Moving to PDX! Working @ OHSU! Help!! Where to live? (Portland: for sale, 2013)

[christiner81]

Originally Posted by MDCB

EnricoV you are a wealth of advice! Thank you so much!

I know I am nit picking, but what if I left around 530 am/6 am? I should be able to get from say my downtown/Pearl apartment to the OHSU parking lot in 10-15 minutes?

I will be working at the VA also (which I know is connected to OHSU with a skybridge?)

It is too bad that the street car doesn't run all the way up the hill to serve OHSU and the VA

parking at OHSU is a cluster. the waiting list for parking -ANY PARKING- is at least 6+ months. And that parking is not on the hill, it is at the waterfront. Hill parking is at least a 5 year wait. There are some meters at the waterfront that are useable up to 11 hours, which is what I do if I have to drive in, which is not often.

I would suggest living at the waterfront, near the Gibbs st pedestrian footbridge, OR on the hill itself if you want quick, easy access -esp if you're on call. I work at OHSU, remotely now, but when I was reporting to the hill every day I relied on an express bus to get me there, which doesn't help anyone who is on call.

when factoring in your commute times, you need to add time to park, time to walk to the tram, waiting for the tram, and the tram ride itself. So it may take you 15 min to drive from the pearl, but it will take you a good 15 min or more to to get from your street parking up to the clinics at OHSU/VA.

[StealthRabbit]

The most popular choice for economical housing in Portland is under a bridge. The tram will get you within walking distance of many bridges. I consider it a "river view" without the taxes . While Portland does have decent public transit options, they are all VERY SLOW and accident prone (surface street centric, mixing with pedestrians and auto traffic), very disruptive to traffic (Foot and auto) and businesses / Commerce.)

On the other hand... I would look to these areas to avoid the daily traffic up the front side of the hill.

Hillsdale, Multnomah Village or the Burlingame area, then either bus it or drive if you manage to get an assigned spot.

Through 40 yrs of intense employment (demanding and variable hours),
Try to get CLOSE to work. (Walking or biking is best).

If you have ANY issues with SAD / weather related blues... consider switching work hours to evening / nights and enjoy daytime hours OFF. Getting an additional 12 hours / day under high lighting really helped me endure working in PNW. I was out everyday (farm) and inside (under lights) every night. Plus... Night shift workers are far more ez to work with (no political motivated whiners) and nights can be considerably more pay. (We got 15% bonuses every 3 months if we worked weekend evenings. 10% for swing shift (evenings). That = 15% fewer yrs to retirement!

Do consider the 'bridge option' for living, there are a lot of nice folks doing that in Portland.

[MDCB]

Originally Posted by christiner81

parking at OHSU is a cluster. the waiting list for parking -ANY PARKING- is at least 6+ months. And that parking is not on the hill, it is at the waterfront. Hill parking is at least a 5 year wait. There are some meters at the waterfront that are useable up to 11 hours, which is what I do if I have to drive in, which is not often.

I would suggest living at the waterfront, near the Gibbs st pedestrian footbridge, OR on the hill itself if you want quick, easy access -esp if you're on call. I work at OHSU, remotely now, but when I was reporting to the hill every day I relied on an express bus to get me there, which doesn't help anyone who is on call.

when factoring in your commute times, you need to add time to park, time to walk to the tram, waiting for the tram, and the tram ride itself. So it may take you 15 min to drive from the pearl, but it will take you a good 15 min or more to to get from your street parking up to the clinics at OHSU/VA.

acronyms | Graduate Medical Education | OHSU
As you can see from the above, I will have a pass WITHOUT delay - so I should be able to park ON CAMPUS - I am assuming on the hill from day one. But again, it is about $100/month - a steep fee I would love to avoid!

If I live near the Gibbs St. Pedestrian Bridge (which was great to appreciate - connects Lair Hill and S. Waterfront?), would I be able to bike pretty easily up the hill? Looking at google maps, it still looks like I might have to bike up north to get on the one of the entrances to the hill/hospital.

You also mention riding the express buses - could you elaborate? Where and what times were those buses?

Also, you calculated a 15 minute drive from the pearl, and a 15 minute ride from the tram base to the hospital to work - so if I got to the tram base and ready to ride (first tram @ 530), then could I be in the office by 545 am?

Thanks!

[MDCB]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

The most popular choice for economical housing in Portland is under a bridge. The tram will get you within walking distance of many bridges. I consider it a "river view" without the taxes . While Portland does have decent public transit options, they are all VERY SLOW and accident prone (surface street centric, mixing with pedestrians and auto traffic), very disruptive to traffic (Foot and auto) and businesses / Commerce.)

On the other hand... I would look to these areas to avoid the daily traffic up the front side of the hill.


Through 40 yrs of intense employment (demanding and variable hours),
Try to get CLOSE to work. (Walking or biking is best).

If you have ANY issues with SAD / weather related blues... consider switching work hours to evening / nights and enjoy daytime hours OFF. Getting an additional 12 hours / day under high lighting really helped me endure working in PNW. I was out everyday (farm) and inside (under lights) every night. Plus... Night shift workers are far more ez to work with (no political motivated whiners) and nights can be considerably more pay. (We got 15% bonuses every 3 months if we worked weekend evenings. 10% for swing shift (evenings). That = 15% fewer yrs to retirement!

Do consider the 'bridge option' for living, there are a lot of nice folks doing that in Portland.

I am an idiot - I still don't understand "bridge living".

I am really considering walking/biking as my major option for transport to work. I would love to not drive to "save the environment", "save money", and be progressive. But I would like to do that without sacrificing a social life/"scene" - it seems as though the best three neighborhoods for methrough these boards/research are Lair Hill, Goose Hollow, S. Waterfront, Pearl, Downtown, N 23rd.

Lair Hill and S. Waterfront seem a little too slow/quiet for being single and fun! Ha! And the Pearl and N 23rd seem far away and expensive for someone who will be working a lot. This leads me to search Goose Hollow and perhaps Downtown.

Am I thinking correctly?

I do have SAD, but open to it and know how to prevent it. I will be busy with work most of the time anyway. Will be flying to some sunny locations throughout my training!

[Larry Caldwell]

I'm sure you will be able to find a light box somewhere at OHSU. I suffered from SAD for years, then started standing in a light box for half an hour three times a week, and it hasn't bothered me since.

[christiner81]

Originally Posted by MDCB

acronyms | Graduate Medical Education | OHSU
As you can see from the above, I will have a pass WITHOUT delay - so I should be able to park ON CAMPUS - I am assuming on the hill from day one. But again, it is about $100/month - a steep fee I would love to avoid!

If I live near the Gibbs St. Pedestrian Bridge (which was great to appreciate - connects Lair Hill and S. Waterfront?), would I be able to bike pretty easily up the hill? Looking at google maps, it still looks like I might have to bike up north to get on the one of the entrances to the hill/hospital.

You also mention riding the express buses - could you elaborate? Where and what times were those buses?

Also, you calculated a 15 minute drive from the pearl, and a 15 minute ride from the tram base to the hospital to work - so if I got to the tram base and ready to ride (first tram @ 530), then could I be in the office by 545 am?

Thanks!

i'd call the parking office and find out where residents are allowed to park. you can be ON CAMPUS and still be 20 minutes away from walking in the main hospital doors. $100 a month is cheap, everyone else pays $11/day. Trimet passes are also not free, unless residents also have some sort of special arrangement. Express buses 61, 64, 65, 68, are on the SW side of town - i think there is one that goes to the east side, route 66), but they only run at peak times (630-8am to the hill and 330-6ish back home) so you are sorta trapped if you need to get anywhere outside of those times. I used to take the 61. I left my house in garden home at 645, parked at a park and ride in raleigh hills, caught the bus at 6:55, bus arrived at 7:20 at the BICC. I had a 5 min walk to my building. No tram involved if you go that way.

If i lived near the pedestrian bridge i'd just bike or walk over it and take the tram up. you can take your bike on the tram if you want.

I wouldn't bike up the hill, but i'm a sissy. Lots of people bike it. There is a really nice bike valet at the base of the tram.

[christiner81]

also have you looked at ohsu.edu/housing ? it might give you an idea of where your fellow residents and med students are living and have vacancies.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by MDCB

I am an idiot - I still don't understand "bridge living".

I am really considering walking/biking as my major option for transport to work. I would love to not drive to "save the environment", "save money", and be progressive. But I would like to do that without sacrificing a social life/"scene" - it seems as though the best three neighborhoods for methrough these boards/research are Lair Hill, Goose Hollow, S. Waterfront, Pearl, Downtown, N 23rd.

Lair Hill and S. Waterfront seem a little too slow/quiet for being single and fun! Ha! And the Pearl and N 23rd seem far away and expensive for someone who will be working a lot. This leads me to search Goose Hollow and perhaps Downtown.

Am I thinking correctly?

I do have SAD, but open to it and know how to prevent it. I will be busy with work most of the time anyway. Will be flying to some sunny locations throughout my training!

Ahem, you're not the idiot. He's talking about the homeless, living under bridges.

[Larry Caldwell]

Biking down the hill would be a fast commute, as long as you could figure out how to stay off the brakes so they didn't melt the tires. You could take your bike up on the bus or tram.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by christiner81

I wouldn't bike up the hill, but i'm a sissy. Lots of people bike it. There is a really nice bike valet at the base of the tram.

I bike commute and I wouldn't go up that hill. I've actually turned down a job and haves declined at least two further interviews with OHSU almost wholly because of the parking situation.

Another option to look at is close in East Side. Not the greatest area right now, but the Eastside Industrial area is the next up and coming area for Portland. With the Streetcar/Bike/Pedestrian only bridge nearing completion that area is poised to see some massive Pearl District-like growth in the next decade.

I lived off of 17th and Burnside for many years, and the area has only become more attractive to me since then.