Oregon: 150 Years in 2009 (6 / 8) (A report conducted in July 2008 ( Text and photos by Bernard Jacqmin)
Tomorrow, Ed and Jen will return already in their suburban house. The holidays are over for them . When we leave, they insist, however, to set us an appointment in downtown Portland: they would be happy to see us and show us around their city on their old VW van We accept with pleasure and we therefore find the following afternoon at the appointed place yesterday, in one of this red a little kitsch-shaped portico sensible mark the entrance of Chinatown. A place that, they say, was quite notorious in the late nineteenth and under which a network of tunnels had been dug and then invests gambling dens and other illegal bars where skippers lawless brutality sailors alcohol . They then made them sign contracts "cans" for their body-boarding defending-in cruise tourism had nothing!
With Ed and Jen's visit to the country's largest city (556,370 inhab-the capital city, Salem has only 154,000 inhabitants.) Begin with the International Rose Test Garden. Located west of the city on the foothills of a hill of volcanic origin, this place is the place to excellent family walk. It is crossed by a maze of shady paths winding through an impressive rose garden where over 550 varieties of roses are grown.
Interest Site also lies in the fact that it allows to embrace a glance across the city. A city priori "posh" releasing both a beautiful impression of dynamism, but also, paradoxically, of any province peacefully. An urban plan moreover encouraged local developers to not stray into too pretentious architectural delusions. This virtual absence of skyscrapers, the presence of green spaces, open squares and promenade along the Willamette River provide a beautiful harmony to the whole. Details accentuate this effect as, For example, the relative fluidity of traffic, even in the city center. Fluidity due mainly to the fact that transport is free from the periphery. 
It is tempting to abandon his car in a commuter parking lot and let slip "for free" to the epicenter on board one of the many street-car (tram) Multicolored. And if by chance you are looking for a meaning to colors of these vehicles sometimes green-apple, sometimes yellow or electric blue, know that this is just to create an interesting visual effect in the heart of the city, at least that's what we provide to the direction of transport! On the environmental front, the city has also agreed to large expenditures in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other emissions of CO2. Portland, through the establishment of rigorous systems to enhance energy efficiency and increase renewable energy use, CO2 emissions were reduced by more than 3% per capita between 1990 and 1995, about the CO2 emissions produced by facilities in the city, they have declined during the same period, 15%.
Among the measures visible and relatively unusual in this active environmental policy, we also note the presence at regular intervals, terminals scattered throughout the city allowing electric vehicles to recharge their batteries. Obviously and like the rest of the state, Portland is a progressive city in many respects. Here, as throughout the country, we vote Democratic and that, continuously since 1988 (although large parts of the Southeast are still loyal to the republican spirit). If you go back in time, we also learn that slavery never had citizenship. A practice also declared outlaws by 1844, well before the entry of Oregon in the United States in 1859. Portland is also home to the United States where debates about gay marriage remain the most vivid and many observers agree that soon, Oregon will, after Massachusetts and California, next state to legalize gay marriage. 
In another register, with the State of Washington, Oregon is also the only one to accept what is called "assisted suicide "(Death with Dignity Act), especially for people who are terminally ill.
can be found at rather ironic that in such a context, the death penalty to be with her still in force. ... Implemented! Although she is so exceptional since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976, only two executions have taken place to date. Among the "curiosities" that Ed wanted to let us know in "his" city, there will also be a place that has a priori nothing very glamorous but it is however enough spice . It is a neighborhood a little off center on the right bank of the Willamette River. This is the warehouse district, the plant and machinery, barges, silos and cranes. A world that loves and knows the fingertips. In fact, here is that it invites us to climb the fence of a factory that is more familiar than others. He also said the caretaker know, so ... no need to worry however is through the rails with caution (you never know, a locomotive can always occur unexpectedly) and then in silence, we walked around the stones and ballast, in a maze of scrap metal and cans of gasoline. it looks a bit like a pilgrimage for Ed In fact, here it suddenly stops and looks up to look like one of those cranes that he may be ordered over a long time.
"Here," he said abruptly cut short like a futile melancholy, very near here we shot a film last year, there, just below the bridge. Is that of Burnside. There, the guys started to squat the place a few years ago and gradually they built with "tips string "a skatepark thunder. I think it's one of the oldest skateparks in the U.S.. Now it seems that for skaters from around the world, this rotten hole has become a real Mecca, especially since the famous movie! (It is "Paranoid Park" by Gus Van Sant, dark and dramatic film made in 2007 and the 60th Anniversary Prize at Cannes) is approaching and, indeed, under the motorway, just few meters in the tumult of traffic and exhaust ... the guys are busy running down ramps carefully, negotiate curves, "grind" the edges ... Today they are twenty years between 15 and 30. Of the hairy pants falling on the buttocks but the guys in overalls just emerging from their workshop and even a few white-collar youth come to stretch their legs after work, tie protruding from the pocket. History to put a little atmosphere, someone switched his CD player. An old reggae began to resonate under the pillars of the bridge. Still, a little taciturn type takes away but loses nothing of the scene. He observes the actions of these fools on wheels. But when a soda can or Bud 'goes astray, he rises at once to retrieve it. The box will join the harvest day. Soon, the bag is full and exchanged in a recycling company nearby cons few "bucks." 
The sun now begins to decline on the Willamette River. It's a little less stuffy and joggers may in small groups, as bikers and families stroll swallowing of ice-cream XXL model. Amidst this tranquil animation, a Vietnam veteran on his electric cart topped with stars and stripes and accosts passersby trying without much success to sell his poems. 
Here we are leaving Ed and Jen. We're back on the avenue along the Rose Garden Arena. The car park of the largest sports complex in the city, the famous cave of Blazers, and also the largest theater-(20,000 seats) roadies complete hardware store sound of Foo Fighters. The famous rockers of Washington gave a concert last night. Maybe they have sung "I'll be coming home next year. ... Say goodbye, say goodbye ... .... . (February 6 next episode)
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