By Megan Gobble | Contributing Writer
Have you a walking style? Concordia suits everyone. There’s the early morning “coffee shuffle” to the various houses of caffeine. The mid-morning strut, taking a sack and gloves to pick up debris or sniff flowers. The late-afternoon walk-run wearing a heavy pack. The fast-paced trot to a restaurant for dinner and the lazy waddle home. Please travel in friend groups while on a nighttime bar stroll.
Portland’s street grid of 20 blocks per mile makes for quick walking around. The short blocks seem to pass fast and the scenery is diverse. The Concordia neighborhood runs from NE 22nd Ave. to NE 42nd Ave., and Columbia Blvd. to Alberta Court and Prescott, roughly 1 by 1.3 miles.
Oh, the people you will see. Babies and kiddos and old folks, oh my. Generations of neighbors evolving from strollers, to balance bikes, to pedal bikes, then eventually walkers and wheelchairs. Many humans walk doggy companions: Moxie the papillon, the corgi bunch, sweaterclad chihuahuas. All are eager to walk and meet others at Alberta or Fernhill Parks.
Concordia’s rather quirky. No two homes are the same: 110-year old Craftsman, 1950’s mid-century modern, 2020’s minimalist. Some gardens cater to bees, others artwork, still others to books and shared items. The streets and alleys that start paved, become gravel. The alleys between 25th and 33rd seem like a path through the country. There’s a nature trail at NE Going and 25/26th. Other alleys have chickens and tilled gardens amid blackberry brambles. As summer progresses, alleys transform into jungles, so take your boots and a stick.
A healthy habit I picked up in my teens is parking a distance away and walking to a store or restaurant. There are no conflicts over the closest parking spot, plus you have an excuse to exercise. Now in my late 60s, I leave my car at home and walk everywhere. There are several walkable hubs for food and shopping in Concordia: NE 42nd Avenue, Alberta Street, Killingsworth at NE 30th Ave, and NE 33rd Ave.
If you can walk five kilometers (three miles), there are further hubs to explore. I walk to NE Fremont and NE 42nd for sports shoes, to MLK for my dentist, and to Fremont and NE 15th to buy gently used clothes for my grandkids; all an easy 3 miles in a one- hour round trip.
Walking groups provide another healthy habit; social interaction. There is Concordia Walkers on Facebook, hiking/running groups on Meetup, and volkswalking through the Oregon Trails State Volkssport Association. Whether you walk on your own, with your dogs, or with your family and friends, say “Hi” to your neighbors and Mother Earth as you go by.
Megan is the SW2 rep and a retired nurse/ engineer. She travels, bikes, hikes, and swims along with her local multigenerational family. Stay active, be healthy.