The answer is 42nd Avenue

The question is, how do Douglas Adams’ fans want to honor the humorous science fiction writer?

By Jennifer Anderson

The Portland Tribune, Aug 12, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (27 Reader comments)

Courtesy of Aaron Duran

British author Douglas Adams

Last year, a public outcry erupted over the seemingly simple request to rename North Interstate Avenue after civil rights leader Cesar Chavez.

The proposal failed, in part because of complaints about the public process and in part because of accusation of racism by naysayers and resulting frustration by city leaders.

This time the Chavez advocates will try again, using a public process strictly outlined by Portland City Code. The City Council is set to approve Wednesday morning an ordinance “reaffirming” its intent to follow existing procedures for renaming streets.

But behind this high-profile initiative is another, more low-key effort to rename a street in Portland — one that’s already garnered the attention of science fiction fans worldwide.

Inspired by the Chavez discussions last year, Northeast Portland’s Aaron Duran and his group of early-30-something friends hope to rename 42nd Avenue after British author Douglas Adams.

Adams is best known for his “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” science fiction saga, written for the British Broadcast Corp. and broadcast as a radio series in 1978. It was later adapted as a 1981 BBC TV series, published as a book and made as a 2005 Hollywood movie.

In Adams’ original series and subsequent versions, a character asks the “Ultimate Question” to a computer called “Deep Thought.” The question is, what is the answer to “Life, the Universe and Everything?” After seven and a half million years, the computer replies that the answer is “42.”

Keeping Portland weird

The humor and quest for meaning in Adams’ work has spawned a cult following around the world. But, to Duran’s knowledge, no other city street has taken his name.

What a better place for it to happen than a city whose residents pride themselves on their “Keep Portland weird” bumper stickers, Duran thought.

“There seems to be this attitude that Portland’s just a little more quirky than most in the U.S.,” he said. “So where else would we have a street named in his honor?”

So the Adams renaming group is in full gear, having just gotten the green light from the city’s Office of Transportation this week after submitting an initial application.

“We’re trying to go through the proper channels so it looks like we’re not just a bunch of crazy fans,” said Duran, 32, a freelance writer who runs a pop culture Web site, www.geekinthecity.com, as well as writes comics, scripts and film and game reviews from his home in the Hollywood district.

Duran said he’s aware of the heated feelings over the Chavez debacle, but doesn’t want people to think his group is leading the Adams renaming effort “in some wacky protest to the Chavez group,” he said. “It just made us think about the renaming process, and it went from there.”

PDOT has also approved the initial application by the Chavez renaming group. The agency also has set aside $35,000 to hire a consultant to facilitate street renaming discussions, no matter which proposal is on the agenda.

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit