eastbank esplanade (portland parks # 2)

It’s not really a park, more like a pavement. But since 1998 the place to stretch your legs is the Eastbank Riverfront (Mayer/Reed landscape architects), 1.5 miles of walkway squeezed into almost no space between the hefty Interstate 5 and the also hefty though slightly more attractive Willamette River. Good lengths of it are floating walkways, constructed of metal flooring and pillars that sit above the water. The route links from several major bridges to the downtown area on the west side of the river, where a more traditional riverside park extends the length of the city area (much of it created in the 1970s by a visionary tearing up of a significant road to make space for the greenway).

 

It shouldn’t be an attractive place. The roar of the interstate is intense, with off ramps and on ramps snaking at your elbow. It would be hard to conduct a quiet conversation.

But the balance of the river, about 300m wide, and the older more attractive structures of some of the historic bridges, somehow keep your attention and orientate your interest to this side of the path.

The other significant factor in its success is the connecting loop with the west riverside. I was walking along at around midday on a hotish weekday, and was never alone. Several hundred people must have passed me or overtaken me during the hour or so walk, mostly runners and cyclists, some serious walkers. I felt like I was the only person not in lycra and missing a sports drink. This is a prime exercise lap in the city; not a place to walk to get somewhere else, not a place to go for a lazy afternoon with friends, but a place to work out. A riverside gym. And in this function, it’s really quite spectacular.