More neighborhood help, please :) - Near James Madison Park? (Portland: rentals, transfer)

[jaimebslp]

I found a rentals that would take my big dog and also offer a huge studio space for my artist partner. It's two blocks up from James Madison Park--is this too close to campus life, for example: loud, beer-drinking guys on porches, or is it more subdued? I currently live in Portland, OR, and I definitely want to be close to cafes/breakfast places, I just don't want to contend with too much of a "college" scene. Here's the google link, any advice?

830 E Johnson St. madison - Google Maps

[7G9C4J2]

Oh, that's a nice neighborhood for a grad student. I used to work with someone who lived in the 800 block of East Johnson, and she liked it quite a lot. You would likely have some undergrads as neighbors, but the big party area is down on State Street, which starts about 10 blocks west of where you'd be, and Langdon (a/k/a Frat Row) which starts about 11 blocks away from the 800 block of East Johnson. The rowdy ones head to one or the other of those two streets when they want to carouse.

There are lots of quirky little boutiques and coffee shops in that area, maybe not as funky/trendy as the Willy Street area, but still great places to hang out. You'd be an easy walk to the wonderful Dane County Farmers' Market on the Capitol Square (every Saturday morning from late April until early November). You'd definitely be closer to campus than the address you asked about closer to the east side, so your bike/walk/drive/bus ride would be shorter.

You would almost certainly get more traffic noise on East Johnson than you would in the more residential neighborhood off Atwood. The speed limit along there is 25 mph, but there are a good many vehicles that use Johnson as an east-bound thoroughfare. On the bright side, you'd be close to bus stops, if that's relevant to you.

Grocery trips will be longer; the nearest decent grocery store will be several miles east of there. There's a small, student-oriented and rather expensive grocery right downtown, but if you can get out to Woodman's, Cub or one of the other bigger ones on the east side, the prices, selection and quality will be better.

That address is in the winter snow removal zone, so you'd need to learn to tune into which side of the street you can park on in snowstorms, if you have a vehicle. On-street parking should not be as hard to find there as it is closer to campus, though.

Hope that helps? Keep asking good questions, and good luck in the move!

[jaimebslp]

Thank you so much, this is very helpful information!

[Dairylander]

I lived there in my mid-twenties and loved it.
Mildred's sandwich shop, Cork n' Bottle liquor store, a pizza joint, a corner grocer, a coffee shop, what more do you need?
Very few undergrads, mostly young working people - it was a cool scene.
Much more interesting and alive than the sleepy Hermina St. area, but no meatheads throwing keg parties either.
Go for it.

[jaimebslp]

Thank you all so much.

[sondra_finchley]

Even if you are living on that side of East Wash its not like its hard to toodle on over to the Willy Street area on a bike for coffee and brunch! You can hit the bike path if you cross at Patterson, or any number of the cross streets (I only remember Patterson because of the large ostrich sculptures- so I remember to turn to get across to James Madison park). Trader Joes is accessible by bike path and you can get to the Jenifer St Market and Willy Co Op as well quite quickly. All easily walkable too for winter (at least the first two- TJs is a bit more of a hike).

Woodmans is across the street from the East Transfer Point on the bus. Im not a fan of the store (way WAY too big- but that corresponds to the liquor section too which is amazing and separate) but its probably the closest large chain to E. Johnson. I think there is also a bike path that heads out that way. We do I would say 55% of our shopping at TJs, 40% at Jenifer St, and 5% at Whole Foods (exhausting drive to get there). I cant say Ive found any chain in the area to be worth the drive and time and frustration it takes to get there for produce and goods that are less quality or the same price as the ones available at Jenifer St.

East side definitely doesnt have much of the college scene though- hence why we stay on this side!