My favorite steam locomotive, the SP 4449 at Union Station

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My brother Howard came to visit on a Friday, flying in from Jackson, Mississippi. The next morning, October 20, 2012, we got up early in order not to miss the SP 4449 steaming out of Union Station, pulling the Deschutes Steam Special vintage rail cars on an excursion from Portland to Bend and back the next day. We stood around for a long time, waiting for a few memorable moments up close and personal with this beautiful machine. It was worth every bit of effort, every bit.

Autumn colors and the not-so-pink Big Pink.

Looking south towards downtown from the pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks next to Union Station. I thoroughly enjoy looking at The Big Pink, no matter the perspective, even when it's not so pink. I have no idea why all of those posts and cables are on top of that building. Anybody know? I took this photo on October 25, 2008, while on the bridge walk.

Winter Opposites - No. 3 - Traveling Man

This fellow is either headed to his left to Union Station to take a trip on Amtrak. Or he's headed to his right towards the bus station to take a trip on Greyhound. Could be he's just arrived on the bus and is walking around until he comes to a bus stop or a MAX stop or a cab stand. Oh, I just realized that maybe he road on the Greyhound from somewhere east of Portland and is now walking to Union Station to continue on his way to somewhere that he can reach by train.

My best guess, he's going to his left to catch a train, all clean and shiny, unwrinkled, walking with a spring in his step. Take a good look at that rolling apparatus, loaded carefully. And his backpack appears to be packed, too. Plus, I've never seen jeans with pockets made of a different fabric--the one that we can see on his right leg looks stuffed to me. I think he's on his way to somewhere that he's prepared to visit for a while and where he plans to have a good time. I hope he enjoyed himself as much as enjoy seeing this sunny sight. I took this photo across the street from Union Station on July 24, 2010.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 7

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I got off the MAX Yellow Line at the Union Station stop so that I could walk a block west to the main post office. As I crossed the street, the MAX train rounded the curve in front of Union Station. Photo opportunity--the juxtaposition of these two types of transit. At BeFunky, I used the HDR special effect, after I had already straightened, cropped and resized at PicMonkey.

Seen from the Portland Streetcar

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Since the streetcar has a dedicated lane for its tracks right beside the sidewalk, taking photos through its windows can result in some good shots, unless the reflection overpowers what you're trying to photograph. Luck was with me when I took this photo on Saturday, September 29, 2012, while riding east over the Broadway Bridge on the Portland Streetcar's Central Line. 

Notice the bicyclist in the lower left? Many Portlanders commute across Portland's bridges, the ones which have bicycle lanes and/or sidewalks and are open to more than vehicles. Lots of folks ride on the weekends, too. And don't think they only ride in blue sky weather. Nope. I see them riding in the rainy, cold days throughout winter.

For me, a highlight of this photo is the 1896 Union Station and its recently renovated roof--an article in The Oregonian identified the work as an upgrade, pointing out that it was the first one since the 1930s and that it was needed because of the roof's condition which meant that buckets could be found here and there inside the station, filling up with dripping rain. 

The Big Pink, the tall building to the right of center, stands within walking distance of the railroad station--seven blocks--or a short ride on the MAX Yellow Line which is the MAX line that I take from downtown to the Portland Trail Blazer home NBA basketball games at the Rose Garden Arena--the MAX Yellow Line crosses the Willamette River on the Steel Bridge which is south of the Broadway Bridge and just out of sight to the left of this photo.

The curving street is NW Broadway, until it crosses West Burnside at about the vanishing point of the pavement in this photo, then it becomes SW Broadway. Burnside divides Portland into north and south, while the Willamette divides it into east and west. 

On the right edge of the photo, the building you see a portion of is the main US Post Office for Portland.