Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Take a right onto SE 36th Ave., a left on SE Taylor St., and a right on
SE 35th Ave. to get back onto SE Belmont St., heading left (west). From
about 35th to 33rd Aves., Belmont coalesces into a lively, fun-filled hub
of bars, coffee shops, and a nickel arcade with a cheap-movie theater at-
tached (the Avalon, whose neon sign you can't miss). There's an artisan-
cupcake shop; a record store that's also a fussy cocktail lounge; a vegan
bar in a former never-open mattress shop that everyone thought was a
front for something shady; a place named after Finnish designer Alvar
Aalto; and pizza. Explore!
Continue along SE Belmont St. On your left, at SE 27th Ave., note
Hanigan's Tavern, which has long been affectionately and unofficially
known as “The Vern” because most of the letters in its sign burned out
ages ago; it's also one of the very cheapest drinkeries in town. At 2100
SE Belmont you'll see the Urban Farm Store, another little slice of
Portlandia. You haven't really made it in this town until you've installed
a pair of chickens in your backyard.
At SE 20th Ave. you'll be facing Col. Summers Park, which in summer
becomes a horrorscape of pasty-skinned Portlanders exposing discon-
certingly generous amounts of their Pabst-fueled bodies while playing
Frisbee or Hacky Sack (yes, still, in 2013). There's also a big patch of
community gardens here. The park, established in 1938, is named after
Col. Owen Summers, an Oregon legislator known for having comman-
ded the Second Oregon Volunteers Regiment during the Spanish-Amer-
ican War.
Hang a right on SE 20th Ave. and cross SE Morrison St.; go right on
Morrison, then, in half a block or so, duck left through the gate into
Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery. Founded in 1855, the cemetery started out
as a farm; when the owner sold the land, his father was already buried
here. Then a boiler explosion on a steamship belonging to the new own-
er, Colburn Barrell, killed several people, including Barrell's business
partner, and he buried them all near the original tenant, starting what
he called Mount Crawford Cemetery. In 1866 Barrell sold the land to a
group of investors, and it was renamed Lone Fir for the one tree grow-
ing on the land. Now there are 25,000 people buried there, and a lot
more than one tree. Like many urban cemeteries, it's a lovely, cool,
quiet place to wander through. The area is fenced in, so aim diagonally
for the gate at SE 26th Ave., on the east side.
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