Surveying the scene from a second-floor terrace was Sharron van der Meulen, managing partner at ZGF Architects and a creative force behind the showstopping centerpiece mass-timber ceiling. It was a first chance to register traveler reactions. The little figures walking below were now real people, not models in a rendering. “I feel giddy,” she says. “I’m just overjoyed with everybody’s reaction. It’s incredible. It’s still PDX. But it’s bigger. It’s better. Because of the use of wood, it really feels like home. It’s phenomenal.” Just like real people, visitors’ opinions differ widely and can’t be accounted for. Eric and Betty Staniak stood in place admiring the overhead view. “We’ve been looking at this from afar, from the lounge. It’s been just endless construction,” she says. “It’s so worth the wait, and it feels very Portland modern. I’m looking up at these beautiful videos that are showing cultural things from around Oregon, and I think that’s a lovely touch.” The Portland natives split time between Oregon and Nevada. Knowing the terminal opened the day of their departure, they arrived early to take it all in. “All that time, it was hard to imagine what this was going to be,” Eric says. “We couldn’t figure it out. So it’s neat to see how it all came together.” Most people interviewed liked the new look and layout. All preferred it to the construction site they had to navigate for five years. “It’s just gorgeous,” says visiting Phoenix resident Shelby England. “We were just saying how wonderful it all looks.” The feeling wasn’t universal. Arriving home, Vancouver resident Dean Robinson was unimpressed. “I don’t like it,” Robinson says. “It’s terrible. For one thing, it took too long. Second thing, it was over budget. Third, they’re going to have to redo it all at some point. The whole process to get people through here — I’m already lost. When I flew out, it was the old, crappy airport. I fly back and it’s worse.” One regular business traveler who declined to give his full name offered qualified praise. “I mean this is nice and all, but the real test is going to be at security and if I can actually get to my gate without a hike. Checking in has been a pain in the ass. Going through customs is still a pain in the ass here. But yeah, it’s nice that they finally got their s--t together. “It’s the first pro-business thing they’ve done in this state in 10 years.” Online n Go to OregonBusiness. com/SuperFly to read Garrett Andrew’s feature story about the construction of PDX’s new terminal. Traveler Dean Robinson wasn’t impressed. Eric and Betty Staniak, who travel regularly through PDX, admired the improvements. 60
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