Parkrose Life

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Parkrose Travel Guide

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Every day in Parkrose we watch countless planes descend to PDX bringing business travelers and hipsters on pilgrimage, but despite the airport proximity, it’d be a safe bet that very few visitors to the City of Roses spend any time in the Parkrose area. Well, this week we got to hang with my sister-in-law from Dallas at her trendy ADU vacation rental a block off Hawthorne Blvd and do some touristy Portland stuff. It got me thinking: what would a vacation in Parkrose be like?

Here are tips for a perfect getaway to Parkrose!

VACATION RENTALS & HOTELS IN PARKROSE

The best way to get a feel for a neighborhood is to embed yourself inconspicuously, and a quick Airbnb search yielded 19 whole home stays in the Parkrose area.

Comfy yet modern guest house in Parkrose

This one-bedroom, one-bathroom home has a 4.98 rating from 125 Airbnb reviews touting how clean and well-appointed it is and how kind the host is. That’s some Parkrose hospitality! The living room looks super cozy and relaxing too!

Charming & quiet guesthouse

For more than a couple of people staying together, check out this creative two-bedroom Parkrose home with a 4.99 rating based on 138 Airbnb reviews. Both bedrooms have a creative mural and a Tempur-Pedic king mattress, and every square inch of the home looks brand new.

Best Western Pony Soldier Inn – Airport

If a hotel room is more your cup of Keurig, the Best Western Pony Soldier Inn earns consistently high marks on Trip Advisor.

RESTAURANTS AND FOOD CARTS IN PARKROSE

Some might assume Parkrose doesn’t have any great food options, but they’d be wrong! A few of these even make the best of Portland lists, and there are other worthy candidates that’ll just be our secret for now. Most of these selections are in the Argay Terrace neighborhood; I may be biased since I live there. Note that Parkrose operates like a small town, and many of these places close certain days or close early especially as we’re dealing with Covid and staffing shortages.

Sa Bai Thai

In a city known for Thai food, Sa Bai Thai has made its mark, and Eater featured it on its list of “Where to Find Stunning Thai Food in Portland” writing, “Sa Bai has nailed those straight-up comfort foods, ideal for hunkering down inside.” (They wrote during Covid when Sa Bai Thai was only offering takeout.) I usually go for pad kee mao or any of the curry dishes. Yelp

Selena’s Custom Kitchen

Selena’s is a food cart offering mouth-watering fried salmon and basa (like catfish), crawfish etouffee, and other soul food staples. We always get a Selena’s Sampler so we can have some of everything. The owners were nice enough to sit down with me for a chat shortly after they opened too. Yelp

Bistro 23

Bistro 23 is always bumping great jazz music and has a menu that would be agreeable to just about anyone: pizza, sandwiches, salad, and flavorful entrees plus a great bar. They’re popular on lunch break with workers from Columbia Corridor and surrounding areas, but the restaurant has a more intimate vibe at night. My wife swears by what’s now a secret menu item, the polenta burger. My go-to’s are the Pig in the Woods pizza and Brick Chicken entree. Yelp

Fork and Spoon Food House

I hadn’t ventured into Filipino food much save a friend’s mom’s lumpia and now Fork and Spoon Food House, but now I’m never going back to the non-Filipino-food-eating ways of the past. Don’t be fooled by the hipster-sounding name—this place is the real deal. Eater has featured them not once, not twice, but three times! If you don’t know where to start, I’m a fan of the lumpia (spring rolls) and the Bicol Express, “finely chopped pork cooked with hot peppers and green beans in coconut milk.” Yelp

Level Beer

Level Beer perfectly doesn’t make sense. It’s an old-school video game-themed brewery occupying a former produce market with food carts that’s also family-friendly. In an OregonLive interview, co-owner Shane Watterson said, “Naively we thought we could produce beer for wholesale, then occasionally people would wander in and we’d pour them a pint but it turned out that there’s a lot of people out here and this is really convenient for them. And they’re super excited we’re here.” Even for people who don’t drink, this is probably the hippest place in the Parkrose area to hang out, and if the food carts on-site aren’t appetizing enough, they allow outside food from anywhere. Yelp

Gateway Breakfast House

For a cozy family breakfast or perhaps a hangover cure, you’re going to want to check out Gateway Breakfast House and see where President Barack Obama sat and visited with the locals. This is an old-school joint serving up pancakes, omelets, and American breakfast standards. Yelp

COFFEE IN PARKROSE

Rocky Butte Espresso Bar

For the best espresso drinks and coffee beans in the area, I’m going to take you a bit west of the Parkrose area on the other side of I-205 to Rocky Butte Espresso Bar. It’s a homey and inviting neighborhood space with affordable coffee. I am one of the co-owners, and I gotta say that I’d put our mocha against any other shop’s! James Helms is the main owner and barista, and we’re loving getting even more ingrained in the community. While you’re there, you can pick up a pastry or pumpkin loaf and a bag of coffee beans and even have it ground to suit your coffee maker if needed. Yelp

Jet Black Coffee

I’ve also had great times at Jet Black Coffee, which was the first specialty coffee shop to open in Portland east of 82nd Ave that I know of. They specialize in vegan milk and pastries, plants, and chill vibes. Yelp

RECREATION IN PARKROSE

Luuwit View Park is a 16-acre park in the heart of Argay Terrace with a fenced dog park, skateboard bowl, playground, and plenty of open space with views of Mount Saint Helens and the Rossi Farms barn.
Gateway Discovery Park is an urban-style park that hosts a lot of events with a great playground and popular skate area too. Enjoy an ice cream cone from Baskin-Robbins as you stroll through the park. (Photo: Mid-County Memo)
Glendoveer Golf & Tennis is a popular golf course also featuring indoor tennis and a walking path around the course. You can stock up on gear and Gateway Brewing beer at ParWest Golf before you hit the links.
Gateway Green creatively took over an abandoned space between the interstate with walking paths and mountain biking trails.

One surprising facet of many mid-century modern Parkrose area homes is their fabulous backyard pools. You can take a dip at one of Parkrose’s nicest homes through Swimply! Cannonball with your family or host a pool party for friends.

MASSAGE & SPA IN PARKROSE


Sally made Healing Touch PDX, Plus a cozy space at an unassuming place a bit south of the Parkrose area and puts great care into her massages! She is truly a gem!
As a guy who’s only ever had one pedicure (from Hammer & Nails which closed), I haven’t visited L&Q NAILS yet, but they have a 4.8 rating on Google and describe their nail salon as “where ambience and expertise work together to enchant the senses, enrich the body and enhance the beauty within you. L&Q NAILS is a premiere luxury nail salon and spa with the years of experience.” They offer manicures, pedicures, and nail enhancements and have plenty of photos of their work online.

SHOPPING IN PARKROSE

The Parkrose area has three distinct shopping districts. Cascade Station is technically in the Parkrose neighborhood although it’s probably more associated with the airport, but we’ll claim it! Check out their sites for a list of shops.

Historic Parkrose
Gateway
Cascade Station

There you have my travel guide in the spirit of Portland Monthly/Travel Portland/Travel Oregon/1859 Oregon’s Magazine/Willamette Week/Oregon Live. Let me know in the blog comments what I left out or what you want to try out!

About Bryan Atkinson

I'm a real estate agent, and I love my neighborhood! My dream is for everyone in Parkrose to thrive! I created this blog and podcast to highlight people doing great things in our community and showcase everything Parkrose offers. If you would like to buy or sell a home in the Parkrose area, call or email me!

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  1. Juliette Ganschow says

    I live in Parkrose at 105th and Shaver and have lately been depressed about the neighborhood. Thank you for putting this beautiful and fun spin on the neighborhood lifting my spirits!!!!!

    Reply

  2. Marion Freyburger says

    Thank you for the update for my old neighborhood. I grew up off of 134 and Fremont. Went to Shaver, Fremont and Parkrose. I am glad that the area is doing well.

    Reply

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Bryan Atkinson is a licensed real estate agent #201210457 in the state of Oregon under Rarebird Real Estate.

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