Sometimes I work as much as six days a week, part time each day. This just became one of those weeks. As a result, I had to combine a coffee run with a work-related meeting at a central location.
So I chose Peet's Coffee at NE 15th & Broadway (http://www.peets.com/), where I had an excellent cup of hot, fresh Major Dickason's Blend and a raspberry scone while I and a colleague hammered out a lesson plan for an upcoming school-wide event.
I locked up to a crochet-bombed bike rack -- these (and knit-bombed signposts and water fountains) have become the rage in Portland and they pop up all over town:
After my meeting, I took a scenic route home through the Irvington and Sabin neighborhoods, soaking up the fall sunshne and occasionally stopping to admire foliage and history:
The ring is from the horse-and-buggy days of Portland. These were sunk into curbs over 100 years ago so folks could tie up their horses. A few hundred can still be found all over the inner eastside and in downtown; removal of one is subject to a stiff fine (upwards of $500!) for "tampering with a historical landmark".
Along the way, I passed several historically African-American churches, some of which have been standing since the early 1900's. Many have become empty as inner-eastside neighborhoods become gentrified and housing is rendered much more costly; many African-American families have moved further east into mid-[Multnomah] County and even as far east as Gresham, where housing is more affordable.
This historic church on NE Rodney Street is now for sale.
I finally got home in time for some rehearsal and lesson-planning, before heading off to my teaching job this afternoon. Total mileage for ride: 7.4 miles.
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