Moving to Portland - neighborhood suggestions?

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by WynnieM

Someone earlier said parking is bad at the VA and OHSU. How bad is bad (it's at Houston's VA also which prompted them to finally build a garage)? Is it just at certain times of the day or is it always full?

Near impossible to get a parking spot there as an employee. When I interviewed up there a few years ago, the manager of the group had just finally gotten a parking spot, and they had been there for seven years.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by WynnieM

Someone earlier said parking is bad at the VA and OHSU. How bad is bad (it's at Houston's VA also which prompted them to finally build a garage)? Is it just at certain times of the day or is it always full?

You just have to come and see for yourself when you can. The layout of the hospital complex is not easy to envision. Picture a fortress high up on a very steep hill. That about describes it. I cannot imagine why anyone thought it would be a good location for a hospital.

It is an excellent facility and growing as much as it can. But can be a pain in the neck to reach. I used to take the #8 bus to the Physician's Pavillion way up on the hill when my doctor was practicing there. It was a nice long ride with twists and turns. There are some apartments along the way and pretty scenery but the ride seemed to take forever with the bus making many stops along the way.

I only know from employees I have known who work there and not from personal experience that parking spots for employees are like gold. There is a waiting list and the locations of the lots are not always where you want them to be. So sometimes an employee will get a spot in a parking garage but still have to take a bus to the building where they work.

It seems to be acceptable though, because OHSU is one of the largest employers in Portland.

[davemess10]

OHSU was built on the hill as U of O med school almost a hundred years ago now. It was built there because they got the land free (I think from a railroad company, or a guy who wanted to build rail there (I know right?!?!?). So they took the free land and ran with it, originally it was just a couple of buildings, but has obviously ballooned since then.

The #8 goes to the VA first, so it completely bypasses OHSU first, it does take a while, when in reality OHSU is really not far from Duniway park.

[davemess10]

OP, the weekends and the later shifts will not have a problem parking, as you said you liked working nights, this may work to your advantage.

[Nell Plotts]

About 30 years ago, before the children's hospital was built on the hill, there was a major discussion about moving OHSU to a site in SE Portland. It was foolish not to have done that IMHO. I think there was fear that the VA hospital would not be relocated and that the synergy from their close proximity would be lost.