Portland Hill Walks is no ordinary guidebook. No restaurant ratings, no rehashed explanations of how the city got its name. Instead, in twenty meandering, view-studded strolls from forested canyons to cityscape peaks, this lively travelogue answers questions you may never have thought to ask, such as: What street used to be a row of floating homes? What eastside peak, with its "healthful air," was home to tuberculosis sanatoriums? What happened to the lake in Guilds Lake? What Portlander modeled swimwear in the U.S. Senate? Explore the city's streets, stairs, trails, and hidden passageways to discover the stories and spirit of a town rated among the country's most livable places. A city of great vitality and natural beauty, Portland, Oregon, offers wonderful views and fascinating places that await discovery. From the city's countless parks to the fascinating character of individualized neighborhoods, the exciting terrain of Portland presents Foster with rich possibilities as she leads walkers around and through landscapes sure to keep even the most adventurous spirit happily engaged in exploration. Foster's format for each entry gives the starting point and distance for each of the book's 20 sojourns. More important, she describes the elevation along the way, making clear in advance how vigorous one might need to be. Driving directions and public-transportation information are included, with amenities such as restrooms, drinking fountains, food, and drink listed to help in planning a day's outing. Maps show the course of each walk, while Foster makes each entry come alive with historical background and keenly drawn observations. Alice Joyce Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "With Portland Hill Walks , you'll take 20 meandering, view-studded strolls from the city's forested canyons to its cityscape peaks ... This book is a great place to start if you are looking for a new walking location or are adding walking to your fitness regime." “Anyone who loves Portland should own this book.” As a self-professed forensic pedestrian who honed her craft in Portland, Laura O. Foster writes about Oregon’s urban centers, small towns, and natural areas. With wit and insight, she tells the stories—geologic, architectural, botanical, and arcane—of this topographically diverse and beautiful state. Plan this walk for a summer or fall Saturday when you can stroll through the outdoor Portland Farmers Market located in the South Park Blocks. This hill walk starts you out in Portland Heights, among the city's most beautiful neighborhoods of mansions and grand homes, and drops you out of the heights to stroll under a canopy of elms in the Park Blocks, a linear park flanked on its southern end by Portland State University (PSU). From there you'll follow the historic Plank Road into Goose Hollow, an old neighborhood at the base of the West Hills, and head back up the steep hillside for a tour of some of Portland Heights' most elegant streets. Parts of this hill walk and the adjoining Portland Heights to Council Crest Loop follow the route of a "Northwest Hillside Parkway" suggested by Park Commissioner L. L. Hawkins to John Olmsted in 1903. The route started from the southern end of the Park Blocks and climbed the slopes of Portland Heights to include today's SW Hawthorne Terrace at 17th Avenue, which sits on a prominent knob, and the area now occupied by SW Prospect Drive (which is along the route of this hill walk). Of these two prominences, the Olmsted Brothers said, "From no other points will it be possible to view the city so close at hand, and at the same time so high above it." Neither high point has been reserved for parkland, but the views are indeed stupendous. At the intersection of SW Vista Avenue and Spring Street, you're at the heart of Portland Heights, among the city's most desirable neighborhoods for its views and proximity to downtown. Early Portland money settled here and has acted as a magnet ever since. This area was known as Carter's Addition when it was first platted out in 1878 from Thomas Carter's original donation land claim. (Carter's home, built in the 1850s, was at SW 18th and Jefferson, where the First United Methodist Church now sits.) In the early years, because the roads turned to mudslides in winter, the heights were used mostly for summer homes. In 1883 lots sold for $250, but they weren't too hot an item. That changed when the cable car began operating in 1887, providing the first practicable avenue for year-round travel up to the heights. The trestle started below the bill, in Goose Hollow, and traveled a thousand feet at a steep 20 percent grade over the ravine now occupied by SW Montgomery and up 18th Street into Portland Heights. The trestle also carried a road for horse-drawn carriages. Cable Avenue in Goose Hollow sits beneath the path of the former trestle. In 1903 a forerunner to today's Vista Bridge was built over Jefferson Street, enabling street