Goodbye to the corner of Burnside, Sandy, and 12th ave
Since my first days in Portland, this intersection has been an unavoidable part of life. Three two-way streets and another one way street all come together in a glorious mess, and have done so in one configuration or another since East Portland was a wee city. I'm kinda sad to see it become so safe and uninteresting, but seriously, this is one nasty intersection that needed fixing 70 years ago. I drive my big ol' box truck through here nearly every day and always stress a little as I squeeze through those narrow lanes.
Soon I'll reminisce about this intersection just like I reminisce about 20th, Hawthorne, & Elliot, and how you used to have to swerve around a utility pole to continue south through this intersection. I will miss the old signage, there's quite a few old-school signs from the '60's that will be going away.
I haven't had a moment to get out and take the photos I want to lately, luckily there's this photographic evidence of the last days of the intersection collected over at the ZehnKatzen Times.
2 comments:
I must say I will not be sad to see that one go...it seems like I waited hours at that intersection during my year in Portland
Thank you for the linkage, sir! You are a mensch!
Elizabeth's comment is germane – what I remember the most about the intersection is the waits just to get through. As a matter of fact, when we really had to get somewhere in a hurry or baby our (usually just near a breakdown) car, we avoided it!
But it wasn't that bad. And while it isn't iconic, it's appeared in enough photos of historic Portland that it at least quinessential. For instance, that's where the "spinning O" film clip fo the old Tik Tok's sign during the Columbus Day Storm was taken from.
Irritating wait, yes, but I'll miss it none the less.
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