Well, have you changed over from "Front Avenue" to "Naito Parkway" yet? "Civic Stadium" to "PGE Park" took a little while, too.

MLK Jr Blvd is firmly entrenched by now, on the other hand. It was named Union Avenue at some point before I came to Oregon. (1990?)

Posted by: josh at September 28, 2006 3:31 PM

Hi! I like your blog and I'm not looking to cause trouble but you do know about the controversies surrounding the Armory's funding and the OHSU tram, right? Sure, they're both neat but are they worth the cost and all the spilt ink?

Posted by: No one in particular at September 28, 2006 4:33 PM

Hi N.O.I.P.,

I know about the "controversies", but my theory is that it's a small group of what I like to call 'Grumpy Old Men' who are complaining. These projects are what define us as a city and I'm 100% for any exciting new project. If we only pursued projects that were a "sure thing" or didn't cost any taxpayer money... well, I wouldn't want to live in a city like that.

Posted by: Mikey at September 29, 2006 8:38 AM

So you don't think that these millions could be better spent on public services like schools and roads? Who's going to use the tram besides a few doctors? Who's going to go to the Armory besides rich people in the Pearl District who can afford tickets to a tired musical like West Side Story (boring!)? Both projects seem to me like tremendous wastes of public money that will only benefit the well-to-do.

But I guess we'll just have to disagree. One final point: I'm 28. Does this make me a grumpy old man or just a grumpy, fairly young one?

Posted by: no one in particular at October 2, 2006 5:13 PM

You're "100% for any exciting new project" as long as we taxpayers get stuck with the bill for keeping you excited? No way. I wold *love* to live in a city where public officials actually conserved our hard-earned tax dollars and not threw them around on "exciting new projects" while the infrastructure is collapsing.

Posted by: Libertarian at October 12, 2006 1:27 PM

Blah blah blah. Boring grouchy people. We want excited people looking at the future here, people! The future costs some money, but it's one I want to live in.

Posted by: freddy at October 31, 2006 11:41 AM

Freddy, I have a fancy-schmany bridge I'd like to sell you. It will cost $2 billion dollars, only connect to the Ross Island and won't be able to handle cars but it'll look really neat! The bridge will also be able to transform into a helicopter that....won't actually fly or anything but it will look really, really, really neat! And if you give me another $20 million I'll draw racing stripes on the side. For another $45 million on top of that I'll work in a retro-future design that will look kitschy and super awesome!

C'mon, you're smarter and better than this. Projects like the tram look fantastic but you've got to address the politics and ugliness that go into making them. Otherwise, your blog is only skimming the surface. There's a lot of potential on this blog but I think it's going to waste.

Posted by: NOIP at November 2, 2006 7:40 PM

Guys! Gals! You haven't mentioned that Multnomah County Library is again #1 in the nation for circulation! Reading is awesome!

Posted by: Abe at November 8, 2006 5:33 PM

I generally agree that these public investment projects are good, but the OHSU tram was three times the original budget! Plus it doesn't eliviate the staff traffic/parking problems. They had a chance to call it off when the budget first jumped up about 5 million from an unrealistic engineering design, but didn't. It went from 15.5 million to 45 million and while that seems okay considering the whole regional, billion-dollar development plan for SW, they still ought to have stopped and assessed the situation. Seems like for less than 45 million, you could pursue some other crazy alternative (helicopterz!! space elevators! hot air balloons!!).

Posted by: solenoid at December 3, 2006 8:52 PM