Pearl District vs. South Waterfront (condo, buyers, living)

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

I love the look of South Waterfront, but walking around there, it seems so dead!

Right here. There is very little that attracts anyone in to the area. Unless you're living or working there, of course.

I can't think of a single restaurant, store, park, or museum I'd be interested in going to there. Mostly because they just don't exist yet.

[danwilsonbsee]

I had to make the very same decision a few years ago when we were looking for places while living on the east coast. We actually split the difference and ended up downtown and I much prefer it. One of the nicest things about living in Portland is walking to almost anywhere you need to go. The south waterfront doesn't allow for that without a longer commute and with the rain it is a pain to do so for 6 months of the year. Yes it is quieter in the evenings but so is downtown after 5pm and in downtown you're just a 10 minute walk from the action or a grocery store. If it's between the Pearl and SW... go for the Pearl - yes it's busier but that's because there are actually restaurants and stores. SW has all the negatives of living in a big apartment building with few of the benefits (ie. living in a vibrant area).

[Dual Citizen CA-OR]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

There's a Zupan's at John's Landing.

South Waterfront is less crowded, and more calm feeling. The Pearl isn't. So, it depends on which appeals more to you.

I agree. I lived near the corner of Burnside and Stark for 14 months and have been in the South Water front since June.

While the Pearl obviously offers easier access to all things downtown, it's also nice to have a view of, or be able to walk one or two blocks to the riverbank. It's much more quite and as you say, more of a calm feeling.

Also I've found the Pearl to be much more expensive for housing, rentals or condos.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I agree with many the S Waterfront has a very sterile "new town" overly engineered redevelopment vibe. For those who can't stand older housing stock then have at it however Pearl is just a much richer in depth environment IMHO.

[sorupaa]

i want to walk on the new SOWA/Lair Hill Pedestrian Bridge some time

[Dual Citizen CA-OR]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

I agree with many the S Waterfront has a very sterile "new town" overly engineered redevelopment vibe. For those who can't stand older housing stock then have at it however Pearl is just a much richer in depth environment IMHO.

Agree about the much richer environment, as of now the SW is almost a ghost town with only one good restaurant that I regularly go to, Soho.

But after living on the edge of the Pearl and in the SW, I much prefer the latter. For me it's like having the best of both worlds, I get the quite 'country living' and incredible views of the river, while at the same time I'm only 15 minutes away from downtown via the streetcar which makes the parking issue a moot point.

[turquoise1]

I actually found SW to be quite expensive when I was looking for apartments. They seemed to range over $3,000 a month, and there weren't a lot of amenities in the neighborhood. I know the Pearl is pricey, but there are parks, grocery stores, restaurants, etc.

[Nell Plotts]

If you are condo shopping it is cheaper than the Pear. My guess rentals are more expensive because of medical professionals in training for whom renting is their only option.

[oregonian19]

Thank you all for your input!
I am looking for a condo over an apartment, gives you more freedom to do what you want. The Pearl sounds more desireable because it is close to almost everything, but I feel like you can get more bang for your buck in the South Waterfront. Like more space, a view, a reserved parking spot, etc.

[sorupaa]

in the south waterfront emergence vehicles will be using the new bridge so if won't be 100% quiet

quieter then pearl with the train