"Living history" is how Nancy Stovall, Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association (OTCT) Vice Chair, characterizes her vibrant hood. Others clearly not-in-the-know have also offered up "seedy", "the dead zone", and "boring", but boy, oh, boy, are they ever wrong. Last night, my pal Ken and I ventured out to Ping, a new and popular dining venue. Late-ish Tuesday night, and not only was the restaurant full and lively (and really freakin' good—we gleefully over-did-it), but the neighborhood was, well, bustling—small groups and couples ambled about, many bars and clubs seemed busy, offering music and perhaps late-night happy hour specials. This "dead zone" was totally happening. Who knew?
Old Town Chinatown holds the key to Portland's rich history. It's the oldest neighborhood in town, where the city truly began, bound by the river to the east and Broadway to the west. Betcha didn't know it actually extends across Burnside and as far as SW Stark. And, this historic zone is one that evolves. New businesses, new renovation and preservation projects, new flavors seem to constantly crop up.
The very active and dedicated OTCT Neighborhood Association is committed to "preserving, maintaining, illuminating, and sharing" the treasures the neighborhood holds. Part of this endeavor is based in preserving its many historic buildings and landmarks. In 1997, the OTCT Visions Committee created a Visions Plan that was adopted by the Portland City Council to be used as a model of how stakeholders can come together to effectively plan the future of an area. Regularly meeting to discuss long-term goals and how neighborhood projects contribute to and benefit a community is a process that serves us all. The document has been updated several times to reflect how neighborhood associations can best operate, how people can see the redevelopment of their neighborhoods for living, working, and owning property. The Visions Committee is proud of their efforts—and should be.
The Committee's document has been instrumental to the development of the Resource Access Center. The location for this new structure offering shelter and services to the homeless has been finalized in Block U near the bus terminal, bounded by Northwest Broadway, Hoyt, Irving and 6th. This is a great addition to the neighborhood and the City, and the project has many advocates. However, the presence of shelters in Old Town has always received mixed reviews. Stovall notes, "There are shelters down here. That's the reality. And the neighborhood is caring in that respect. Instead of being afraid, we should all embrace it."
Other key preservation and renovation projects span University of Oregon's White Stag building, the new Mercy Corps World Headquarters at Skidmore Fountain Building, and the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine campus relocation to the historic Globe Hotel Building.
"The White Stag block renovation project is an example of organization with plan and purpose to preserve part of Portland's history." Stovall notes that the University worked closely with the neighborhood organization; the positive relationship that developed carries on today. Mercy Corps' Global HQ will open early October. You may know that this is one of the highest esteemed agencies in the world, a Pacific Northwest home-grown endeavor, and the consolidation of its groups and people at the new site is a fantastic opportunity for the organization and the City.
And, there are plenty more opportunities coming our way, including the Soho 321 warehouse renovation at 3rd and Glisan that will offer two floors of retail and five floors of office space. Another potential location— in a proposed $70 million mixed-use Old Town shopping center—awaits Uwajimaya, an Asian market of extraordinary proportions.
Restaurants, bars, and galleries abound in OTCT, as do serene locales for spending a calm day. Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Oregon Jewish Museum, and Oregon Maritime Museum each offers wonderful activities and learning opportunities. My fave hidden gem is the Tao of Tea found inside the Chinese Garden. The Garden also offers special events like lectures, music, and other activities throughout the year. On a warm night last summer, we sipped wine by the pond as Amelia played sweetly to the audience.
Davis Street Tavern and Purest Café are new additions to our foodie scene, while the 100+ year old, family-owned Dan & Louis Oyster Bar, The Thirsty Lion, Voleur and the various ubiquitous Chinese restaurants are old stand-bys. (You know, for comfort food cravings like fried squid and habanero-blackberry ketchup.) "We try our best to get out of the hood for explorations in dining, but we don't make it, time and time again", quipped an enthusiastic OTCT resident munching skewers next to me at Ping.
The First Thursday impact is impressive, drawing huge crowds monthly. The art scene is much different here than in other parts of the city with an eclectic mix from spoken art to sequential art to multi-media installations, the First Thursday gallery crawl offers art lovers and people watchers an interesting feast for the eyes—to see "cool stuff and world-class art you might not otherwise." At Everett Station Lofts, you'll find works from dozens of artists; in August, Grassy Knoll Gallery, on the second floor of the Merchant Hotel, presented an aquarium studio with animated, interactive multimedia to create your own sea creatures. For more information on gallery listings and other cool hood activities, see The Crier.
So, what do you think about the rough, rollicking center of our formerly lawless town now? Eager to see more? While many I spoke with do not recommend the Shanghai Tunnels tours (main gripe: "not authentic") PDX Pedicab now offers a history tour with newly installed sound systems in their cabs, to help us discover more about OTCT by cruising the hood by bike cab for about 45 minutes—from the waterfront to the gardens through Chinatown and Japantown.
Three long time not-to-be-missed OTCT residents: (Top Left) Cal Skate and (Top Right) Backspace and (Bottom) Voodoo Doughnut
What if you're not a local or out-of-towner tourist? Where do you live and work in Old Town? McCormick Pier, The Yards at Union Station, Old Town Lofts and Pacific Tower are home to some of the 3000 [according to 2000 Census Data] total OTCT residents. (Don't forget the SROs and additional shelters.) Nedspace is the latest in connected workspace; souk is an office/meeting space solution that has been in biz for a few years now. And, if you live in Old Town and work downtown, you better be walking.
Convinced yet? Old Town Chinatown is indeed a vibrant part of our fair city. There is a lot going on any day or night of the week—perhaps too much from which to choose. You can start by heading to First Thursday tonight. Maybe Ping tomorrow for dinner. And why not glide through the Chinese Garden for a serene Saturday afternoon? Sounds like a perfect start to the weekend in our most historic of hoods.
View the slide show for more images of Old Town Chinatown or visit our Flickr gallery:
Awesome and spot on! So glad to be part of OTCT for several years now!
And we're glad souk is here - a terrific resource for many!
Great intro to Old Town Chinatown. For more information and links to businesses and galleries go to www.oldtownchinatown.com.
In fact, this is the official site of the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association. The link in the first paragraph takes you to the Nexo site where OTCTNA members make public minutes, committee reports and other documents.
Thanks, Carol. I changed the link in the first paragraph. Readers will find that site much more useful. It's a great guide to OTCT!