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Top 5 Things To Do Before Renting a Place in Portland

The Pearl is Portland's most talked about trendy neighborhood of the last decade. Now a destination for upwardly-mobile young professionals, the Pearl was once an old warehouse district that was originally discovered by artists who coveted the cheap living and work space but soon became a magnent for developers to build new condo and apartment buildings, many of them in the foundations of old buildings. Up through the 1990's the area still had railroad tracks previously used to move goods and beer (a brewery at NW11th and Burnside) out of the area, but these have now been paved over for streets. The area has since been completely transformed by all the new development - it is full of expensive restaurants and shops on the first level the shiny new mid-rise apartment and condo buildings.

Powell's Books, located in the Pearl District, is a huge independent book store (the biggest independent bookstore in the United States), a whole city block of new and used books. It's so big, the rooms are color coded and they give you a map to get around the store! If you read at all, this place is a MUST SEE during a first visit, a highlight of Portland, Oregon!!! On a rainy Saturday afternoon, you can browse books in Powell's coffee shop to pass the time and lose yourself there. There are a few other Powell's branches in Portland (including at the airport), but the downtown/Pearl branch is the one to see. The Portland Streetcar was built to connect NW Portland to downtown Portland through the Pearl in 2002, and this cemented the area's hipness (ride the streetcar - who wants to drive or ride a bus?).

One of Portland's most popular cultural events, of which The Pearl District's galleries are a highlight - is First Thursday, a monthly night where the art galleries stay open late, people dress up and go drink wine and check out the latest art. This is a good way to get "out" in Portland especially during the winter when there isn't much else going on.