Max Orange Line

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for the orange line! I know there was a lot of controversy surrounding whether or not people would ride it, but if the park and rides are any indication, people are basking in their rush hour free commutes. In the morning I pass by the traffic I used to sit in everyday, and my heart lightens as I enjoy my book instead of cursing at the drives ahead. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who made the orange line a reality!

It is most prudent that the Portland area decided to add a fifth light rail line. The line goes to downtown, to Southeast Portland and finally to Milwaukee, along with vice versa. A typical stop is half covered and half not, with two benches which have a few seats each, one covered and one not, along with a television showing the arrivals. The green line is sometimes inferior regarding seats.
Riding the line for the first time was a joy. I loved seeing plenty of both natural and artificial beauty alike. When the train goes towards Milwaukee, it goes on fifth avenue. When the train goes towards downtown, if goes on sixth avenue. While some of the train stops may seem boring, they may have great communities lurking beside them even in that case. Riding the orange is efficient due to it having plenty of rights of way.
All aboard the Orange Line.

«Catch (ing) the Orange» is a damn good thing … catching a myriad of other things, not so much. Yesterday, amidst much fanfare and under sunny skies, MAX’s new Orange Line opened for business.
The Orange Line is Trimet’s latest extension, connecting Milwaukie to the center of Portland, using Tilikum Crossing to cross the Willamette River and then aligning itself with the Green and Gold MAX lines on 5^th Avenue and 6^th Avenue along the entire north-​south swath of downtown Portland’s transit mall. And Trimet knew how to incentivize people to show up for the party. Just making the Orange Line free to the public would have been sort of meh, so they went all out with an «open house» for the entire transit system, including the aerial tram.
The Orange Line is actually fairly short, meaning that, once on the east side of the river, the number of stops aren’t that many and it doesn’t take very long to get from downtown to Milwaukie, or vice-​versa. The route goes south into Milwaukie’s «Main Street USA» type downtown and then continues southward and up the hill for a longer trek to its terminus, at Park Avenue, where there is a park and ride structure. This train line is a step in the right direction.
While not affecting the rating, yesterday’s opening was largely well organized, with a question mark here and there. There was a queue at the south terminus for people to climb aboard. They did not fill the train to allow for more people to get on at other stops en route to downtown. At some stations, the train would pick up passengers … and then wait … and wait. Then, people’s Darwinian side showed up as they scrambled to snag a parking spot in the park and ride structure in Milwaukie. The structure looks much like the one in Clackamas, though smaller, and there are these weird decorative «logs» that stick out of the ground next to it, pointing in random directions. From one of the stops (Tacoma-​Johnson Creek), one is so close to the Acropolis that they can almost touch it. Banish that thought. AT&T was only speaking figuratively when they had the «reach out and touch someone» campaign. Lastly, while they had performers, knick knacks, and handy Trimet maps and schedules, they didn’t have any free hot dogs and soft drinks. Oh what the hell … Trimet carted people all over the metro area free of charge for an entire day. That was a fair trade-​off.
I’m not giving the Orange Line 5 stars because of its length. It would have been fantastic if it followed McLoughlin Blvd. all the way down into Oregon City, the county seat for Clackamas County, with its governmental functions and offices. With the end of the line staring right at the parking structure, such an extension southward doesn’t look like it will be in the plans for a long while. However, I was really happy to hear from one person who seemed knowledgeable that Trimet’s next big thing is figuring out how to take light rail down into Southwest, where going via I-​5 means curves, hills and dales, and bumper to bumper traffic at some hours.
Lastly, as I was in line to return, behind me was a very nice couple from Dortmund, Germany on vacation. They had bought day passes, oblivious to the Orange Line’s opening and the freebie experience. My friends say I have a magnet that reels in foreigners. Or is it a sign over my head saying «Welcome Wagon to the U.S.A.?»
If you «caught the Orange» yesterday, then you know what I’m talking about. If you didn’t and its route dovetails your transit needs, be sure to ride MAX’s new Orange Line at some point in the future.

So far so good. Nice and clean and goes to Milwaukie!
Looks like it will be popular if today is any indication.
I know I will be taking it.