FOR PAWNBROKERS, BY PAWNBROKERS
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Oregon Takes the Floor
Oregon Takes the Floor
By Beth Anundi, Capital Pawn in Oregon
Want to know what makes my state unique? In Oregon we don’t have to pump our own gas, we don’t have sales tax, but we do have a crazy carpet in our airport that has become a phenomenon!
“Outdated,” “unfashionable,” and “charming”
– these are the words used to describe it.
Installed in the early 1990s, this carpet gained a cult following due to its departure from the muted colors used in airports at the time. The geometric design, said to depict the north and south runways as seen by air traffic controllers, is set on a vibrant teal background. Honestly, most visitors think it is simply a crazy and outlandish carpet; however, with the advent of social media the hashtag #PDXCarpet was born and thousands of photos of the shoes of PDX travelers started gracing accounts all over the web.
Most Oregonians who travel are aware of this ludicrous carpet and its cult following and many post their own shoes on the carpet as they leave and return from their home state. Sadly, replacing the carpet started in 2015 and the new carpet has never really risen to the same notoriety as the lively teal carpet. In the last decade Oregonians have seen less and less of the famous carpet, and we miss it! *
So, during the Legislative Conference when we saw the carpet pieces prominently displayed in the DC offices of Oregon Senators Wyden and Merkley and Oregon Congresswomen Bonamici and Salinas, we knew we had to take a photo of our traveling shoes on the well-known and much-loved PDX carpet.
Although flying across the country to meet with lawmakers on their turf can feel daunting, there’s no denying that a little taste of home—even underfoot—can make a long day in D.C. feel a little less like a political circus and a little more like a friendly neighborhood pawn shop.
Maybe by next year’s conference we can convince everyone on the Hill to swap out their tired old carpets for something a little more… Oregonian.
Editor’s note: Since the authoring of this article, the Port of Portland announced it would bring back the beloved “PDX Carpet” when renovations to the new main terminal are completed later this year.