Weird Portland Wednesday: Flying Carpet

Some cities identify by their sports teams.  Take Pittsburgh.  Big news, front page news, is about the Steelers, about the Penguins, the Pirates.  Portland, as much as we love the Trailblazers, don't necessarily identify with them.  No, we love to keep things weird.  We have this love relationship and a strong identity with the carpet at Portland International Airport.

For years and years, Portlanders have stood on this carpet and snapped pictures of their feet standing on it.  Yes, if you GOOGLE PDX carpet and standings or PDX feet selfies, you will find hundreds of examples of people who have snapped these feet selfies.  

We have shoes by NIKE, Adidas, and KEEN made with this pattern.  We have socks, shirts, cell phone covers, purses, and sports gear with the pattern.  People even have tattoos of the pattern. We have a beer--Rogue beer--with the pattern on the label.  The carpet has it's own Facebook page.  It might seem strange for a city to identify with a carpet, but this is Portland we are taking about.

The love affair with PDX carpet has come to a frenzy because the carpet is leaving, being replaced by a new carpet with a new pattern.  People were grabbing feet selfies like crazy.  Pieces of the carpet are for sale.  I even thought it would be cool to have a little piece of carpet framed for my wall...a little piece of history.  But probably not.

New carpet has been installed...new feet selfies will be created.  We will love the new but mourn the passing of the old.

Ringing in the new

Remember--enjoy life and keep things weird when you can.
peace~~~