Finally managed to drive downtown!

[Lunar Delta]

If you didn't know, my primary driving fear is downtown driving. Anywhere else, I am a very skillful and confident driver, but the claustrophobic setting, combined with an abundance of one-way streets always seems to give me a panic attack. I thought I would take it easy and picked a simple destination on the edge of town without too many tall buildings. I studied it carefully and even used Google Earth to get a first-person view of the streets from eye-level. Knowing what everything looked like ahead of time really helped.

During my trip, I came to the realization that it isn't one-way streets per se that bother me, but a combination of one-way streets, massive amounts of pedestrians, and tall buildings creating a rushed and cramped atmosphere. I made it to my destination (the local mall) in once piece with no incidents.

I almost had a panic attack on the way back when I thought the on ramp might be closed because I saw orange barrels and cones everywhere (it wasn't, luckily) but then I took a deep breath and reminded myself that the road I was on goes straight through the city and back onto the highway. In a worst case scenario, I could keep going perfectly straight and make my way into a familiar area and back onto the interstate. I regained my confidence after that and made it home without incident.

I feel that I can now start to take on more challenging routes, such as actually going into downtown Portland proper. Maybe I'll visit Powell's bookstore!