A stroll upon the Tilikum Crossing is not merely a crossing it is an experience, dear reader, of…read morethe most civilized kind. Opened in 2015, this rather distinguished span stretches some 1,720 feet (a modest 0.30 miles, if you please), composed of roughly three and a half miles of elegant cable. And what makes it all the more proper? No motorcars allowed. Only buses, cyclists, and pedestrians quite right, wide chap. Orderly, safe, and delightfully serene, with buses gliding along at a sensible 25 miles per hour in their designated lanes.
Its name, derived from a Chinook Wawa word meaning "people," "tribe," or "relatives," feels rather fitting. One cannot help but feel a sense of togetherness upon it an unspoken camaraderie among those who traverse its path.
Now, allow me a small tale. After descending from the Portland Aerial Tram with a few companions, we found ourselves pausing midway across. There we stood, laughing like schoolchildren, when along came a most curious sight a gentleman dressed as a clown, pedaling past on his bicycle, honking and gesturing with theatrical enthusiasm. I say, it was impossible not to laugh.
And then, as if the scene required a proper encore, we glanced upward. The sun was setting soft, golden, utterly splendid. Birds chirped their evening chorus as daylight faded into that slightly ominous, yet enchanting dusk. And just like that, the bridge awakened. Its LED lights began to shimmer and shift, reflecting the river's speed, height, and temperature below how clever, how modern, how utterly lovely.
Indeed, the design itself is striking clean, contemporary, and most unique. By day it is impressive; by night, it is simply dazzling.
One does not merely cross here one lingers, one laughs, one takes it all in. And isn't that just lovely?