by John Anderson
Two weeks ago, we visited the Eastbank Esplanade for the first time. Opened just prior to Memorial Day this year, the esplanade links the formerly inaccessible and largely overlooked east bank of the Willamette River with the rest of downtown Portland.
Even though Interstate 5 is just a few yards to the east (and at one point directly overhead), somehow it's easy to forget that fact. There's just so much to delight both the eye and the mind.
For instance, if you like bridges, the 1 1/2 mile walk will bring you face to face with five, including two drawbridges, a double-deck steel truss bridge, a single lift bridge, and one of the world's only dual lift bridges.
If you're looking for greenery, you won't be disappointed. There are native trees and shrubs along the entire path (except, of course, on the floating walkway). And for people like me, who love to check out such engineering feats, that part of the walk is perhaps the best of all.
If you're a local history buff, you'll enjoy the interpretive panels on the urban markers along the way. (We didn't have time to read these during our first walk, but will be sure to do that soon.) Fans of public art will find pleasure in admiring four sculptures by a group of local artists.
Of course, there aren't just walkers out on the esplanade. Cyclists and rollerbladers abound. We even noticed people enjoying a leisurely picnic dinner on one of the boat docks.
At some point when I can spare a few hours, I'd love to take a book, find a bench, and just wile away the afternoon. I'm sure our daughter Heidi, who loves sketching, would also be very content to park herself there for a spell.
I can imagine the esplanade is the perfect place for stressed downtown workers to spend a leisurely lunch hour. For many, it's just a short 5-10 minute walk to get there.
Perhaps more than anything else, the esplanade strikes me as a perfect example of how hard-working people with vision can turn an unregarded riverbank into a place of beauty and life; a place which refreshes the human spirit.
