Portland Neighborhood Tour - St. Johns

[ColDayMan]

Love the bridge.

[MarkDaMan]

another great thread...Glad to see the Kelly Point Park pics. Love that place.

[Surrealplaces]

Nice shots!

[Drew-Ski]

I noticed on the "Fish Warning Sign" there were 5 different dialects printed on the sign (Spanish, Vietmanese, Chinese, Russian, and what looks like either Indian or Middle Eastern... ) Amazing diversity in this neighborhood. The new "Oregon Trail".

[hymalaia]

apparently some one wanted the St. Johns bridge painted black with yellow stripes so air traffic could "see" it better. Instead it was painted green to blend with it's surroundings. Can you imagine if they went through with the original plan? I wonder how many plane crashes have been caused cause they went with the green.

Cathedral park is said to be haunted. Apparently when the bridge was originally built it was a sketchy place. One ghost said to be particularly active is that of a little girl kidnapped and tortured down there. I noticed some strange vibrations in my hand and arm when I was under there. My camera acted up a bit as well (though my camera is always acting up). Even if these are just myths, standing beneath those giant concrete arches gives a real feeling of 'awe'. It's truly one of the most interesting man made monuments in Portland if not the country. It'd be a lot more famous if it wasn't so far out from downtown, but it's isolation helps give it it's unique feel. On a clear day, Mt. Hood, Adams and St. Helens are visible from the bridge which sadly, is not very pedestrian friendly.

I hope St. Johns' doesn't gentrify like most of inner Portland. Some say it's inevitable but I don't know, it seems so far out/unique that it may "survive" the next wave of gentrification. Access to downtown (about six miles away) is a real pain without a car. There is no direct route by bus. There are some decent cycling routes but it takes about an hour.

[dktshb]

That was one hell of a tour. I really appreciate seeing a different side of Portland. Thanks for the great photos!

[holladay]

Nah, I think it will be awhile before St. Johns experiences any real gentrification pressure. The Alberta/Mississippi area is still sort of in its infancy and housing prices there are relatively low compared to other close-in neighborhoods so I think it will absorb most of the development/rehabilitation for at least another five years.
St. Johns remains too far away, like you said, but the one thing it has going for it that might spark resurgence sooner than expected is its commercial district, which could attract the attention of small business owners looking for affordable space to rent for cafes, coffee shops, etc. Personally, I think the neighborhood would benefit greatly from a better mix of shops and restaurants, although I do worry about the displacement of lower-income, minority, and elderly residents that accompanies such transformations.

[natepdx]

Excellent! I love "el barrio del San Juan". So much potential and yet it just doesn't seem to take off! I swore when I first moved to Portland 9 years ago St. John's was primed to be the next SE/Hawthorne (or at least pseudo Haw-
thorne). Still waiting....

[hymalaia]

well I hope you are right that St Johns is still a few years away. Gives me time to get into a condo while they are "reasonable". It's something of a catch-22. I love that you have these organic cafe's/coffee shops moving in but that's the very thing that will attract yuppies and higher rents. Right now it has a very "blue collar hippie" feel which I like. Lacks the pretension you might find around Hawthorne or NW23rd.

Aside from that there is all that urban wilderness. Not just the parks already mentioned but the amazing Forest Park is right across the bridge and Sauvie Island is not too far away.

[TinChelseaNYC]

Your love for Portland really shows. After seeing your neighborhood shots, I'm very interested in this city. Very appealing!

[denveraztec]

Wonderful pics as always!

[Jularc]

Ha! What a nice surprise of a nabe.

[fangorangutang]

Great shots! St. Johns is one of my favorite areas of Portland, besides Westmoreland and NW. I've done a few school projects here. Love all of your neighborhood tours.