Derek phoned to alert me to a new phenomenon in our neighborhood (no, not those UFOs in the parking lot): an outdoor patio for Peet's customers, on the roof of Fred Meyer.
My take was: lets turn the rest of this deck into an Asian garden of sorts, something that'd work in winter as well.
Just a fantasy, as Hawthorne hasn't gone car-less yet, though it's tempting to make it so, more like Venice.
Scraping 'em off the roof of Freddies, like so many cockroaches, might be feasible though, encourage more Euro-style shopping, a little here, a little there, on foot or by bicycle (Burley is an Oregon company (considering Python? that JRun OK for ya?)).
That's how neighbors use the place, with string bags and pull carts, none of this SUV-centric "freight train" approach, as if the nearest next watering hole were 400 miles distant. This isn't Wyoming after all.
However I do understand we're getting more out-of-towners these days, wanting to stock up on souvenirs 'n stuff. Recommendation: leave the rig at your motel, use Tri-Met, sample the Portland lifestyle for real. We've got a fareless square 'n everything.
We've got no aquarium quite like Chattanooga's (nobody does), but our art museum is top notch, has a Snelson, plus PDX (the airport) has those equus-looking things, plus there's OMSI and Oregon Zoo, a deep Max tunnel.
Check us out! Bring the kids!
