Beloved by children, librarians, and the entire world for sixty years, Beverly Cleary’s Ramona Quimby calls Portland, Oregon home. I know without a doubt one of the reasons I am a librarian today is because I loved books so much as a child and so much of that love existed thanks to the works of Beverly Cleary. I can so clearly see in my mind’s eye Ramona stomping up and down Klickitat Street on her coffee can stilts. While in Portland, I couldn’t miss a chance to finally see the REAL Klickitat Street!
If you’re not flying out until Sunday and have some time to fill on Saturday afternoon, it’s easy to visit Ramona’s World. Here are step-by-step directions on how you can make the voyage. The trip is a fast one and should take you no more than 30 minutes, round-trip.
Start at the Oregon Convention Center.
Head north on Martin Luther King Blvd.
Turn right on Multnomah Street.
Take the 73 bus on North 33rd Ave. towards Sunderland.
(one adult bus ticket is $2.30 one way, or you can use a valid TriMet pass.)
Exit the bus on the Grant Park stop. On your way towards the park, look out your left side window on NE 33rd to see Beverly Cleary Elementary School!
In Grant Park, you’ll find three statues: Henry Huggins, his dog Ribsy, and Ramona herself. There are plaques on the ground commemorating Cleary’s works and featuring quotes and you’re almost certain to find children playing with and interacting with the statues. Just like the books, children recognize friends in Cleary’s characters. On my visit, a toddler couldn’t be pried off Ribsy, who she was pretending to ride around. “He’s her favorite, we come every day,” said her smiling nanny.
From Grant Park, walk up 33rd Street approximately five blocks to the famous home of the Quimby family: Klickitat Street.
My visit to Ramona was a reminder that it was a librarian (Beverly Cleary) who wanted to tell the truth about children who helped me find my place as a librarian. While you’re at PLA, make sure you take some time in-between all the programs and exhibits to think of the person/people who helped you get here in the first place!
(special thanks to my navigator, Erin Waller, Director of the Saline County Library System.)
There are 1 Comments to "Visit “Ramona’s World” in Portland"
Erin has been my official “navigator” since about 1996 when she was about Ramona Quimby’s age 9 or 10). She, too, loved Beverly Cleary’s books. Her love of reading made it possible for her to become an expert map reader. (Remember, in 1996 GPS systems were not used by many folks.) Each summer Erin would “man the travel maps” as her mom (me) drove the car and our family explored various regions of the South.