My daughter goes to College in Portland, so I have been up visiting quite a few times. We have shopped downtown Portland and the Northwest area, and around Hawthorne. I want to explore the Pearl district, but I just don't understand where it is exactly, what streets etc. Can I park and walk the area, or drive to differnt spots? Is it just galleries, or shopping and restaurants?

Thanks,
Elaine

Hi Elaine,
The Pearl is where we lived before we moved this past April...I loved it there!
Figure Powells/Henrys/Burnside Ave is the South boundary and NW Northrup is the North and the freeway (NW14th) is the West and Chinatown/North Park Blocks are the East boundary.

Take the car/streetcar/walk on NW 10th...from there you can just wander up anddown the different streets..Anthropologie is on 10th & Couch (pronounced Kooch) as is Whole Foods, Powells, Ten01, Noodles and the Pearl Bakery & more.
Glisan is good for Starbucks and shops and galleries and Silk..Vietnamese restaurant.
If you just stay on the streetcar and hop on and off where you feel like it, it will get you started.

On NW 13th .. there is a great place called Cargo..I bought beads and imported things there, it is fun just to browse..

Hot Lips Pizza is in the bldg that Patagonia is in, they have a nice little terrace where you can sit outside and eat..across from there is Jamison Pk where you can be by the fountain/waterfall and just relax..
The Park Blocks..Pups favorite place to be walked are lovely..in good weather we often took a pastry and coffee from the Pearl Bakery, walked pup down to the park and sat on a bench and enjoyed the area..
You can meet/see some really "different" people there but it is or always was very safe..there is a school right there on the corner and the kids play in the playground there..

Hope this helps..have a great time. You can walk it all.

I don't know how you'd feel about it, Scarlett, but I was dismayed to see that there's now a Ben & Jerry's just a few blocks down from where you lived. Love the ice cream, sure, but geez..... hate the strip mall look.

Hey beachbum
I saw the work being done but we left before they finished. I sort of looked forward to summer walks with my Ben and Jerrys .. as a break from my Mio Gelato lol..

On one hand I agree .. but on the other...it relieves the Pearl a little of it's hip/trendy/precious attitude to have something like that...get a little less above it all..which can be attractive to some visitors..although next thing we will hear is someone brought their own ice cream dish to the Ice Cream Parlor lol

Scarlett!

Scarlett--They might even bring their own homemade ice cream in as well

I've got to admit, Portland is growing on me. At first I though it lacked ethnic diversity, but now I love downtown and the Pearl District.

The Pearl Bakery is our favorite for sandwiches and pastry. Also like Whole Foods and TJ's.

We like to stay at the Embassy Suites. Great historic building.
They serve Widmer on tap for their Manager Reception (Free Beer!)

Also ventured to the Nike Outlet Store. Tried to get in Voodoo Donut on a Saturday Night but the line was out the door onto the sidewalk. The cultlike following for this place is amazing.

Sadly, I never got to have a Voodoo Donut but did have some good St Cupcakes right around Glisan or Everett and 19th? good and pretty cupcakes ...

Scarlett,

Is that the cupcake place right next to Ben & Jerry's? I was looking in their window. Interesting.

My 3 Pearl "do's" are Powells, the Pearl Bakery and the By-ways cafe. I'm not a local, just was a "happy to be there" tourist for 3 short days a few months ago.

No, coconut, that cupcake place is new since Scarlett left, too. I have to say I don't get the deal with cupcake shops. If it's supposed to be the equivalent of the patisserie, we're getting the short end of the stick, I'd say!

No, coconut, that cupcake place is new since Scarlett left, too. I have to say I don't get the deal with cupcake shops. If it's supposed to be the US equivalent of the French patisserie, we're getting the short end of the stick, I'd say!

Aahhh dueling cupcake establishements...what is the name? How many cupcakes shops does a town need?