Readers respond: What happened to you, Portland?
Today 6:00 AM
On a recent Friday, I took my grandchildren, ages 9 and 6, to OMSI. Although we had a good time, the trip there was appalling. Garbage, graffiti and filth were everywhere. It looked like an apocalyptic movie. When my granddaughter asked why it looked like this, and why the city would allow it to happen, I had no explanation.
My parents lived downtown until 2012. We have great memories of visiting with our kids, walking around downtown, going to dinner, to Keller Auditorium for plays and many other activities. In the ensuing years, my sons and nieces would often stop by and walk with their grandma and grandpa to dinner and shopping downtown. It was beautiful to walk everywhere, and we loved the fact that we lived so close to Portland that we could enjoy it frequently.