the cities we live in

[Ghosts_on_TV]

I've always wanted to go to Portland myself.

[IHL]

We all love Portland, Vespachick!!

Went there a couple of times when I was at university in Northern California (Humboldt State) - loved it.

The Oregon coast is beautiful too. Never made it to Ashland or the Columbia River Gorge which I hear is pretty cool.

Back home in London now...

[ali]

great photos people, its fantastic to see where you all are!!

i'll try and get some snaps over the weekend, but here's a few from the web in the meantime... we tied with vancouver & vienna for the world's most livable city in 2004!



the forum, right in the middle of the city, a seriously great venue - every year this is one of the venues for the melbourne international comedy festival... very very similar to a theatre in louisville i think...



federation square (which was supposed to open in 2001 to commemorate the centenary of australian federation, but didn't open til 2003...) which is probably the main open public space - there's always a festival or concert going on. there's a massive permanent tv screen on one wall of the buildings, which either shows short films, the footy, or other random things 24 hrs a day



sport is HUGE in melbourne... big in australia generally, but melbourne is particularly fanatical... we've got the grand prix, the australian open (tennis), the grand final (australian rules football), cricket, rugby, soccer.... you name it. the stadiums in the foreground are part of a large sporting precinct



just so you know where it is... tasmania where i grew up is the island at the bottom



someone posted an image that reminded me of these - the twelve apostles, off the south coast of victoria, as you head west towards adelaide... they're quite amazing, although i think one or two fell down recently

[joey_rogo]

Portland is my favorite US city. I've always wanted to live there. Closest I got was Olympia, Washington where I lived for 5 years. Thanks for posting those pics. They warmed my heart but also made me resent where I currently reside (albany, NY) a little more. Oh well. DB- you should totally go to Portland. So much beauty and so much good beer indeed.

aw c'mon colleen, no love for the albany area?!?!

;) ;)

I was thinking about posting some pics. . .but nothing would even come close to touching the beautiful pictures in this thread.

[colleen]

aw c'mon colleen, no love for the albany area?!?!

;) ;)

I was thinking about posting some pics. . .but nothing would even come close to touching the beautiful pictures in this thread.

Joey,
I do have some love for it. Just lately, I've been feeling the Empire State Government/Capital Distrophy/frumparific vibe kinda intensely if ya know what I mean. I will sing some praise for the region when I post some pics soon- one of which I think will make you laugh, being from the area.

[MarkW]

Great pics, Ali.  I want to go to Australia!

As a weird promotion of London as a green city, the authorities turfed trafalgar square.  It looked awesome on the TV, but was only for a couple of days.  People just sitting on it and eating lunch / lazing around.

[dragonboy]

Those pictures are so strange. Grass? There?!!
Cheers 4 posting Mark  :)

[the_wizzard]

Here's a peak at Portland, Oregon:

This is a city where, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, some 5,000 residents commute to work each day by bicycle; where city planners ripped out a freeway and replaced it with a park; where parking meters are solar powered; and where the meticulous synchronization of traffic signals results in an annual savings of 1.1 million gallons of gasoline. Currently, Portland also boasts the most LEED-certified buildings per capita in the nation.


The Schnitz - where I saw John Prine recently.

Ringed by natural beauty — Mount Hood, the Oregon Coast, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Oregon wine country — Portland is obsessed with keeping that beauty unspoiled. Portlanders recycle 54 percent of their waste, a percentage that exceeds that of any other U.S. city. And they and their fellow Oregonians introduced the nation's first bottle bill in 1971 to encourage recycling.


Portland's "green appeal" also extends to the monetary variety. Since Oregon has no sales tax, the city's hotels and convention space carry ultra-competitive prices.
Portland's scenic Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park was once a four-lane highway. Civic leaders removed the freeway in the 1970s, reconnecting downtown with the Willamette River.

Portland is home to the nation's largest urban wilderness — the 5,000-acre Forest Park.

The Portland metro area boasts 37,000 acres of parkland.
Portland has 278 public parks and 150 miles of trails.
More than 5,000 Portlanders commute to work by bicycle. (2000 U.S. Census)
Portland boasts 226 miles of bike lanes.
Portland's Airport MAX light rail is the only train-to-plane option on the West Coast.
The Portland Streetcar is the only modern streetcar system in the nation.
Portland's traffic signals are synchronized at 225 intersections, resulting in an estimated annual savings of 1.1 million gallons of gasoline. (www.epa.gov)
Portland's "smart" parking meters are solar-powered, accept credit cards and stand one per block. A sticker is issued for each vehicle and is transferable to other spaces.
Portland is the birthplace of car-sharing in the United States. Today, Portland's Flexcar members enjoy access to a fleet of vehicles located throughout the metro area. Each Flexcar replaces an estimated six cars on the road.

Powell's, the biggest new & used book store in the nation!!

The Willamette Week, Portland's alternative weekly newspaper, refers to Portland reverently as "Beervana." The Oregon Brewers Guild calls this city "Munich on the Willamette." Of the over fifty breweries and brewpubs in Oregon, more than one-third are located in the Portland Metro area.

mmmm, beer.

Vespachick...aren't you just stoked with our lovely city?  I've been here since "98 after leaving Oly, Wa and I will never leave.  One other beautiful thing about PDX is our awesome mass transit system....BIODIESEL BABY!



And this sums it up for me...I cannot go one day without seeing one of these

[mjkoehler]

Maybe I need to look at moving to Portland.

[vespachick]

Maybe I need to look at moving to Portland.

Yes, yes you should!

[MarkW]

Those pictures are so strange. Grass? There?!!

It is very strange - you just don't expect to see grass in Trafalgar Square.

[mjkoehler]

Those pictures are so strange. Grass? There?!!

It is very strange - you just don't expect to see grass in Trafalgar Square.

Having a degree in history...this just seems wrong. What next red shag carpet in Red Square? :o

[red]

My town is abuzz today.  

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/01062007/3/canada-regina-yorkton-saltcoats-roll-red-carpet-princess-anne.html


Saltcoats is me.  The town hall is right behind my house and all these streets are blocked off.  I have no idea how I'm going to get my car out from the alley.  Ugh.


I'll post some pictures one day...

[ali]

cool photos mark!! i was a bit pissed off when i was in london last year & nelson's column was all scaffolded up, so you couldn't see it.... looks quite cool with the turf though!!!

[Kel]

here are some more photos of Chicago that a friend took over the weekend.  Yes, I'm overloading on the pictures.