So, my apartment is in the Historic Alphabet District (see my last post about that). I'm not going to bad-mouth my apartment, because it is a roof over my head and a place to sleep, eat, and shower. I will say this though, the windows are about as sound resistant as a sieve is resistant to water. With it being hotter now, I have my windows open continuously. Since my apartment is on Burnside (one of the busiest surface streets in Portland) I often have my music and TV on the "loud" setting. Somehow I am able to sleep through it most nights (but traffic is also lighter). On Monday mornings, at way-too-early-o'clock, the trash truck comes to get the garbage. Lucky me, while I am not on the Burnside of the building, I am right above the dumpster.
The streets in this area are what you would expect in an older area of a city, barely wide enough for parked cars and 2 lanes of traffic. The super narrow street have been made one-way. Because many of the buildings have been made into apartments, and everyone has to have a car (but not really), the streets are almost completely parked up (disclaimer: I do have a car that barely gets used now; fortunately my apartment complex has a small parking lot, so I keep my car off the streets). It is kind of funny (not while I'm sleeping) to hear the people below spend 5 minutes trying to parallel park, only to give up and drive somewhere else. Despite the parked cars, the area is nice to walk around in, with plenty of shade trees and relatively low traffic off of the main roads.
Now, let me tell you about some of the places I see when I walk around. I am amazed at how early some of the restaurants and bars open each day. It is almost an "all night" district of Portland (I have not found the official "all night district" of Portland nor would Sara want me too). Subway (right next door!) opens at 7:30 am, the Taco Bell and McD's are open 24 hrs, there is even a bar (Tony's Tavern) that is only CLOSED from 2:30 to 7:30 am - you'll usually see a few 3rd shifters having a brew in the morning (assuming that's who they are). The banks around me still have normal hours. Let's see what else, there is a Volvo dealership across the street, and a Fred Meyer's supermarket (surprisingly owned by Kroger).
The big attraction just a few blocks away is the PGE Ballpark, home of the Portland Beavers. The mighty Beavers are the AAA affiliate for the San Diego Padres. I haven't gone to a game, yet. But in 2009 the PGE Ballpark will host the AAA All-Star Game.
So, pretty much everything I need (sans Target) is within walking distance and open for a while. A few blocks away is NW 23th St. - supposedly called the "Trendy-third" by locals. There are blocks and blocks of small stores that are not (mostly) part of national chains. I'll probably write more about this area in future posts, as we will be visiting there from time to time.
Well, someone is yelling outside trying to get their bud's attention (hello cell phones!), so that is my cue to go to bed (they don't seem to yell during the day). In summary, this has turned out to be a good place to make a temporary residence (considering I didn't actually visit this area of Portland nor looked at this apartment before moving in). And there is never a dull moment. But, I can't wait to move into a home in the 'burbs'!
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