'The Simpsons' bridges generations and more in Portland
Ned Flanders Crossing beckons as the show celebrates its 800th episode
Hi-diddly-ho, Examinerinos. In preparation for tonight’s 8 p.m. “Simpsons” special, “Irrational Treasure,” why not take a stroll across Ned Flanders Crossing? It’s the 800th episode of the show, the longest running primetime scripted program on TV.
Built in 2021, the bike/pedestrian crossing was initially called the Flanders Street Crossing until the Portland Bureau of Transportation renamed it in honor of the character on “The Simpsons,” created by Matt Groening. Ned Flanders is Homer’s neighbor, a relentlessly upbeat and toxically positive foil to Homer’s misfortunes. In the past, Ned’s face has been stenciled onto the images of bike riders on the crossing’s bicycle lanes.
Groening grew up in Portland (you’re new here if you didn’t know), and references to Portland streets and Groening’s childhood abound in the characters’ names and landmarks. He went to Ainsworth Elementary and Lincoln High School, as did I.
In tonight’s special, Homer and Marge attend a dog show in Philadelphia and bring along their pooch, Santa’s Little Helper, whom Homer and Bart rescued from the dog races on Christmas Eve on the show’s first episode. A dog trainer in the special is voiced by Quinta Brunson of “Abbott Elementary.” Kevin Bacon, Questlove and The Roots also play roles.
It was a brisk day up on the crossing. The traffic roared from Interstate 405 below. Some pedestrians in flapping blue parkas barreled along ahead of me, and I couldn’t catch up to them. A man crouched at the west end of the bridge, sorting through his backpack with an unnaturally deep focus. I noted a bit of graffiti here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. Ran an errand at Pearl Hardware before heading back over the crossing.
On the return trip I stumbled into Matta Café, a beautiful coffeeshop that specializes in Colombian coffee. Ordered an horchata latte and then saw Mattt Zmuda (aka the force behind “MultNoMo” ) seated at a table with his petition to fuse city and county governments into one functioning entity. If voters approve, we will no longer be stuck in a city/county sandwich. Zmuda says he often hosts office hours at the coffee shop if you want to stop by.