• Home
  • Archives

Dave Knows Portland

Subscribe to Dave Knows Portland by Email

A Dream of Cascadia, in The Guardian

March 1, 2010 by Dave 1 Comment

The GuardianIn the latest issue of The Guardian, columnist Peter Preston writes about Cascadia: A World Away From Texas [can I get an atheist amen!?]

One (Olympic) flame dies – but maybe another flame flickers back into life. All hail Cascadia, the nationalist dream of a new, free land that puts the environment, culture and liberal values first? Don’t laugh (though don’t get too carried away either). The name may sound somewhere between patent water softener and Prisoner of Zenda. The logic of the idea, however, has plenty of hard thinking behind it.

In the piece he briefly explores the history of the idea, and the obvious geographical arguments: Portland, Seattle and Vancouver are an almost continuous metropolitan belt. Think Leeds to Manchester to Liverpool.

Cascadia FlagHe exaggerates just a little when he declares that culturally and politically, big chunks of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia have more in common with each other than any of them have with Texas.

And the values of politics, almost of instinctive belief, are consistent too. Abortion, euthanasia, co-ops, gay marriage – even socialism as a word that may sometimes mutter its name? Cascadia might sit quite happily just outside Stockholm. Bush, Cheney, Fox News and Tea Party Texas are a world away.

But the political reality, he points out, is that Americans are often patronisingly racist about Canada [<- Ha, he spells like a Canadian!], and stubbornly resistant to constitutional upheaval. But he does make some good points . . .

Yet why, pray, is the Canadian way – or the Cascadian way – any more outlandish than the Mad Hatter’s tea party antics currently transfixing Washington DC? And why is constitutional change, as opposed to rightwing rage, such a forbidden American subject?

Read the rest at The Guardian, and make sure to check out the lively debate in the comments (if only to confirm that much of the comments on British newspaper articles are as troll-y as those in American papers).

High Speed Rail Coming to the Northwest

January 29, 2010 by Dave 3 Comments

High Speed Rail Map, Eugene to Vancouver, BCI’m pretty excited about what the Federal High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program contains for Portland and the Northwest. Here are some highlights for the Eugene – Portland – Seattle – Vancouver, B.C. corridor (pdf):

The 467-mile long corridor connecting Eugene, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, Canada is the backbone of intercity passenger rail in the Pacific Northwest. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants will further enhance service on a corridor where Washington and Oregon have already made substantial investments. The long-term vision for the corridor is to have a dedicated high-speed track, where trains will operate at up to 150mph, with 13 daily round trips between Seattle and Portland. The region is taking a cost-effective, step-by-step approach towards achieving this vision, by focusing investments on projects that have immediate benefits, but which also lay the groundwork for the future.

. . .

Seattle – Portland: Two additional daily round trips will be added between Seattle and Portland, for a total six; travel time will be reduced by at least 5 percent; and on-time performance will increase substantially, from 62 to 88 percent. Major construction projects include building bypass tracks to allow for increased train frequency and multiple upgrades to existing track and signal systems. Several safety-related projects will also be funded, including grade separations, positive train control, and seismic retrofits to Seattle’s historic King Street Station

Portland – Eugene: Investments include upgrading Portland’s Union Station, and engineering and environmental work for track and signaling projects that will increase service reliability and reduce congestion.

In a few years the Portland, Seattle, Vancouver Timbers fan train trips will be legendary!

October 1, 4: Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps in the semifinals

September 29, 2009 by Dave Leave a Comment

Timbers!The Portland Timbers face the Vancouver Whitecaps in the USL Division 1 semifinals. The first leg of the 2 game series begins Thursday, October 1st in Vancouver B.C.

The teams face again in Portland on October 4th at 4pm at PGE Park in the second leg. Buy your tickets now!

The surprising Whitecaps, the 7th seed, upended the 2nd seeded Carolina Railhawks in the first round. Inexplicably Carolina left three top scorers at home in the first leg at Vancouver, where a 72nd minute goal by the Whitecaps’ Randy Edwini-Bonsu proved the series winner; in Carolina Sunday the teams drew 0-0.

Portland opened the regular season with a 1-0 loss in Vancouver, but then defeated Vancouver twice at PGE 2-0 in May, and 1-0 in August, to clinch the team’s first ever Cascadia Cup.

For those of us not lucky enough to be traveling to Vancouver, BC for the first leg of the series, here’s where you can watch the match. Kickoff Thursday is at 7:30 pm:

  • Rogue Distillery & Public House (1339 NW Flanders)
  • Kells Irish Pub (112 SW 2nd) [Latest word 9/30 is that the match will not be shown at Kells]
  • Cheerful Bullpen (1730 SW Taylor)
  • St. John’s Theater & Pub (8203 N. Ivanhoe St).
  • All Ages: Beulahland (118 NE 28th Ave)

For more information, changed venues, and new venues visit the Timbers Away Game Pub Thread on the Soccer City USA Message Board, or check out the Portland Timbers Away Games – Pub Guide at The Nerd is the Word.

Amtrak launches direct Portland to Vancouver, BC service August 19

August 12, 2009 by Dave 2 Comments

The much anticipated direct Portland to Vancouver, BC train service is finally here. Well, it’s here starting on August 19th.

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced today that the long awaited second daily Amtrak Cascades train between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. will begin service on Wednesday, August 19, 2009.
….
With the addition of this second train service, travelers from Oregon will now have direct round-trip service between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, B.C.

Read the rest: Second Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver, B.C. begins service August 19.

The second Amtrak Cascades train will continue to run through at least the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Vancouverite explains why Portland beats Vancouver

August 3, 2009 by Dave 11 Comments

Update: The Tyee has published a three part series by Christine McLaren, of which Why Portland Beats Vancouver was the first installment. Installment number two is Portland’s Bicycle Brilliance. Part three: Portland’s Progress on Homelessness.

vancouvervsportlandI’ve never been to Vancouver, B.C., but it’s been on my shortlist of places to visit for quite some time (and very soon it will be much easier to make the trip).

But I have had high expectations for the place, as it always seems to be near the top of the best-places-to-live lists, and like Portland, is reknown for its compact urban center and urban planning. But it tells you how much I know about Vancouver that I was surprised by the findings of Vancouver, B.C. writer Christine McLaren in her article for The Tyee: Why Portland Beats Vancouver.

Free art gallery shows every first Thursday of the month? Massive burritos with all the fixings for under $5? $2 Beer!?

You mean you can’t get these things in Vancouver!?

And apparently in Vancouver it can cost upwards of half a million dollars for a liquor permit, on top of the onerous zoning requirements. Whereas in Portland . . .

Opening a bar in Portland is an almost universally obtainable goal. Assuming you pass the proper criminal record check and provide a statement of funding, a full on liquor license from the state costs a grand total of $402.62 on top of a $100 business license from the city and a few other small fees.

These are two examples from the piece that really jumped out at me. Vancouver is still the home of my favorite radio show, and of course there are the coffee shops. After reading the article, I still plan on visiting. But my expectations have definitely been tempered.

Note: Later this week we have a chance to witness another competition between the two cities, as the Portland Timbers host the Vancouver Whitecaps at PGE Park at 7pm. See you Thirsty Thursday!

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Dave Knows Portland Archive

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in