Archive for the ‘Downtown’ Category
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
This weekend, trek over to Pioneer Place in Downtown Portland to check out Canstruction, the 15th annual benefit art installation for the Oregon Food Bank, sponsored by the Society for Design Administration. Canstruction is a nonprofit organization that holds annual design and build competitions to construct fantastic, giant structures made entirely out of canned food. In each city after the structures are built and the winners are declared, the creations go on view to the general public as giant art exhibits. At the close of the competitions all of the food used in the structures is donated to the local food banks for distribution to community emergency feeding programs. How cool is that?
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Activities, Portland Events, Portland Food, Portland Landmarks | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011
Portland is known for its outstanding art galleries, well-respected art museum, and amazing architecture, but our street corners and sidewalks are also filled with stunning works of art owned and maintained by the city for public enjoyment. The Guide to Portland Public Art (PDF) is a comprehensive map of the amazing art in our public spaces, a walking tour that takes you past a surprising mix of artistic styles, materials and settings within any given 10-block radius. You’ll find public art integrated into architectural façades, along the street, in the parks, inside public buildings and in the sculpture garden outside of the Portland Art Museum.
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Activities | No Comments »
Monday, April 4th, 2011
The city of Portland is a hub of arts and culture, drawing thousands of talented artists, musicians, photographers, and more to the banks of the Willamette River to get a taste of the good life and great community. Portland’s film scene is also thriving, as evidenced by the many successful film festivals happening throughout the year and the large number of independent movies shown at theaters throughout town. One of the central gathering spots for Portland movie lovers is the Northwest Film Center, adjacent to the Portland Art Museum – in Downtown Portland’s Cultural District, home to a fantastic array of urban condos for sale.
(more…)
Posted in Condos, Downtown, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Activities, Portland Landmarks | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
The three-story, 100-year-old building at SW 12th and Stark in Downtown Portland sits in a strange spot along the bustling Burnside thoroughfare. Separated from the rest of the commercial buildings in the area on a triangular block, the building is getting a new life as the Crystal Hotel, a boutique 51-room lodge with a restaurant on the first floor and a below-ground bar. The nearby Crystal Ballroom draws crowds from Portland and the surrounding areas for popular concerts and events, and the Crystal Hotel will provide a new place for music lovers and Portland visitors to spend the night in style.
(more…)
Posted in Archetecture, Downtown, Historic Register, Portland Landmarks | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
Saturday, March 19th is the official re-opening of the Portland Farmers’ Market’s 2011 season, so head down to the south Park Blocks in Portland’s Cultural District bright and early for the best celebration of local food, music, and culture in Portland after its long winter break. Grab ingredients for a fantastic spring meal, or just grab a cup of coffee and meet some farmers and Portland food enthusiasts. You never know, you’re likely to meet some of the most popular chefs in Portland shopping for the day’s menu!
(more…)
Posted in Announcements, Downtown, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Events, Portland Food | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
Chances are, if you’ve seen a national television show or read a newspaper article about Portland, you’ve noticed one business that gets A LOT of attention. Voodoo Doughnuts has only been around since 2003, but from the way the national media talks about it, you’d think it was here when Lewis and Clark showed up. An article in the Los Angeles Times today proves the point yet again: there’s something about Voodoo Doughnuts that sums up Portland to the rest of the country. Sure, there’s something wacky and cool about a doughnut shop that offers marriage certificates and serves up a maple bacon doughnut, but we have to laugh every time we read an article that “discovers” the Portland gem all over again. In 2008, the Portland City Council declared the Voodoo’s Portland Crème the city’s official doughnut, and the flagship store has recently expanded to an eastside Portland location and another in Eugene, Oregon, so the media praise of the Portland darling isn’t going to fade any time soon.
(more…)
Posted in Beaverton, Downtown, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Food, Portland in the News, Portland Landmarks | No Comments »
Friday, February 18th, 2011
We love showing people who are thinking about relocating to Portland all the cool things that make this town the best place to buy a new home. We track down the best restaurants, sports games, parks, events, and shopping experiences to make sure visitors and new residents get to see the best of the best in the city of Roses. One of our favorite spots is reopening this week after a full renovation – Ground Kontrol, the lauded “Barcade” (yes, a combination of bar and arcade) located in Northwest Portland. This truly Portland spot is one of the most popular hang-out spots for lovers of good food, great beer, and old-school arcade games. Where else can you drink local micro-brews and play four-player PacMan? Nowhere, that’s where.
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Activities | No Comments »
Thursday, February 10th, 2011
Yesterday we reported about the Sunset Magazine article naming Portland the best American city to “Ditch your Car.”, and are please to add another accolade to the list of Portland’s transportation accomplishments. According to U.S. News and World Report, Portland is the number one city in the nation for public transportation. The news magazine looked at Federal Transit Administration and American Public Transportation Association data that clearly shows Portland is a step ahead of the rest of the country when it comes to accessibility, ease, and reliability of public transit.
(more…)
Posted in Announcements, Downtown, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Transportation | No Comments »
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
Chinese and Chinese American history and culture are a long-standing and vibrant feature of Portland and Oregon’s landscape and community. Did you know that one of the nation’s favorite cherries, the Bing cherry, was named after an Oregon farmer of Chinese descent? Or that Portland is home to three tofu factories? Take a walking tour of Portland’s Chinese district in Northwest’s Old Town, where you can discover the tranquility and beauty of the Classical Chinese Garden. Savor a meal in one of Portland’s diverse Chinese restaurants, or watch a performance of Portland’s Yat Sing Music Club, which has performed classical Chinese music since 1941. Portland offers visitors abundant opportunities for the enjoyment and discovery of Chinese and Chinese American culture throughout the city, and no time is better that this weekend, as today kicks off the Lunar New Year celebrations around town!
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Happy Valley, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Activities, Portland Events, Portland Real Estate | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
CNBC recently crowned Portland one of it’s Top Foodie Cities in America, citing the high local-restuarant-to-chain ratio (79.6%) the amazing number of breweries (97!), and the availability of local produce through Community Supported farms and farmers markets (93 farms and 56 farmers markets!). Here at the McDonald Group Portland Real Estate blog, we love to keep track of the media accolades the Portland area is racking up in recent years, so we’re not surprised by the latest listing – we know Portland has the best food scene in the country!
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Pearl District, Portland Food | No Comments »
Friday, January 21st, 2011
Admit it, you’re interested in Portland. There’s something about these streets, the creative energy, the great food (Portland was just named “America’s new food Eden” by TIME magazine), that is drawing people in by the thousands to see what the buzz is about. It won’t be a secret much longer, but the Portland real estate market is ripe for a renaissance – so why not jump on the bandwagon before prices start climbing again? If you’re interested in visiting Portland to check out the amazing homes for sale in Oregon, this winter could be the ideal time. Travel Portland and Expedia have teamed up to offer some ridiculously good deals for travel to Portland this winter. Check out these great travel deals, then contact the McDonald Group real estate experts to set up a tour of homes for sale in Portland during your exploration of the great Northwest.
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Investment Information, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Activities, Portland Food, Portland Landmarks, Portland Real Estate | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
This Saturday marks the end of the Portland Farmers’ Market’s 2010 season, so head down to the south Park Blocks in Portland’s Cultural District starting at 9 am for the best celebration of local food, music, and culture in Portland before it takes its winter break. Grab ingredients for a cozy winter meal, or just grab a cup of coffee and meet some farmers and Portland food enthusiasts. You never know, you’re likely to meet some of the most popular chefs in Portland shopping for the day’s menu!
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Neighborhoods & Areas, Portland Activities, Portland Real Estate, Real Estate Tips | No Comments »
Friday, December 10th, 2010
One of our favorite things about the Portland Real Estate market is how near homes for sale in Portland are to neighborhood resources like supermarkets, cafes, and libraries. The Multnomah County Library system is one of the best in the world, no question, and every neighborhood has its own branch connected to the main library system. It’s the best of both worlds, really, because you can have a “local” small-town-feel library in your neighborhood connected to the huge catalog of books, movies, and music resources of one of the largest library systems in the country, with over two million books and other library materials. This is how it works: with a Multnomah County Library Card, you have access to every book and media resource in the MCL system – if it’s not in your “home” library, you can request any item to be shipped to your local branch, or even to your home, in a few days. Most popular books are held by the library in multiple copies, so you can usually find what you’re looking for really quickly. If all copies of a book you’d like are checked out, you simply place a “hold” on the book, either online or at the library, and you’ll get an email or phone call telling you when you can pick it up! Best of all, it’s all free. While we here at the McDonald Group Real Estate blog love love LOVE our local Portland bookstores like Powell’s, it’s so fun to be able to walk into a library and pick out anything you want, without paying a dime. You can get new bestsellers, amazing cookbooks, classic television series, graphic novels, and a wide variety of childrens’ books, all within blocks of your home.
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Inner SE Portland, Moving To Portland, Neighborhoods & Areas, North Portland, Portland Activities, Portland Landmarks, Portland Real Estate, Woodstock | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
This Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2010, visitors to Portland and residents of the city will be able to visit the city’s acclaimed Japanese Garden, free of charge. The Portland Japanese Garden is 5.5 acres of pristine ponds, subtle architecture, and peaceful walks situated in the West Hills overlooking Downtown Portland, directly above the Rose Gardens in Washington Park. Garden Guides will help you get the most of your trip to the garden by answering any and all questions about the plan and animal life, Japanese culture, and the history of the garden itself. The winter Art in the Garden exhibition Indigo is the Color of My Dreams will be open in the Garden’s Pavilion – don’t miss your chance to view this exhibit for free as well. The Garden will be open until 4pm.
(more…)
Posted in Downtown, Southwest Hills | No Comments »
Monday, October 18th, 2010
According to Forbes magazine, Portland is the second safest large city in America, with low violent crime rates and low traffic fatalities, adding to the long list of reasons to relocate to Portland, Oregon. The Portland real estate market is loaded with amazing houses at incredibly low prices in a wide variety of neighborhoods suited to every taste. From the classy Pearl District to the quirky up-and-coming Foster Powell Neighborhood, each Portland neighborhood is accessible, walk-friendly, dog-friendly, bike-friendly, and safe for raising happy, healthy families. What other major city sports a downtown that feels safe at night? Not only is Portland an incredibly safe city, it’s also one of the friendliest and laid-back cities in America. Where else can you go to an amazing restaurant and eat terrific food in a t-shirt and jeans (or a snazzy suit, if you prefer) without a second glance from the servers? It’s that kind of city – amazing lifestyle with an unpretentious attitude!
(more…)
Posted in Awards, Downtown, Moving To Portland, Pearl District, Portland Real Estate | No Comments »
This weekend, trek over to Pioneer Place in Downtown Portland to check out Canstruction, the 15th annual benefit art installation for the Oregon Food Bank, sponsored by the Society for Design Administration. Canstruction is a nonprofit organization that holds annual design and build competitions to construct fantastic, giant structures made entirely out of canned food. In each city after the structures are built and the winners are declared, the creations go on view to the general public as giant art exhibits. At the close of the competitions all of the food used in the structures is donated to the local food banks for distribution to community emergency feeding programs. How cool is that?
