Tag Archives: Portland

Ankeny Alley’s Pink Pedestrian Path

There are four places that nearly EVERY Portland tourist visits, unless I get to them first and have them *avoid all of them* except Powell’s. They are:

Voodoo Doughnut:
(the source of those ubiquitous pink boxes)

These girls LOVED my idea for a stenciled pink-box path running the length of Ankeny from the waterfront through Big Pink to Powell's
These girls LOVED my idea for a stenciled pink-box path running the length of Ankeny from the waterfront through Big Pink to Powell’s

The Saturday Market (also running on Sundays), the largest continually operating professionally juried arts & crafts market in the U.S.:

Portland Saturday Market - the REAL one. The knock-off one with all the fake crap is across the street. Tourists never seem to know the difference.
Portland Saturday Market – the REAL one. The knock-off one with all the fake crap is across the street. Tourists never seem to know the difference.

Waterfront Park, which is boring to me unless you’re biking—or, of course, the cherry trees are blossoming (pink, coincidentally):

Blossoming cherry trees form the backdrop for every conceivable creative photo opportunity
Blossoming cherry trees form the backdrop for every conceivable creative photo opportunity

And…Powell’s, the world’s largest bookstore. Powell’s is at 10th & Burnside. Everything from *10th west* (such as the streetcar line) is magical, on both sides of Burnside.

Powell's City of Books
Powell’s City of Books

The HUGE mistake that EVERY tourist in Portland makes, of course, is walking EAST of 10th along Burnside or Ankeny toward the water. It’s unquestionably the most uninviting corridor in the downtown area, if not the entire Pacific Northwest.

To head from Powell’s to Voodoo Doughnut and the waterfront, most people end up walking either along Burnside:

NEVER walk on Burnside between Powell's and the river. Yet EVERY tourist does this.
NEVER walk on Burnside between Powell’s and the river. Yet EVERY tourist does this.

Or they walk along Ankeny—*if* they can find it, which they usually can’t. Ankeny and Burnside are the ONLY two ways to go from Powell’s to all the overhyped attractions in Old Town, and they’re both super ugly stretches of road that both lead to Portland’s ugliest area:

Ankeny St, which needs to become ENTIRELY CAR-FREE and lined with pink stenciled doughnut-inspired signs for people to follow---right through the "Big Pink" building, through which Ankeny Street itself literally passes
Ankeny St, which needs to become ENTIRELY CAR-FREE and lined with pink stenciled doughnut-inspired signs for people to follow—right through the “Big Pink” building, through which Ankeny Street itself literally passes

But as long as tourists insist on stumbling along this corridor between the waterfront and Powell’s, they might as well follow a fun collection of hundreds of pink stencils that are inspired by both Voodoo Doughnut and Big Pink!! 🙂

Let's fill the entire length of SW Ankeny St with whimsical pink stenciled markings for kids of all ages to follow, once we make this currently useless corridor CAR-FREE!!
Let’s fill the entire length of SW Ankeny St with whimsical pink stenciled markings for kids of all ages to follow, once we make this currently useless corridor CAR-FREE!!

The building every Portlander calls “Big Pink” is not only along the Ankeny Alley corridor, but SW Ankeny is actually a *public* corridor that passes right *through* Big Pink’s lobby!

Big Pink. Technically the 43-story office tower is called U.S. Bancorp Tower.
Big Pink. Technically the 43-story office tower is called U.S. Bancorp Tower.

Thus, let’s have people follow the “big pink” signs to and through Big Pink! And this corridor must be made CAR-FREE.

Big pink signs on Ankeny near Big Pink
Big pink signs on Ankeny near Big Pink

Boston’s most popular path is the Freedom Trail. People literally follow a red path; it’s super simple and enjoyable. For years, I’ve been wanting to create a similar path from boats to books, i.e., parks to Powell’s:

By MamaGeek at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17971742
Boston’s Freedom Trail. By MamaGeek at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17971742

EVERY single tourist I asked about this idea LOVED it, including these nice women visiting from Minnesota. Like most tourists in this area, they were walking with their pink box from Voodoo:

Everyone seems to support the Big Pink trail from the waterfront to donuts to Powell's
Everyone seems to support the Big Pink trail from the waterfront to donuts to Powell’s

Again, it’s incredibly unfortunate (at least until this car-free “pink pathway” becomes a reality!) that tourists always go EAST from Powell’s rather than WEST. If you’re on 10th or higher, there’s no way to go wrong on either side of Burnside. The building below is at 13th & Burnside, which is worlds apart from 3rd & Burnside:

Portland's West End has features so special and totally uniques in the U.S. that it will take a separate long blog post to even begin to explain it. If tourists had ANY idea about this area, the tables at three-story Ringlers Annex would be as full as those at any cafe in Paris.
Portland’s West End has features so special and totally unique in the U.S. that it will take a separate long blog post to even begin to explain it. If tourists had ANY idea about this area, the tables at three-story Ringlers Annex would be as full as those at any cafe in Paris.

All of Burnside EAST of 10th (going toward the waterfront) looks like this and much worse. It’s mostly blank walls, tons of space for cars, and very little for pedestrians:

There is absolutely nothing interesting to see along Burnside between Powell's (on 10th) and the waterfront. Yet, EVERY tourist in Portland walks this super sad corridor.
There is absolutely nothing interesting to see along Burnside between Powell’s (on 10th) and the waterfront. Yet, EVERY tourist in Portland walks this super sad corridor.

So, as long as tourist insist on walking between Portland Saturday Market to Powell’s, we might as well give them a NICE corridor: SW Ankeny Street! Technically, it’s Ankeny to Broadway to Stark to Union Way to Powell’s. Just follow the pink path!! 🙂

One block of SW Ankeny has recently been made car-free. We need to make the ENTIRE 8-block corridor car-free!
One block of SW Ankeny has recently been made car-free. We need to make the ENTIRE 8-block corridor car-free!

My new corridor has the final block leading to Powell’s passing right through Union Way, a *gorgeous* European-style car-free arcade that few people even know about! Talk about an incredible alternative to the current nightmare!

Union Way connects the super cool Ace Hotel to Powell's Bookstore
Union Way connects the super cool Ace Hotel to Powell’s Bookstore

But FIRST, we need to make extend the current one-block-long car-free stretch of Ankeny by making the ENTIRE 8-block Ankeny alley car-free:

Less than one car per minute typically passes through most blocks of Ankeny St. This is incredibly inefficient use of a super valuable corridor in a major urban downtown.
Less than one car per minute typically passes through most blocks of Ankeny St. This is incredibly inefficient use of a super valuable corridor in a major urban downtown.

While doing research for this post, I often stood for five minutes or more without seeing any cars pass through blocks like this. So, let’s put some pink signs in the street and make it a fun corridor for PEOPLE rather than CARS!

Follow the pink boxes from Saturday Market to Voodoo Doughnut, Big Pink and Powell's Books!
Follow the pink boxes from Saturday Market to Voodoo Doughnut, Big Pink and Powell’s Books!

Let’s stop relegating pedestrians to narrow sidewalks along Ankeny. The entire corridor is the most inefficient land use imaginable in a major downtown corridor. The cars all need to be banned immediately from SW Ankeny and opened up for PEOPLE to enjoy!

Both tourists and locals are forced to use narrow sidewalks, while maybe 20 cars per hour use this corridor. Cities are for PEOPLE, not CARS.
Both tourists and locals are forced to use narrow sidewalks, while maybe 20 cars per hour use this corridor. Cities are for PEOPLE, not CARS.

All these people are on Ankeny St. This was taken in March; the crowds multiply in summer. Nearly all eventually head toward Big Pink in the background and beyond it to Powell’s. And they ALL end up walking either on depressing Burnside or along the confusing and nearly as depressing Ankeny corridor west of 3rd:

Huge crowds would happily follow a pink-stenciled trail on Ankeny that leads directly to Powell's
Huge crowds would happily follow a pink-stenciled trail on Ankeny that leads directly to Powell’s

Let’s give all these people (including *locals*, who are equally unaware of a better alternative) wayfinding signs to help them follow a beautiful new trail to the world’s largest bookstore!

Philadelphia tourists and locals alike are aided greatly by wayfinding signs. Photo by https://www.lhsigns.com/signage/sign-company-in-philadelphia-pa.html
Philadelphia tourists and locals alike are aided greatly by wayfinding signs. Photo by https://www.lhsigns.com/signage/sign-company-in-philadelphia-pa.html
Again, *everyone* I asked about this LOVED the idea of following the pink trail from the waterfront to Powell's
Again, *everyone* I asked about this LOVED the idea of following the pink trail from the waterfront to Powell’s

People line around the block at seemingly all hours of all days to get their pink boxes from Voodoo Doughnut. The car-free block of Ankeny between 2nd and 3rd is right behind the people in line:

Lines for doughnuts with car-free SW Ankeny in the background
Lines for doughnuts with car-free SW Ankeny in the background

The view above shows Ankeny St between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. Every block of Ankeny WEST of 3rd (until it ends when Ankeny folds into Burnside just before 10th, coincidentally right at Powell’s Books) looks like this:

Ankeny Street's glorified alleys need to have CARS replaced by PEOPLE
Ankeny Street’s glorified alleys need to have CARS replaced by PEOPLE

And EVERY block of Burnside from the waterfront to 10th looks like this or much worse:

This awful "crosswalk" through six lanes of traffic is typical of West Burnside from 10th Avenue to the river
This awful “crosswalk” through six lanes of traffic is typical of West Burnside from 10th Avenue to the river

Eventually, nearly all tourists end up at Powell’s Books, which is at the exact spot (10th Avenue) where the Burnside/Ankeny stretch instantly gets MUCH more pleasant than it is between 3rd and 10th. The picture below is right by Powell’s, on 11th:

Every block of the West End and the Pearl District (both sides of Burnside, west of 10th Avenue) is very pleasant for pedestrians
Every block of the West End and the Pearl District (both sides of Burnside, west of 10th Avenue) is very pleasant for pedestrians

So, let’s create a beautiful car-free corridor on Ankeny stretching from the waterfront all the way to Powell’s!

There are more bike events in Portland than any other city on Earth. A ride is led roughly every 20 minutes during daylight hours every day of the year in Portland.
There are more bike events in Portland than any other city on Earth. A ride is led roughly every 20 minutes during daylight hours every day of the year in Portland.

There’s more than enough room on Ankeny to accommodate every pedestrian and cyclist between the waterfront and Powell’s. Yet Ankeny continues to be a car-oriented total waste of space. Imagine if the center of the image below were a beautiful car-free plaza instead of empty asphalt:

This is the "intersection" of Ankeny and Broadway. It's a total embarrassment. This should be a public plaza! Several of Portland's most popular attractions are within several blocks, but you'd never know it from this egregious, inefficient land use.
This is the “intersection” of Ankeny and Broadway. It’s a total embarrassment. This should be a public plaza! Several of Portland’s most popular attractions are within several blocks, but you’d never know it from this egregious, inefficient land use.

Here’s a winter view of the vast “intersection” of Ankeny and Broadway. It shows a classic “sneckdown.” This term has suddenly gotten extremely popular among folks who like to show right after snowfalls exactly how much space we over-allocate to cars. Jonathan Maus, the world’s greatest and most prolific bicycle blogger, took the picture below. Let’s turn the entire snow-covered triangle into a beautiful plaza at one of Portland’s most prominent intersections: Ankeny/Burnside & Broadway!!

Sneckdown at Ankeny and Broadway shows both wasted space and a wonderful opportunity for a people-friendly plaza
Sneckdown at Ankeny and Broadway shows both wasted space and a wonderful opportunity for a people-friendly plaza

What if the SW Ankeny alley corridor could be a place for PEOPLE rather than empty asphalt?!? Travel to ANY city on Earth, and you’ll find that the ONLY thing that attracts people to a space is…seeing other PEOPLE!

The only thing that attracts people to a place is...seeing *other people*. When you approach an area that's full of cars, you either avoid it or drive through it as quickly as possible.
The only thing that attracts people to a place is…seeing *other people*. When you approach an area that’s full of cars, you either avoid it or drive through it as quickly as possible.

SW Ankeny is BEGGING for a sequence of pink stencils that will help lead people from the waterfront to Powell’s! It’s currently by *far*  the most dismal corridor of downtown, but once Ankeny is made car-free and people happily follow the “pink path” through Big Pink to Powell’s, it will instantly transform into a super fun, people friendly corridor!

Here’s what it could look like, from east to west. Enjoy! 🙂

The fun starts on the water, naturally:

The Saturday Market and waterfront will always attract crowds. Notice that Big Pink is in the background. We’ll follow SW Ankeny directly to and *through* Big Pink, ending at Powell’s Books:

Saturday Market on the waterfront
Saturday Market on the waterfront
Quincinera meets cherry blossoms
Quincinera meets cherry blossoms
I have hundreds of pictures of Portland's famous waterfront cherry trees. I think I have every country on Earth represented. :) They seem to bring out visitors from every corner of the globe.
I have hundreds of pictures of Portland’s famous waterfront cherry trees. I think I have every country on Earth represented. 🙂 They seem to bring out visitors from every corner of the globe.
The waterfront is always full of surprises. Yup, the dorky non-costumed guy is me. :)
The waterfront is always full of surprises. Yup, the dorky non-costumed guy is me. 🙂

OK, enough of the waterfront. 🙂 We’ll now begin our westward journey along Ankeny, starting with the Saturday Market knock-off area:

There’s a TON of public transit near Ankeny between the waterfront and Powell’s. It’s all the more reason to remove all cars from Ankeny:

MAX light rail line below New Market Building, built in 1872
MAX light rail line below New Market Building, built in 1872

Again, everyone facing me is heading west toward Powell’s along Ankeny, and a car-free Ankeny alley would suit them PERFECTLY. There are two MAX light rail lines right behind them and two more MAX lines on the other side of Big Pink (just before Powell’s), plus dozens of bus lines and two streetcar lines by Powell’s.

Streets are so much more interesting when they’re filled with PEOPLE instead of CARS:

Gradually walking west toward Big Pink and Powell's. The mixture of architecture is fascinating, but almost no one notices it, because they all end up walking along awful Burnside, where you don't see any of this
Gradually walking west toward Big Pink and Powell’s. The mixture of architecture is fascinating, but almost no one notices it, because they all end up walking along awful Burnside, where you don’t see any of this
The New Market Building, completed in 1872, is one of many beautiful historic buildings on and near SW Ankeny that more people will notice once the Pink Pathway is opened for People!
The New Market Building, completed in 1872, is one of many beautiful historic buildings on and near SW Ankeny that more people will notice once the Pink Pathway is opened for People!

Continuing west on Ankeny, this is the beautiful car-free block between 2nd and 3rd. Ankeny is an *awful* alley west of 3rd; it’s what I’m trying to transform into a continuation of something like this:

Car-free Ankeny alley between 2nd and 3rd
Car-free Ankeny alley between 2nd and 3rd

Make the rest of Ankeny car-free, and let the pink boxes guide the crowds to Big Pink and Powell’s! 🙂

Pink pathway to Powell's
Pink pathway to Powell’s

These kids would LOVE to follow the pink boxes! I know, because I asked them! 🙂

Pink boxes inlaid in Ankeny will guide crowds on a MUCH better route to Powell's than hideous Burnside
Pink boxes inlaid in Ankeny will guide crowds on a MUCH better route to Powell’s than hideous Burnside

It’s the perfect way to continue to Keep Portland Weird! And yes, I’m looking at this sign while standing on the Ankeny alley corridor, which is too perfect:

People can have the whole (narrow, currently almost entirely unused) street instead of being relegated to narrow, characterless sidewalks along Ankeny
People can have the whole (narrow, currently almost entirely unused) street instead of being relegated to narrow, characterless sidewalks along Ankeny
Portlanders would *love* to use the Ankeny corridor in more fun, safe, vibrant ways
Portlanders would *love* to use the Ankeny corridor in more fun, safe, vibrant ways

The corridor continues right into and through the Big Pink office tower. Again, there’s a TON of transit, which is all the more reason that SW Ankeny is BEGGING to be freed from its paltry car usage and opened up to happy people:

The Pink Pathway continues right into and through Big Pink
The Pink Pathway continues right into and through Big Pink

These women LOVED the idea of the Pink Pathway! They had bought their donuts and were, predictably, headed to Powell’s. Let’s give them a beautiful car-free way to instantly convert what is currently a super frustrating, nasty journey!

And I’m serious about putting the pink stencils directly into the floor of Big Pink itself. After all, it’s a *public* corridor (sort of, but I don’t have time to explain all the negotiations with Unico):

Let's take the pink pathway directly through Big Pink's lobby
Let’s take the pink pathway directly through Big Pink’s lobby
Inside Big Pink's large atrium; this is only about a third of it. It's a perfect, covered, comfortable place for the westward journey from the waterfront to Powell's to continue.
Inside Big Pink’s large atrium; this is only about a third of it. It’s a perfect, covered, comfortable place for the westward journey from the waterfront to Powell’s to continue.

The pink pathway now continues on the other (west) side of Big Pink. We’re getting close to Powell’s at this point!

These guys (apparently dressed as Oregon lumberjacks) totally loved the pink pathway idea. EVERYONE I asked loved it! SW Ankeny continues in the background between the buildings:

Imagine how much more amazing this stretch of Ankeny both along and west of Broadway would be if no cars were allowed on Ankeny. It’s only an 8-block stretch, or two fifths of a mile, in total:

Bailey's Taproom, at Ankeny and Broadway
Bailey’s Taproom, at Ankeny and Broadway

Give pedestrians and cyclists access to this street! It’s hardly EVER used by cars, anyway:

Ankeny, just west of Broadway. Powell's is less than 500 feet away.
Ankeny, just west of Broadway. Powell’s is less than 500 feet away.

Biketown bikes are just waiting for people to enjoy along the Ankeny corridor. This Biketown station is at the west end of Ankeny, where it folds into Burnside close to Powell’s Books:

But my proposed pink pathway now cuts *south* on Broadway from the “sneckdown” winter scene shown  earlier. This is looking south on Broadway, Portland’s main north-south street. I also have an idea to create a “Portland Eiffel Tower” where that TV tower is in the background:

Looking south on Broadway
Looking south on Broadway

From this point, wayfinding signs would direct both tourists and locals either west along Stark (to keep following the pink signs) or south along Broadway to America’s only true European-style piazza, the one and only Pioneer Courthouse Square:

Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland's "living room"
Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland’s “living room”
Pioneer Courthouse Square is a daily festival and celebration of people of all types. You'll never see a car here. And it's surrounded on three sides by light rail lines.
Pioneer Courthouse Square is a daily festival and celebration of people of all types. You’ll never see a car here. And it’s surrounded on three sides by light rail lines.

So, following Stark west from Broadway, you reach 10th Avenue in just 200 meters (656 feet). The Portland Streetcar (America’s first modern streetcar) stops right at SW 10th & Stark; it couldn’t have been planned more perfectly for this pink pathway. 10th Avenue also provides a MUCH better crossing of nearby Burnside than ANY crossing of Burnside east of 10th (which are the ones that unfortunately 99% of tourists and even locals end up making):

West End, a magical area of downtown that tourists are only just beginning to discover
West End, a magical area of downtown that tourists are only just beginning to discover

We’re now in Portland’s magical West End (10th to 13th, south of Burnside). Merely leading people to this area is *alone* worth the effort of creating this new pathway to follow! Below is a typical view on a nice day in the beautiful West End, which has a very specific and very special feature that’s totally unique in the U.S. that to which I might have to devote a separate blog post:

Classic mixture of architectural styles from three different centuries in the West End
Classic mixture of architectural styles from three different centuries in the West End

Just a few steps west on Stark takes us to the Ace Hotel, whose Portland flagship was called by the New York Times “America’s coolest hotel.” Across from the Ace is Union Way, which leads directly to Powell’s Books!

Union Way connects the super cool Ace Hotel to Powell's Bookstore
Union Way connects the super cool Ace Hotel to Powell’s Bookstore

We’ve now made it to Powell’s via an incredibly fun new pathway! Ankeny to Broadway to Stark to Union Way to Powell’s—a gorgeous, vibrant, safe path to follow!

Powell's, the largest bookstore on Earth
Powell’s, the largest bookstore on Earth

Now that you’ve safely made it to Powell’s, you might as well continue west and north and explore the Pearl District. Literally every block from 10th west, on both sides of Burnside is wonderful to explore. The Pearl is north of Burnside, and the West End is south of Burnside (again, from 10th west to 14th).

Below are a few shots of the Pearl District:

Jamison Square
Jamison Square
First Thursday Art Walk in the Pearl
First Thursday Art Walk in the Pearl
Cyclists enjoying NW 13th Avenue
Cyclists enjoying NW 13th Avenue
Anywhere along the streetcar line is fun to explore
Anywhere along the streetcar line is fun to explore

Let’s MAKE THIS PINK PATH HAPPEN!! 🙂