Willamette is such a key piece of Oregon history. My first visit was when I was about 8 years old…read more My aunt & uncle lived a couple blocks off of what is now main street. If you drive the side roads you will see beautiful historical homes with the most amazing flower gardens everywhere. It truly has a old school/hippy vibe to it but most of those homes are over a million now. Ha Ha! The little ma and pa places that are left make it wonderful! It feels like it's further away from Portland than it is. A nice escape for a drive or lunch. I commend the zoning/planning dept for keeping the architecture and area looking and feeling like it originally was in the olden days.

"Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky…read moretacky Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes all the same..." [1] When people think of the suburbs, I think many focus on the blandness of sub-developments and master planned communities. But in Oregon, some of our deepest roots lie Southwest of Portland in the communities of Oregon City and West Linn. As a history buff, I enjoy exploring these places and am lucky to live near Old Willamette which is a National Register Historic District. At first glance, you might think the storefronts along Willamette Drive are some developer's idea of turn-of-the-century charm. And you would be partially right. They've actually tried to preserve as much of the original commercial row as they can, and then new development matches the style, but has all the modern conveniences. Between Willamette Drive and the Willamette River is the Old Willamette Neighborhood with many homes from the 19th Century, mostly preserved in all of their glory. You can tour many of these homes in the fall as part of the Willamette Living History tour (http://www.historicwillamette.com/attractions/historic-willamette-events/). They go all out with period costumes, a horse-drawn buggy and volunteers act out little vignettes around town. I recently met the president of the Willamette Falls Historical Society who lives in one of the homes and was a font of local knowledge. She also said that they pick a particular year for the tour, most recently 1908. She has different clothes for different time periods and was very excited that they are going to set one of the future tours around WW2, when women finally have the vote. She has been a suffragette for many a moon since most tours are in the years prior to 1920. Keep that in mind ladies when you vote this week! There are maps available from several local merchants if you want to take the self-guided walking tour. This area is the heart of many of West Linn's annual festivals, including The Old Time Fair which is down the hill in Willamette Park every July. During the summer months, this neighborhood is also home to the West Linn Farmer's Market, which always feels like a street fair, on Wednesday evenings. One of the funniest historical traditions is that you will see old fashioned baseball in Willamette Park several times during the summer. The boys wear the old uniforms and play without gloves, while the ladies are in full dress and ready with a glass of lemonade. That never goes out of style. [1] Made famous by the television show, Weeds. Lyrics by Malina Reynolds.

A peaceful, non pretentious resting place . Our dear daughter is buried there after a tragic death…read moreat age 45; she is survived by her 5 year old daughter and her husband. She would have loved it ! The grounds manager , Joe is very friendly and accommodating. God bless him !

I went there today to see Linus Pauling and his family plot - it is quite interesting that a man of…read morehis stature in the world would be buried in what is basically a "backyard" cemetery. The place is in serious need of repair though. It is quite overgrown and my dad and I were joking that the Eagle Scouts-to-be should clean it up as part of their community service project.

This building is a great example of "they don't build them like that any more" Built in 1913 this…read moreBeaux Arts building is great to look at. The two color brick design is striking. Thanks to a restoration project it has earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification (see emblem on building) From what I have read the lobby must have been something. Now it is nice. Like so many of the best of the surviving old buildings this was designed by A. E. Doyle. He must have been quite the architect as so many of his buildings have survived. This building he designed a E shaped floor plan to let in lots of natural light which no doubt helped get the LED award. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996,

I've been coming here in early Spring and in the Fall for a great many years. This historic house…read moreand grounds are a photographer's dream. I've shot rolls of film, dozens of models and have more recently killed a lot of electrons taking and posting digital images out on Sauvie Island. There's also free fruit for the taking come the harvest season. The grounds are great for play, picnics and just generally spending a [usually] quiet time in the great outdoors only a couple of miles from downtown Portland. Love that the money was spent to move and refurbish this grand old house to a new and public accessible location. The property is on a working farm that's posted but I don't bother or intrude on them and they don't bother me. I don't know if there are any posted rules but it is always my practice as a photographer to respect property owner's rights. Never had a problem walking around freely here though.

The crisp, white house with symmetrical windows situated on lush green lawns and surrounded by…read moreorchards is a historical gem! Refurbished to its original glory and standing as beautiful today as when it was built in the mid 19th century, I love walking the grounds and having a picnic here when I'm on Sauvie Island. The two story house is a rare example of the Classical Revival style from the mid-19th Century. Built for James Bybee, who was one of Multnomah County's first Commissioners, it was later sold to Dr. Benjamin Howell and his wife in 1858 and remained in their family until 1961. Now part of the Howell Recreation Park managed by Portland Metro, you can visit any day between sunrise to sunset. While they are no longer offer tours inside, you can walk the gorgeous property, including the fruit orchards with heirloom varieties of quince, pears, and apples. And the best part, when it's harvest time in late August and the fall, you can pick the fruit! Yes! Located just a mile down Sauvie Island Road after you cross the bridge, take the long and picturesque driveway up to the house. Rarely do I visit Sauvie Island without making this my first stop. It's fun to see the grounds in all stages of the seasons. Weddings and other gatherings often take place in the picnic area. Visit their website if you are interested in renting this gorgeous space.

This is a nice bronze statue of an elk by a local artist. It is part of the hospitals art…read morecollection. The plaza it overlooks is called The Elk Plaza after it and in summers hosts a farmers market.

''This Bridge although not that spectacular passes over the Willamette River on I-5. Which is a…read morenice view of the River either going north or south? Some trees and many Boats moored and I think Houseboats as well but mine going south was only a quick glance!'' We had Business that day May 25th in Salem and crossed the Bridge which is in passing through Wilsonville just north of Salem the capital of Oregon!'' 4 stars****! ''Thank you''

I have been intrigued by it as I've driven by it a couple times and finally took the time to take a…read morelittle tour. I found this memorial very touching and informative. It is small enough that you can pay a visit even if you don't have a lot of time. There is a number you can dial to follow along with a audio tour. The info is posted on the wall on the west side of the memorial. The audio tour is part of Oregon's Mt. Hood Heritage Trail series. It is # 9 in the series. Text "hood" to 57682 & followed the link to the mobile site. While I was there, and there was a man lovingly doing some repair work there. He clearly has devotion and dedication to this memorial. He was also kind enough to take a picture of me and my dog with Telnet statue with the three soldiers. Thank you veterans for your service and for all of those that are dedicated to caring for this memorial.

War memorials come in all shapes and sizes, but more often than not, it is a small plaque in a city…read morepark. It reduces the experience to facts and figures and while a nice remembrance of those that have fought for their country, it doesn't really make as much of an impression on younger visitors who are far removed from the conflict. I've been intrigued by this particular memorial for years because you just can't miss it as you drive along Highway 99 at the southern end of Canby. A "Huey" medivac helicopter ("Little Orphan Annie") is on it's approach landing just alongside the road. This is the dramatic focal point of the Vietnam Era Veteran's Memorial which is dedicated to the men and women who served in the military (not just Vietnam) between 1959 - 1975. Across the plaza, which is shaped like a "shou" representing long life and longetivity, there is a Buddhist bell with the inscription, "Believe in Peace" in Vietnamese. Approaching the helicopter is the bronze statue, "A Hero's Prayer" which depicts three larger than life-size figures of an American soldier carrying a wounded comrade towards the helicopter while holding the hand of a small child. The statue depicts PFC Gary W. Martini, USMC, Oregon Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in action in Vietnam. The second figure is U.S. Army Spec-4 Warren E. Newton, a Canby soldier listed as Missing in Action in Vietnam. The memorial started taking shape in 2006 and is still well maintained. I particularly like that it focusing on the humanity as well as the heroism of the war experience. If you look down at the plaza, you will see the red cross making the landing spot for the incoming helicopter and bricks covered with names of those who have made the memorial possible.

God, I remember the days before the China Gates were built. I have fond memories of visiting…read moreCindy's Adult Bookstore back in the day (for non sex and drug purposes mind you) which was located just behind the gates. As they were building the China Gates back in 1986, some of us were concerned that the new gates would obstruct and ruin our pristine view of Cindy's. Poor Cindy's. After Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard made Cindy's turn off its electricity in 2008, its roof soon collapsed and the unfortunate Cindy's was later demolished altogether. It was a sad day for folks that liked to skulk about soliciting sex and drugs and the kind of folks that would purchase alcohol for those that were under aged at the time. We were right about one thing; those gates really did block our view of Cindy's. 2016 - Review # 10

I like this gate, yes the gate was put up after the neighborhood had already changed. The gate…read moreis nice though and a reminder of what was. Yeah, our Chinatown may not be great like the one in San Francisco or.... There is a lot more out on 82nd then near downtown. Still there is a lot of history here, and a few places left. Tip-contenue on to the Lan-Su Gardens...