Looking Down- Part 1: Portland, Oregon

Straightforward

I rarely look down very closely at what is on the ground as I walk this way and that each day. That is for good reason, I'm not making attempts to collide with the various sidewalk objects, people, cars, and trains I cross paths with. When safe, though, it can an interesting to take in the various manhole covers, grates, stones, bricks, and patterns that cover the city streets and sidewalks we traverse.

In this first exploration, of what will be a series (how exciting I am sure if the first thought everyone has), I wanted take some time to point out all the various manhole covers and related genre in Portland, Oregon. Access to much normal pieces of infrastructure quickly became obvious- street lights, sewers, gas lines, water, etc. In many cases it was only a simple indication of the purpose (sewer, water), other times it was an indication of a company (such as the electric company), and in a few rare instances it gave some insight into the past (such as the name of an old iron works).

TriMet needs Electric too

What was under my feet changed, of course, based on where I was. In downtown Portland, where most of these pictures originate, there was a whole wide range that might be more spread out elsewhere in the city or not present at all, as with the public transportation infrastructure for TriMet,

So with that, I end a short, simple, and ungroundbreaking first post. I plan to keep looking down- but I will also look up, straightforward, underneath, and in whatever direction seems best. The goal is simply to investigate cities, no matter how trivial the aspect may seem.

The Phoenix Iron Works was founded in 1901 and while no longer in operation,
they did a great deal of work around Portland and the surrounding area.

There's sewers down there