Tattooed street

One of the main thoroughfares in our neighborhood, Division Street, has gone through major transformations in the last few years. Condos now line the street where there used to be small shops and a few restaurants. The condos are big and imposing, glass and steel boxes, retail and upscale restaurants at street level and apartments above. The vision is for a pedestrian neighborhood - the condos have very little off-street parking - but the reality is a lot of frustrated drivers looking for parking spots. 

One thing that hasn't changed is the presence of murals - every block has some interesting artwork on the sides and fronts of buildings. Portland used to have restrictions on murals, but after long legal battles, the restrictions were finally lifted, and the artists have gone to town.

I don't pretend to understand the meaning of many of the murals - some are abstract or feature characters I'm not familiar with. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying them. The cat's cradle theme in this one is repeated in another around the corner (one of the two extra photos). The other extra expands this one so you can see more of the painting.