Bridges, Biking and Bowling Balls, Oh My! :: An Afternoon in Portland

Yesterday was the Brunch on the Bridge event in Portland where the center lanes of the Hawthorne Bridge became public green space for four hours. The event was part of the PDX Bridge Festival to celebrate bridges in Portland. And, while the intent of the brunch was to raise awareness about hunger, the $25 entry fee for adults didn’t include any food. It was simply a place to picnic.

It seemed like a very Portland thing to do—take over a bridge and turn it into a green space. So, I rode my bike to the bridge to check it out. I did not go into the event since the outer lanes of the bridge were open to the public for biking or walking. The experience was nearly the same except I had metal grate beneath my feet, and those inside enjoyed 28,000 square feet of plush grass (locally grown grass of course).

The crowd was a mixed bag and traffic was steady. There were several small groups and families enjoying picnic lunches and music. And of course there was the occasional flower doing yoga next to PDX's version of Alice in Wonderland characters playing croquet. (I think this would actually make a great theme for a backyard BBQ. Maybe these photos will inspire your next gathering.)

Voodoo Doughnut also unveiled “The World’s Largest Box of Doughnuts”— a larger version of their pink box. I later learned they were trying to break the Guinness World Record, but I had failed to take a photo. (I also don't know if they broke the record.)

I spent about an hour at the brunch before I rode off to enjoy the rest of my afternoon.

I took the bike path home through Sullivan's Gulch. Mid way I stumbled upon a very interesting lawn ornament: a bowling ball with a mannequin head attached to it playing a saxophone. It was affixed atop a fence post in a yard. Each post along the fence had a bowling ball atop; the corner ball was an exceptional piece of artwork. (If you click the photo to enlarge it, you can see her name is Miss Kim, which is a brand of cosmetology dolls.)

I stopped to snap a picture and sighed, “Oh Portlandia!” Then jumped on my bike and rode the rest of the way home.