According to the Mental Floss website: Portland's newest and most fashionable neighborhood was nothing but warehouses and industrial buildings until the mid-1980s, when it started to get the urban renewal (and gentrification) treatment. Formerly known as the Northwest Industrial Triangle, it was given its new name in 1985 by a gallery owner named Thomas Augustine, who told a magazine writer that the neighborhood's artists, toiling away in old, crusty buildings, were like pearls inside oysters. But it had a double meaning: Augustine had already taken to calling it "Pearl's district," after his friend Pearl Marie Amhara, an Ethiopian Christian polyglot who traveled the world raising money for the poor. The Pearl District is the number one most walkable neighborhood in the city. Most residents don't need a car for day to day errands. Beautiful sights, trendy restaurants and shops. Anthropologie, West Elm, Free People, Williams and Sonoma and so much more. We loved walking around here! A must see place to stay and visit while in Portland, Oregon. read more

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The Pearl District is just amazing... Nice shops including the Powell book store which encompasses probably a block! read more

This area has a nice feel to it. We were only in town for a day, and we told to stop by Powell Books in the Pearl District. There are lots of older trees line that the streets and interesting old buildings that are now upscale shops and performance spaces. I enjoyed walking around and walking thru the shops that caught my attention. I didn't like how many were national chains, but sadly that tends to happen. I didn't see any homeless referenced in other reviews of this area on the Fall day, but did see a few homeless tents as we drove thru the Portland Old Town area on the way from Pearl District to the airport. read more

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I love this place when visiting. I literally walk everywhere I need to go. Great restaurants, tones of little coffee spots. They have city bikes, scooters and public transportation if walking isn't your thing. For my COVID away from home trip people are wearing mask in the Public as well as inside establishments. Lots of neighborhood parks to Picnic at or just relax with a nice book. read more

Pearl District - Local Flavor Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I absolutely adore this part of Portland! There is no room for boredom around these parts. This is definitely where most of the hipsters like to play, but it's still a super diverse area with attractions that are fit for all demographics. The amount breweries that are packed in this district is truly insane. Brewsters, you're in for a real treat. The Pearl District is also a haven for coffee lovers, winos, and foodies galore. The shopping is wonderful! They've got a mix of boutique and designer options available for those who like to spend that dough. The area is pretty clean for the most part, but like many tourist areas, there is a moderate presence of homelessness. Parking is sparse and expensive, but what did you expect? Public transit runs pretty rapidly in this part of town, and there seems to be people walking around at all times of the day and night. There are tons of family-friendly parks and many events that take place in the Pearl district year around. This district is also known for its' world-class art galleries that line the streets on the downtown area. You can't miss the beautiful architecture. It's crazy to think that this area used to primarily be used for warehousing and industrial work. There are many iconic buildings and businesses that have been around for years, one of the most known being Powell's City of Books. A visit to Portland wouldn't be right without a visit to the Pearl District. read more

This was the message district but it look like a regular neighborhood with apartment buildings, cafés and shops. People were cleaned up

So I think the Pearl District as a whole deserves one big Yelp, don't you? If like me, you were a confused tourist who has been led to believe that roses and waterfalls are all there is to see in Portland, you owe it to yourself to dedicate some hang time here in this boho-meets-yuppie integration area. It's about ten blocks north to south and eight blocks east to west. It's a easy walk-around on a nice day, or by all means take the streetcar which is free up to Johnson Street. I had no idea the area was named after someone - an Ethiopian woman named Pearl Marie Amhara, who inspired a local gallery owner to name the area Pearl. He also thought the old buildings were like oysters with pearls inside them. And some do have pearls like Powell's City of Books. Others look like they have sand. And then some have cholesterol issues like Fuller's Coffee Shop. I walked around this funky area a lot during my brief getaway here. Relaxed at Jamison Square. Sipped tapioca pearls at Tea Zone. Smelled the goodies at Pearl Bakery. Stared at the anatomically correct Neptune statue at Ten Thousand Villages. Of course, you need to spend several hours at Powell's, probably the best bookstore in the country, and have some buttery pancakes at Fuller's while there's an empty seat at the counter. It's like Manhattan's SoHo without the urban grit or like San Francisco's SoMa without the blowholes. I imagine they could have gone for NoPo, but it isn't "north of Portland" ...it's IN Portland. Maybe NoBu for "north of Burnside"? Nah, then everyone will think it's one big expensive sushi restaurant. Hmmm, SoLo for "south of Lovejoy"? Do you think maybe I'm spending too much time thinking about this? Yeah, Pearl works for me. read more

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If you visit Portland you'll probably find yourself in this area at least once for shopping or a meal. This area is lively and has the big city hustle and bustle. There are many great options for eating and drinking. Our favorite cocktail bar find was Hamlet. If cocktails aren't your thing then there are several good breweries with outdoor seating for people watching and urban nature enjoyment. Food is offered at all of the breweries and there are plenty of restaurants as well. Check out Cupcake Jones for yummy cupcakes. The best known store in the area is Powell Books and a definite must shop if in the area. There is a large Whole Foods for necessities or a snack. Plenty of stores are in the area, but my favorites are Anthropology, REI, and Sur La Table. read more

Pearl District - Local Flavor Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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The Pearl district is pretty much how I imagined Portland to be.... A pretty nice area filled with breweries, restaurants and shops The other 80% of Downtown Portland is super ghetto.... If you are a first time visitor I would suggest strolling through the other parts of Portland during the DAYTIME....and primarily stick to the Pioneer Square and Pearl District most of the time. read more

Powell's City of Books Everett Street Autoworks Andina REI Lovejoy Bakers PEARL. I heart you. You have everything I need for my brain, my car, my fancy dinners or happy hours, my fitness needs and my sweet indulgences. I live right on the border of the Pearl, the Alphabet District, downtown and enjoy the best of all three. It is wonderful being able to walk to terrific restaurants, coffee shops, places like Powell Books, First Thursday, downtown or the boutiques up on 23rd Avenue. And to those that have the impression that only the uppity, yuppity live in this area, let me assure you it is not the case. It does not have to cost a fortune to live here. It is true that parking is a bitch. Once I am parked, I can walk to everything I need. It is a small price to pay for all the other amenities. No neighborhood is perfect but mine comes close. read more

Pearl District - First Thursday in the Pearl - Local Flavor Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I kid you not, this review originally started with "I'm kinda over it"... but in a lot of ways The Pearl's a nice gauge of all things retail and foodie for new visitors to Portland. Between the bookstore, brunch spots and no-tax shops, your ventures in this part of town are all walkable. The tricky part for me this last trip was finding a place to chill with a CBD donut and iced coffee--the last of which you have more than your pick of the lot. Some recommendations for first timers shouldn't be limited to Jamison Square, Multnomah Whiskey Library and the infamous Powell's of course. It's a more welcoming downtown compared to your big city with less congestion and more variety to hop. read more

The name, the Pearl District, was cemented in Portland culture around 1988 by the local newspaper, The Oregonian. The PD is the former heart of light-industrial warehousing and railroad yards for Portland. Many of the streets still contain the rail that once fed materials and products to manufacturers. Over the years the Pearl District has been redeveloped into mixed used retail, office and multi-family housing. Homeless camps are present underneath the Fremont Bridge, yet not to the levels found in Portland's Chinatown. Overall, the PD is looked upon as a decent place to live, yet many high-end apartments sit vacant due to high rent and over-saturation in the local apartment/condominium market. Fun Fact: The PD is still home to World Famous Powell's Books main location. Check out their rare book room which possesses an original hand-written journal from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. read more

The Pearl is a very walkable part of Portland and has the Portland Streetcar running through it (which has received national recognition). There are plenty of shops and parks in the Pearl. The Pearl tends to be a clean, well-kept area, though is at begins to merge with downtown and begins to look more like a standard city. read more

This is one of those areas that no one wanted to go to, kind of run down. Then the city got together with a bunch of developers. Changed the name.... Now there are bunches of very expensive condos. There are a bunch of expensive boutiques. Finally there are a bunch of expensive and mostly disappointing restaurants. Things have a lot of potential. World foods came in and seems to do well. I like the one on Barber better. That isn't the neighborhoods fault. In all its a good place to explore. But if I have a lot of time to spend, there are lots of better areas. read more

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Over rated and over priced area of downtown Portland, Oregon. I used to live in a condominium in the Pearl District when I moved in with my significant other at the time. Most buildings are private owned condos like the one I lived in. The parking garages are small. The rules of HOA are ridiculous. We moved out the condo into a rental outside of The Pearl and condo was put up for sale. The area is congested, dirty and you cannot walk safely because there are too many aggressive homeless people who use drugs openly. I saw vomit, dirty needles and feces in the park. The parking situation is bad too so guests have hard time finding parking. No real entertainment other than one beautiful venue for performing arts. read more

Great area for shopping and eats. We spent every day here, hitting random shops, eats and bookstore. This is a quaint little neighborhood, I could see myself living in this area, for sure. read more

So I have a bit of a confession to make. I've traveled all over the world, but somehow had NEVER been to the Pearl before today. Well, maybe I stepped a foot or two inside the district once or twice to take a cooking class at Sur La Table or visit Powell's books before moving to Portland (12 years ago!), but I don't think that really qualifies. All the recent conversations on the Talk pages from out-of-towners and interesting reviews from local Yeeps made me decide that today was the day to get my Pearl on. And what an amazing day! I picked up a Pearl District walking map at the Portland Farmer's Market and also had a list of cool boutiques to check out thanks to suggestions from Elizabeth E and Krista T (those girls know how to shop!). I parked on 10th in front of Bee & Thistle and proceeded to spend about three hours walking up and down 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Avenues from Burnside to Kearney. It was a great way to get a general lay of the land and decide where I want to go and spend more time because I will be back. My general observations were it was a great place to walk, shop and eat, especially on a sunny day. Even though I miss my open green spaces in the 'burbs, there were some nice little alleys and plenty of benches, coffee shops, parks and cafes with patio seating to just chill out and enjoy the area. I just don't think I've seen any other area like it in Portland and it feels downright European in style (retail mixed with lofts, condos and apartments). A really vibrant part of town with something interesting on every block. So many cute, unique boutiques and shoe stores (Moule, Olive Shoes, Sole, Lizard Lounge, Shoefly) mixed in with some of the nicer chains (Anthropologie, Lucy, Patagonia, REI). And cute cafes (Everett Street Bistro) mixed in with high end bars and restaurants. The Pearl District is a great place for out-of-towners and suburbanites alike. I can't wait for some of my family to visit next month so I can show them around and try out some new places. They might even think I'm a regular. read more

Fun little part of Portland to explore- reminiscent of San Francisco, especially with the tons of food options around every corner. Parking, as in SF, is a pain in the butt, too. Artsy area with plenty of people-watching to be had, better explored on foot at a leisurely pace than having to be tethered to a vehicle or with an eye on the time for your meter. Swing by at night to get a glimpse at more of the art via the lighting fixture displays. read more

Long live Pearl read more

Pearl District - In 2005 - Local Flavor Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Keeping It Weird! Interesting area any given time of day. (It's free entertainment.) Lot's to do, see and eat.

What is this place? Filled with homeless people and lots of closed stores and graffiti. I did not feel safe walking around here and the city seems dead. Being the first place that I stopped in Portland, this did not give me a good impression of Portland. read more

Love the Pearl. Used to live in one of those affordable housing buildings but moved because the overall lifestyle was still expensive. The Pearl's not going anywhere so I can always move back when I make more money! :) I like that Pearlhelp site above ^ read more

Pearl District - NW Lovejoy & 10th Avenue - Local Flavor Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The Pearl District AKA "where the snobby Portlanders reside" AKA "where you have fancy shmancy restos you can't afford" AKA "where you have cute boutiques and modern apartments" A place you'd find me (and a bunch of others) mesmerizing about living around one day, but since it's just a dream - I'm just a frequent visitor....... So what is it about the Pearl District that everyone falls in love with? Let me count the ways~ (not ranked in any particular order.......) Restaurants/Bars 1. Andina 2. Irving Street Kitchen 3. Oba 4. Henry's 12th Street Tavern 5. Jinx 6. Bluehour 7. BridgePort Brewpub 8. Brix Tavern 9. Piazza Italia 10. Metrovino 11. Paragon Restaurant & Bar 12. Trader Vic's 13. Ben & Jerry's 14. Cool Moon Ice Cream 15. Rifle NW 16. Little Big Burger 17. Oven & Shaker 18. Cupcake Jones Shopping/Grocery 1. Powell's City of Books 2. REI 3. The North Face 4. Anthropologie 5. West Elm 6. Whole Foods 7. Pearl Bakery 8. Lovejoy Bakers 9. Keen Garage 10. Aveda Institute 11. Safeway 12. Sur La Table I'm a frequent visitor to the Pearl District. When I first moved here, I fell in love with the atmosphere - the trees have lights on them, places are pretty clean and people are pretty friendly (yet others tend to think they're snobby). There are several homeless people who venture towards this side of town, but they're just harmless. Parking is on the streets (some are metered for 90 minutes - 3 hours) or in an underground garage. For the metered street parking, it's free after 7pm but varies for the weekend. Sometimes parking can be a bit of a challenge. If you've got visitors who love to spend their money and would like to see a nicer (and richer) side of Portland, this is a place to go! read more

City of Seattle, are you listening? Here's the deal. I'll trade you the Pearl for one of the following: The International District. (I know you won't go for this one, as it's way too one-sided of a deal. If you're even considering it, I would be willing to throw in Old Town. We like to think it's out own little Chinatown, but it's not really worth that much). Capitol Hill. (We tried to mimic your cap hill with out Hawthorne district but the fucking yuppies took it over, and now it's all for shit) Pioneer Square, including all the hobos. (Yeah, we have bars and hobos here already, but one city can never have enough of either) Ok, well, fine... I'll basically take any neighborhood/borough except Belltown. You can keep Belltown. Let's make a deal. Soon. read more

The debate here is heated. Who ever thought opinions would get this strong about a strip of land no bigger than a large New York City park? A lot of people hate this place, usually people who are not fond of cities in general. If you live in the middle of nowhere, and you have to come all the way to the Pearl or downtown to do something, well some of you might get all belligerent and piss and moan all over the internet about it. Most people might find it mildly irritating but appreciate that any city has a city center full of all city center stereotypes, but you will froth at the mouth about yuppies and their yogamats, as if yuppies and yogamats don't ever exist in Beaverton, or the Hawthorne neighborhood, or any where else. "EGADS! THE PARKING" you'll say, "AND FURTHER MORE THE PRICE OF LIVING HERE! I AM ANGERED SIR, I SAY. GOOD DAY." In my opinion, your criticisms are astute. Accurate. The rent is overpriced, the yuppies are visibly going to their yoga classes, and parking is in fact difficult. And despite this, having lived in large cities most of my life, I understand that's the price you pay to live in a proper city. Portland is a medium-sized city and therefore the closest approximation you'll find to a Real City (tm) is downtown and possibly the Pearl. This will enrage people. This will displace people. This will attract certain people, some of them arguably "the wrong kind of people" (although that's subjective, I'm more frightened of suburban soccer moms with their six ugly kids in tow than any yuppie overpaying rent and going to their stupid yoga class with a lunch bag full of some Whole Foods bullshit). The beautiful thing about living downtown or the pearl is that you are living in the city center. There's plenty of amazing restaurants and shops within walking distance. The waterfront is nearby. Old Town is a few feet away. Powells. Andina. Tasty n Alder. Racion. Blue Star Donuts. Pearl Bakery. The range - the government housing (yes, that's in the pearl too, you snotty suburbanites who have no idea who lives down here), to the condos (and yes, those are more expensive than your ugly house in SE, or even your big prefab house in Bethany). No need to get heated. Some people just don't want to live in the suburbs, and unless you for some reason need a large amount of space due to how much you demand to reproduce or how many animals you own, it's not really required. I say, the fine and strange people who live in the Pearl and the fabulous community they've built ain't half bad. I forgive them their faults, because they offer me excellent food, books, and other goods I could not get elsewhere and would not want to. read more

For my fellow tourists, who have also heard about this famed Pearl district: 1) It's worth walking through, but... 2) there's really not that many stores to shop in. 3) There are more restaurants/cafes/bakeries than there are stores, and 4) there's not really that many of those either It's an interesting mix of industrial (a couple of body shops mixed in) and residential (fancy schmancy highrises), gritty (wafts of urine) and urban (scattered homeless folks). Add in there the touristy (Voodoo, Powell's), the preppy (yoga 'n' whole foods crowd), and the tattoo and tobacco crowd. That, my fellow tourists, is an outsider's introduction to the Pearl district. read more

I've never denied being a yuppie tool. (I'm a CPA who does taxes. Pretending I'm not a tool of the man is futile.) And having done my time as an Elite Yelper, I can automatically be categorized as a foodie douchebag (even if I think taking pictures of food at a restaurant is incredibly tacky). So I should like the Pearl District in all it's gentrified yuppieness with trendy bars and trendy restaurants and trendy galleries and trendy places to park. But I don't. All that trendiness makes me want to stab myself (or someone toting a yoga mat) in the eye with a shrimp fork. When I first moved to Portland, my new boss suggested I consider the Pearl as a place to live. It took less than five minutes to decide "Hell no". This place gives me claustrophobia and the hives. There are a few decent places in there, but I'm going to keep my visits to a minimum. read more

There is the Pearl, and there is the rest of Portland. The two are not the same. At all. Me? I prefer the rest of Portland. Pearl Pros: * Jamison Square Park is pretty brilliant. Well done. Great place to peoplewatch. * Walkability: In general, the last thing you want to do is drive to the Pearl. There's no need, and you have to pay to park. Pearl Cons: * Shopping: No one needs all this crap. No one. Especially at these prices. Just stop. * Tanner Springs Park: I understand wanting to preserve habitat, but it strikes me as more than a little strange that we think that habitat is at its best when surrounded by high-rise condominiums. * Concrete Ticky-Tacky: And they (the new buildings) all look just the same. The biggest problem with the Pearl is its delusion of being some sort of Faux Portlandia: a mashup of Portland Bohemian with Californian Chic. The result is a scruffy, sandal-wearing, DINK couple who feel a sense of pride in paying $70 or more for their meal before driving back home in their Range Rover to their inner-eastside neighborhood (which has changed SO MUCH since they moved in when it was still a "bad area"), all the while bitching about how the city needs to "do something" about the dive joints in Chinatown. No, thanks. read more

wow I loved thois area when I visited Portland. I coudl find a place to park. OK I had to pay with a credit card... eeee.. is the city going to steal my numbers and charge upo a vacation to Hawaii? or someplace? Art, Yoga in the Pearl, coffee, more restaurants, gift buying high and low cost.. and more.. mostly safe walking.. I am from Seattle remember? There were a couple blocks I would avoid.. ok, avoid them. I am from Seattle and a grown up. So are you. I woudl like to see both cities settle issues around poverty and homelessness. I still do yoga and appreciate what the cities have to offer me so I am more clear to do what I need to do for my destiny in the world... by this I mean education adn isnpiration and work so I can do more humanaitarian work in poverty areas. read more

I thought the Pearl District was a really neat place when I visited. So much cool stuff that is *walkable* - as tourists without a car, my friend and I enjoyed being able to explore everything effortlessly. The fact that fareless square extends for most of the Pearl District ain't too shabby either. I only regret that I started finding the cool shops in the Pearl District on the last day... I had been keeping my eye open for something that would pique my interest, but apparently we weren't on the right streets! I also enjoyed city blocks being reserved for parks. There was performance art happening in one of them, which was really one of the oddest things I've seen in a long time. I regret not taking pictures, but E and I were taking turns interpreting the performance later that evening. All in all, a fun place to spend an afternoon or two while on vacation! read more

Great area of PDX to walk, shop and eat and check out when visiting!

The Pearl is a gem in Portland. So many incredible shops, very walkable, beautiful buildings and parks. It's easily one of my favorite areas in Portland. Absolutely a must visit. read more

The Pearl District was actually my first Portland experience because I wanted to go to REI to take advantage of no sales tax. Lots of shopping, restaurants scattered around, lots of art galleries too mixed with residential buildings. I think from a tourist or first timer perspective, the Pearl District is fine. It's got a good vibe and its own charm. Jamison Park, Powell's Books, do some shopping, grab something to eat, it's all good. But I can see where if you were a local, you probably wouldn't venture there too much as there are better alternatives for food and entertainment elsewhere. read more

There are few American cities that are walkable, artsy! hip! trendy! Multitude of fab great restaurants with talented chefs, cool bars, One of America's most interesting neighborhoods. This is it read more

I was skeptical about the Pearl District coming in, and it has room for improvement (both figuratively and, more importantly, literally), but where it is now is already the makings of a great neighborhood. I find it odd saying this, but what it most reminded me of is the Chueca area in Madrid. There are a lot of differences between the two of course, but for some reason that was the vibe I got. And that's a good thing. If the Pearl keeps that path it will continue to be a wonderfully urban neighborhood. The parks in the area are really nice, too. read more

Stayed here over the weekend at the Hampton Inn. Nice new hotel with very modern decor. Pear district is very nice and close to many places. But...you might have to walk around homeless people. They seem to be everywhere. Other than thatit's a cool city. read more

I have to say I am enjoying living in the Pearl District even more than I thought that I would. There is so much available on every block. There are great restaurants, bakeries, cafes, shops, bars, salons, etc. It's very easy to walk to everything plus the street car runs through. I can't say that it's especially cheap, but I feel very at home here. read more

Yeah sure, there's a handful of people that don't really like this place all that much, but I'm certainty not one of them. How could you hate on one of the best areas to find Portland's most esteemed restaurants and shops? Yeah sure, I don't want to spend an arm and a leg to live down here in 500 sq feet, but that doesn't mean I don't like hanging out here. Sometimes parking is frustrating, but you can generally find a spot if you circle around long enough. I mean, even Powell's is here. You can't hate on Powell's... read more

Cute upscale warehouse buildings converted. Lots of great places to pop inside as you walk around this area. Easy to bike as well.

I wasn't impress with this place. It was dirty and smelly! Pioneer Courthouse Square is way better!