Serenity in the city

A couple days ago, I drove to work rather than catch the bus as I usually do. I'd packed a brown bag lunch, figuring I'd run some errands on my lunch hour and also make time to eat outdoors.

I didn't really have a destination in mind when I crossed the Hawthorne Bridge but, boy, did my VW Bug lead me to the right place: Ladd Circle. It was a mid-day respite that, once again, made me realize how much I appreciate the simple pleasure of a casual lunch on a park bench.

Ladd Circle is a 1.5 acre park in the heart of Ladd's Addition, a very cool older neighborhood in Southeast Portland, between Hawthorne Boulevard and Division Street. The neighborhood is named for William Ladd, a former mayor and prominent businessman during the 19th century. The park has more than 3,000 roses of sixty varieties, so it's a treat for the eyes and nose.

To appreciate Ladd Circle, imagine you're a bird looking down at a circular park with eight spokes (streets) coming off it in the midst of a residential grid with diagonal streets. Or check out this view from Wikimapia: http://wikimapia.org/146079/Ladd-Circle

The day I was there, I couldn't believe the number of bicyclists who came riding past me. It was non-stop for 30 minutes. The majority were folks in their 20s and 30s, seemingly headed somewhere (school or work, probably) as opposed to just being out for a recreational ride. There were older folks, too, on bikes, along with a couple of ladies walking their dogs and one hipster chick who whizzed past on a kick scooter like the one shown here.

Seeing so many people using pedal or foot power to get from one place to another made me realize how easy it would be to plan a trip to the grocery store some weekend where I rode my bike and brought along a backpack to carry things home. Of course, I'd need a better lock than I have now. But I know it can be done. And it will be done -- sometime later this month, I hope.

Though Portland has many, many places to just chill, I'll have to remember the feeling of serenity that came from this recent visit.