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View from the top by Shirley Smith |
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Every time I find myself in a place with an incredible view, I am reminded of the day I rode the Portland Aerial Tram. My companion had a morning appointment west of the do The Tram is Portland’s newest public transportation link, connecting South Waterfront with Marquam Hill and OHSU’s campus. When we first climbed aboard, the weather was overcast and grey. Within minutes the clouds burned away and we were treated to a magnificent view of the Willamette River, downtown Portland, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens! Park and ride The thrill was not gone
Longview resident Shirley Smith is a retired business owner and travel agent. A long time community volunteer, she enjoys exploring the world, near and far.
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PORTLAND TRAM HOURS OF OPERATION Weekdays 5:30am–9:30pm • Sat 9am–5pm (Sun 1 pm–5 pm May 17– Sept 20) Closed Feb 16 Roundtrip fare: $4, Under age 6 Free. The tram cabins depart approximately every six minutes, in windy conditions may slow to a 10-minute departure schedule. The last tram leaves the lower terminal 10 minutes before closing. Driving Directions (from the North via I-5) |
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Let the good times roll! by Chere Weiss Zydeco. I am crazy about this music. For the past several years I have gone to the “Swamp Romp” at the annual Portland Waterfront Blues Festival and sat on the sidelines, watching and jumping around in my seat. Zydeco is som Learning to Zydeco dance: a “bucket list” beginning This is a partner dance. Somebody has to lead and somebody has to follow. The basic rhythm and steps require the mantra, “quick, quick, slow,” and within the framework of prescribed steps. The styling can be as varied as the folks who do them. I messed up a lot but everybody was very patient and nice. Teacher Phil told me to lean back into his hand on my back and see how much easier it is to whirl around. He’s right. It was really fun, a great workout and one of those out-of-your-comfort-zone experiences that makes you say to yourself, “What the heck was I afraid of?” In Zydeco dancing there is lots and lots of sweating. I got dipped. Twice. I was hooked. By the third lesson, there were some interesting stories emerging: Penny is a retired special education teacher. “I’m good at breaking things down to teach people,” she told me. Various dancers shared how Zydeco has changed their lives with new self confidence, weight loss, the end of boredom or loneliness, new friendships, and travel opportunities. Weekly lessons to master the basics segued into my goal of feeling confident on the dance floor at the next annual July festival. I cannot recall the last time I so looked forward to an event. The Festival: a collective happy thing At one point I was resting slightly uphill looking down at the dance floor and the horizon was all these heads bobbing to accordion and rub board — happy, happy, happy, happy! On July 4th, the day after the “Swamp Romp” at the Festival, I was sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Monaco in Portland reading the New York Times and sipping my coffee. A nice gentleman asked me, “What brings you to Portland?” I found myself responding, “Oh, I was here for the annual Blues Festival. Yesterday was Zydeco music. I am a Zydeco dancer.” How is it we alter our definitions of ourselves? Most of us would include our marital status, parental status, professional status, maybe our pet owner status. We might mention our hobbies. But I had become, simply, a Zydeco dancer. I stayed the night in the city to savor it all, protect myself and others on I-5 and hang until the bitter(sweet) end. In the morning when I woke, before I even opened my eyes, I smiled. I have lost count of how many dance lessons and live dances I have attended, but my dance card includes three amazing days at the annual Cascade Zydeco Dance Camp at the foot of Mt. Hood in September, dancing in Seattle on many occasions with new friends made at Camp, and weekly forays to Vancouver and Portland for lessons and CD dancing. If I don’t dance at least once a week, I go into withdrawal (see Cascade Zydeco sidebar). Are there 12 steps in this dance? Zydeco comes to Longview Chere Weiss, aglow shortly after a Zydeco dance session, works as Community Outreach Coordinator at St. John Medical Center in Longview. An active community volunteer, she loves to travel and, of course, Zydeco dance. |
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LIVE! Froom Louisiana! ZYDECO comes to Longview A The public is invited to hear Leon Chavis and the Zydeco Flames, live from Louisiana at a dance in Longview on Thursday, February 4 (see information below this article). “This is unique,” Weiss said. “There has never been an event like this in this community.” Leon Chavis and the Zydeco Flames is one of the most popular bands of the genre, she said. The event, sponsored by St. Stephen’s Church, is a fundraiser for hurricane relief in Galveston, Texas. For the past several years, the church has celebrated the onset of Lent by enjoying the “flavor” of Mardi Gras, while raising money to help hurricane victims. What is Zydeco music? For Longview resident Chere Weiss, it all started one sweet evening last March when she drove to Vancouver and checked off one item on her bucket list — to learn how to zydeco dance. (See the article higher on this page.) IF YOU GO
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wntown area and, remembering my mentioning I wanted to ride the tram, he suggested I join him and we could try it. 
er 6 are free. The two cars, designed and manufactured in Switzerland, each feature an attendant to assist if needed. Bicycles and wheelchairs are easily accommodated, too. The Tram eliminates and estimated two million vehicle miles and saves 93,000 gallons of gas and reduces greenhouse gases by more than 1,000 tons annually.
Next time you’re in Portland, why not try this truly amazing ride? You won’t forget it! 
e of the happiest music on the planet. In fact, you can’t listen to live Zydeco music and not be uplifted. And you can’t sit still. 
nyone who needs a mid-winter pick-me-up is in for a treat and anyone who feels nothing ever happens around here is in for a surprise. Just ask Kelso resident Chere Weiss, 56.