just came accross sam adam’s blog entry ^[1] about the official renaming of 82nd to 82nd ave – avenue of the roses. according to the entry:

“the City will send a positive message to the broader community by providing a positive identification for 82nd Avenue, while assisting in the transformation of one of the oldest streets in Portland into the new Avenue of the Roses.”

if you’ve lived in portland for any period of time, you would know what kind of street 82nd is. it’s not a rosy street. i have some suggestions for names if you’ll entertain them:

82nd ave – the avenue of payday loans
82nd ave – the avenue of discarded needles
82nd ave – the avenue of discarded condoms
82nd ave – the avenue of meth
82nd ave – the avenue of hookers
82nd ave – the avenue previously owned used used cars

i have some more, but they are a bit crass for this blog. i have fond memories of 82nd in the mid 80’s when we went down and cruised it. it would take you 2 hrs to go from division to powell due to the cars. i was 16, so didn’t really realize the seedy element of cruising. they shut it down and tore up the street. 82nd has never been the same. and it’s not an issue of the businesses, it’s an issue of community. when drug dealing and prostitution is allowed to go on with no consequence, it only leads to the general degredation of the area.
there is a bright side. housing in the area is usually less expensive than in most parts of the city. if enough people move in to the fringes and clean it up like we’ve done in North and Mississippi, it will change. Neighbors working together could change it, but they’ve been saying that for 20 years.

good luck with this Sam