A Great Intersection to Watch the action of drivers...

Trimet Green Line Train along SW 5th Avenue, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

When I eat out in downtown I will usually hit the food carts which have good food at reasonable prices. On my way back to the Portland State University campus I will usually come here and take a bus or MAX back to the school.

What is interesting is watching the action of drivers at this intersection. To the left of the photo is an entrance to the building behind the MAX train which is called "___ Bank Building" - the bank who shall not be named.

There is only one lane for cars in this section however cars often drive down the lanes that are supposed to be for transit only (where the MAX train is). In addition despite there being several no right turn signs people will often turn right from the auto lane to get into the bank who shall not be named.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen cars make illegal right hand turns without looking. I am surprised there hasn't been any accidents here between the MAX trains and the many hundreds of buses that use this street.

The Jupiter Hotel

Jupiter Hotel was ??, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

The Jupiter Hotel sits along Burnside in Portland's gritty east side area. The motel typical 1960's motel that has been turned into a motel for the hipster crowd.

Have to enjoy the the contrast between the modern and the classic motor court in this shot. To the left is the restaurant called the Doug Fir that also includes event space with the lobby/gallery located directly to the right of the picture.

Tillamook Naval Air Station Administration Building

Tillamook Naval Air Station Administration Building, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Besides photography I have several interest including Urban Design, Architecture, Historical Buildings, and history itself. I see a building like this I can just see possibilities for it.

This building is part of the Tillamook Naval Air Station that is best known for its giant blimp hangers from WWII that currently houses the soon to move Tillamook Air Museum. The Blimp hanger itself has a clouded future as it needs millions of dollars for upgrades.

This building served as the Administration building for the Station and you can just image the history within these walls. Hopefully its future is brighter than its more famous cousin but we shall see.

You might want to visit this and the museum before they are gone.

Sometimes you just have to snap the picture...

The Coast Starlight leaving Portland with skateboarders along tracks., a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

There is times you just have to snap the picture even though you know it will not come out perfect.

In this case I was waiting to take pictures of Amtrak's Coast Starlight when I saw these two people walking down the tracks and then starting to skateboard down the crossing. I was already focused on the train so I went ahead and took the picture.

While the skateboarders were not perfectly focused it gets the point across. Hopefully these two learned their lesson about a five seconds after I snapped the picture and the engineer of the train blew the whistle. These two obviously not paying attention freaked out and then started running and started screaming "there was a train coming" over and over as they cross and started walking down the street.

What's your history?

Casa Del Sol formally Tastee Feeze??, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

I love looking at buildings and trying to figure out their history. I love trying to see if I can figure out how the building started out and what has happened to it over the years. What is really fun is when you find some small clue that tells you a story.

Now this building I am guessing could have been a Tastee Freeze at one time. It looks exactly like the one I grew up with in Pasadena, CA that has now something else just like this building.

New buildings just don't have a history or character that these old buildings do. Maybe in 30 years when today's buildings became scarce they will be looked at differently but right now its just hard for them to hold a candle so something that has a story to tell.

Are you ready for winter?

UTA Gillig Advantage BRT 10014 in a snow storm, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Here is a shot I took Christmas Eve last year on a trip to Utah to get you ready for the winter season that will be coming soon.

A Utah Transit Authority bus has just left Central Station and is on its way to Murray via State Street in a blizzard. The bus is a 2010 Gillig Advantage BRT bus. The picture is taken at the intersection of 200 South and 500 West in Salt Lake City.

A different kind of fast food

Hawaiian Time formally??, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Ever get tired of the same old fast food every single day. While I try to eat at independents when I actually do have fast food which is a rarity these days, here is a fast food place that offers something different from the rest.

This place is located on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and I have passed by it many times before I finally took a picture of it. Of course the weather was typical Portland winter wet but the place still shows it unique flavor. While the building still shows its heritage as a chain fast food place the owners have set it apart.

They don't race here anymore...

Multnomah Greyhound Park - Abandoned, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Multnomah Greyhound Park has sat abandoned since 2005. There has been a couple of proposals to tear down the track and build a casino but both failed. Last year a company tried to get voters to approve of private (non-native) casinos in the state but pulled out when it was clear their state wide ballot initiative was going to fail badly.

1913 Fire Station - Now Abandoned

1913 Fire Station - Now Abandoned, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Fire Station Number 2, for many years was an essential part of the old town part of Portland but today stands abandoned surrounded by roads and railroad tracks.

I am not sure when the fire station was last used but it is clear by looking at the old doors that the fire trucks once used that they are in no way equipped to handle today's multi purpose fire trucks.

Hopefully this building would be put to use as it has great architectural details but it will cost money to fix up since it would have to be seismically upgraded to handle the eventuality of a Cascadia Subduction Zone 9.0+ earthquake.

El Dorado Motel Baker City, Oregon

El Dorado Motel Baker City, Oregon, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

When I travel I much rather stay at some older motel with character than most of the cookie cutter places that are way too common today.

On a trip last year we stayed at this motel in Baker City, Oregon. Baker City is home to several unique lodging locations but this one is right off Interstate 84 on Oregon Highway 7 and convenient for our late arrival.

While the rooms could use some sound insulation and the continental breakfast was nothing to write home about, we had a nice short stay before continuing our trip.

Portland Streetcar at Portland State

Portland Streetcar at Portland State, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

In my last posting I mentioned how it had been three years since I came to Portland for a conference that would lead to me actually moving here to Portland.

Here is another once of those photos that makes me think about that trip three years ago. The day after I arrived in Portland for the conference I had a free day so I planned to walk the city using walks created by Laura Foster in her books "Portland City Walks" and "Portland Hill Walks" both of which I highly recommend.

That day I walk to this very spot and took a picture of a streetcar approaching this very spot. Little did I know that I would become very familiar with this spot. Since a year ago June I have been attending Portland State and have had classes in the building to the right and left behind the streetcar. I have also spent time in the Park Blocks which are on either side of the streetcar.

Just goes to show that sometimes a picture is can be more than just a picture of something but can have meaning and possibly for things we don't think of when we take the picture.

MAX Train at Skidmore Fountain

MAX Red Line train in old town Portland, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

A MAX Red line train on its run from Beaverton to the Portland International Airport passes the Skidmore Fountain in old town Portland.

If this was a Saturday or Sunday except in the months of January and February this area would be jammed packed with people attending the Portland Saturday Market with trains crawling through to ensure no one gets hit. However because it is a weekday things are much quieter in the area and for the operator.

I love walking around Downtown Portland and the surrounding areas taking pictures. No matter how many times I walk the area I always find something new to take pictures of.

This picture also makes me realize that next month will mark 3 years since I boarded a Red Line train at the airport to attend a conference here in Portland and how much my life would change since. Little did I know when I rode the Red Line that day that I would be moving here to Portland in nine months and would make the frightening step to return to school.

Now three years later it seems like all a blur.

Lunch is now being served...

Lunch is now being served..., a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Are you hungry? Well if you like Chinese food you might just be after looking at this picture. A food cart has displays several of their dishes during the Portland Saturday Market.

There is Sweet and Sour Chicken and General Tso's which are my favorites plus several other tasty treats.

A Wet Day in Chicago

Metra train at Big Timber, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

As mentioned in my previous post, in April I attended the national convention for the American Planning Association in Chicago.

On the final day I took the "Behind the Scenes of Union Station" Tour and then had the afternoon to explore. The area was being hit by severe thundershowers so I decided to take a METRA train from Union Station so I could be dry for a couple hours.

I took the train out to Big Timber which is right outside the town of Elgin. I irony of going out on this route is that I almost moved to the area about three years ago before something fell through (which turned out to be a blessing in multiple ways).

I was able to take a couple of pictures while the train laid over at Big Timber before the rain started to fall again.

The next day I was supposed to fly to Detroit to visit my Aunt whose only child (and someone I had spent a lot of time with in the summers growing up) had passed away earlier in the year,

However, because of severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings in the area I couldn't make the trip.

Chicago Union Station-What the public doesn't see...

Chicago Union Station tour, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Back in April I spent a week in Chicago to attend the American Planning Association conference.

On the final day of the conference I was part of behind the scenes tour at Chicago Union Station.

One of the rooms that we went into were once the woman's restroom and lounge which is now used for storage and a prep are for caters and others that work the special events that are held at the station.

You could see the beauty that this room once had with the murals and the decorative ceiling. While the ceiling had been damaged in the late 50's/early 60's by the installation of a lowered ceiling, you can see still the beauty that was once there.

Hopefully someday this section of station will be restored.

Party in the Park, Beaverton, Oregon

Party in the Park, Beaverton, Oregon, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

I did not realize how long it has been since I posted a photo on my blog, but that is now going to change.

My first picture in a log time is from a band that played at Party in the Park which is big party sponsored by the city of Beaverton and takes place in July.

Unfortunately the band was placed in a bad position for taking photos but I think the photo still came out pretty good. I have not tried taking pictures of bands too many times before so what do you think?