We got free tickets to ride the new Tram during their grand opening a few weeks ago. It was a great sunny day in Portland. We met up with Dave and Sheryl, then took the ride up to OHSU. It was a very quick ride, very nice. There was a swing when we passed the tower, but everyone had fun. The tram cost was 59 million dollars, much more than the projected 15M. That was due to many things such as material cost went up and the upper terminal is anchored to a building so it needs advance supports. It will cost $4 to ride up and down once it opens for business, but if you have a monthly or annual bus pass, it will be free. I think it's will be a great tourist attraction, you get great view from the hill.
This is the lower terminal.
One tram goes up while the other down. Their name are Walt and Jean, kind of boring. Walt was the first black graduate from U of O and Jean was the first female grad. in Civil Engineering from OSU.
Click for larger picture. You can see Mt. Hood in the background. The lower terminal is part of the new South Waterfront neighborhood. The towers are condo, very expensive. A 2 bedroom, 1300 sq. ft. condo cost from 550k to 700k.
This neighborhood will be nice once they finish building, maybe in 5-10 years. It is right next to the river and has great view of downtown and Mt. Hood. It is always windy and every time we drop by though. **sour grape**
Anyway, I think downtown is better. It's closer to more activities and is not as expensive.
