Downtown Colors

My wife has been out of town on a business this past week.  Last night on the way to pick her up at the airport I stopped downtown along the river with camera and tripod to take some exposures.  The reflections make the city look bigger.

It's been about a year since last doing night shots downtown.  Just when I was beginning to have fun I realized I needed to get to the airport. 

Lately the desire to do photography has all but dried up.  Going to a different location and going in the evening has given a boost to the desire.

Portland's Living Room

This afternoon I made a sales call at a downtown Portland hotel.  The lobby is on the 8th floor because Macy's takes up the first seven floors.  I caught this view of the center of downtown.  The building in the foreground on the left is Pioneer Courthouse which is a federal courthouse.  Built in 1869 it's the oldest federal building in the Northwest and second oldest west of the Mississippi.

On the right is Pioneer Courthouse Square which is also known as Portland's "living room".  This is where concerts and rallies are held and where the Christmas tree is on display.  And since the Northwest is known for its rainfall, today we even had the usual fair on tap.

These are Handy

 (Ashland, OR)

These are handy on a hot day in the city.

Triangular Vision

This was taken yesterday afternoon in downtown Portland at our World Trade Center.  These triangular outside hallways have some interesting light patterns.  It also looks like it could be an entrance to a space station or a ride at Disney World.  Or maybe not.

Smokin' Special

I just missed catching the chef put the evening special on this sidewalk smoker.  It not only increases productivity of the kitchen, it's also a "smokin'" advertising campaign.

Portland's Benson Bubblers

Yesterday I was in the South Park Blocks area of downtown and decided to take some photos of these iconic drinking fountains known as Benson Bubblers.

There are 52 four-bowl fountains in various locations around the city.  They're made of copper but years of weathering has given them that antique patina finish.  The following is some information about their history.


"In 1912, Simon Benson, a local businessman and philanthropist, donated $10,000 to the City of Portland to purchase and install 20 bronze drinking fountains, now known as Benson Bubblers.

Local folklore tells us that Simon Benson donated the 20 bronze drinking fountains as an effort to keep loggers out of the saloons at lunchtime. Others say that Benson was inspired after seeing a little girl crying at a 4th of July parade because she couldn't find a drink of water. Either way, the Benson Bubblers have become a historical and enduring legacy here in Portland." (Courtesy of portlandonline.com)


The fountains run from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., daily. They flow 365 days a year unless we have a freeze, in which case the water bureau shuts them down.  

So if you're ever near Portland and you're thirsty you know you can always get a cold drink of water here! 

Portland Reflection

 

Yesterday afternoon one of our daughters had knee surgery. It wasn't at a hospital but a large new medical building that's part of the hospital. You can faintly see the hospital up on the right with cables running up to it. These are the cables for two trams that can shuttle people back and forth. I thought this reflection on the 16th floor was an interesting perspective of part of downtown.