Go By Streetcar

Here's a picture of the 'Go By Streetcar' sign on a newish building in the Pearl...It's about four blocks from the train station, though you can't see one from the other.

Streetcars returned to Portland in 2001, a first in the modern streetcar era in North America. The line crosses Max (the city's light rail system) downtown, making easier connections to Portland State University and NW 23rd, a popular shopping neighborhood.

Portland's new streetcars came from the Czech Republic, and when the line opened the city celebrated by bringing in Czech performance artists for a fair all along the streetcar line. Inside the Czech-built cars are photos of Czech streetcars--my husband, who's from the Czech Republic, stepped onto a car for our first ride, looked at the photo, and told me it was of the streetcar he used to ride to school.