It’s kind of sad to say, but even though I have grown up in Portland and lived here for most of my life, I have never actually gone on the OHSU tram! The tram takes riders from the South Waterfront area of Portland up to OHSU, or Oregon Health and Science University. OHSU is both a hospital and school, with different locations scattered throughout Portland, but the main building is up in the SW Hills. It employs many people, most of whom take the tram every day to get to work (there is barely any parking on the hill).

Now that the South Waterfront area of Portland is getting much more built up, the area is more of an attraction. It used to be completely industrial just a few short years ago, but now houses high-end condominiums, apartments, shops and restaurants.

David and I decided to make a day of exploring the South Waterfront, taking the tram up to OHSU, and taking the new MAX (our form of a metro system) orange line across the river to SE Portland for The Wedge Cheese Festival! The tram was definitely one of the highlights, as it affords gorgeous views of the river, the hills, and downtown Portland. The day we chose had gorgeous weather, and the leaves were just starting to change, making the views amazing. The tram only costs $2.50 to ride round trip, and you are able to stay at OHSU as long as you would like, which is definitely worth exploring. I would suggest making a day out of it like we did and exploring both the South Waterfront and inner SE!