Did I get an accurate impression of Portland? (Pendleton: fit in, houses)

[Yankeemama]

Originally Posted by Merry Lee Gather

I agree that's a good idea to take out of towners there.

You can show them the Ariel Tram, The Street Cars, The BikeTown ride share and OHSU commuter bikes, the food trucks and footbridges. The smart cars and three different ride shares with cars-to-go.

Right there where the Zidell's Shipyard is they just built their last ship and that property is going to be developed into this awesome place for tourists and locals to go!

Zidell Yards unveils South Waterfront development plan | OregonLive.com





They'll have a kayak launch pad right there, a dog water park, a beach for swimmers and sunbathers, water-front restaurants and bars, some cute boutique shops and a grocery store! There's like 15 brick and mortar stores to eat in that residential area too right now if you walk around. It's a nice modern contemporary place to live with views of the city, the waterfront and the breathtaking snow capped mountains in July.



You'll see in the article pictures the buildings renderings are glass skyscrapers mixed with professional services such as salons, dentists, gyms, OHSU offices. I love the sage green of the Ross Island Bridge with the complimentary elements in the copper tones of the Zidell Shipyard theme they're keeping along this waterfront development, and the use of the outdoor patio lights to give the illusion ceiling for the cafe park.



All around it has these beautiful landscape designed walking paths with sculptured concrete designs, lily pools, fountains, lazy rivers, blossoming flowers with plenty of mature trees to provide shade, areas with cool grass and benches to sit, contemplate, relax and rest. They offer movies in the park during the summer, a farmer's market, a splash pad for kids to play and families to visit and an area for bocce ball which is actually quite fun. It's also not super crowded yet with the exception during commuter times for bikes, tram, and streetcars in that one area near the stops and stations at the end of the footbridge. It's also only a short walk to the only designated pedestrian bridge linking to Hip Counter-Culture Foodie Paradise East Side.

The only thing missing is the music. I haven't seen any street performers yet playing guitar or saxophone in the new area which would be nice, but maybe when Portland's version of Pike's Place Market is developed in the shipping yard right there it'll happen? Right now there may still be too much construction going on with all the cranes up there working during the day.

"Beard Market" may go to this innovative development. https://jamesbeardmarket.com/2016/10...tion-quadrant/



I think it's Naito Parkway the OP didn't like. I agree it needs to be cleaned up.

Great post about SW Waterfront which is a favorite of mine. I enjoy the farmers' market and music on Thursdays.

[Merrily Gather]

Originally Posted by Yankeemama

Great post about SW Waterfront which is a favorite of mine. I enjoy the farmers' market and music on Thursdays.

And at the other end of the Ariel Tram up at OHSU they have a farmer's market on Tuesdays from 10 am - 2pm. The Ariel tram station at OHSU is also a sight to see. It's like an out of this world futuristic space ship dock from Star Wars with the University Hosptial on this super steep high hill that's creepy to climb the back roads on, at night in the dark, in the woods, even with the moonlight. It's thrilling and far out!

On a side note:

I was wondering if there's an app that tells you all the upcoming farmer's markets in Portland, and what area of town they're in, and if you could order from them to have your farmer's market groceries delivered any day of the week from the different ones around town? If not someone needs to get on that and make my life easier.

Also if google or someone is listening please develop an app that can read recipes to you while you cook, or help program Alexa to read them for you like an assistant so you don't have to look at your phone or computer all the time while trying out a new recipe.

Or please point me in the direction of an app like this if it's already created.

[DKM]

Looks nice, I'm glad to see they are keeping the Zidell crane structure. Buskers would ruin it for me tho

[Merrily Gather]

Ah but this Portland. Gotta keep it weird. It needs a flaming Unipiper Darth Vader flamingo bagpipe Circus act once in awhile. Did I get it all?

[ccjarider]

Originally Posted by DKM

I've noticed that newcomers love Portland (both transplants and people from smaller towns around the state). People who grew up there don't always love what its turned into. This could just be human nature. SoCal natives can't stand what its become but I love it the way it is. Portland doesn't have a lot of things that similar sized cities have for various reasons but one of them is the weather. You can't have an amusement or water park here for example because the economics don't pan out for the window of time that it can function. For me, when out-of-towners came, SW waterfront was the place to take them.

The upper midwest is loaded with water parks and amusement parks, both indoor and outdoor. Google the Wisconsin Dells and Six Flags for example.

That part of the country has much worse winter weather than here and yet those parks thrive for the 6-8 month season and all year long for the indoor ones.

Not sure why they would not be popular here. Perhaps there just are not enough paying people for corporations to justify expense. I am sure the financiers have run the numbers.
I don't think they are not here because of weather.

[DKM]

Originally Posted by ccjarider

The upper midwest is loaded with water parks and amusement parks, both indoor and outdoor. Google the Wisconsin Dells and Six Flags for example.

That part of the country has much worse winter weather than here and yet those parks thrive for the 6-8 month season and all year long for the indoor ones.

Not sure why they would not be popular here. Perhaps there just are not enough paying people for corporations to justify expense. I am sure the financiers have run the numbers.
I don't think they are not here because of weather.

Even the Upper midwest is warmer than Portland by the late spring. This lasts until November. The NW has the coldest late springs in the country (May-Juneish). Also cold and wet here in the fall. Last Oktoberfest at Mt. Angel in Mid september was freezing and wet. The rest of the country is still wearing shorts. But yeah, population is another issue, plus Oregon is one of the most isolated states in the lower 48.

[NeutralZone]

Originally Posted by DKM

Downtown used to just be bad in just some parts and now its pretty crazy pretty much everywhere between the Pearl and SW Waterfront. Its not normal to go downtown in most cities in the USA and see people pooping on the sidewalks, naked people, people using and exchanging drugs in plain sight in the city parks. And what is up with the drunks everywhere on a weekend night? Fights all up and down Burnside/Chinatown etc... I don't miss any of the place.

Don't be surprised when you leave that people will give you strange reactions. There is a deep seeded insecurity that all is not well in the self claimed progressive paradise.

Portland has its share of problems, homeless/street people being one of them. But I live in the central part of the city (The Pearl) and walked to work downtown for almost 4 years, and I have never seen naked people, or people pooping on the sidewalks, or people exchanging drugs. Fights all up and down Burnside?

[Leisesturm]

Originally Posted by Merry Lee Gather

Or please point me in the direction of an app like this if it's already created.

All Smartphones have voice enabled user interfaces intended for blind persons that are separate from voice assistants like Siri. I don't know what other platforms call theirs but Apple calls the iphone blind user interface "Voice Over". Using a combination of voice and swipe commands Voice Over can read most types of webpages and .pdf files that you want to have read to you. You can fast forward or jump sections and other maneuvers.

[Luckystrike1]

Originally Posted by NeutralZone

Portland has its share of problems, homeless/street people being one of them. But I live in the central part of the city (The Pearl) and walked to work downtown for almost 4 years, and I have never seen naked people, or people pooping on the sidewalks, or people exchanging drugs. Fights all up and down Burnside?

I did one time walk right past two people shooting up right in front of a door to an empty building. Never saw the others, though.

[Merrily Gather]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

All Smartphones have voice enabled user interfaces intended for blind persons that are separate from voice assistants like Siri. I don't know what other platforms call theirs but Apple calls the iphone blind user interface "Voice Over". Using a combination of voice and swipe commands Voice Over can read most types of webpages and .pdf files that you want to have read to you. You can fast forward or jump sections and other maneuvers.

Brilliant! We were just asking about something like that on the Instant Pot forum. There are some blind people on there that post about how it helps them cook when they have the access to blue tooth! There are several blind members on there come to think of it.

The rest didn't really occur to me how they go about it all because I was too busy being impressed by their well-spoken post in defense of the Bluetooth option as the app on their smart phones help them control the electric pressure cooker.