While I was in Fairview, I wanted to get my VA medicines refilled so I called the local Gresham VA clinic. They told me that they couldn’t fill the prescription I’d gotten from the clinic in Alaska and that I’d have to go to the downtown VA hospital emergency room for that. Huh? Well, I wanted to go downtown anyway so I planned a bus trip. I wanted to take the cool tram up to the hospital too. Trimet has an interactive route planner that is very well done. I had a great time using that resource and planning my trip. Caught the bus right outside the RV park. The buses are comfortable and it was a pleasure getting a good view of many of my old haunts on the trip to the tram. I’d lived in the Portland area for 33 years so naturally, I’d been everywhere.
The bus let me off about a block from the tram and I got aboard ready for a nice ride over the hill side neighborhoods.
Lower tram station.
Local color.
Riverside cranes behind the tram station.
The tram arrives.
Off we go. I'm standing in the very front of the cab.
We’re heading for that building to the right of the tower. That’s the only tower over the tram route.
Looking Northwest towards downtown Portland.
Here's the neighborhood that did its best to prevent the tram being built.
The tram was proposed probably 25-30 years ago. If you’d ever tried to drive up to one of those hospitals up on the hill, you’d probably understand why a tram might be wanted. Taking a bus up here or back down into downtown is a series of sharp corners and crowded, narrow streets. Both hospitals have a very good reputation so it’s always pretty crowded. Since they’re on steep hills, it makes driving up there a chore, and parking a nightmare. If you’re sick, even worse, so public transportation is necessary. Then the tram was added to help lower the number of buses and cars that had to drive that route. I can understand the neighborhood members not being to happy with the tram but in the long run, it was necessary. I’m sure that the neighborhood just below the medical facilities was happy about not having so many buses rumbling by their properties at all hours.
Looking off to the south.
Because of the initial opposition to the tram, there are no towers except for one near the lower station. So as not to have to condemn to many properties for towers. But something thumps and tosses the tram cab around the middle of the trip. Wasn’t expecting that.
Halfway there.
Oh, yeah, I remember that round building. I believe it use to be a service station back when they did service.
OK, getting ready to dock. All of those buildings are medical in nature.
A look back towards the Willamette and East side Portland.
And looking towards downtown and the riverfront district.
Riverside condos.
Great views from up here. That's the Ross Island Bridge.
Then tram slides away while I'm enjoying the view.
So, I arrived at the hospital and had to hike a couple hundred yards to get over to the VA hospital. There’s a skybridge between the buildings with a coffee kiosk at the entrance (both sides) so I stopped for a nice coffee.
I arrived at check in around 2pm, checked in and sat down. Didn’t take long to notice that there were a lot of folks coming in with actual emergencies. Not life threatening it seemed, but much worse off then me. Also noticed that many of them got there after me but were getting in to see someone before me. Over heard a recent veteran talking to the nurse about his feelings of suicide. Wanted to know if he could be committed or otherwise get some help. They rushed him right in to see a doctor. At around 5pm, I go up to the check-in and tell them I was going to take off. The reality was I was feeling bad that I was there possibly taking up time with a doctor just for a simple medicine refill. The nurse thought I’d be able to get in in another hour but it was a long ride back home, I didn’t want to wait, so I took off.
I’d wanted to take the tram ride for years, kind of unique for there to be a city tram, at least to me. I’d enjoyed the hell out of doing it. But I took the bus back downtown. Then after transferring, another bus clear out to the RV park. Got home around 6:30pm.
A couple of days later, the Gresham VA clinic calls me. Asked me what was going on, why had I gone to the emergency room and then leave, I tell her what the guy there at the clinic had told me about having to go to the emergency room. She tells me that was nonsense and offered me an appointment there the next day. So, I needed to do some shopping anyway and drove my RV down there. Took a bit to find an adequate parking space nearby but I arrived on time. I meet the doctor and explain I’m just trying to get my meds refilled and he takes care of that. Then does an exam and such. I’m a little nervous that he’s going to want to do a prostrate exam because he has these really long wicked looking finger nails. Ouch. They’re clean, but brutal looking. In the end (pun intended), he chooses not to, much to my relief. That clinic was very efficient, comfortable and professional. On the way out, they take a few vials of blood. I haven’t heard back so I’m assuming it was free of evil things.
Powell Street Bridge? Boy, you have been gone awhile. Ross Island Bridge, Dude.
Yikes, you’re right of course. Yes, have been gone for a while…loosing my memory slowly but surely. I’ll edit it.
One of the issues with that *%#@* tram was the cost. It went waaayyy over budget, and I pulled no punches in blogging about it at the time. The City just kept feeding the pig cuz it was already well along when the cost disparity reared its head. And as is par for the course, the govt. pulled out the imminent domain card against the poor residents underneath the tram route. If I lived under it, I’d be ticked, and many Portlanders rallied to their side along with one irate City Commissioner and a lot of tri-county residents like myself. It was pushed mostly by a lot of administrators and doctors who wanted life easier, parking and getting to work. After all, it wasn’t going to be routed over their rich-ass homes in Lake Oswego or compromising any of their privacy. You think they put emergency patients on the tram to get them up the hill? There’s still lots of traffic up the winding hill road.
*Dismount Soapbox*
I remember much of the controversy, but I lived in Gresham so didn’t really care much. Seldom needed to go up there. I seem to remember that most of the ruffled feathers were smoothed over at the end.
As far as ’emergency patients’ using the tram goes, sure it’s not very likely that it’ll be needed for that, but the possibility exists.
Are you sure the guy that told you that you had to go up to the hospital emergency for your Rx wasn’t a transfer employee from the Providence system? They’re about as confused and confounding a medical conglomerate as we’ve ever had to work with.
Hah! I’m not sure about that but it’s possible.
Lee built this..
Built what, TJ? Oh, the tramway? Cool!!!