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Northwest Industrial and Forest Park

Here we have the westside’s response to the industrial eastside, built on the site of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition. Constrained by the Willamette River to the north and Forest Park to the west, the Northwest Industrial District is part industrial park and part funky neighborhood—a mix of union workers, forklift operators, machine shops, … Continue reading Northwest Industrial and Forest Park

Nob Hill

It has many names: the Alphabet District, Nob Hill and Northwest Portland to name some. But this neighborhood isn’t lacking identity. Northwest 21st Avenue was Portland’s original restaurant row, then anchored by the stalwart Paley’s Place, and the now-defunct Zefiro and Wildwood. Two streets west, Northwest 23rd Avenue is a shopping destination and was the … Continue reading Nob Hill

Slabtown

Once a staging area and luggage transfer when Portland hosted the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition, Slabtown evolved into a light-industrial playground, set off by an enclave of meticulously kept art deco apartment blocks nestled in the neighborhood’s residential southeast corner. Its latest transformation is something of a marvel, with more of the concrete ceding … Continue reading Slabtown

Pearl District

It’s worth digging below the grit and glamour to know the history of the Pearl. Nearly a century after Union Station started the industrial takeover of a residential area known as Couch’s Addition, Gus Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy immortalized the neighborhood as an addict’s living room. Now, the Pearl has Portland’s densest concentration of boutiques, … Continue reading Pearl District

Old Town/Chinatown

Old Town/Chinatown has come a long way. It remains part of the city’s original urban core and home to Portland’s skid row, a history still visible in the area’s large transient population and calcified seediness. But during the day, you’ll see a fresh side of this old neighborhood. A new influx of young, fashion-minded businesspeople … Continue reading Old Town/Chinatown

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