DKfix

Hey if you don't mind send me a PM when you get back. I would like to hear about Portland!

R6G

Portland is a great place to live, and SE part of the city is definitely my favorite. Great food and beer, and very bike friendly. Among other builders, Sacha White (Vanilla) is there. And if you are looking for something really unique, check out Chunk 666 bikes.

endform

Sub 300/month rent (a room in a house, usually w/o utilities) is easy to find and a real possibility. I don't live in a "hip" part of town but my rent is dirt cheap, although living near i5 kinda blows sometimes because of the noise. Sellwood has lots of affordable rent. Sketchy areas are supposedly to be found the further east you get on powell, around 80th is the domain of the meth fairies or so I've heard. There's still the spacy drivers who don't see you which are a problem anywhere, although the further you get to Lake-No-Negro (I mean, Lake Oswego) the more aggressive *******s you will find.

Also the up and coming-ness of the Mississippi area is f'ed up, they drove out all the black business owners and now are gentrifying like crazy.

weed eater

Roger that, I just thought it seemed a little less whitey-falling-from-the-sky than Alberta. Not sure why. the somewhat extreme gentrification in both places really turned me off, though.

edit: endform, whereabouts do you live, if you don't mind me asking? what's your impression of the woodstock/reed area? (the one place we didn't have a chance to check out) -- thanks

Matthew A Brown

Last summer I was in Portland (PDX for short) for about a month. The first thing I did was have some brownies from my friend's fridge. An hour later I was stoned out of my mind. I love PDX. That's a different story.


I'm going off of spotty memory here, but at one point I was crossing NE 33rd Ave kinda below where it kicks up nice and steep towards Fremont. Four lanes, pretty busy. I'm just kinda sitting at the cross street waiting for a gap to open up when traffic stops for no reason at all. I look around, check behind me to see if there was an ambulance or cop with just lights on, or maybe a 23 foot gorilla or something. Nothing. Someone waves at me, I blink, realize what's going on, and cross 33rd Ave.


This was just after doing 2,000 miles from Tampa to NYC. There is no way ****ing way such an event will ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever transpire on the east coast. Unless, maybe, maybe, breasts are involved.

podman

i suggest as some others have that you look into Sellwood.
it is has a sweet spot right on the springwater corridor which can fly you about four miles down a smoothly paved wooded trail ending near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry...

https://www.mind.net/dlmark/Esplanade...d%20Bridge.jpg

where you soon can hang a left over a bridge to downtown or hop on the esplanade portion of the corridor that floats right on the river...

https://www.mind.net/dlmark/Esplanade...alkway%202.jpg

which will land you downtown as well... without a chance of being hit by car.

i live in the westhills of Portland (multnomah village to be exact) and went out of my way to make this commute to Sellwood and then downtown for quite awhile. it is by far my favorite commute to make, the scenery is great and i couldn't imagine a more stressfree ride into a heavily populated area.

then if you had business east from Sellwood it is very accessable from this same Springwater corridor that is all pretty much free from car traffic save for a few crossings here and there.
my only gripe is the trail needs repaving east of Sellwood.

.

weed eater

podman, how is the springwater trail at night? decently lit?

podman

it is not lit at all south of the museum, OMSI.

north would be better but still not well lit.. a headlight is a great idea but not a necessity from OMSI to downtown... but from Sellwood it is a need.

podman

the eastern portions of it would all require a good headlight.. it really meanders through some different areas.

mikdes

Yes. I don't know a lot of the details, but I used to work with a guy who was in to that (I was in to it in college 15 years ago) scene and he always had a show to see.

For it's size Portland is about as diverse of a city, in all ways, as you can find. I've lived here nearly my entire life (28 of 36 years). The weather isn't as bad as people say. Basically, with the right rain gear, one can ride nearly 365 days a year. Today was about 75 and overcast, but right now it's clear and beautiful. First day of summer, I'll be able to see light in the sky at nearly 11 pm. Yesterday it was about 80. Summers are great.

On the downside, it's consistently rated as one of the most expensive cities in America as far as salaries vs. cost-of-living. Housing prices (ownership) have skyrocketed. Lake-No-Negro (Oswego) ..... well, I grew up there. My mom lives there. It's honestly a great place, but kind of "uppity" and WAY expensive. Beautiful, nonetheless. Taxes are pretty high, although there's no sales tax. Also, no self-serve gas.

Lastly, politics. If you're into politics and lean to the left, you'll love it. If you lean to the right and have a problem with those on the left, you'll have issues. I'm kind of in the middle so I've learned to appreciate both sides for what they are.

zelah

WOW portland is so cool! i just got in today and we're staying at the Benson hotel (which isnt too leet) but the downtown area we've seen is very nice. i'm at some partk outside of a starbucks with free wireless internets and there are bikes EVERYWHERE!

i still need to check out the shadier areas though

yonderboy

Make sure you get to Powell's City of Books on 10th and Burnside, or Park and Couch if you want to hit the technical books. Both are just up the street from where you're at.

For shady viewing, you can go north across Burnside to the bus mall, referenced in the Decemberists song. It's not nearly as sketchy as other cities, but it's bad for Portland.

Good thing the weather is nice for you this week. Have fun, and drink a couple pints at the closest McMenamins.

podman

yes.. try the Hammerhead Ale

zelah

i dont drink, but i did go to Powell's, its pretty awesome/huge, i might have to start reading books and crap. i really wish i had my bike with me, it'd be so much easier to explore, but i know the hills would kill me (i think i'm running like 46x16 and where i live is completely flat) walking makes me feel like a poser with my rolled up pants and chrome bag

i'm probably going to be at the park near Starbucks with all the flowers and stairs to use the internets every day, so if you see a lonely kid reading bikeforums, say hi!

zelah

oh, and whats up with all these goths?!

podman

you saw my sister working in Powells didn't you?

zelah

i only saw boiz at powells, one with longish curly hair and a beard ringed me up, didnt look at the other guy working

what is this place called that i'm sitting in? "theater in the square?" thats whats on the fountain, but i dunno

also, a goth girl was playing with some sort of flare/firework thing and immediatly got cop-pwnt

thechamp

tehz, you got a ride for critical mass tomorrow? What size are you?

r0cket-

Wait, which park is that? You mean Pioneer Courthouse Square (downtown between the two light rail lines)?

weed eater

tehz, you gotta hook up with a bike...try renting one for a couple days. (probably not a fixie, but still...)

some places that rent
- fat tire farm (they rent cross bikes too)
- waterfront (down by the...you guessed it)
- veloce (32d + Hawthorne SE)

i dunno if river city rents (706 SE MLK) but they have a fixie ride once a week, and theyr'e the ones who invented those beautiful wood fenders you are seeing. also there is a _vegan_ bike store downtown (maybe near where you are) that specializes in messenger bikes, maybe you could talk them into renting you a fixed gear for a day or two...

anyway...it's worth it if you can pull it off. really not that hilly if you stick to the river/SE/NE.

have a great time.

zelah

WHAT where is that at? i can ride between 51-54 i guess

if you find something let me know (i'll pm you my number)

and yeah, its pioneer courthouse square.

i hope some of the people i'm seeing arent all messengers, i dont want to move here and be the only possenger

mrballistic

i'm totally doing the whole thing fixed. it's the perfect ride for it.

thelung

Damn you Portland! tehz is my only cycling buddy and you stole him from me!

zelah

thechamp has definatly lived up to his name!! letting me borrow a bike and whatnot, i'm still in shock of the generosity

weeee

i'll be at that bikefair tomorrow, look for a hot orange bike

r0cket-

I'm doing Bridge Pedal fixed too. I'm a little worried about doing it brakeless, but I think I'll be okay. Did it single-speed last year. Little worried about doing it brakeless, but I think it'll be okay.

I'm gonna be at the bike fair tomorrow too. Candy apple red track frame w/ pretty ghetto components.