Now that's funny
The Pearlies are bitching about the train whistles at night. From the Trib today:
According to Sue Miller, vice president of primary Pearl developer Hoyt Street Properties, some residents are convinced this was not just a matter of train engineers putting safety first. They are certain the engineers are tooting their horns more than necessary.I'll have a snappy comeback as soon as I stop laughing.
Hold on, it's going to be a while.
| Posted at 10:10 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (1)
"I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling 'round the bend,
and I ain't paid no property tax,
since, I don't know when.
I'm in the Pearl District, with my
fancy condo subsidy, but that
train whistle keeps a-blowin',
and that's what tortures me."
Posted by: Bill McDonald at August 15, 2006 11:13 PM"If I could just unload this condo
Posted by: Jack Bog at August 15, 2006 11:32 PMI would get so far from here
I'm tired of brie and pinot
And microbrewery beer
Far from the Pearl District
That's where I'd retire
But the market's gotten softer
And my ARM's goin' higher"
Don't they know that train whistles are a status symbol?
I gotta believe that some are from Lake Oswego's North Shore (Lakeview Blvd) or the Bay Area's Atherton, Menlo Park or Palo Alto, where trains are a regular part of life, even at 3am.
When I lived in LO, I just rolled over and went back to sleep. When I visit the Palo Alto Sheraton, I get a room facing El Camino Real and far away from the train (East) side.
These folks really do have mountains the size of mole hills. Getta life!
Posted by: Harry at August 15, 2006 11:35 PMGo By Condo!
Posted by: Mister Tee at August 15, 2006 11:55 PMEr, that's Go Buy Condo.
Posted by: Jack Bog at August 15, 2006 11:58 PMA good headline would have been 'Pearlies go boo hoo over choo choo' I think the engineers blow the train whistles extra loud out of habit from the days when drunks were probably passed out on the tracks.
Posted by: Tom at August 16, 2006 05:46 AMI guess when the current residents were buying their overpriced condo and heard the engineers liked to "toot their horns" or "blow their whistles" the prospective buyers figured it was a euphemism for something else.
Posted by: P&S at August 16, 2006 07:20 AMWe may not have that SoHo look quite down, but the 'tude is there.
So when Sam gets his next big project and turns Couch into a one-way arterial, how's that gonna go over?
Posted by: Steve at August 16, 2006 07:35 AMTomorrow's Pearl District Headline:
"Rainy Days in the Pearl"
Lead graph:
"According to Sue Miller, some Pearl District residents who have moved to Portland from Los Angeles are convinced that it rains in Portland more than necessary. They are not exactly sure what to do about the rain, but are circulating a petition for an extension of their property tax abatement."
Posted by: Sheef at August 16, 2006 08:25 AMWhen the wind was blowing the right way in NE Montana, we could here the freights and the Empire Builder blow their horns 5 miles north of the tracks. I loved that sound. Now we live fairly close to the tracks in NE Portland and the sound of that whistle echoing in the breeze makes me feel like I'm home. I'm thinking these "Pearlies" aren't too bright...the fact you could practically throw a rock out onto the tracks from any of those condos should have been a clue that perhaps they could hear the whistle blow...
Posted by: laurelann at August 16, 2006 09:06 AMSorry...that was "hear" the freights. Never would guess I have an English degree, would ya??
Posted by: laurelann at August 16, 2006 09:15 AMDriving in the Pearl last week I honked my horn unnecessarily. Maybe I'll do it again this week.
Posted by: Ronald M at August 16, 2006 09:35 AMIt's the quintessential modern yuppie pose: move somewhere new because it has certain qualities, and then as soon as you get there spend all your time trying to turn it into the place you just left.
And as for the trains, it has nothing to do with engineers trying to annoy the Pearl District residents (although God bless 'em for it), and everything to do with avoiding lawsuits. If they hit and injure anyone on the tracks, they have to be able to prove that they were laying on the horn. Hence, as they move through an urban environment, they pretty much honk the horn all the time.
Posted by: Dave J. at August 16, 2006 09:58 AMWhat Dave J. said about the train whistle... Doesn't anyone remember the recent news story of the car that crossed that tracks when one train went by, then was hit by another coming the opposite way? They thorougly investigated whether or not the engineer blew the whistle prior to coming to that particular crossing...
Posted by: laurelann at August 16, 2006 10:51 AMThat is freakin' hysterical. Did they think the railroad tracks were just there for aesthetic purposes?
Posted by: ellie at August 16, 2006 10:56 AMYes the Post-Modern Industrial oeuvre. The tracks were put there for the ambiance.
Posted by: tom at August 16, 2006 11:08 AMJust wait, the city will pay for study after study to somehow move the tracks. Just like they're trying to do to PIR.
The airport will be the next noisemaker to be 'studied.'
Maybe they can release a few more criminals in order to pay for it.
Posted by: Chris McMullen at August 16, 2006 11:21 AMGo ahead, have your fun with the Yuppie Boomers. When you're paying for their treatments for PTSD (that's post-tooting stress syndrome for those of you who care), we'll see who has the last laugh.
Posted by: Allan L. at August 16, 2006 03:16 PMCity should issue BOSE noise cancelling headphones to Pearlies.
Posted by: Bark Munster at August 16, 2006 04:34 PMThis just in: the Pearlies(i love that name) also request that the sun might shine less through their windows and that birds refrain from pooping on their BMW's.
Posted by: jason at August 16, 2006 05:23 PMDon't those condos come with soundproofing?
Posted by: Bark Munster at August 16, 2006 05:35 PMNow maybe they understand the true meaning of "the other side of the tracks".
Posted by: Lily at August 16, 2006 06:10 PMI know one person who is a train fan...he moved there BECAUSE of the trains...so what does he do if they succeed in silencing them.....
Posted by: thaddeus at August 16, 2006 08:27 PMThis is so like the SoCal, San Diego whiners.
Posted by: Walter5555 at August 16, 2006 09:03 PMWhen I was growing up in Memphis I used to sit outside on the porch and listen to the mournful wails of the night trains. I always found it comforting- that there was a bigger, better world outside of Memphis and those trains were going there. It gave me hope that I'd escape from the South.
Posted by: Lily Witham at August 16, 2006 09:49 PMWhat a minute......I thought the whole aethsetic of the Pearl District was the choo-choo train???
Ohh yeah, they only like trains that don't contribute to the economy. Just reminds me of that joke comment that floated around a few years ago. The Pearl Dist. is what it would look like if Disney tried to reproduce a hotel version of Greenwich Village.
Posted by: DarePDX at August 16, 2006 10:23 PMThis story made me think of 'The Little Engine that Could." Not so much the motivational theme but the description of the train loaded down with lots of good things for the town like wholesome foods, lolliepops for after dinner treats, and toys for the children. I began to imagine all the wonderful things that the train could bring to the Pearl; cases of Chardoney, organic produce, brie, and flat bed cars filled with crappy art for all the galleries.
Posted by: Tom at August 17, 2006 06:39 AMand "the little engine that could" is now sold at Starbucks!
Posted by: Don Bevington at August 17, 2006 02:18 PMIsn't there a large neon sign on the side of a building in the Pearl that says "Go by Train"??
Posted by: Lily at August 18, 2006 07:55 PMHmmm. It's not really about the trains is it? Sounds like you folks are suffering from a bad case of Pearl-life envy.
Posted by: mary t at August 21, 2006 03:42 PM[Posted as indicated; restored later.]
Posted by Blog restoration | August 14, 2007 2:53 AM