Five times a summer, in different parts of the city, Portland closes a few streets to cars and funny thing happens: people of all ages come rushing out to play in the streets. And man is it inspiring, as I think our film for Sunday Parkways captures pretty well.

To really capture the spirit of the event, we knew we had to be in it, not alongside it. So we asked Bill Stites to pilot us on the back of his awesome creation, the electric Truck Trike (stitesdesign.com/). That allowed us to talk with people as they enjoyed the event — and with the fluidity that, I think, makes you feel you’re there as well.

But what an amazing project for a filmmaker: to see so many parts of a great city so close up, and better, such a diversity of faces, all incredulously happy to be, well, playing in the street – their largest public space, our longest park. I love this place.