Tanner Creek - West Linn

West Linn's city motto is "A City of Trees, Hills, and Rivers." This walk will take you past plenty of trees and hills, although the "river" in this case is the pretty puny Tanner Creek (the Willamette and Tualatin, which both border the city, will have to await another walk). What should impress most about this walk is how the city has created a system of paths and trails amidst new suburban development that keep a bit of nature nearby. The walk is 2.7 miles long, and, like the rest of West Linn, has no flat terrain (although the ups and downs aren't too strenuous).

The walk begins in Tanner Creek Park, at a small parking lot near the intersection of Parker Road and Wild Rose Drive. If the lot is full or closed you can park along Wild Rose to the north of Parker Road. Take the trail that leaves the park behind the restroom building. You will be walking along the riparian corridor of Tanner Creek.

Continue straight on the trail until it rejoins Parker Road. At the curve of Parker Road you will see the trail continue on the other side - cross the street here, watching for traffic. After crossing Parker the trail continues to the northwest, between townhomes on the left and a riparian area on the right. If you look closely into the riparian area you will see some ponds among the trees. You are walking on the former roadbed of Parker Road, before it was rerouted in the late 1990's. Instead of losing the right of way, the city showed some foresight and maintained it as a trail.

You will see several of these signs along your route. These are storm drainage detention areas, where runoff from the urban development around West Linn is detained, instead of flowing into a storm drain with all of its pollutants and then eventually to the Willamette. Small flows (the most polluted) seep into the ground, and larger flows slow down and dump some of their sediments before leaving the pond and discharging to Tanner Creek.

Continue on the pathway to the intersection of Salamo Road and Rosemont Road. At the intersection, cross the street and continue right on the pathway alongside Rosemont Road. You will pass by Oppenlander Field, which hosts youth sports activities. At the intersection of Rosemont and Wild Rose Drive, cross the street again and go right. But before you cross, you will see on your left a stakehouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka the Mormon Church. Constructed several years ago, this building was the subject of significant local controversy, as many neighbors vociferously opposed its location here. But with some design and traffic modifications (including construction of the pathway you have been walking on along Rosemont), the building was finally approved by the city. Among the other requirements was the preservation of the grove of trees along Rosemont to the right of the church, which add considerably to the site's design aesthetics.

Once you cross Rosemont, proceed downhill on Wild Rose Drive to Ridge Lane, where you will turn left. Walk down Ridge Lane, until you reach what appears to be the end of the road, but not really. Ridge Lane continues as a graveled rural cartpath. These kind of jarring roadway changes are not unusual in suburban communities that still have patches of rural development.

Walk down and then up the almost unimproved Ridge Lane, and you will eventually reach civilization again, the form of asphalt. But only for a few hundred feet. The roadway then ends again, and this time turns into a grassy area impassable by vehicles. But this is still Ridge Lane, in the form of an unimproved right of way, so continue straight ahead through the grassy area until you get to Ireland Lane. On your left right before the road ends is a narrow driveway that currently serves as the main access for these homes to Rosemont Road (unless they want to brave the graveled cartpath you earlier traversed. Good access to these houses awaits improvements to either end of Ridge Lane

At Ireland Lane, you reach asphalt again, in the form of a subdivision that is less than ten years old. Turn right on Ireland, and at its end turn right again onto Gardiner. Go a few hundred feet, and then turn to the left down this steep little street with four houses on it. At the end of the street is a pedestrian pathway.

Follow the pedestrian pathway, and you will soon cross this bridge, in the midst of another forested enclave left nestled among the large suburban homes. The pathway will empty upon another small street with six homes on it that leads down to Parker Road.

At Parker Road, cross the street, watching for traffic, and then turn left. Soon on your right you will see a pedestrian pathway between two backyards - take it. At the other end of the pathway turn left, and you are on Winkel Way. This unusual name for a street commemorates Harold Winkel (1918-2004), a longtime civic figure, graduate of West Linn High School in 1935, and city councilor in the 1950's and 1960's. A recent police report from the West Linn newspaper exemplifies the public safety concerns along this street.

Continue on Winkel Way as it makes a 90 degree turn to the right. After a few houses, you will see another pedestrian pathway on the left, consisting of a set of stairs. Take the stairs, and at the top is Sunset Avenue. Turn right.

You are now on the edge of West Linn's Sunset neighborhood. Unlike the other neighborhoods along this walk, Sunset was subdivided in the early 20th century and developed slowly over the years with a wide variety of houses. It is a vestige of the "old" West Linn, which was a Willamette River mill town, as opposed to the high-income suburb it has since been transformed into. And this view shows that, despite more recent suburban development, West Linn retains a tranquil rural atmosphere in many places within the city.

As Sunset Avenue turns left, stay with the street, and then turn right onto Reed Street. This little dead end lane has both old, rural residences and new fancy homes. At the end of the street, you will see another trail connection down the hill. Follow the trail.

This trail is steep downhill, so walk carefully. At the bottom you will be at the end of Landis Street. Cross the street and stay on the trail as it continues downhill back to Tanner Creek. Follow the trail as it turns right and continues between homes uphill on the right and the forested Tanner Creek area on the left. The trail ends at Stonegate Lane, and you will cross this pretty stone bridge to the left.

Where Stonegate Lane meets Beacon Hill Drive, turn right. After a short distance turn right again on Beacon Hill Court. After passing Sabo Lane you will see another trail going off to the left. Follow this trail, once again along Tanner Creek.

This trail is forested on both sides, with the backs of houses on either side barely visible. Eventually you will get to this pedestrian bridge over Tanner Creek, to the right. Cross the bridge, and on the other side the trail turns left and  briefly traverses an access way for several houses before continuing along the creek. Follow the trail.

Eventually you will see a large retaining wall on your right. Above you is the West Linn Skate Park, well-used by young local daredevils. When you reach Wild Rose Drive, turn right and then enter the skate park grounds to enjoy watching the performers. The skate park has been the object of some local controversy because some of the neighbors perceive youngsters having fun as a threat to their suburban peace and tranquility. On the other hand, some have suggested that young people in a town like West Linn can get bored pretty quickly, and these kinds of available recreational activities alleviate that boredom.

You are now back at the start of this walk, across the street from the Tanner Creek Park parking lot.

Northwest Portland Places of Worship

Northwest Portland is a well-trodden section of the city, with lots of attractions and lots of pedestrians. This walk looks at the neighborhood from the perspective of its religious institutions. This is not actually a "church" walk, because the route includes visits to three synagogues along with three churches, two cathedrals, two former churches (one of which is now a beer hall), three other religious sites, a site that has been the focus of religiously-themed protest, one public school that hosts a church on Sunday, and one beer hall that serves as a church on Sunday mornings!

The walk is three miles long, and is on flat terrain.

The Lucky Labrador Brew Pub provides a great starting and end point for this walk, with a chance to enjoy some fine libation before or after (or before and after) your exercise. However, the brew pub does have a tie to the theme of this walk. The Lucky Lab hosts Sunday meetings of the Evergreen Community, a non-traditional, non-denominational church. Although wine, not beer, is served at communion, parishioners have been known to have lunch with a fine Portland brew after the service.

From the Lucky Labrador, cross the street and go a little bit left, and you will see this new mid-block pedestrian path connecting Quimby and Pettygrove, built in association with the new DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital to the left. At Pettygrove, turn right and proceed to 20th Avenue, where you will turn left. Then turn right on Overton Street and left on 21st Avenue. 21st is a major thoroughfare in Northwest Portland. Between Lovejoy and Marshall Streets, on the left side, is the Parish of St. Mark.



The Parish of St. Mark is an Anglican parish, a member of a group called the Anglican Province of Christ the King. This is a breakaway group of Episcopal Parishes which left the Episcopal Church USA (of which Trinity Cathedral, later on the walk, is a member) in 1977. The reasons for the split had to do with 1) a change from and updating of the 1928 church prayer book, and 2) the approval of the ordination of women as Episcopal priests. Needless to say, the continued "progressive" movement of the Episcopal Church USA have not led this parish to think of returning to the fold, particularly recent changes regarding acceptance of homosexual priests and bishops, and same-sex blessings, by the Episcopal Church USA. As the church puts it on its website, "we do not dogmatically hold to the Traditional Anglican liturgy just because this is the way Anglicans have always worshipped, but because the Traditional Anglican liturgy buttresses and supports the clear and catholic teaching of Scripture."

St. Mark was built in the early 20th century. Unlike Episcopal Church USA parishes, it does not have red doors entering into the parish grounds. It does have this beautiful courtyard area, known as a Calvary Garden, with crucified Christ front and center. A mystery worshipper visited a service in 2006, and filed this report, generally positive.

At Lovejoy Street, turn right and proceed west. Between 21st and 23rd Avenues is the Good Samaritan Hospital complex of buildings. Good Samaritan opened its doors on this site in 1875, although the original buildings are long demolished. The hospital was founded by the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon. In 1989 it joined Emanuel Hospital in North Portland (founded by Oregon's Lutheran diocese) to form the Legacy Health System.


Continue on Lovejoy Street, crossing busy NW 23rd Avenue. The next two blocks have many beautiful old semi-mansions fronting the street, most built before World War I. At 25th Avenue, turn left. The Lovejoy Surgicenter, located at the southwest corner of 25th Avenue and Lovejoy Street, is an innocuous looking office building with an innocuous name. But this center has been the scene of vociferous protest from anti-abortion forces because it provides, among its many family planning and reproductive health services, surgical abortions. Activities by anti-abortion demonstrators at this site have led to a multi-million dollar civil judgment against the protesters and changes to state law protecting abortion clinics from overzealous protesters.



Go one block on 25th Avenue, and then turn left onto Kearney Street. On the left side of 25th (and then the left side of Kearney) is Shaarie Torah Synagogue. Shaarie Torah is a congregation founded in 1902. It's original home in South Portland was condemned for redevelopment in the 1950's, and a new synagogue built in 1960 was almost immediately condemned for construction of the I-405 freeway. This building, a stark modern structure, was opened for business in 1965. The congregation officially joined the Conservative Judaism movement in 2013. Conservative Judaism holds the middle ground theologically among the three main streams of American Jewish belief, between Orthodox and Reformed. This 2013 article provides information about the synagogue's declining membership (a problem for almost all of Portland's synagogues) and attempts to stem the tide.

Continue on Kearney Street. Between 24th and 23rd Avenues, you will come across this attractive Victorian style structure, home to the Portland chapter of the Theosophical Society. The website indicates that the Society hosts a weekly lecture series in the Spring and Fall. While Theosophy is a term that has been used for a couple of millennia, the Theosophical Society was founded in the U.S. in the late 19th century. While no particular religious beliefs are required, Theosophy requires adherence to what are called the Three Objects:
To form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color.
To encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy and science.

To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity.

Continue on Kearney to 23rd Avenue, then turn right. Northwest 23rd is a very chi-chi commercial street, with numerous eateries, shops and other establishments. At the corner of 23rd and Kearney (left side of the street) is one of Portland's two Salt & Straw ice cream shops (the other is on NE Alberta). From its beginnings only 10 years ago in a food cart, Salt & Straw has become a favorite for its unique and delicious ice cream flavors, and always seems to have a line out the front of the store. Continue for three blocks on 23rd to Hoyt St. On the way you will pass another landmark Portland dessertery, Papa Haydn's, on the right.

At Hoyt Street, turn left. Two blocks later, at 21st Avenue, you will once again cross Northwest Portland's other major commercial thoroughfare. On your left is Cinema 21, the local theater, known for showing art house films. That may be changing, as "Jersey Boys" does not qualify as an art house film.



Continue across 21st Avenue on Hoyt to the corner of 20th Avenue. On the left is the William Temple House. The William Temple House was founded in 1965 by the Oregon Episcopal Diocese and the Parish of St. Mark to assist the disadvantaged and distressed in Portland with counseling and social service programs. It moved to this location in 1971. "This location" is the Mackenzie House, constructed in 1892 in the Richardson Romanesque style popular at the time, meant to be evocative of a romanticized medieval castle. It was the McKenzie family mansion until the 1920's, when it passed through different ownerships and was used for various purposes, including a speakeasy and boarding house. Then from 1946 to 1965 it served as the headquarters of Oregon's Jesuits (a Roman Catholic order of priests). William Temple was the Archbishop of Canterbury (leader of the Church of England) in the 1940's, and was known for promoting social justice in the world.

At 20th Avenue, turn right and proceed on the walkway between Couch Park to the left, and the Metropolitan Learning Center to the right. The Metropolitan Learning Center was constructed in 1913 as Couch Elementary School, and was converted into an alternative public K-12 school in 1965. It is also home on Sundays to the Agape Church of Christ. This church, which has two "branches" in Portland, was founded in 2007 with seed money from the Park Plaza Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is an openly evangelical church, with a mission to bring citizens of one of the most "unchurched" cities in the U.S. to Christianity.

The pathway between Couch Park and the Metropolitan Learning Center ends at Glisan Street. Across the street is Congregation Beth Israel. Beth Israel is a Reform Judaism Congregation, the most "liberal" of the three main branches of Judaism in the United States (but see discussion of the Havurah Shalom congregation later along the walk route). It is located in this beautiful neo-byzantine building, constructed in 1928, after the congregation's previous Moorish-style synagogue at SW 12th and Main Streets was destroyed by fire. The congregation's mission states "Beneath our dome is a spiritual home, a place of community and friendship, a place to be inspired through prayer, a place for lifelong learning, and a place where every person makes a difference." Cross Glisan Street, and go left 1/2 block to a stairway the leads up a slope into the Synagogue grounds. Walk through the open air plaza that separates the main Synagogue from ancillary buildings, and then go down the driveway to Flanders Street.

At Flanders Street, turn left and proceed down the street. The Beth Israel building is on your left. This beautiful doorway on the side of the building has an inscription in Hebrew above it, topped by impressive stained glass windows.



Turn right at NW 19th Avenue. Proceed one block to Everett Street. On your left is the Northwest Neighborhood Cultural Center, home of the Northwest Children's Theater and School. However it began life in 1911 as a Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science), one of the first on the West Coast. The church was founded by Mary Baker Eddy in the late 19th century, and is best known for its belief that sickness can be cured by prayer alone. This was obviously a controversial doctrine, leading to quite a few prosecutions of parents for refusing medical assistance to their children. From 270,000 adherents in 1936, church membership has declined to about 100,000 today - leading to the dissolution of many congregations including this one. With another Christian Science Church located on the South Park Blocks about one mile away, there clearly was a surplus of Christian Science churches in the central area of Portland.

Cross Everett Street. To your right on the next block is Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. The Cathedral was constructed in 1906, and is the largest Episcopal congregation in the Oregon diocese. The Episcopal church has a liturgy most like that of Roman Catholicism, and its "priests" are called "father." However, unlike the Roman church some of the priests could be called "mother," and Episcopal priests can marry (and as of June 2015 can now conduct same-sex weddings). Like the Roman Catholic organization, each Episcopal diocese has a bishop and most have a cathedral - this beautiful building was designated as the cathedral for Oregon in 1993. Note the red doors, which are found on all Episcopal churches and cathedrals in the United States. The main sanctuary is a spectacular interior space, and a beautiful courtyard is nestled between the buildings. The cathedral also boasts an excellent religious bookstore, open on Monday through Thursday from 10 AM to 2 PM, and before and after Sunday services.

Continue on 19th to Couch Street, then turn left. Between 18th and 17th Avenues is St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The cathedral was constructed and opened in 1926. It is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, designed in an architectural style described as Twentieth Century Romanesque and Byzantine. The largest Christian denomination in the nation is well known to all. The adjoining Cathedral School, built in 1961, educates students from Kindergarten through 8th grade. The Portland archdiocese had a significant part in the ongoing scandal of priest sexual abuse over the past decade, actually filing for bankruptcy in 2004 in response to lawsuits for damages from victims of the abuse.

At 17th Avenue, turn left. Proceed four blocks to Glisan Street. On the corner of 17th and Glisan is our next stop. The McMenamin's Mission Theater and Pub has been showing movies and serving beer and food since 1987. It was the first of the McMenamin's movie/pub houses. But the building is much older - it was constructed in 1912 as the Swedish Tabernacle, a Protestant evangelical church. The congregation sold the tabernacle to the International Longshore Worker's Union, which used the building as a union hall until its sale in 1987 to the McMenamin brothers.

Continue north on 17th Avenue two more blocks to Irving Street. At the corner of 17th and Irving, on the right, is City Sanctuary, which has no clear identification of its purpose on the facade - in the fact the only way to tell it is a religious facility is a brochure stand with religious tracts visible in the window near the front door. City Sanctuary is a Mission of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The Sanctuary is not really a church with a congregation, it is an outreach mission to help those in Portland with both material and spiritual assistance. The Mission states, "our daily goal is to provide a place of safety; a refuge from life’s challenges and harsh realities. We believe that as followers of Christ we are called to love one another, to not judge, evaluate or criticize others. We value individuality and the freedom to live and express that individuality." The Seventh Day Adventist Church is a product of the Second Great Awakening in early 19th century America that produced the Millerite movement. The movement originally predicted the end of the world and the second coming of Christ in 1844, but when this didn't happen, the remaining members of the group (many left disappointed) revamped their theology to be less definite on a date for the second coming. Seventh Day Adventists are unique among Protestant sects for their celebration of the Sabbath on Saturday instead of Sunday. Seventh Day Adventists are encouraged to be vegetarians, and are also expected to follow dietary laws similar to those followed by Orthodox Jews. One of the most famous Adventists (and a major source of financial support for the church) was the founder of the Kellogg Cereal Company.

At Irving Street turn left and walk two blocks to 18th Avenue. At the corner of 18th and Irving, on your left, is the First Immanuel Lutheran Church. The church has been at this location, in this building, since 1906. The church began its life in 1879 at a downtown Portland location as a Swedish Lutheran Church, but is now a member of the ELCA, the largest and "mainline" Lutheran organization in the U.S. Lutherans, like Episcopalians, have a service that is most similar to the Roman Catholic liturgy among Protestant sects, emphasizing traditional communion. The ELCA Synod in Oregon has as its head a bishop, similar in form to Roman Catholic and Episcopal bishops. The Synod was the founder of Emanuel Hospital in North Portland, and has its main offices on the hospital grounds. The congregation is a Reconciling in Christ church, and states that "we welcome people of every race, ethnic background, social status, physical limitation, sexual orientation and gender identity."

Turn right on 18th Avenue and go one block to Johnson Street, where you will turn right again. After one block on Johnson turn left on 17th Street. On your left will be the Havurah Shalom synagogue, located in two old warehouses that were tastefully renovated in 1998 for the congregation's use. Havurah Shalom is a Portland branch of Reconstructionist Judaism. This branch of the faith was founded in the mid-20th century in the United States, and has a very "progressive" approach to religious belief, asserting that traditional Jewish theology must be modified to reflect humankind's advances in philosophy, science, and history. There are over 100 reconstructionist congregations in the United States. Havurah Shalom was founded in 1978. Here is how the congregation's culture is described on its website: "Our overall community is progressive, intellectual, honest, egalitarian, and embracing of diversity. We include many interfaith families and people of various ethnic backgrounds and income groups. We are queer-friendly, and the congregation includes members in a wide range of professions."

Proceed north along 17th Avenue, past the Portland streetcar tracks on Lovejoy and Northrup Streets, all the way to Raleigh Street. Turn left on Raleigh, and then right on 18th Avenue. At the corner of 18th and Savier Street is St. Patrick Catholic Church. This beautiful building is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Portland, founded in 1889, although the interior was not completed until 1914. The church is affiliated with the St. John Society, a new (established in 2001) order of evangelical priests which began in Argentina. An interesting affiliation in light of the ascension to the Holy See of the Argentinian Pope Francis. The building itself is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Backtrack one block on 18th Avenue back to Raleigh, and then continue south one block to Quimby Street. Turn right, and you will return to your starting point at the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub.

Alberta Street - NE Portland

Northeast Alberta Street is definitely one of the hippest streets in the City of Portland. The street has certainly gone upscale over the past decade, but keeps a great mix of local businesses that are fun to browse among. The walk not only takes you along the NE Alberta stores, but also visits nearby changing residential and commercial neighborhoods, and starts and ends at a great McMenamin destination. This walk is 3.7 miles long, and traverses flat terrain.

The walk begins at the Kennedy School. This elementary school was opened in 1915, and after sixty years of service it closed in 1975, deemed too old and expensive to renovate by the Portland School District. However it wasn't torn down, and finally in 1997 the McMenamin brothers reopened it as part of their growing empire of brew pubs. The school is much more than a pub, encompassing several restaurants (some with outdoor patio dining) and taverns, party rooms, lodging, a small outdoor pool, a cinema, and even a cigar bar. All within the confines of a traditional elementary school, most notably the long and wide hallways, decorated with artwork and photographs, that connect the different attractions. It's worth a stroll around before the walk begins, and a nice meal, drink, movie, or even cigar afterwards.


From the front of the Kennedy School along NE 33rd Avenue, cross the street and walk west on Jarrett Street. You will be walking by a mixture of different styles and eras of houses, some old and seedy, some old and refurbished, and some, like these two residences on your right, recently built. These two homes are on a corner lot, having been built within the last couple of years.


Continuing down Jarrett, also on your right a couple of blocks before entering Alberta Park are these two homes, also built within the past couple of years, in a much more traditional "old-PDX" architectural style. In home plan books from Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, and other 1920's "house-by-mail" sellers, these homes would have been called labeled as four-square or farmhouse architectural style.

Directly ahead, Jarrett Street stubs into Alberta Park. This 17-acre park, with lots of trees, has been around since 1921. This interesting story from 2011 gives some information about the park, including bike polo activities on an old tennis court. Once you reach the park, turn right and navigate its circumference, all the way to Concordia Street at its north end (the location of a baseball diamond) and then back to Killingsworth Street and 20th Avenue on the south end of the park.

Across Killingsworth on the left side of 20th Avenue is Vernon Elementary School. On the right side is the Redeemer Lutheran Church, also the home of the Portland Tool Library. This is exactly what it sound like - a place where patrons can check out tools for a specified period just as a standard library checks out books.

Cross Killingsworth and walk south on 20th Avenue. After one block on the left (the intersecting street is Emerson) you will see these two older houses that have been refurbished and restored. Probably built at the same time by the same builder, they represent a craftsman two-story bungalow style from the early 20th century. Turn right on Emerson Street and walk four blocks to 16th Avenue. Turn right on 16th and walk one block back to Killingsworth Street.

It's a sign of changing times in NE Portland that commercial revitalization is coming even to this stretch of Killingsworth, between 13th and 17th Avenues. On the north side of Killingsworth, between 16th and 17th and to your right, is this commercial structure, hosting Podnah's Pit Barbecue and La Taq Mexican restaurant. Meanwhile, on the south side of Killingsworth is the very modest Killingsworth Market.

Turn left on Killingsworth. In the block between 15th and 16th on the south (left) side of the street is Fruteria Don Pedro, an open air market with an interesting display of food items and flowers. Contrast this four-block stretch of Killingsworth to NE Alberta later on this walk -it will be interesting to see what happens to this smaller commercial area over the next few years.



Continuing on Killingsworth to 13th Avenue, you will see these newer townhome-style residences on the north side of the street. They were built in 2008, and are still "pioneers" among the mostly older homes in this area.

At 13th Street, turn left. Go one block to Emerson, then take a jog on Emerson to the right and then continue on 13th. At 13th and Roselawn, one block later, you will see this beautiful home on a narrow corner lot. It looks like it could be new, but it was originally built in 1906 and renovated in 2008. Other signs that it is an old house - there is no garage on the property (a new house would include a garage), and it has a basement (a new house, even in a period style, would most likely omit construction of a basement). There's plenty of street parking in this area, so a garage isn't really needed.

At the southwest corner of 13th and Roselawn is Roselawn Park, a small patch of grass, without even a sign to identify it. There's nothing much on the web regarding the history of this little park, and why it came into existence, other than a mention on the Portland Parks website that it is 0.12 acres and was acquired in 1996. Here's a cute yelp story, and one other mention that is equally baffled by this park's existence. But the house on the south boundary of the park has this childishly cute mural for you to look at.

Proceeding to the right on Roselawn Street a couple of blocks, you will see three newer homes that exemplify the design pitfalls of including a garage in the front of a narrow lot. A positive spin on the story of the 25-foot wide single family lot in Portland can be found here. I think a better solution would be to skip the garage entirely and let the occupants of these skinny houses park on the street (each driveway means less on-street parking). But you be the judge ...

Continue on Roselawn to NE 9th Avenue, then turn right. Proceed two blocks to Alberta Street. At 9th and Alberta is St. Andrew Catholic Parish. The parish has served the community from 1908, since 1929 in this stately French Gothic building.

Turn right on Alberta. At the southeast corner of 10th and Alberta (on the right side of the street) is this building housing the Eritrean Community Association of Oregon, a non-profit group. Eritrea is a nation along the African side of the Red Sea, which gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991.

Continuing east on Alberta brings you to the Alberta Street commercial district. This area is a mixture of old and new, funky and shiny, and has a lot of places to shop, dine, drink, or just browse. Most notably, the street seems devoid of national chain stores.  It will be interesting to see if this pattern continues - national chains have moved in to other once funky now fashionable inner Portland commercial districts such as SE Hawthorne and NW 23rd. The Tin Shed, on the south side of Alberta between 14th and 15th Streets, is a well known restaurant known for its breakfasts, but also serving lunch and dinner. There is usually a line to get in.

While the pictures and text below provide some street highlights, there are many more restaurants and shops that might catch your eye and your wallet. Feel free to explore the establishments that interest you

Continuing down Alberta Street, at the southeast corner of Alberta and NE 17th Ave. (on the right) is the Community Cycling Center. No self-respecting Portland neighborhood is without a local bike shop, but this one is unique in that it is operated by a non-profit organization devoted to increasing access to cycling for persons of all ages and income levels. The Center's bike shop, with its colorful side wall mural, sells only used and refurbished bicycles, but also new parts and accessories. It also includes a full-service repair shop

Continue east on Alberta Street. On the left (north) side of the street between 20th and 21st Avenues is another new Portland icon, Salt & Straw Ice Cream. Beginning only 10 years ago in a food cart, success led to establishing this permanent location a few years later, and a second location on NW 23rd Avenue more recently. Exotic and unusual flavors are given to very tasty ice cream. The line out the door and down the sidewalk is the norm for this very popular establishment.

Continuing three blocks further east, the corner of NW 23rd Avenue and Alberta presents an interesting contrast. On the south (right) side of the street is this new mixed-use building, with an upscale sushi restaurant on the ground floor and what look like fancy apartments above. On the north (left) side of the street is a funky collection of food carts on an old parking lot, serving up various inexpensive eats.

Three blocks further east, the corner of NE 26th and Alberta (on the right) is the site of this new development of condos, built in 2011.

Continuing four blocks further east, on the south side of Alberta at 30th Avenue (to the right) is the Alberta Rose Theatre. This 400-seat venue hosts a variety of events, including acoustic music concerts, art house films, and live performances. Opened as a movie theater in 1927, it became the home of a church in 1978, and was reopened by its current proprietors in 2010.

From the Alberta Rose Theater, continue on Alberta Street two more blocks to 32nd Avenue. Turn left, and go two blocks through a residential neighborhood to Emerson Street. Turn right at Emerson and walk two blocks to 33rd Avenue. You will be facing a sure sign of a changing Portland neighborhood (the positive adjective is "revitalized," the negative adjective is "gentrified"), a New Seasons Market. Started in 1999, this grocery chain now has 13 stores, and is located in several formerly run-down, now hipster Portland neighborhoods.


Turn right on 33rd Avenue and go two blocks north, past Killingsworth Street, to your starting point at the Kennedy School.