Portland's Pearl District Street of Dreams

I haven't been to a Street of Dreams in a number of years, and this is the first I've noticed that features condominiums. Urban condos rank high on my desirability scale so I made a point to go this year. It cost $15 for the Pearl Pass for which I was able to view four Pearl District condo buildings. Two buildings were at the north end of the Pearl District by the Willamette River, and the other two were south. I was too lazy to walk between the north and south and didn't want to take the shuttle so I paid for parking twice - $9 total. I was there between 10:30 and 3:00 or so.
I thought this would also be a good opportunity to take lots of pictures - which I did. I haven't yet become clever enough to use any modes other than Auto. Luckily, I'm just happy to accurately document the interesting things I see. If I can.
Today I took 540 pictures! Digital cameras are so great! I don't mind having a lot of pictures that don't work out.
Sadly, while none of the pictures I took were completely bad, none of them were spectacular either; the exposure wasn't quite right for the lighting situations.

Not only are my pictures unspectacular, but they're the kind that could have been found on the Street of Dreams website. Sigh.

Here's their picture of the living/dining room in The Maison penthouse at the 937 Condominiums:



And, here is mine...



Here is their view of the study in The Bedford at 937 Condominiums



And I took four pictures to get everything in...






My point proven.

No matter...here's a summary of the things I liked or noticed about the condominiums I saw today:

1. The 937 Condominiums opened up a few other properties in the building (in addition to the penthouses) for people to look at. They were smaller units which suited my lifestyle more realistically. I could have imagined myself in one of them. Though they were still more expensive than I could justify for myself.

2. The 937 Condominiums balconies were scary. Here's a picture from one of the small units looking up to the next level's balcony (from 10th floor looking to 11th floor). See that chair...its practically floating in midair! Eeek! I didn't like that. And honestly, it would make me not purchase that condominium (my picture).



3. The Bedford penthouse at the 937 Condominiums has fully retractable "Panda Doors" opening to the covered terrace with an aluminum (I think) hot tub. The penthouse is on the 16th floor so I can imagine it would be incredible to sit in the hot tub on a cool Portland night looking at the city lights.
The doors created a wonderful breeze that gave the living room/terrace an indoor/outdoor feel. Luxurious. (their picture)


4. The Bedford penthouse also had an interesting shower/tub combination I like. The tub in back has a nice view, and the shower stall is just inside with a half door - completely see-through. It doesn't look entirely practical, but I like the idea of it a lot. (My picture)



Can you tell where the 1/2 wall is? And notice the full length window. I don't know how that works, and I can tell you I heard more than a few people during the tour of the 937 Condominiums talk about people in other buildings being able to see in. Which leads to the other feature about the 937 Condominiums I liked...

5. Floor to ceiling windows. Everywhere. Almost every room had a view (even in the smaller units) of the city through floor to ceiling windows. Window treatments were not included in the designs as presented. Maybe they expect that a regular owner of the penthouse would have window treatments, but during the Street of Dreams they want people to see the views unobstructed. In any event, the views are spectacular.

*****

Moving on now to Block 90.

I liked this building a lot. Its the fourth floor of a mixed use building. The terrace and patio area on both the penthouses and the smaller unit were huge (1600 square feet for the Manhattan penthouse) and felt comfortable. In fact, the terraces/patios are what make these condos enviable. Being on the fourth floor they don't have the same kind of view that the 937 Condominiums have, but I thought they made up for it in size and usability.

6. Terrace access from the living room and both bedrooms. Amazing. Their pictures.




The East Village penthouse was decorated with a Balinese flavor. Here's a picture of part of their smaller terrace: (my picture)



7. And here are some other pictures I took inside the East Village penthouse. I felt more comfortable in the Manhattan penthouse (and even the smaller Dawn Marie unit), but the art and accessories in this unit were interesting. (more of my pictures)





If I could afford it, the Pearl Condominiums @ Block 90 felt very comfortable to me and I'd purchase one of their units.

On to the North end...near the river.

First up...The Encore.

If I were really considering buying (and at these prices, even the loft studio is out of my reach) a condo, The Encore could be a good value. I think when they put the park in, it will increase the value of the units. Today the lowest price studio is 261k (unit 509 as I recall?). We'll see what it is after the park is put in.

The first penthouse at The Encore is called "An Uncommon Life". It was a real mix of extreme formality and modern furnishings. Here's a picture of the dining table: (my picture)



8. A truly spectacular feature of the other penthouse "Luster of the Pearl" is the courtyard on the terrace that's inset into the unit a little so it's protected from strong breezes. I thought that was perfect. Loved it. Here are two pictures (my picture):




In general, I like The Encore. The views are varied and wide-ranging. Again, floor to ceiling windows. And I like the feel of the building.

The Waterfront Pearl is the final building, and it really is right on the Willamette River waterfront. Not only that, but the building has a 'moat', or rather a river of water that flows around the two towers.

I have pictures to upload and a couple comments about it, but I'm getting tired. This has taken much longer than I would like. I'll finish it up tomorrow.