New iPhone App For House Hunters

Have you ever been driving around, stumbled upon a house that’s for sale but there isn’t any information available?  Whether you’re just looking for fun or you’re actively looking for a new home, the “myAgent by IDX” is an awesome tool to receive local real estate listings at your finger tips.

Using GeoTracking, the app identifies where you’re located and pulls up all the actives listings in the area.  Plotted on a map you’ll see where each house is located – scroll over the little house image and you’ll get additional information about that specific home (price, number of bedrooms, bathrooms and the public remarks from RMLS). 

Here’s how to get it!  There are two ways to download and install:

1.       From your desktop computer, click here to open iTunes on your local system, which will bring up the “myAgent by IDX” application. Click to install the app – you will need to enter the agent code “7125-55” when prompted.  The next time your phone is synced to your computer, the app will be installed on your phone.

2.       Or, from your iPhone, go to the App Store, and search for “myAgent by IDX”. Click to install the myAgent app.   ***Important:  when you open the app for the first time on your iPhone, the program will ask for your agent code. Type in “7125-55”. This will give you permission to access the current data through your phone.

The data for this application is pulled directly from RMLS and works well within the Google mapping system when searching for properties, as well as viewing results throughout the greater Portland area.

Please share with your friends, family and colleagues.  No more wishing there were flyers in the box, no more questioning the list price or how many bedrooms – get the answers at the tip of your fingers on every active listing!  Of course, call me if you have additional questions – this app will only provide high level information.

Have a good one – Happy Hunting!

~Kori

Portland Area Fireworks Displays

The 4th of July holiday is just around the corner – where are you going to be when the sun sets?

Waterfront Blues Festival: a fundraiser for the Oregon Food Bank, the Waterfront Blues Festival is the largest blues festival on the West Coast and the second largest blues festival in the nation.  Festivities begin Friday, July 2nd and continue through Monday, July 5th.  Fireworks display Sunday night at 10:00 pm.  Admission: $10 donation and two cans of non-perishable food for the food bank.

Oaks Park: open all day for rides and entertainment.  The Oaks Park fireworks display is scheduled to launch at 9:55 pm on Sunday night.  Admission to the park is $5 for adults, $2 for everyone under 15.  Gates open at 10 am, get there early and make a day of it.  Picnic areas are first come, first serve.

Blue Lake Park: the park is open all day and fireworks start at dusk.  This year’s event also features live music by The Stingrays, Aguamiel and Linda Hornbuckle.  Admission to the park is $10 per car, $15 per large van.

Vancouver National Historic Reserve: the Fort Vancouver Fireworks display is BACK!  After 46 years, the 2009 event had to be cancelled due to limited funding.  This year, the event is back thanks to the support of Bank of America and other partners, corporations and individuals.  In order to make this year’s event financially sustainable, there will be a small fee.  Doors open at 8 am – general park admission $7 (children under 12 are free) and there are additional tickets available if you’d prefer a “prime viewing” seat.

Enjoy your 4th of July holiday and be safe!

~Kori

Portland Area Dog Parks: a few of Portland’s best off-leash parks

For all you dog lovers out there, here’s a few great off-leash parks in the Portland area!

Nate & Luna Enjoying the Outdoors

UNFENCED PARKS

FENCED PARKS

Get out with the pooches and enjoy this coming summer weather!  Try a new park, you might find a new fav! 

~Kori (Nate & Luna)

June Is Dining Month Portland!

Did you know… that June is Dining Month Portland?  Presented by the Downtown Marketing Initiative, in conjunction with Travel Portland, this citywide dining promotion is patterned after restaurant weeks in other cities like New York, Seattle and Los Angeles.  For an entire month – 46 restaurants will offer three-course dinner menus – appetizer, entree, and dessert – for just $25!  In addition, SmartPark Garage is providing a $1.00 off parking but you must first download the coupon first.

Participating restaurants include: Brasserie Montmartre, Huber’s Cafe, Mama Mia Trattoria and Mother’s Bistro & Bar downtown; Bluehour, Fratelli e Bar Due and Rogue Ales Distillery and Public House in the Pearl… but don’t be fooled, the Eastside is also participating clarklewis, Eleni’s Estiatorio and Lauro Kitchen in Southeast and Lincoln and Tabla Mediterranean Bistro in North/Northeast.  Click here for a complete list of participating restaurants.

As if a three-course dinner at these fantastic local restaurants wasn’t enough, enter to win $1000 worth of restaurant gift certifiates but that’s not all – for every entry, the Downtown Marketing Initiative will donated $5 to the New Avenues for Youth (up to $5000).  So get out there and enjoy the fabulous cuisine our city has to offer and maybe you’ll win $1000 worth of restaurant gift certificates while helping Portland’s homeless youth!

Happy Dining!

~Kori

Get Out This Weekend – Two Great Programs from the AHC

Both Events Take Place Saturday May 22, 2010

 

SPECIAL EVENT!

The Fox’s Lady: Holistic Weatherization Meets Historic Preservation

9:oo am to 4:00 pm (open house style event)

Admission is FREE with a suggested donation

5915 NE Rodney

Portland, OR 97217

 

No pre-registration is required for this event.  Guided tours will be given throughout the day.  Due to space constraints, each tour is limited to a maximum of 40 people and is a first-come first-serve basis. 

This event is supported by: EcoTech LLC, Energy Trust of Oregon, Clean Energy Works Portland, Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, National Trust for Historic Preservation

Lost Oregon - 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Members: $13   General Public $18
701 SE Grand Avenue
Portland, OR 97214

Lost Oregonlooks at a selection of resources from Oregon’s now-vanished built environment.  In the past 250 years, Oregonians have built, and then lost, many remarkable structures, from Chinook longhouses to the Capital Building, from nabob’s mansions to towering wooden trestles.  Wood, our most common construction material, is cheap and adaptable; it also burns well and rots easily.  Social and economic fluctuations have also driven changes in the built environment, as railroad trestles were superseded by freeway ramps, and country churches gave way to trail courts.

Historian, Richard Engeman is the author of Wood Beams and Railroad Ties: The History of Oregon’s Built Environment (Oregon Historical Society, 2005; online at www.ohs.org) and The Oregon Companion: a Historical Gazetteer of the Useful, the Curious, and the Arcane (Timber Press, 2009).

Pre-registration is strongly suggested – visit the AHC online at www.VisitAHC.org or call the front desk at 503-231-7264.  

Have a great weekend!

~Kori   

Portland’s “Versatile Stylist”: The Architectural Legacy of John V. Bennes

This Saturday at the Architectural Heritage Center, Portland’s “Versatile Stylist”: The Architectural Legacy of John V. Bennes.

Saturday, March 6, 2010
10:00 am – 11:30 am
General Public: $18, Members: $13
Pre-registration is strongly suggested

Between1906-41, John Bennes was one of Portland’s most prolific architects. Recent research has helped to define Bennes’ place in the architectural history of Portland and Oregon, and new information about him continues to be uncovered. This presentation by Larry Landis, University Archivist at Oregon State University, will explore the rich architectural legacy that Bennes created and share new information about some of his design projects. Born in Illinois and raised in Chicago, Bennes brought his knowledge of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright to Oregon in 1900. After six years in Baker City, he moved to Portland, where he introduced the Prairie Style to residential construction. He also designed hotels, movie theaters, warehouses, and other commercial buildings in a variety of styles, from Art Deco to Zigzag Moderne. Bennes also designed at least 35 buildings on the Oregon State University campus and the administration buildings at Southern Oregon, Eastern Oregon, and Western Oregon universities.

~Kori

Stepping Out on the Town

Here’s a great little plug for our beautiful city of Portland, Oregon from the March/April 2010 AARP Magazine (no, I’m not a subscriber yet but these things come across my desk so I thought I’d share with everyone).  AARP featured four cities (North, East, South and West) and it was Portland who won the bid for best urban location to to explore by foot on the West Coast!  Here’s what they had to say:

Walkers love Portland, even with its drizzly climate.*  Maybe it’s because city blocks in this flat locale are half the standard length (200 versus 400 feet).  Or maybe it’s because a special building code requires every new facility or major renovation to add pedestrian-enticing attractions – retail space, a restaurant, or artwork – at street level.  Basically, locals think you’re nuts iif you drive, especially downtown, where you’ll find the Portland Art Museum and the Oregon Historical Society.  And if you walk over to the nearby Pearl District, you’ll find the world’s largest independent bookstore.  The more than one million titles of Powell’s City of Books are spread over 68,000 square feet – which takes up an entire city block.

*Little rain fact: Hilo, Haiwii (129.9 inches) has more average annual rainfall than Portland, OR (36.3 inches)

So, the AARP article mentioned a few of our great “walking” areas but almost every pocket of Portland has a great little “urban” walking area (for the purposes of this article we won’t mention all the non-urban areas like Forest Park, Tryon Creek, Johnson Creek, etc. which are natural areas within our urban areas) - check out the Willamette are of West Linn, Woodstock in Southeast, Hawthorne/Belmont in closer-in Southeast, Alberta Arts in Northeast, Mississippi in North Portland, Sellwood also in close-in Southeast, First-Addition in Lake Oswego, and so many more areas.  Here’s great resource - Walk There! 50 Treks in and around Portland and Vancouver.

I comment regularly about the wonderful place we live – it doesn’t get much better and the word is getting out.  Have a great day and enjoy our beautiful city and the surrounding areas this week by foot!

~Kori

Holiday Light Displays Around Portland

The Grinch on Peacock Lane - click for larger image

During the holidays, I don’t care if you’re Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist, Pagan, whatever, you’ve got to be a real Scrooge if you can’t find a little joy in the beautiful light displays that illuminate our city.  I make it a point to take a different route home during the holidays just so I can see that one gem that’s not written up in the Oregonian or featured on other local websites while singing Christmas Carols at the top of my lungs – I’m a holiday dork and not ashamed to say so.

So, here’s a list of some famous and less famous light displays you might want to check out this holiday season.

Christmas Ship Parade
2009 marks the 55th year for the Christmas Ship Parade on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in Portland, Oregon.  The parade runs nightly now until December 20, 2009.  For those of you who require a nice warm watch spot, you most likely have missed out on dinner reservations at the many restaurants and hotels that flank the rivers so you’ll need to buck up and bundle up – it’s well worth braving the frigid elements.  Cost: FREE from the river banks or the cost of dinner and a cocktail depending upon your watch site.   

Peacock Lane
Since the 1920s, each house in this quaint southeast neighborhood has been decorating for Christmas.  A little local insider tip, just park the car and even better, park a few blocks away.  The intersection at 39^th & Stark can become a nightmare (so word to the wise, avoid this stretch of SE 39^th until the New Year).   Although it’s a popular destination, when you park away from the traffic congestion you just saved yourself a ton of aggravation and walking down the street really gives you the full experience.  There are carolers, a hot chocolate stand, Santa is often found walking the street with candy canes in hand, I’m telling you, it doesn’t get much better.  If you’re of the legal drinking age and have a DD – I also suggest hot cider with a cinnamon stick and a splash of Marker’s Mark.  Happy Holidays! Cost: FREE 

Oregon ZooLights
See the zoo transformed into a winter wonderland, aglow with a million lights.  ZooLights run from now until December 23, 2009 (see the site for specific times).  Admission to ZooLights is almost as much as the regular Zoo admission but members at the “Plus” levels get in FREE.  Seriously, if you have a family of 4 or more, just get the membership!  For $94 you get admission to ZooLights, the Zoo for the next year (remember, they offer free Zoo Tunes concerts in the summer with zoo admission… you go for FREE as a member), member discounts at the Oregon Zoo, discounts with Zoo partners and other member benefits.  If you think you’ll go to the Zoo more than once a year, it’s worth the investment (I don’t even have kids and I have a Zoo membership).  

Candy Cane Lane
Sorry, the link doesn’t take you to a website but I included a link to a map of the general area.  As I’m thinking about it, the name of the light display may not be “Candy Cane Lane” but that’s what I’ve always called it since childhood and I’m not changing now (although, maybe there is a website if I do have the name incorrect).  Anyway, at the southwest corner of Mt. Tabor is a little street with houses on only one side; don’t let that discourage you from taking a peek at this mid-century modern neighborhood and their fantastic light display.  If you head down SE 60^th, North of Division you can’t miss it.  You’ll turn West off SE 60^th but like I said, don’t worry, you’ll know it when you’re there.

Queen Anne Victorian Mansion
The miracle of a million lights – with over 2.5 million twinkling lights this light display can been seen for miles when traveling down I-5 or Interstate Avenue (map).  The house is also open for viewing in addition to the spectacular exterior display.  Inside guests will see this richly appointed historic mansion all aglow with 10 uniquely decorated Christmas trees and decorations.  Enjoy homemade apple cider, holiday cookies and other refreshments while being entertained by live performances for local schools, churches and other performance groups.  If you’re touring on a dime the exterior lights are a show in-and-of themselves; however, the mansions interior is something to behold.  Admission to the mansion is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and children under 10.  Visit the website for a $1 off coupon.    

Enjoy the holidays for what they really represent – joy, generosity and goodwill.  Happy Holidays!

~Kori

Portland Perfect… Pretty Darn Close

I’m a local gal so many might say that makes me bias but time and time again “outsiders” have supported my theory that Portland is perfect… or at least pretty darn close.

I just came across an article in the December 2009 issue of Runner’s World which named Portland, Oregon the BEST, as in numero uno, running city in America.  Specifically for our “sweet trails” in Washington Park and along the Willamette River.  Also mentioned in this article, the Hood to Coast relay, as the best “other distance” race.

This made me think, I come across articles all the time that mention Portland as the BEST so do we live in the BEST city in America?  My personal opinion, yes!

Portland has been named amongst America’s Top Ten Green Cities, North America’s Most Bike-Friendly Cities, Top 10 Dog-Friendly Cities for 2009, America’s Best Cities 2009 and America’s Favorite Cities. My favorite article was America’s Favorite Cities by Travel + Leisure.  Portland ranked #1 for public parks and access to the outdoors… our “worst feature”, luxury stores (and even with that we were ranked 29).  As you look down the list of ranked features, Portland ranked #2 for athletic/active people and #4 for intelligence.  We ranked #2 for farmer’s markets, #3 for cafes/coffee bars and #6 for neighborhood joints; however, we ranked 29 again for big-name restaurants.

For this Portland native, Portland is perfect; however, if big name stores and national restaurants are more your style Portland is probably just a little too “small town” for you.  Having lived in New York City as well, I know it’s simply a matter of preference but this tree hugging, Dansko wearing, dog loving gal is perfectly happy in Portland, OR.

~Kori

Choose Local – The Oregon Local’s Loyalty Card!

The other night I was watching Live @ 7 on KGW, the new nightly news magazine that looks specifically at local events and topics.  Last week, they introduced me… a local girl and business owner… to a new “discount” card called Choose Local.

The card is FREE to the community and can be picked up at any of the participating businesses and then activated at the Choose Local website.

Please note: currently, the site does not fully function with Internet Explorer 7+ but if you click on the embedded links, you’ll go directly to the specific page or you can view the fully functioning site using Mozilla’s Firefox browser.

Get discounts on entertainment, home & garden, shopping, bars & nightlife, restaurants, travel & tourism, health & beauty, services and wine & brew businesses from Portland to Eugene. 

So why is it so important to “Choose Local”? 

Did you know… for every dollar you spend with a locally owned business 70% of that dollar goes back into the local economy.  When you spend a dollar at an out-of-state owned business 60% leaves the state.  The more money that stays within our community the better off we all are by creating our own local economic stimulus package – more money that stays in our community the greater number of jobs that also stay in our community.

So, let’s support our local business owners and help stimulate our economy by Choosing Local this holiday season and throughout the year!

~Kori

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