Nightlife to die for

Well, that was quick. On Tuesday I wrote about how crazy you would have to be to actually try to hang out in the city's spiffy new "public plaza," Couch Street between Third and Fourth in Old Town. Last night, about an hour after sunset, one person was shot dead and two others wounded, one to a life-threatening degree, in a drive-by shooting a block and a half from there. The murder occurred about the length of a football field away from the plaza, on Fifth just around the corner from Couch, toward Burnside. On the Max line, of course.

As depressing as this news is, it reveals the genius of the public plaza. If you can't drive your car down the street, you can't commit a drive-by shooting there. Win-win!

At about the same time, another shooting took place at Southeast 121st and Holgate. There was no immediate word that I could find on whether anyone was hit out there.

But hey, lest our civic spirit be dampened, the Blumenauer Bike Bridge is officially opening tomorrow. Priorities, people! Jo Ann With the Bullhorn and Earl the Pearl himself will give scintillating speeches under the noonday sun, celebrating the "vibrancy" of the Lloyd Center as they cut the ribbon on the city's newest monument to arrested development. Then after a nice ride, they're going to have a "block party" at 7th and Sandy that runs until 10 p.m. Let's hope it doesn't turn into a Glock party. Tell you what: You go and let me know how it went.