Gibbs St Pedestrian Bridge

Have you seen the bright lights across the freeway the past few nights on the Gibbs St Pedestrian Bridge project?  I was up with the baby around 3:00am, and observed the work, noise and lights, as promised on the project website:

"Lair Hill and South Waterfront residents can expect night time noise including noise from trucks and cranes, lights powered by generators, and high powered drills. The most noise is expected between 11:00 pm and 3:00 am when crews will bolt the bridge spans together."

Actually, this is exciting - the bridge span placement has begun. The first segment was installed on Friday night (Nov. 4).

Here are some shots taken this morning from the west side of I-5:

Grimm filming locations - Episode 2

Back by popular demand, here is a rundown on the Portland scenes from last night's episode of Grimm. Episode 2 "Bears will be Bears" followed a Goldilocks and the 3 Bears story line, with a bit of Native American mythology blended in.

Episode 2:

• Good Sam's ICU
• --> Reader Tip: Clackamas Community College, Harmony Campus, Nursing Program Lab (Thank you!)

• Big Bears' house: (It was rumored to be a home of Mark Wattle, former owner of Hollywood Video but not so.) This house, the Chenevich home, is actually located at 14155 NW Logie Trail, North Plains, OR

• Portland Police Bureau - filmed at former North Precinct in St Johns (my source)
• Tryon Creek State Park forest around Lewis & Clark College
• Bridge shot #1 =?
• Broadway Bridge shot
• Cemetery in closing shot = Lone Fir Cemetery ?

Bonus: Product placement for Voodoo doughnuts & The Lotus, Rebel Jeweler

Episode 1: My post from last week containing Episode 1 locations is here.

Stay tuned next week:
The film crew told me the SoWa filming would be in Episode 4, but the Grimm website is saying it is Episode 3... Episode 3 filmed on the Streetcar in the South Waterfront (at OHSU-CHH) and at the Portland Art Museum:
Friday, November 11th 9/8c

"The station is abuzz as Nick and Hank are called to a case where an innocent flash mob results in a gruesome homicide."

New Moody Ave is open!

It is a beautiful sight...the new Moody Ave bikeway, walkway, runway, Streetcar, roadway.

Who knew we could get so excited about a road? After months of construction and all kinds of detours around, it is more than a welcome sight. It was a joy to run down the wide open sidewalk, elevated, and feeling slightly more European, in a bike and pedestrian-friendly city kind of way.

I overheard a cyclist yell at another cyclist as they sped down the new bike expressway: "God, this is nice!" I saw another cyclist repeatedly raise both arms up to the sky.

BikePortland provides a first-ride analysis & more great photos: "My overall impression after riding it in both directions yesterdays is that it's pretty exciting — this is the closest thing Portland has to a European-style bikeway."

However, cyclists still need to be very alert; the construction is not completely done. There are some patches of dirt along the roadside awaiting finishing touches, and some friends of mine witnessed a bike crash last night due to this unfinished dirt-sidewalk interface.

Save the Osprey Nest

Neighbors, did you know we are in danger of losing our osprey nest?

This is due to the expiration of the temporary permit for the nest platform pole. There is a small article on the Zidell website telling the story of the current platform.

Please see the note below from Carol Otis outlining the situation. If you want to help, you can send a message to Commissioner Nick Fish asking for an appeal.

"Dear Friends of SWF Osprey, 

Attached is one of the last videos I took of the osprey adults and the chick in September 1, 2011 before they left for migration. 

PDC Grocery Market Analysis

On the SoWa grocery store topic, the results are back from a recent market study conducted for the Portland Development Commission to identify new grocery sites and potential grocer candidates for 4 areas: RiverPlace, OHSU/ZRZ, PSU, and 10th & Belmont.

The study gives the following Recommendations / Key Findings:
"1. Prioritize locating a full service grocer in the PSU District, specifically near the 4th & Harrison intersection, with a minimum 20,000 SF footprint and full amenities. The strongest candidates are Market of Choice and New Seasons. They have the capacity, experience and product offerings with the greatest appeal to the university demographic.
2.  With a creative, flexible operator, a smaller store can potentially succeed in the South Waterfront. New Seasons and Barbur World Foods have both expressed interest.
3.  A full service store could be accommodated in South Waterfront with the addition of 10,000 new residents to the existing 3,000 South Waterfront residents (assuming 100 percent occupancy)."

"Based on market data and grocer responses, a site located in PSU, such as the 4th & Harrison site, is the most attractive site for a store location in the immediate future. Grocers anticipate being able to readily pull from the immediate PSU consumer base as well as from residents of the West Hills neighborhood and South Waterfront area, to some extent. A South Waterfront location also holds some promise for a full service store over the longer term and a smaller specialty convenience grocer in the near term. The RiverPlace site was of limited interest, and grocers had no interest in the 10th & Belmont site."

Looks like we'll stick with Burlingame Freddy's , Zupan's on Macadam, and our little Urbana Market for awhile.