Portland is one animated city!
Wanted to take a quick break to talk about something that’s really important: “The Simpsons”. I think we owe it to the visitors to our city.
You probably know that Matt Groening, hallowed be his name, (the creator of the Simpsons) is from Portland. But did you know that a lot of the characters’ names on the show come from Portland streets?
>Ned Flanders – Flanders St. (Check the sign in NE Portland. Usually someone has written in a “D” to read “NED Flanders St.).
>Reverend Timothy Lovejoy – Lovejoy St.
>Mayor “Diamond” Joe Quimby – Quimby Street (Supposedly the “Diamond” comes from a crooked Portland police chief with the same nickname.)
>Charles Montgomery Burns – An abbreviation of Burnside St.
>Robert “Sideshow Bob” Underdunk Terwilliger – Terwilliger Blvd.
>Milhouse Van Houten – Van Houten Ave.
From Hotel deLuxe, nearly all these streets are close enough for you to make your own Simpsons walking tour. Just tell people it’s part of the Lewis & Clark trail.
That’s all, folks,
“Diamond” Lance
