Discover East Portland

Greenest city, best coffee, hottest indie music scene. In the eyes of others (read: national media outlets), Portland is constantly competing for top listicle honors. In 2012, Travel + Leisure liberally bestowed upon Portland "the best" titles for environmental friendliness, street food and food trucks, public transportation and pedestrian friendliness, pet-friendly vacation, and microbrewed beer (as well more...

Record collectors rejoice! Your national (and fast-becoming international) holiday is upon us again: It’s Record Store Day—the day when thousands of independent music retailers across the U.S. offer an incredible selection—literally hundreds—of exclusive limited edition releases that are only available at indie record stores. The focus skews heavily towards vinyl including special more...

You’ve officially decided to follow your dream. Whether you’re ready to reveal the product you’ve been meticulously developing in your workshop or studio to the world, or you’re ambitiously opening your own restaurant, bar, bakery or boutique, you should step back a moment and consider the name of your product, business or service from a legal perspective—you’ll thank yourself more...

Change is in the air and the signs are becoming noticeable around town—the days are longer, green grass is sprouting, colorful crocuses are beginning to poke through damp dirt, and a few blue skies and fluffy, white clouds are occasionally pushing gray, rainy days aside. This all means spring is beckoning—which also means it’s time for you to get outside, clean up what winter left behind, and start more...

In all likelihood, financial and accounting services are usually best left to the professionals—those that do it for a living. And since finding reliable help in the accounting and financial services sector is crucial to the success of your small business, Neighborhood Notes has scoured the field for a selection of professional, qualified and local bookkeepers, CPAs and financial planners who are eager to work with you. more...

The Big One is coming. The Pacific Northwest is overdue for a cataclysmic earthquake, one that will measure at the upper end of the Richter scale. This is something that most experts can agree on. Of course, nobody knows when the Big One will actually occur, or just how destructive it will be. Portland residents may be lulled by talk of taking emergency precautions to prepare themselves for a large, destructive more...

The popularity of nachos has never been in doubt, but who do we have to thank for this snackable combo of chips and cheese? The Mexicans? The Texans? Mexican Texans? That's not an easy question to answer. Like many beloved dishes, nachos have several creation myths—all of which seem to start with hungry, and often famous, travelers, and end when crafty chefs with empty pantries make do with what they have, more...

The season of clouds may be upon us, but that doesn't mean a long winter of discontent has to be on you. Belly up to just about any Portland bar and chances are you’ll find someone who has crafted a cocktail that will cure your winter blues. Neighborhood Notes went out in search of a few hot drinks—hot as in heated up—and what we found were libations amalgamated with cinnamon, honey, cloves, more...

Originally farmland, East Portland’s Powellhurst-Gilbert is named for a pair of 1800s settlers, Jackson Powell and William M. Gilbert, whose names also appear on a trio of neighborhood elementary schools. As the city grew, residential development claimed much of the land, but pockets of flora and fauna as well as urban agriculture still exist within and nearby today’s Powellhurst-Gilbert. Consistently an more...

A question, Portland pie lovers: Where do you buy your pie? Of course, you can always buy yours from a corporate supermarket or national diner franchise, but keep in mind that purchasing pie from your local baker makes their slice of the local prosperity pie just a little bit larger. Every time you order a piece from your local bakery or cafe, you're keeping your favorite bakers in business, and, in turn, more...