96, 97, 98 : Three Portland Views

I drove up to Vista street on Friday night, just to get a quick shot of the city with the cool clouds in the sky. However, that shot didn't really come out all that impressive.



Instead, this throwaway shot I took of Mount Hood ended up winning the day for me. I am not sure why, it's not really all that special, but I really like it. I don't think I feature Hood enough in my photos, although I see the thing all the time. It's a beautiful part of my town, so here's a view of it with the city.

A fellow Flickr user, Jon, turned me on to a cool municipal staircase in the southwest hills which has a great view of a previously unexploited part of downtown.

It's a pretty short walk from my place to here, so I made it my goal on Saturday as the sunset drew near. Those stairs are brutal, steep and climbing directly up the hill. I don't know how many steps it is (100?) but it was exhausting climbing them.



The view was well worth it, and I certainly shall return.

Today I discovered that it's not really all that far a walk to Macleay Park from my apartment. It was really weird to walk through the trendy shopping along NW 23rd, and then around the NW Industrial area where I like shooting, and then suddenly I am on a hike out in the woods. Portland really is awesome.



I haven't visited this place in some time. It was about time I returned.