First Look At The Tram
Posted by: kmikeym | From: December 26, 2006
At about 1:41 or 1:43 or so, lower left corner is the Great Northwest Bookstore in its old church.
Posted by: b!X at December 26, 2006 7:15 PM
I have never felt that gobs of money being dumped into making a city future awesome is a waste.
Portland has an AIR TRAM - to transport DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS! That is such an awesome way to spend shit-tons of money. Rad video, team.
Posted by: mathew at December 27, 2006 11:05 AM
excellent job. every morning, my commute takes me underneath the tram, and i'm always transfixed (as transfixed as one can be while hurtling down I-5) by the tower and the retro-future cars going back and forth. I can't wait to ride it.
and, can't resist saying it's only a small waste of money. we spend more fixing poorly designed freeway overpasses.
Posted by: wise at December 27, 2006 12:04 PM
I feel obliged to say that while the OHSU tram may in fact carry doctors and scientists up and down the hill, it will also carry the thousands of people - patients, visitors, nurses, lab techs, students, janitors, administrative assistants, etc - that travel up there every day. Actually, in spite of the fact that OHSU is the single biggest employer in Portland, the executive powers that be are actively discouraging employees from using the tram in an effort to reserve it for patients and the public. An attempt at image boosting? Perhaps.
I feel ill-equipped to weigh in on the waste of money debate, but I will say this: the aerial tram is an awesome ride. Its bigger and faster than you would think. It makes me want to start bike commuting again.
Posted by: fiona at December 28, 2006 6:20 PM
If it gives sick old people a way to get to the hospital without trying to pilot their antiquated land yachts up twisty old Pill Hill Road, I'm all for it. That's a beautiful drive if what you want is to see fall colors. It's not something that somebody trying to get to the hospital should have to cope with. The option to park on the Marquam floodplain and take the ski lift benefits everyone.
And it's so Jet Age retrofuturist, how could anyone not love it?
Posted by: Dan at December 28, 2006 9:10 PM
At $60 million, this tram cost no more than an average freeway interchange. And the public contribution is much less than that. The main difference is that you don't need to contribute to the auto and oil industry to use it. I guess that concerns people that we aren't paying our dues to those industries that continue to screw the American people and the rest of the world.
Posted by: Joe at December 30, 2006 10:21 AM
Disgusting.
Waterfront park apartments.
White doctors and lawyers and specialists never having to leave their little elite financial biodome.
Muffy and Biff and Skippy all seem to be having a blast on this ride.
I think I have to puke.
What about the TWO LANE FREEWAY that we are dealing with in the I-5 corridor, people? Exactly how much traffic do you think will be abated by this?
So, people get a quick ride up a hill. Average, sick, poor, regular folks still have to fight gridlock to get to the base of this doctor-pleasing monstrosity.
Awful.
Posted by: Hans at January 21, 2007 7:10 PM
Disgusting.
Waterfront park apartments.
White doctors and lawyers and specialists never having to leave their little elite financial biodome.
Muffy and Biff and Skippy all seem to be having a blast on this ride.
I think I have to puke.
What about the TWO LANE FREEWAY that we are dealing with in the I-5 corridor, people? Exactly how much traffic do you think will be abated by this?
So, people get a quick ride up a hill. Average, sick, poor, regular folks still have to fight gridlock to get to the base of this doctor-pleasing monstrosity.
Awful.
Posted by: Hans at January 21, 2007 7:11 PM
Disgusting.
Waterfront park apartments.
White doctors and lawyers and specialists never having to leave their little elite financial biodome.
Muffy and Biff and Skippy all seem to be having a blast on this ride.
I think I have to puke.
What about the TWO LANE FREEWAY that we are dealing with in the I-5 corridor, people? Exactly how much traffic do you think will be abated by this?
So, people get a quick ride up a hill. Average, sick, poor, regular folks still have to fight gridlock to get to the base of this doctor-pleasing monstrosity.
Awful.
Posted by: Hans at January 21, 2007 7:12 PM
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this is one of my vavorite videos of all time. i love feeling like i am hovering over the city, and that haze on the ride down looks so good.
still think that tram is a big waste of money.
Posted by: DAniel at December 26, 2006 1:13 PM