Popularly known as The Car Wash

Untitled fountain SW 5th and Ankeny


This tubular fountain designed by Carter, Hull, Nishita, McCulley and Baxter was installed in 1977. A wind gauge shuts off its water on gusty days to prevent hazards for motorists.


Not to mention the pedestrians. I get to walk by this fountain every weekday morning when I change from the 17 to the 4 bus. And, yes, I have seen no water spraying on windy days.


It was turned completely off for a little over two years while the bus mall was being revamped--lots of construction to make the mall better and to add another light rail line.


When the mall re-opened and bus lines returned to SW 5th and SW 6th, the fountain came back to life.

He's back, framed more beautifully than ever.

It's not clear to me why I'm so taken with this elk statue. Could it be the strength the statue depicts? The sweep of the antlers? I just don't know, but I certainly have enjoyed taking photos of it. I took these on Oct. 30, and now two weeks later, almost all of the leaves have fallen to the ground. I hope it snows this winter, just enough to decorate the elk, not enough to paralyze the city since snow is not the norm here. I would love to see that!

In the first photo, you can see one TriMet bus at the corner of SW Main and 4th. In the second photo, you can see four buses on SW 3rd Avenue. Downtown Portland's mass transist system makes multiple stops on these two streets that run north (4th) and south (3rd). It's what's known as the temporary bus mall--the backbone that connects many bus lines so that folks can get from anywhere to anywhere in the metropolitan area, including Washington state. The original bus mall on 5th and 6th is being remodeled to add light rail from Portland State University in the south all the way to Union Station in the north. The construction work began last January, and as far as I can tell the temporary mall is working very well. The remodel is projected to be finished in January 2009. There will be a construction moratorium in downtown starting next Friday, through New Year's (I think) so that people can come shop and enjoy holiday activities downtown without the hassle of heavy equipment, barricades, etc. Does that sort of thing happen in your city?