Portland's light rail system
Day 148
MAX
August 21st, 2010
I'm walking across America.
That's the idea, at least. I'm walking westward from New York City for nine months or so. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be in Oregon when the clock runs out. If nothing goes according to plan, maybe I'll end up in Peru or Mongolia or Pennsylvania. You can read all about the details of my trip if you're so inclined.
Email me at matt@imjustwalkin.com
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Here's my progress so far:
Growing up in Chicago I was use to the “L”. Boy did that thing creak and moan.
I rode the L too when I visited my daughter in Chicago… it did moan a bit… but she gave her car when she lived there and we loved to ride the train.
should say- gave up her car….
Doesn’t look very light to me, but whoaa, I’m not an engineer……
Love rail travel in a GOOD train. Amtrak on this side the the USA stinks. But inner or inter city rail…I would love that!
Peace, from Michelle in Providence
what’s it like being in a city again Matt?
This sure puts the aging subway systems in NYC to shame.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAX_Light_Rail
ahhhhhh standing to close young man. No time to split yourself up….you have a walk to complete. You have had many a chance for a train ride……back off…now……. zooooooooooooom
My guess would be Matt and company took the MAX back to downtown for dinner at Huber’s from Roger’s house.
I agree with your guess!
The US is way behind in the use of light rail for transporation due to so much urban sprawl. The interstate system is great but it has taken away from the development of a rail syatem across our land. I guess the love of the automobile is the biggest factor. We do need to find an alternative for oil but we have been saying this since the early 70’s and it is worse now than it was then.
Don, I agree with that assessment. I remember in the 70’s when I turned 16 and first got my driver’s license, I couldn’t afford gas. We took a trip to South Florida to see the orange groves and you couldn’t buy gasoline on Sundays. You had to be careful to plan your trip around gas stations.
It makes me so angry that it’s taken us ANOTHER 40 YEARS to maybe finally wake up and realize that this country is too dependent on OIL (no matter where in the world it’s produced). We need to find alternative energy sources and we need to make our existing infrastructure more “pedestrian” friendly.
Oof! Jumping off the soapbox!
Speak the truth sister! Start with your neighborhood associations, work with your city councils, help them in their city planning processes, insist on bike and pedi friendly transporation plans, etc. Real change comes from the ground up.
Wow that’s close!
Hope you didn’t hop the train… Keep walking…
I am sure it was tempting…
When I was 7, my friend and I told my parents that we were going to play in our fort inthe backyard, we lived a block from the Max rail..somehow we managed to get tickets from the dispenser and got on the maxx and rode it all the way to downtown portland from Gresham ….As a parent and look back and think OMG that’s scary but I can also tell the story and laugh at it as one of my many great adventures in life!
As we move forward, OLD is NEW again….
Light rail is just a modern version of trolleys that used to roam the streets of the USA. Where a trolley was a single car about the size of a modern bus, today’s light rail are a smaller version of passenger trains.
…use mass transportation.
Jeez! The movement and blurred lines/lights in this photo make you physically pull your head back. So dramatic!!