and best of all, seeing Bart Simpson's likeness in concrete"...
we finally arrived at our next stop of the day, which as you can see was cloudy and overcast. The lower terminal for the Portland Aerial Tram is in a rather newish neighborhood, South Waterfront. The tram now costs $4.70 (when Mary went in 2015, it was $4.35. Inflation.
Painted tiles by local schoolchildren formed a tram car (there are two and they both have names; more info in the video linked at the end of the post). Cute!
You pay for your tickets and wait for your ride at the top. The price is considered a round trip. The ride has tourists (like us) and folks going up to the medical center/hospital above (OHSU - Oregon Health & Science University), like medical staff and patients.
The ride lasts about three minutes and travels 3,300 feet. As you rise up to the first set of supports, the tram car swings back and forth quite a bit. Quite terrifying if you're afraid of heights. It's hard not to look down though. It's a wierd sensation floating up in the air and looking at the tiny homes and cars below. Of course, it was another dreary day. No view of the mountains. You could see the newest bridge, the Tilikum Crossing (aka "Bridge of the People") which is open to everything but cars - so light rail, the streetcar, cyclists and pedestrians only. This bridge opened in 2015.
Partial view from the top.
At the OHSU campus, a building was being demolished.
Looking at the cables, it was a pretty long distance to travel in this manner.
This map of the mountains and changing skyline was useful but would have been more nice if the skies were clear.
It was starting to rain again so we went into the medical center to wait it out. Bert and TC got some hot drinks (not pictured since...well paper cups aren't really exciting) and a pastry to share.
This sign goes without saying. I'm sure there was a dumbass that tried to sit on the railing. You hear these crazy stories of people dying because they were trying to get the perfect "selfie". They fell of a cliff, or off the side of a mountain or bridge or whatever. It's not that important people!
We spent about an hour total up here enjoying the views and relaxing inside the center before heading back down.
2017 Video from local Portland news
Check out Mary's post of her Portland trip which includes video of the tram from her visit back in 2015.
"Portland, OR: Day 2 recap" ThisTastyLife, January 2015.
Portland Aerial Tram
3033 SW Bond St.
Portland, OR 97239
(503) 494-8283
www.gobytram.com + reviews from you know where
We didn't really have concrete plans for the day, which is unusual for me. All I knew was that I wanted us to check out more of the SE area. There were some interesting food places I had on my "list"...
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