A Tour in Self-Reflection

A Walking Art Tour by Jesse Norton

Introduction- It is too easy in this age of constant stress to start looking at our lives with tunnel
vision. Life is short and moves quickly, so if you dont step back to really appreciate what you
have you might miss it. Portlands downtown is a center for pursuit. Pursuit of profit, pursuit of
knowledge, pursuit of the next best thing. Begin this tour to re-evaluate your priorities, the grass
is not always greener on the other side. Downtown Portland is constantly overlooked for its
jewells of peace, spaces for self-reflective growth. The Lan Su Chinese Garden located in the
heart of Chinatown is where we will begin this tour, for this spot perfectly encapsulates the
themes this tour will be exploring. The garden will introduce different concepts and ideals of life
and it is important to keep these perspectives in mind as we continue the tour. The map provided
will guide you steadily West from the starting point of Lan Su. Take as much time at each spot as
you desire, for each spot has a lot to offer.

Lan Su Chinese GardensThe role of gardens for the Chinese has always been as a place for escaping everyday
stress to reconnect with nature and appreciate life. The garden has been open since the year 2000
and is a result of the collaboration between Portland and her sister city Suzhou in China. It is one
of the most authentic Chinese gardens outside of China complete with lake, teahouse, a scholars
study and indigenous Chinese plants. The name Lan Su is a result of combining each citys
name, Lan meaning Orchid and Su meaning arise or awaken, thus the name may be
adequately translated as the garden of awakening orchids. One quote from poet Wen Zhengming
is carved on a wood panel saying Most cherished in this mundane world is a place without

traffic; Truly in the midst of a city there can be mountain and forest. This concept can be
directly applied to ones perspective in life. Although our lives are constantly busy with the
traffic of stress from work, family, etc one can still find peace in themselves by taking the time
to appreciate little pieces of nature and small gestures of comfort. Take your time to appreciate
the entire layout of the garden, for each section has relevance to the whole. You may want to
inquire about the next guided tai-chi lessons or perhaps just meditate by yourself on the edge of
the lake. Think about how you can achieve this kind of peace that radiates throughout this place
in your everyday life. One may only achieve their goals with intention. A lot of work went into
completing this garden and the fruits of perseverance now exist for all to benefit from.

Powells BooksPowells always shines through as a step above the rest for their beautiful store and their
amazing service. It is very easy to get lost in the mazes of bookshelves and you may not want to
find your way out. Like Lan Su, Powells offers sanctuary to weary Portlanders. Powells has
been a Portland tradition since its opening in 1971. It is an independently owned bookstore that
offers both used and new books and currently holds the title for being the worlds largest new
and used bookstore. The location is referred to as The City of Books for good reason. The
building is 68,000 square feet with nine rooms, three floors, 3,500 different sections and over 1.5
million books. The store was established by Walter Powell who was inspired by his son Michael
when he opened a small independent bookstore in Chicago in 1970. The location was previously
an automotive dealership, thus it offered a lot of space for Walters vision. Powells bookstore
did not begin as a used and new book dealer, it was not until 1979 that Walter and Michael knew
they had to develop a brand new concept to really establish their foothold in Portland. In 1979

they branded Powells Books as the first bookstore to sell new, used and rare and out of print
books all on the same shelves. Today Powells has expanded to open multiple other locations but
they have stayed true to their word, selling every kind of book imaginable. This location, their
flagship store has a special magic that the other locations do not possess. The huge scale of the
store and the plethora of books acts as a daunting force to anybody who walks in. It helps act as a
kind of reminder of our own scale in the world. We get so easily caught up in our own affairs and
become so stressed over details in our life that the bigger picture of needing to appreciate
humanity becomes lost in the peripheries.

Goose Hollow Inn/The Fehrenbacher HofThe Goose Hollow Inn was opened by Bud Clark in 1967. Bud Clark is an icon of
Portland for being mayor from 1984 to 1992 and (perhaps more famously) for being the model in
the famous Expose Yourself to Art photograph. When Bud opened the Inn, he opened it in the
space that used to be Anns Tavern. Bud also owned another location called the Spatenhaus
which was located on SW 3rd and Market St. but it closed the same year the Goose Hollow Inn
was opened. There was a certain kind of rivalry between the two locations so as customers from
the Spatenhaus started coming to what used to be Anns Tavern, Anns old customers wanted to
start picking fights. As a notion of good faith Bud wrote this mission statement for the new
establishment Enjoy the Goose Hollow Inn, named to rejuvenate the history and stimulate the
continuity of one of Portlands famous geographic areas. We are dedicated to Quality Draft, Fine
Food, Pleasant Music, and Stimulating Company. We are also dedicated to extremes of opinion,
hoping that a livable marriage will result. If physical violence is your nature, either develop your
verbal ability or leave. The Fehrenbacher Hof cafe was opened in the year 2000 in

remembrance of Buds late wife Sigrid Clark. The Hof as the locals refer to it acts as a
wonderful neighborhood meeting spot where people gather to conversate and rant. Enjoy the
cozy atmosphere and use this time to reflect on themes discovered in Lan Su and in Powells.
Both of those places helped remind us of our position in a grand view of humanity, let your time
at The Hof remind you of your position in your local community.

The Coming of the White Man StatueAs you finally reach the top of the staircase welcoming you into Washington Park from
Burnside Street your eyes settle upon this statue depicting two Native American men. The title of
the statue is The Coming of the White Man and the men are posed looking off into the distance
seeming to be puzzled and confused. It was gifted to the city by David P. Thompson, a Portland
mayor from 1879 to 1882. An artist named H.A. MacNeil completed the bronze statue in 1904.
This statue is a controversial one for its name and for the depictions of the Native men but it is a
part of our history. The name is in reverence to the concept of manifest destiny, the idea that the
white settlers believed that they were destined to conquer all of America from sea to sea. The
truth is that in pursuit of this idea the settlers took part in a mass genocide of all of the Native
peoples. Search through your emotions as you gaze upon this statue. Imagine what you may have
felt being a Native American watching these strangers try to claim your home. The Native
peoples have endured so much pain but have not been wiped out. Be thankful for the simplicities
in life we all so easily overlook.

The Oregon Holocaust Memorial-

In 1994 a local Portland group of Holocaust survivors formed the Oregon Holocaust
Survivors Refugees and Families Committee (OHSRAF). They wanted to create a memorial to
commemorate their loved ones and the millions of people who were murdered during the
Holocaust. OHSRAF appealed to the city and after a unanimous vote from city council this spot
in Washington Park was donated for the purpose of the memorial. The design of the location was
a group effort from artists Tad Savinar and Paul Sutinen; landscape architects Marlene Salon,
John Warner, and Marianne Zarkin; typographic designer John Laursen; and historian Marshall
Lee. The memorial mimics a town square in Europe like those the Nazis would gather people in
before loading them on trains to be taken to concentration camps. Various bronze sculptures of
objects such as shoes, glasses, briefcases, dolls, etc all scatter the area because people were so
rushed into the concentration camps that objects such as these would have been randomly strewn
across the town square. A wall of panels tells the history of the Holocaust, shows quotes from
Holocaust survivors, and names of those who died and the names of surviving families in
Portland. The end of the wall has a soil vault in which soil and ash from six of the concentration
camps remain. The site was dedicated August 29th, 2004. We cannot even begin to imagine the
horrors the victims of the Holocaust faced. Remembering incidents such as these helps reminds
us of how important it is to help your fellow man, how important it is to be accepting of all
peoples. Please take this time to honor those who have died and to be thankful for the life you
have.

Sacagawea StatueA book published in 1902 written by Eva Emery Dye entitled The Conquest: The True
Story of Lewis and Clark popularized Sacagawea as the heroine we know her as today.

Sacagawea was a Shoshone woman married to a French trapper who accompanied Lewis and
Clark on their expedition. She is famous for helping guide the expedition through the Rocky
Mountains to the Pacific Ocean while at the same time having to care for her new baby. Womens
rights activists quickly adopted her image as one of bravery and strength. This statue of her was
designed by artist Alice Cooper and was unveiled at the centennial anniversary of the Lewis and
Clark expedition. The funds were raised by the National American Womens Suffrage
Association and it was the first monument made to honor Sacagawea. We do not know very
much about this woman except for what is said of her in the journal entries from the expedition.
Keeping the idea of the Coming of the White Man statue in mind, try to imagine the thoughts
that must have been going through this womans head as she accompanied Lewis and Clark
westward. Imagine how other Native communities would have reacted to seeing a Shoshone
woman accompanying these white men. Sacagawea must have had a hard time coping with her
life torn between her Native peoples and the life she led with her baby and the expedition.
Reflect on the concepts of choice and responsibility.

Portland International Rose Test GardenPortland rose culture began in 1888 with Georgiana Burton Pittock, wife of publisher
Henry Pittock (of the Pittock mansion) starting the Portland Rose Society. The mild climate in
Portland provides the perfect atmosphere for roses to prosper in. By 1905 approximately half a
million rose bushes lined the streets of Portland, thus the City of Roses was born. In 1917 the
cities Park Bureau was convinced by Jesse A. Currey, Sunday editor of the Oregon Journal (and
rose enthusiast) to install a rose test garden to harbor hybrid roses grown in Europe. World War

One was underway and threatened to destroy all of the unique hybrid rose populations.
Hybridists from England began sending roses almost immediately. Portlands landscape architect
Florence H. Gerke was charged with designing the Portland International Rose Test Garden
along with the accompanying amphitheatre. The garden continued to grow when it was finally
dedicated in June 1924. In 1996 an annual award entitled Portlands Best Rose was created and
to this day, every June rose experts from across the globe come to Portland to judge the best rose
from thousands of submissions. Here we begin to explore our relationship with nature and
appreciations of beauty. Can our appreciation of beauty in nature and our cultivation of such
beauty become a greater priority than it should be? Our resources were accumulated to save
hybrid rose populations and a wonderful culture of rose appreciation has risen from that but in
that time of turmoil in Europe should that have been where our focus was held?

Portland Japanese GardenTo end our tour in reflection we enter the Portland Japanese Garden. Like the Chinese
Gardens, Japanese Gardens exist to help reinforce our connections with nature and the harmony
and tranquility that accompanies that relationship. In 1958 Portland became sister cities with
Sapporo, Japan and the idea rose that an authentic Japanese garden should be built. In 1962 City
Council decided to establish the new garden on the former Washington Park Zoo site. In 1963 it
was decided that Takuma Tono, a Tokyo Agricultural University Professor and the current
authority on Japanese landscape design should be the one to design the garden. Finally by 1967
the new Portland Japanese Garden was open to the public. The garden is influenced by Shinto,

Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies. Three essential elements exist to form the garden-stone,
which acts as the bones of the landscape;water, the force that gives life throughout the landscape;
and plants, the natural tapestry of seasons. Five different garden styles exist including the flat
garden, the strolling pond, the tea garden, the natural garden and the sand and stone garden. As
our tour is concluded start to piece together the different concepts that each different tour stop
reinforced. Like the different kinds of gardens in the Japanese Garden, each different tour stop
has unique lessons to teach that contribute to the whole theme. Let us never forget the place we
inhabit in this world. All of us were born alone and will die alone but the life we have been
blessed with is meant to be shared with everyone around us. The stress that tries to overwhelm us
everyday is insignificant compared to the humanity we all share together. Use this tour as a
reminder to always take a step back to appreciate what you have been blessed with in this world
and to remember to always help those who may not be as fortunate as you are.