happier, less crowded experience, but it is also absolutely important for social distancing. In addition, masks are required by visitors and consistently worn by staff.

Accessibility: The space is very navigable and there are accessible (and gender-neutral) bathrooms. There are two spots that could lead to awkwardness. The regular route will lead to exiting via stairs. There is a sign saying that the elevator is available, but you will have to ask.

Similarly, the exit from the building has two steps, though the other door is right there, and they will easily let you out that way. 

It is not perfect, but they have clearly made efforts to create a welcoming space, still having to deal with existing architecture.

I will add that while they stress following the path and not going back, I had a staff member offer to let me go back if I had missed any pictures. Everyone was friendly and attentive.

All in all it was a good experience. It is fun for the little guys...

... but there is no reason that the big kids can't enjoy it too.

Dinolandia is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 AM to 7 PM through September 10th. So... yes, it will go extinct.

Give yourself time to see it. 

It is only $5 for general admission. Children 8 and under are free.

At 710 SW Yamhill Street, it is easily MAX adjacent, so no need to panic; just plan on going.

https://www.instagram.com/dinolandiapdx/

https://www.mikebennettart.com/

Mobile food trucks: On Tots

I ordered from On Tots at the Aloha Farmer's Market. That is not the only possibility. 

The set up at multiple locations and schedules, with options for pickup, or using the Slurpalicious app. The app is probably the best option as the Facebook page is not very informative, and the link to the Web site there leads to a site that is definitely not about tater tots.

There are a variety of toppings available. Pictured above are the Fully Loaded Tots, with cheese, sour cream, green onion and bacon. The toppings were fine, but I found them to be a distraction from the really good tots. Crispy and tasty, you cannot get those same results heating up frozen tater tots in the oven at home.

In retrospect I wish I had gone for the seasoned tots by themselves, or perhaps the Tots and Dogs, where the tater tots are combined with mini corn dogs.

Staff was friendly and worked fast. Plan on about $14 per person, before tip.

https://www.facebook.com/ontots

Washington Park -- Easy to Miss

I have been using a lot of pictures that I took last year, but I needed to take one more trip to explore the Cloud Forest and get pictures of The Continuity of Life Forms. They aren't at all adjacent, but I would photograph the mosaic, walk back up to the shuttle stop to catch a ride to near the Cloud Forest, and work my way down toward the Stearns Canyon exit. Then I would really be done, I thought.

Except that while I was taking those pictures showing  life form continuity, it reminded me of some of the displays on the Washington Park MAX platform in the Robertson Tunnel.

The art focuses on how nature inspires us, and on our own similarities to other members of the natural world.

It also alludes to the passage of time, with a sample core, the evocation of tree rings...

as well as giving some connections to the development in the area over time. It it all seems to work together.

That intrigued me, but my itinerary for the day was not sending me back into the tunnel. That meant another trip, and really focusing on the tunnel.

While I had noticed the tunnel art before, I had not previously noticed the depictions of Sacajawea and Jean-Baptiste or the Stevens Pavilion.

That has been the wonderful thing about exploring the park more: there is always something else. Les Aucoin Plaza is a nice spot, but I mainly found it because of walking from different spots in the park.

It is easy to park at your destination, and only see that, but then you miss the in-between spaces.

Not everything will be for you; I have never used the soccer field, the archery range, or the tennis courts, but I am glad they are there. 

Sometimes there is a lot to be said just for wandering around and finding a weird tree or a busy squirrel.

With 151 years of history now, there is a lot to be found, and there is always more.

When I say "easy to miss", that does mean that you will probably always have something that you haven't seen yet. At some point, I am going to want to track down that "House For Summer"

https://portlandtreetour.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/house-of-summer/

But I also mean that it is easy to miss being there: to develop a fondness for the park and want to get back. It is easy to miss in that way too.

Now that we are so close to the World Forestry Center re-opening, maybe this a a good time to think about getting to the park.

https://www.worldforestry.org/discovery-museum-to-reopen-summer-2022/

But I am probably done writing about it for a while, at least until I start writing about the newly renovated Oregon Zoo.

Until then, here is a reminder of all the previous posts.

World Forestry Center
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-art-of-dr-seuss-at-world-forestry.html

Vietnam Veteran's of Oregon Memorial
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/07/washington-park-vietnam-veterans-of.html

Hoyt Arboretum
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2022/05/washington-park-hoyt-arboretum.html

The Holocaust Memorial
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/08/washington-park-holocaust-memorial.html

Portland Japanese Garden
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/04/washington-park-portland-japanese-garden.html

The International Rose Test Garden
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/07/washington-park-international-rose-test.html

The Children's Playground
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2022/05/washington-park-childrens-playground.html

The Himalayan Cloud Forest Garden
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2022/05/washington-park-himalayan-cloud-forest.html

"Hidden" Washington Park
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2022/05/hidden-washington-park.html

Getting Around
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/08/washington-park-getting-around.html

150th Anniversary
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/07/washington-park-150-years.html

And yes, the 4T trail starts there, but do not go on the 4T trail. Seriously.
https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2018/11/portland-metro-area-t4-trail.html

What are you waiting for? Go!

It may change how you look at things.

https://explorewashingtonpark.org/

Washington Park -- Art in the Park

I used the Explore Washington Park map to find the things I wanted to see, but then it gave me other things to want to see. At one point I noticed stars that the key said were "public art".

One was clearly the statue of Sacajawea and Jean-Baptiste. Sculpted by Alice Cooper (not that one, obviously), it dates back to the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial. 

The closest star to it is for the Chiming Fountain, created in 1891 by Hans Staehli.

The name is supposed to come from the sound the water makes, and with at least some bronze that is plausible, but I have never heard it. It has been through some changes over the last century or so, and that may be a factor.

 

There is a line of sight between those two and the Lewis and Clark Memorial, with a pillar by Otto Schuman, dedicated in 1903. You would expect there to be a star there, but there isn't; that is a monument, not a public art work.

Instead, the next closest star is another statue, The Coming of the White Man.

This was sculpted in 1904 by Herman Atkins MacNeil. One of the two Native Americans shown represents Chief Multnomah. Although it cannot be seen from the other three, it is close enough. The way it is oriented creates a feeling of dialogue, with local tribes facing Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea and Jean-Baptiste mediating, asking it to be peaceful.

I am not sure how intentional that is, because I am largely lost in realizing how long these have all been in place, and yet I only saw them for the first time last year.

Those four locations are all relatively near, and you could easily see them on the same excursion. If you then decided to exit the park through the Stearns Canyon entrance on Burnside, you could then easily also locate the next public artwork, the Loyal B. Stearns Memorial Fountain, erected in a relatively recent 1941.

The fountain acts as a boundary between the bustling city and the peace of nature, and also as a place to refill your water bottles or let your dog drink. Again, I did not know it existed until last year. That is largely due to not having ever entered the park that way; we always came in from Highway 26.

Therefore, while The Continuity of Life Forms mosaic -- by Willard Martin -- is the second newest of the public artworks, it is also the one that is most familiar.

1959 is comparably young, though it was relocated in 2016. It is now outside the zoo's Education Center. If you come arrive via 26, it is one of the first things you see, if you notice it.

Locating this inspired some other thoughts, that can make for a rousing conclusion next week, but first, there is one more star.

Ivan McLean's Basket of Air from 2016 is the baby of the bunch, and hangs in the bamboo section of the Hoyt Arboretum.

You can, of course, argue about what constitutes art. The most likely other inclusions would be a statue and fountain in the Rose Garden, and a birch structure in the Arboretum. For me, the fun was largely in noticing that something was there, and then finding out what.

COVID: Every single attraction is outside, and unlikely to be crowded. 

Accessibility: Varies. There is parking and level ground around The Coming of the White Man, and a paved path -- though somewhat steep -- for The Continuity of Life Forms. Stearns Fountain is easy from Burnside, but hiking through the canyon, not so much. The others would be more difficult.|

https://explorewashingtonpark.org/