Portland still bears the scars of 2020's unrest and lockdown, and change is coming very slowly.

Why it matters: Missing or marred landmarks affect the image of Portland. With fewer office workers and tourists on the streets, it can seem like a recovery stalemate.

The big picture: The Apple Store, the bronze Thompson Elk Fountain, and the buildings around City Hall, are duller and quieter than before 2020's layoffs, lockdowns and unrest.

State of play: Gov. Tina Kotek and her downtown task force declared in December that the plywood on public buildings "sends the wrong signal to visitors" and should be removed by June's Rose Festival.

• The Justice Center, the federal courthouse, and the old Multnomah County Courthouse are all mummified by plywood.
• The old courthouse is being converted to offices, a plan hatched by owner NBP Capital in 2018.

Next door, City Hall is being remodeled to make room for seven more council members, and the work is expected to be done by Jan. 1, 2025.

Zoom in: The Thompson Elk and its fountain base stood at SW Main Street between 3rd and 4th avenues from 1900 to July 2020 when it was vandalized.

• Arts Commissioner Dan Ryan said the return of the elk fountain is about more than a monument: "It's a symbolic gesture linked to the healing and restoration of Portland itself," he told Axios.
• A multibureau $1.5 million refurbishment is underway.
• Work on the new fountain and pedestal will begin in the summer for completion by the end of the year, according to Portland City Arts program manager Jeff Hawthorne.

Yes, but:  Let's hope the Thompson Elk Fountain redo goes better than the reopening of the Apple Store at Pioneer Place.

Go deeper to see what happened

Two Portland-area eateries — one known for its cozy bowls of umami-soaked noodles and the other for its chicken and waffles — landed on Yelp's list of the best 100 places to eat in the U.S.

• Yelp used ratings, review volume and on-the-ground analysis to curate the list.

State of plate: The Riv Cafe and Lucky Cat Ramen are the only Oregon spots featured on the crowd review site's annual collection of the nation's top restaurants.

• Located in The Dalles in a century-old stone church, The Riv Cafe — known for its expansive menu full of Benedicts, sandwiches and breakfast basics — secured the No. 60 spot.
• It was also included in Yelp's 2022 list, at No. 10. If you go, be sure to play the piano in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Lucky Cat Ramen, tucked inside H Mart at the Tigard Marketplace, placed No. 62. Many reviewers called the small, 15-seat shop a sleeper hit.

• "The ramen tastes exactly how I had it in Japan," one Yelper said. "The noodles are the perfect consistency and the broth is so flavorful."

The intrigue: No Portland-proper restaurants made it onto this list, despite many nabbing top honors from prestigious institutions and on best-of lists in the past.

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⏪ Democratic lawmakers confirmed that when the short session begins next month, back on the docket will be a proposal to roll back voter-approved Measure 110 and make minor drug possession a crime again. (The Oregonian)

🌉 The aging Hood River-White Salmon Bridge is closer to a serious upgrade as it was awarded a $200 million federal grant for rebuilding. But that's only 40% of what rebuilding the bridge — which has been deemed structurally unsound — is expected to cost. (OPB)

🤔 An architecture firm is considering building a two-story entertainment venue in the old Nordstrom space inside Lloyd Center. (Willamette Week)

🛫 Frontier Airlines will add three direct flights from PDX to Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco and Ontario, California, starting in April. (Portland Business Journal)

📅 Upcoming events around the city.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

Y'all are good at this.

🌹 In 1913, when Peninsula Park opened, its sunken rose garden, modeled after classic French architecture, and a decorative fountain were the talk of the town — drawing 300,000 visitors in its inaugural year (more than the city's population at the time).

Flashback: The Rose Festival was held here until 1917, when Washington Park's International Rose Test Garden opened, making Peninsula Park a hidden gem treasured by locals.

• It's also home to Portland's first community center, which features a pool, tennis courts and an octagonal bandstand.
• The 16 acres that Peninsula Park sits on was also once a horse-racing track and car park owned by Liverpool Liz, a businesswoman who ran a popular saloon in Old Town before the city bought it for $60,000 in 1909.

🎊 We're feeling generous, so congrats to Dave S., Laurie D. and Thomas N. for nailing down many of these historical facts!

• We'll always email winners directly.