With Petals Come More Pedals
With one Sunday Parkways event already under our belts, the heart of cycling event season is getting underway. Whether you’re a fair-weather cyclist or a year-round carfree advocate, or somewhere in between, it safe to say that pedaling in Portland peaks in these summer months. Between Pedalpalooza, Sunday Parkways, the Bridge Pedal, and the Good Sport Promotion rides (including the Petal Pedal), there are organized rides for everyone.
My favorite remains the Sunday Parkways, although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Twilight Criterium, the “Tiny Home Tour”, and Worst Day of the Year Ride. As we get more and more consecutive days of sun and the season gets into full bloom, I’d recommend tapping into these bike events as another way to see our beautiful town and meet some of the great people of Portland. As abundant as these events are, this is only scraping the surface of what really makes up Portland’s flourishing bike culture.
If you’re coming to town, and would like some ideas for how to take advantage of Portland’s cycling culture or get around by bike, feel free to contact me. I love to ride, and I’ve worked with dozens of real estate clients who also love bikes and enjoy a lifestyle somewhere on the avid cyclist spectrum. I’m happy to be resource and get you connected with some of our great local bicycling resources. (If you’re out for Sunday Parkways, keep an eye out for a 6’8″ guy on a huge orange bike, and say “Hello.”)
Cully Grove: Cohousing Goodness with an Urban Farm Twist
"Cully Grove will be a multi-generational group of individuals and families who enjoy sharing our lives with our community. We’re working to create an old-fashioned neighborhood in a new-fashioned way." -www.cullygrove.org
Fun + Farm (big gardens) + Spirited Community + High-Performance Homes = the new breed of urban cohousing. It’s Cully Grove. Located on about 2 acres on NE Going, Cully Grove nestles 16 homes and an abundance of common amenities. They’re taking reservations now, and it’s already over 50% reserved. The founding members will be at Rose’s Ice Cream (5011 NE 42nd Ave.) on Sunday, May 15th, 4:00-5:30. Stop by to check out their site plan and floor plans and get a feel for their vision. In the meantime, take a moment to check out their talented team of inspired community developers and designers.
My Own Portland Holiday: The Build It Green! Home Tour Day
This Saturday, September 25th, we’ll enjoy the annual Build It Green! Home Tour. This year’s tour of 21 remarkable projects focuses on smaller projects that integrate sustainable design and building practices. It’s like a holiday for me–being an annual event that I make tradition and look forward to celebrating. For the past 6 years I’ve volunteered as a site host to help provide tours and answer questions for those touring. This year, I’ll be touring! I always feel like I miss out on so many interesting homes. I’m especially excited about this year’s tour as a great opportunity to gain inspiration and insight from the various imaginative and innovative small spaces that people have created. With 21 options it would be easy to run myself ragged trying to see it all. Here are my top five picks (I think. There are a couple others that I may not be able to miss.):
- CoreHaus new construction PassivHaus
- Engstrom & Werlin Duplex Renovation
- Doleman Strawbale Dwelling
- Harpoon House
- Woolsey Corner Affordable Cohousing
Wow! That was hard. I’m still unsure of my choices, as there are so many interesting ones this year. Some I’ve already visited or anticipate having the opportunity to visit down the road, so that helped take a few off my plate, but there are still some that might make the list come tour day. Tickets are available online.
If you’re unable to make the tour, but would like to tap into the local green building and sustainable design world, there will also be A FREE fun, family-friendly information fair with green vendors, demonstrations, food, drink and music. I will have a table there to share my business and answer questions. There are usually dozens of local businesses and non-profits present to share what they’ve been working on and how they can help as you assess how this impacts your home and fits into your life. Overall, it’s a great day to gain inspiration and insight into how others are making strides to create healthy, sustainable living situations and dwellings. If you attend the info fair, stop by to say, “HI!”
The info fair will be held at EcoHaus from 3pm to 7pm. EcoHaus is located at 819 Se Taylor St., Portland, OR 97214. If you’d like updates on events like this throughout the year, check out my facebook page or twitter feed. Or, just contact me directly. Enjoy.
Portland Sunday Parkways
Sunday Parkways is one of my favorite events in Portland. Combining biking, walking, skating, and strolling with block parties, games, music, food, and festivities in our amazing parks is nearly unbeatable. Starting in North Portland in 2008 with one Sunday event, the Parkways have grown to include multiple parts of Portland on 5 Sundays this year.
This is huge public-private collaboration to close the streets for an extended car-free loop that connects multiple parks all day. It’s a dream to ride all day amongst friends and neighbors and new friends reveling in the open road and the variety of entertainment and activities that await you at each park. On some of the longer open stretches last year, I remember letting myself daydream that this is actually how the city always functions and feels. I think of it creating new urban planning muscle-memory for what’s normal. If it’s difficult to imagine a world with reduced reliance on automobiles, this is an opportunity to develop a vision for it. I know it’s a sunny Sunday daydream, but so were automobiles and highways at one time. Take a ride on one of these glorious Sunday Parkways, and you’ll see. . .and look out for a 6’8″ guy on an orange bike.
For schedules and route maps, visit the Sunday Parkways site.
For more information on the collaboration and how this is manifesting in other metro areas, check out the Sunday Parkways Blog. (Images by Anomalily)
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In addition to offering sound real estate services, we bring a broad awareness of sustainable living and design to our practice. We thrive on making connections that help clients live and invest in alignment with their values, while supporting our local community, economy, and environment. Contact David and Steve today to learn how your next realty decision can enhance the place you call home. AGENCY INFO
1902 SE Morrison St. Portland, OR 97214
