I'm Surrounded....

A TriMet MAX Light Rail train waits for one Portland Streetcar to past while another Portland Streetcar is about to turn toward the riverfront area. The action is taking place in front of Portland State Universities Urban Center just outside of downtown Portland, Oregon.

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.

Portland Streetcar at PSU Urban Center

Portland Streetcar at PSU Urban Center, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Another photo of the Portland Streetcar as it is making its stop at the Urban Center of Portland State University.

The streetcar travels directly through the center of the Urban Center with a coffee shop having tables directly next to the stop on the other side of the streetcar.

I hopefully will be attending school here next year after I take a few classes at PCC.

Portland Streetcar on 5th Street at PSU

Portland Streetcar on 5th Street at PSU, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

Here is one of the first shots I took after arriving in Portland for my conference. I took the MAX red line from the Airport and then rode the Green Line since it was new since the last time I was here.

After a ride on the green line to Clackamas Town Center I rode it back to downtown and then took the streetcar to the South Waterfront area in order to ride the Ariel Tram.

Here is a shot of the Portland Streetcar that I would ride to the South Waterfront area. The MAX train I rode was on the tracks to the left of the streetcar.

Portland Streetcar under the Go by Streetcar Sign

Portland Streetcar turning a corner, a photo by Dornoff Photography on Flickr.

In the times I have been in Portland, I was never able to get a good photo of a streetcar under the sign that says "Go by Streetcar".

The sign is located in the Pearl District in Portland which has gone from abandoned warehouses and rail yards into a thriving new community.

When the area was in its infancy, someone decided to put up a sign saying "Go By Streetcar" in the neighborhood that was built around Portland's new streetcar.

The sign was inspired by the sign on Portland's Union Station which says "Go by Train".

While the picture is not the best I hope to get a better one soon.