Northwest Lovejoy St, Cedar Mill

Lovejoy is at the center of one of the largest urban renewals in Portland. Named after Asa Lovejoy, the man who lost the famous 1845 coin toss that decided Portland's name, Though the Pearl District used to be filled with industrial crap and warehouses, it has since become a fairly trendy, upscale, and generally nice (though I don't like to admit that) neighborhood.

Lovejoy, and the Pearl District in general, is most popular for its art galleries and shopping though I have not really partaken in either of those events. However, the people I know who do go to art galleries and enjoy shopping tend to rave about places in the Pearl.

Jamison Square and Tanner Springs Park are a couple of neat little urban parks. I tend to like my parks a bit less structured and manicured, but they are still very cool places to sit and watch life go on around you.

Most of the living space here are warehouses that have been converted into lofts, though condos and apartments have (and continue) to be built all around. The Portland Streetcar, which was pretty much invented for the renewal of the Pearl District, runs down Lovejoy and I am fairly certain that Lovejoy is within the free wireless internet zone that surrounds the Pearl District.

Of the restaurants in the area, I haven't been to many, but my favorite by far is the Santa Fe Tacqueria on Johnson. Just about any of the myriad brewpubs in the area are good too. We love our beer around Portland.

Overall the Pearl District is a good place to go if you want to get a slice of what passes for urban life in Portland. I don't think its typical of most big cities, but it really isn't my thing.