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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Getting There

PDX Carpet: Which side are you on?

If you've been to the Portland International Airport, you've probably noticed the carpet. 

You also probably had one of two thoughts. Either, hey wow that's neat! Or, hey that's really ugly.

"The PDX carpet is a loud, decidedly 80s geometric pattern over a vast sea of teal. The carpet, it is said, is based on the way the runways and lights look from the air traffic control tower; another story has it as representative of the air traffic control radar screen," says a blogpost on 99% Invisible

Regardless, it's become something of a thing to take pictures of your feet when you're at the airport, which does two things for Portlanders: shows off that they're in Portland, thus they're supercool, and shows off whatever supercool shoes they're wearing. Win-win.

I bring this up because the carpet is being removed. To commemorate the carpet, the incomparable, fantastic brewmasters at Rogue made a beer called PDX Carpet. Someone made socks with the pattern. Someone else got a tattoo of the pattern. 

There's even a Rendered Radio podcast about the dreaded carpet removal, done in conjunction between 99% Invisible. Listen to it below.

Express your outrage in the comments. Or take pictures of your shoes with the Spokane airport's carpet underfoot and post those in the comments.

Photo courtesy @pdxcarpet on Twitter. Yep, there's a twitter feed.



Nicholas Deshais
Joined The Spokesman-Review in 2013. He is the urban issues reporter, covering transportation, housing, development and other issues affecting the city. He also writes the Getting There transportation column and The Dirt, a roundup of construction projects, new businesses and expansions. He previously covered Spokane City Hall.

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