Re: NOLA girl moving to Portland

Hi NOLA /Chicago girl,

I was unable to respond to your post directly for some reason, so I just posted as a new topic.

Wow, your situation sounds exactlly the same as me and my wife%26#39;s was when we decided to move to Portland. We too were looking for a ';big'; little city with an urban feel and a great place to raise our son , who is now 16 months old. We grew tires of Los Angeles and through a series of events, have made Portland our home and could not be happier. Actually, everyday we comment on how much we love our new lives here, our neighborhood, and our home, we are really happy and have adjusted easily. We%26#39;ve only been here since May of last year, but have a good feel for the city.

First off, I think Portland might be the right fit for you. We spent a significant amount of time in New Orleans (Tulane University), and loved every minute of it. Portland has a lot in common in terms of historic neighborhoods, good restaurants, and being walkable.

Regarding neighborhoods, there is a lot to choose from and they all have their pluses. We live in Grant Park (a neighborhood in inner Northeast Portland) and can walk to numerous restaurants, markets, coffe shops, and home decor/clothing shops. Plus, we are a quick five minute drive into downtown%26#39;s Pearl and all it has to offer. We love this area and our surrounding neighborhoods. Definitely check out Grant Park, Invington, Alameda, Beaumont, and Laurelhurst. All of these neighborhoods are very nice and you should be able to find something in your price range. The streets are tree lined with beautiful well kept older homes.

Also, the area has been great for my wife and son. My wife is a homemaker and her quality of life (in terms of activites for her and our baby) has improved immensely since moving here. Not only can she walk with our son to do all of our daily shopping, but there are numerous activites geared for children in the neighborhood. Our neighborhood park, Grant Park, has a great play area, and in the summer a pool and fountain where all the children congregate. The local library over in Hollywood (also a nice area), has weekly childrens programs where my son is read to, they sing songs, and have a play time. My wife has been able to meet lots of other mom%26#39;s with similar aged children and was able to make some great friends in the process. Oh, and having a baby schools are never too far off to think about, and the local schools are some of the top rated in the city.

Come and visit to get a true feel for the neighborhoods. We came up for a week and stayed downtown at The Governor when we came to check out neighborhoods. The staff was friendly and had a portable crib all ready to go when we arrived. Plus, the hotel was very quiet and our room quite dark, which was a huge plus for my then eight month old son%26#39;s naps. Oh, and The Governor is a short walk to a Whole Foods supermarket. Having a baby and staying in a new city can be a challenge simply having access to baby supplies, quick and easy meal, etc..., having a market within walking distance from the hotel was invaluable.

Overall, Portland has surpassed all of our expectations. We feel lucky to have found the place where we can raise our family, which is affordalbe (by West Coast standards anyway), and has the overall feel we were looking for.

Good luck on your search...

Re: NOLA girl moving to Portland

Hi

I think her post was frozen because it is not really so much travel related as a relocation question.

Glad to hear you are so happy with Portland..we have been here almost a year and a half and we love it too :)

Re: NOLA girl moving to Portland

Lucero32,

Thank you! Its so nice to hear you are happy with Portland. You pointed out so many things I was hoping for in a big ';little'; city.

Any ';must do'; things when we come to visit? Someone else recommended The Governor and you are absolutely right about having a grocery store close by. We went on a last summer trip and the hotel we stayed at had a restaurant, but would not do take out for us. Pretty tough when your baby goes to sleep at 7pm.

Any thoughts on the downside of Portland? Is February as good as any for a time to visit? I thought if we go during the gray part of the year, our expectations will be closer to reality (we spent our honeymoon in Seattle/Mt. Rainier/San Juan Islands and it was sunny every day in Sept!)

Thanks again!

From another Portlander/ newbie...

Any ';must do'; things when we come to visit?

The Portland Japanese Gardens

The Classical Chinese Gardens

in good weather, the Rose Test Gardens

The PIttock Mansion

All but the Chinese Gardens also have fabulous views of town and beyond, including Mt Hood and Mt St Helens.

Rent a car and drive to the Coast for a day, 90 min from downtown to Cannon Beach.

The Governor is nice but Portland is chock full of really nice hotels, some newer and more modern and some , like the Heathman and Governor, more old school type.

Do have some good seafood at Jakes at the Governor though.

The 5th Ave Suites has the Red Star Tavern and they do room service 24 hours a day. Plus it is a good restaurant on its own.

Tour the Pearl and NW 23rd Street, use the Streetcar, you can get all over downtown and NW using a streetcar.

Yes February is a good time to see Portland at it%26#39;s :';worst';...we visited here twice, both in Sept and Aug. We moved here in Aug so we were in for a big dose of reality when we had our first winter when it seems like it started raining in Nov and quit in July.

This winter is good though, many more dry days, cold but it is winter.

Downside will make itself known to you when you are here. What bothers some people doesn%26#39;t faze others..I can deal with the rain better than my husband, the homeless bother others, it is all personal what is downside or not.

Hope this helps..