Ok, after much debate for those of you that may remember, I have finally accepted a job assignment to take me from Phoenix to Portland (big jump!) from May-Sept. I will be working at Doernbecher Children's at OHSU. SO....tips, where to live, what to do, anything. Dog friendly suggestions as well...Thanks!! I know I've gotten a few tips already but I know so little about Oregon! I can't wait.

Congratulations Darby!
Dornbecher is the statewide Kid's hospital. My nephew had to have leg surgery there a few times; they are wonderful. Kids raise money through school across the state and are rewarded with a trip to Portland in Spring each year. It's sort of inner SW Portland, so areas you might consider would be Sellwood, SW Barbour Blvd area, Macadam Area, NW 23rd St area, and the Pearl. All of those stay on the west side of the river, except Sellwood, which is east, but almost a straight shot over the Sellwood Bridge to where you'll be working.

Great, thanks for the tips...I'll keep those areas in mind. Hopefully I'll be able to find something for the doggie too! I'm getting really excited. How cold should I expect the weather to be in the next month? It's going to be a big jump from Phoenix weather for sure!

Congratulations!!
It is warming up but it will probably feel chilly to you.
But I think it will be a relief to spend the summer here after the summers in Az..(I remember summer in Tucson-sizzle!)
Portland is very dog friendly, the size matters Under 25 lbs are much easier to get into apts .. our dog has his own lease lol ..

This is for my neighborhood-
http://portlandtribune.com/pearl/

A realtor ( they don't deal with rentals but you can get phone numbers for buildings..

http://www.liveinthepearl.com/

Look at www.oregonlive.com and craigslist for rentals..

Will you be back to househunt?
I saw a lot of small charming buildings in the NW neighborhood with rental signs..

Scarlett thanks for the tips...I have heard the Pearl is the place to be. As far as my dog, he's a mutt, not quite sure of his weight as I just adopted him but I'd say 25 sounds like a good number!

Regarding apartments, my company will actually put us up but some places are better than others (or we can take the stipend and find our own). I was thinking either downtown, pearl district or maybe Beaverton--how far out is that exactly? If you know any good complexes keep me posted, I can ask my company if they use them. Thanks!

Forget Beaverton, if you want to be IN the city. Too much traffic too.
Check and see if they use the Oakwood apartments..they have some apts in my building (the Pearl) as well as on Jefferson St( Downtown)..in a very nice building, you would not hate it and they allow dogs.
Any questions, I will be happy to try to help.

Darby--Listen to Scarlett...do not think about Beaverton. It is not that far out, but traffic is ugly and basically it is one big strip mall. I lived there 20 years ago, so feel like I can say that, lol! We are in another suburb now and avoid Beaverton as much as possible. Scarlett knows the downtown Portland area very well since she lives in the heart of it.

Not Beaverton!! (and I'm not even from Portland)... I would take your employer up on a rental if you can make it short term. Then get out and look around the various neighborhoods being suggested. I'm up in Seattle but it would be *realy* hard if not impossible to choose the area best for me, sight unseen. You want to know about parks for walking the dog, proximity to shops, grocery store, restaurants, etc. For me I've gotten spoiled and have this all in easy walking distance from my house. I'm assuming these similar things are what you'd want to consider in Portland.

Also proximity to your hospital/job. I have a dear friend who just moved from Seattle to Tacoma (he's a new nurse) because the commute he thought might be OK was absolutely killin' him.

H again, Darbyvt---

My daughter is a med student at OHSU (where I believe the children's hospital is also located). She lives in the SW area of Portland, near Multnomah Village, and is close enough to the hospitals to ride here bike there. Gabriel Park, in the neighborhood, has a nice off-leash area for dogs, but the whole area is much more dog-friendly than the Pearl would be.
http://www.movingtoportland.net
Scroll down on the left to "Photo Tours"' and then choose "Multnomah Village".

Moving to Oregon....GREAT website! Thanks, sounds like downtown/SW area will be best place to be. You guys are right, I want to be close to stores than the mall though and some good bars and restaurants. BTW I'm 27, my roomie is 33 if that helps...Also close to good walking trails or anything outdoors, a MAJOR bonus would be to live by water on the river since I've always lived at the beach until I moved to Phoenix in January. I saw a list of condos downtown that allow dogs...any familiar that could be recommended? The commute is a pain, I've never been more than 10 min at my other jobs--to think I almost took a job in LA, YIKES! Again, thanks for the help, can't wait to hit the road for two weeks on Monday!


Bridgeport -
Johnson Street - NW 11th Avenue & Johnson.
Kearny Plaza - 1102 NW Lovejoy Street. Rentals only. Telephone 503.227.2000
Legends Condos - 1132 SW 19th Avenue. Telephone 503.223.7941
Marshall-Wells Lofts - 1001 NW 14th Avenue. Telephone 503.223.2255
McCormick Pier - 600 NW Naito Parkway. Telephone 503.228.7437
The Mosaic - 1400 SW 11th Avenue. Telephone 503.936.0332
Park Place - 922 NW 11th Avenue. Telephone 503.227.2000
Riverstone - 820 NW 12th Avenue.
Streetcar Lofts - 1030 NW 12th Avenue. Telephone 503.227.2000
Tanner Place - 726 NW 11th Avenue

The NW neighborhood (further north than the Pearl) is also very good for your age and interests---lots of shops and restaurants, and easy access to Forest Park for hiking. The commute is a bit more than from the SW area, but not too bad.

Ok so we arrived in Portland yesterday only to find out (after getting an address on Thursday) that our place was in the ghetto! They put us on SE 29th Ave basically in the parking lot of a lumbar yard! So, we refused move in and are now holed up with both cars packed to the gills, our dog, and my mom until we find something short term, furnished, that will take the dog and reasonably close to OHSU! HELP! Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try calling some of the places but if anyone knows anything specific available, please let me know!

Darbyvt----when I was down visiting my son 2 weeks ago, I drove past a number of apartments with "for rent" and "pet friendly" signs out. This was in the SW area near Multnomah Village, on 45th St. near Vermont, and across the street from Gabriel Park. It is a nice neighborhood, and very close to OHSU. Drive around there----I think you'll find something. Good luck to you.

http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/PDXHB
http://www.susangould.com/Tanasbrook-2.htm
If you go into the clubhouse at tanasbrook, look on the board for rentals.

Tanasbrook is nowhere near OHSU and I would not recommend it if you will work up there. I would try Craigslist, Oregonlive.com (the Oregonian), and WWeek.com (Willamette Week) for available places. Also, sometimes just driving around a neighborhood you like and looking for "For Rent" signs will snag you a place.

You might also try the American Property Management website www.apmportland.com - they manage a bunch of rental properties in the Portland area.

Andrew

In town, off W Burnside, around Couch & 17-19th there are small apt buildings with pet friendly signs and for rent signs.
Just throw the pup in the car and come over here today, there seem to be a lot of signs out.

Most of the buildings you list are condos and very tiny apts for very high prices. Park Place is gorgeous and sooo expensive!
email me at scarletto1@hotmail if you need help

Andrew, she's in her car. Who care's whether it's
"close" to OSHU? It's rentable and it's not ghetto and they accept dogs. C'mon.

Oakwood apts-
short term, furnished, pet friendly in most bldgs

http://tinyurl.com/r66fk

Seems silly to put her out basically in Hillsboro (Tanasbrook) when working at OHSU. Do you realize what a terrible commute that is every day??? There have got to be places to be had much closer than that, such as in SW Portland off Barbur Blvd somewhere that may not be exciting but should be safe and a much better commute to OHSU than Highway 26 would be!

Andrew

She's already said she doesn't want the long commute. That's why I suggested the SW area, near Gabriel Park. My daughter, a med student, lives there, and rides her bike up to OHSU. It's a very pleasant neighborhood, too, and very dog-friendly, with a nice off-leash area in the park and apartments all around with "pet friendly" signs out.