Carefree Time In Portland
3.7 North Portland  Sunday 28 April, 2024

North Division

North Division of  Portland is a lively patchwork of commercial districts, natural spaces and residential areas. It is home to some of the city’s most charming neighborhoods, including St. Johns, Mississippi, Williams and Kenton. “NoPo” also boasts striking landmarks and unique attractions, like Cathedral Park , the historic St. Johns Bridge, and the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area (which, at nearly 2,000 acres [809.4 ha], is among America’s largest urban wetlands). Near the northern edge of North Portland you will find the Portland Expo Center — Oregon’s largest multi-purpose facility — and the Portland International Raceway.

St. Johns

St. Johns is a neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States, located in North Portland on the tip of the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Willamette River and the Columbia River. The iconic St. Johns Bridge crosses the Willamette from the south, leading into downtown St. Johns. It was a separate, incorporated city from 1902 until 1915, when citizens of both St. Johns and Portland voted to approve its annexation to Portland, which took effect on July 8, 1915.

St. Johns is bordered by the Columbia River to the northeast, the Willamette River to the northwest, the North Portland railroad cut to the southeast, and a number of streets separating it from Cathedral Park to the southwest, primarily North Ivanhoe Street.

St Johns Bridge

The St. Johns Bridge is a steel suspension bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, between the Cathedral Park neighborhood in North Portland and the Linnton and Northwest Industrial neighborhoods in Northwest Portland. It carries the U.S. Route 30 Bypass. It is the only suspension bridge in the Willamette Valley and one of three public highway suspension bridges in Oregon.

The bridge has a 1,207-foot (368 m) center span and a total length of 2,067 feet (630 m). It is the tallest bridge in Portland, with two 400-foot-tall (120 m) towers and a 205-foot (62 m) navigational clearance. The adjacent park and neighborhood of Cathedral Park are named after the Gothic arch design of the bridge's towers and supports.

Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area

5300 N Marine Dr, Portland, 

OR 97203, United States

https://www.oregonmetro.gov/parks/smith-and-bybee-wetlands-natural-area

Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area is a public park and nature reserve between the Columbia Slough and the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon. At about 2,000 acres (810 ha), it is one of the largest urban freshwater wetlands in the United States. Metro, the regional government for the Oregon part of the Portland metropolitan area, manages the park. A covered shelter, restrooms, a paved walkway, and a canoe launch lie on the north side of the natural area.

Although surrounded by port terminals, warehouses, and commercial areas, Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife including beaver, bald eagles and western painted turtles. An artificial water-control system helps keep the wetlands wet. Other systems collect methane and prevent leaching from a closed landfill near the south edge of the park.

▲ American White Pelicans; Blue heron (Ardea herodias)

▲  American White Pelicans

▲Great Egret

▲ American Wigeon

▲ Northern Shoveler

 ▲ Ring-necked Duck

▲ River Otters

▲ Nutria

Cathedral Park

N Edison Street and Pittsburg Avenue
Portland, OR 97203

https://www.portland.gov/parks/cathedral-park

Cathedral Park is a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. It is situated on the North Portland peninsula and lies on the east shore of the Willamette River. The neighborhood is named after Cathedral Park, which is located under the St. Johns Bridge, and was given its name due to the Gothic arches that support the bridge, which resemble a cathedral arch.

Kenton   

Kenton is a neighborhood in the north section of Portland, Oregon, United States. The neighborhood was originally a company town founded in 1911 for the Swift Meat Packing Company.
Kenton is home to the Portland International Raceway and the Portland Metropolitan Expo Center. The historic site of Vanport, a public housing project built to provide homes for World War II shipbuilders, later destroyed by a 1948 flood, is also located within the current boundaries of the Kenton neighborhood.

Paul Bunyan Statue

SW corner of N Denver Ave. and N Interstate Ave.,
Portland, Oregon

Paul Bunyan Statue is a 31-foot-tall (9.4 m) concrete and metal sculpture of mythical logger Paul Bunyan in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1959 to commemorate the centennial of Oregon's statehood during the Centennial Exposition and International Trade Fair, which was held in the Kenton area.

Portland Expo Center
2060 N Marine Dr, Portland,
OR 97217, United States
https://www.expocenter.org/

The Portland Expo Center, officially the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, is a convention center located in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in the early 1920s as a livestock exhibition and auction facility, the center now hosts over 100 events a year, including green consumer shows, trade shows, conventions, meetings and other special events.

Portland International Raceway
1940 N Victory Blvd, Portland,
OR 97217, United States
https://portlandraceway.com/

Portland International Raceway (PIR) is a motorsport facility in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of the Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It lies west of the Delta Park/Vanport light rail station and less than a mile west of Interstate 5.
PIR holds approximately 650 events per year and attracts over 400,000 visitors annually. 

Kelley Point Park

N Kelley Point Park Rd, Portland,
OR 97203, United States

https://www.portland.gov/parks/kelley-point-park

Kelley Point Park is a city park in north Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Bounded by the Columbia Slough on the south, the Willamette River on the west, and the Columbia River on the north, the park forms the tip of the peninsula at the confluence of the rivers.

Today, salmon and other fish continue to be an important resource for this area and its inhabitants. The slow-moving water in the Columbia Slough makes this a vital resting place for native Chinook and coho salmon, as well as steelhead trout. Kelley Point Park provides crucial habitat for other animals too, including turtles, salamanders, freshwater mussels, beavers, osprey, coyotes, bald eagles, deer, and more.

Kelley Point Park is a natural departure point to hike or bike Portland’s 40-Mile Loop trail, launch a canoe or kayak, or explore the shores of the Columbia Slough, the Columbia River, or the Willamette River. Multiple picnic areas, two bathroom buildings, and a paved path are all open to the public to help you explore this beautiful park. Help protect this vital natural area by staying on trails, keeping dogs on leashes, and putting trash in the cans provided.

Oregon Contemporary
8371 N Interstate Ave, Portland,
OR 97217, United States

https://www.oregoncontemporary.org/

Oregon Center for Contemporary Art (also known as Oregon Contemporary, formerly Disjecta) is an art center in Portland, Oregon. It is home to the Portland Biennial since 2010, continuing in the tradition of the Portland Art Museum's ended Oregon Biennial.

Peninsula Park
700 N Rosa Parks Way, Portland,
OR 97217, United States
https://www.portland.gov/parks/peninsula-park

Peninsula Park is a public park in the Piedmont neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. The 16.27-acre (6.58 ha) park is located in the North Portland neighborhood and contains an outdoor swimming pool, community center, baseball fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, covered picnic areas, a historic gazebo and other amenities. In 2007, area residents started to propose a piece of public art be added to the park honoring Rosa Parks, as the park lies along Rosa Parks Way.

Peninsula Park Rose Garden
Peninsula Park

https://www.portland.gov/parks/peninsula-park-rose-garden

Peninsula Park became the city's first public rose garden in 1909 when it was purchased for $60,000 with funds raised in a 1908 bond measure. Designed by Emanuel L. Mische, the two-acre garden contains 5,700 roses featuring 75 varieties. The official rose of Portland, named Mme. Caroline Testout, was cultivated at Peninsula Park. In 1913, the park was chosen as the location for an annual rose show, where it remained until Washington Park was selected as the location of the International Rose Test Garden in 1917.

Jake's Famous Crawfish

401 SW 12th Ave, Portland,

OR 97205, United States

https://www.jakesfamous.com/menus/

❤ Classic Dungeness Crab Louis

❤  Crab and Artichoke Dip

❤  Jake’s Traditional Bouillabaisse

Mussels, Clams, Scallops, Prawns, Salmon, & Crab

❤  Jake’s Famous Étouffée
Crawfish Tails, Chicken & Shrimp in a Spicy Nut Brown Sauce with Rice

Next, Special: Mothers Day At The Met

          Celebrate Moms & Mother Nature

Coming Next,  Carefree Time In Portland 

                          4.7 Northwest District

Publisher: Kar Discover