Navigating by the Roses

Ladd's Addition is a delightful neighborhood in Portland that has a complicated arrangement of streets and alley-ways. A colleague recently described the neighborhood as a "cluster-f**k," which seems a bit harsh. Sure, there are a lot of one-way streets and it's tricky to drive around in your car, but that means that it's a low-traffic neighborhood that is really safe for walking your dog or letting your kids bike to school.  I like it.

I will admit that, even as a slow-moving pedestrian with all the time in the world, I still do get disoriented in the neighborhood. One of the joyful things about summer, however, is that the four diamond-shaped rose gardens on the cardinal axis that radiates out from the central circle are in full and glorious bloom. If I find myself disoriented, I just need to look for a brilliant swath of pink petals, and it won't be long until I've figured out what corner of the neighborhood I've wandered into!