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January 28, 2007
tram
Ben and I were among the first 5,000 members of the general public to ride Portland's new aerial tram today.
The trip was quick, the view was great, it was definitely worth the price of admission. Then again, we got free tickets. And there were cookies and candies when we got to the top.
With a $4 per trip price tag, it might be a good place to bring out-of-towners but I can't see myself becoming a regular rider. As to whether it was worth the cost to the public, I can't say I know enough to really judge. The initial estimate was $28.5 million, the final project cost was $55 million. That's a bit of an overrun. Time will tell how many cars the thing keeps off the road, and how many of the millionaires living in the new housing at the bottom of the thing will take advantage of it.
I got lots of great pictures. I plan to upload them (and some photos of Rian's new bird) pretty soon. I need to install some software on my computer first, though, and it's bedtime now.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at January 28, 2007 11:03 PM
Comments
It looks like a gondola to me. I remember seeing the towers when we were there last summer. Interesting!
Posted by: Mom at January 29, 2007 04:29 AM
Yep, it's basically a gondola. I don't know why they call is an aerial tram.
Posted by: Courtney at January 29, 2007 06:57 AM
"I don't know why they call is an aerial tram."
Because we're Americans and are compelled suck the romance and delight out of everything that sounds remotely European with phrases like "aerial tram."
Posted by: underwhelm at January 29, 2007 03:04 PM