From the first day I stumbled upon Delta Carts on Instagram (before they were even open!) I knew I wanted to bike over there and check it out. I finally did that the other day and you can come along with me in my latest video.
Why was I excited for Delta Carts? Yes I like good food carts and I like biking to them, but there was something more. I know that the Delta Park Shopping Center has a bad reputation for safety because of all the people who live outside in that area, and it only got worse when Shari’s Cafe at the entrance of the shopping center closed about one year ago. So having a quality cart pod could really boost that area by giving it more people outside of cars and a vibrant, community-oriented feel. I also knew, as a Piedmont neighborhood resident (near Peninsula Park), that the route to the carts would be really cool.
After rolling over there a few days ago, my hunches turned out to be right. The pod is great and I enjoyed getting there on my bike almost as much as I enjoyed the food.
As you can see in the video, there are seven solid food carts already and more on the way. I met the owner of one of them, Ta Bueno Né’!’s Yonny Huitzal, whose optimism for the future of the cart pod and personal dedicated to his family’s dream business (he runs it with his son and daughter) is so infectious I was able to eat one of his burritos even though I wasn’t super hungry (he insisted!). Coming from a cart pod on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd that was in a parking lot, Yonny loves the open space at Delta, as well as the fresh green grass, the shady tables, and the clean restrooms. I loved the bike parking — quality staple racks located right up front and finished in BikePortland orange.
How about getting there by bike? You’ll see how slow-and-steady improvements to Portland’s bike network work together to deliver a route that is pretty darn good (especially if you take the greenway alternate instead of N Interstate Avenue as I explain in the video). I got there using the neighborhood greenway right outside my door (N Michigan Ave), then a carfree bridge over I-5, then a bike lane to two bike paths, which led me to a protected bike lane that delivered me almost right to the entrance to Delta Carts.
Keep in mind there are several other ways you could get there. Another option would be N Vancouver Rd to the Columbia Slough Path, then onto N Whitaker Rd. And in the video I share a route from N Buffalo near Fred Meyer that lets you avoid N Interstate Ave and keeps you on the N Concord/Fenwick neighborhood all the way to Mayfly Plaza in Kenton. If you’re coming from St. Johns, you can cross Columbia Blvd at Portsmouth, then connect to Whitaker via the path by the Wastewater Plan and the Columbia Slough path. Try different things to figure out what works for you.
But enough reading! Go watch the video and check it all out for yourself. Then when you’re done, plan a trip to Delta Carts with a friend or three and tell Yonny you want to try one of his panuchos (a handmade friend tortilla).
— Follow Delta Carts and Ta Bueno Ne! on Instagram. Check out my route on RideWithGPS.
Thanks for reading.
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Cool vid! Reminds me of the guy who shows London cycle routes.
The ride from NE is also nice up Williams until the crossing of Lombard and Columbia hwy on Vancouver. Also goes onto the slough. The plastic bollards could be improved, but I frequently have to leave the bike lane to get around people or large items that are blocking the lane.
Nice video Jonathon but I don’t know if I agree that ride is all ages and abilities.
I think it’s definitely good for all ages and abilities if you don’t take the N Interstate Ave part. I just uploaded a new map with the N Buffalo > Concord > Fenwick neighborhood greenway route instead of Interstate (like I mentioned in the video).
I mean, it stays on n’hood greenways, bike paths and protected bike lanes. What part of that isn’t all ages and abilities?
More often than not it is clear, but just often enough I’ve had to go off trail and ride on the bank to get around a tent or avoid being run over by an unauthorized vehicle that I am 100% done with the Slough trail. That’s the stretch from Vancouver to Whitaker, and the underpass from Denver is even more dicey.
As acceptable risks go, I’m happier flying down a blind corner in the West HIlls on my road bike than the drugs, off-leash dogs, and stolen cars encountered riding the cargo bike on off-street paths.
little old man I am. I have biked the Slough a couple times a month all summer and found it ok. No one has ever bothered me. I will visit the carts soon. Thank you Bike Portland for the info.
Jonathan, I’m curious about the balaclava you were wearing. Is that to keep the sun off your neck? Does it keep you cooler, or is it to serve another purpose?
Hi. Yes I use it for sun protection. I’ll get it wet sometimes which is really nice. But mostly I try to avoid direct sun in the middle of the day if I can.
As someone who lives on Lombard a bit further towards St Johns, it is deeply frustrating how ODOT manages the road. They seem to be solely concerned with port truck and car traffic, and actively hostile to any pedestrian or cycling infrastructure. Fun how ODOT is bad at safety pretty much across the board!