Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
12 INDUSTRIAL SOUTHEAST:
PRODUCE ROW
BOUNDARIES: NE Couch St., SE 11th Ave., Willamette River, SE Division St.
DISTANCE: 2.5 miles
DIFFICULTY: Easy
PARKING: Free on street, $3 in lot at OMSI
PUBLIC TRANSIT: TriMet Buses 4, 6, 10, and 14 at Hawthorne Bridge; Buses 12, 19, and
20 at E. Burnside St. and NE Sandy Blvd.
An amorphous area sometimes called the Eastside Industrial or Southeast Warehouse
District, sometimes Produce Row, this part of town is currently among the fastest-
changing. Parts of it can still legitimately be described as gritty (and we mean that in
a good way). This is partly by design: the Central Eastside Industrial Council, a non-
profit group that looks out for the neighborhood's business interests, has lobbied to
keep housing out of the area, in order to preserve its cool working-class feel (and pre-
vent it from turning into the Pearl District). But it's not all rail yards and storage units
here. A neighborhood landmark, the Produce Row Café has recently been snazzed up
with a total remodel, and a few other chic new dining and drinking establishments
have helped amp up the sophistication level, ready or not.
Start at the bus stop at NE Couch St. and 12th Ave. Movie nerds should
pause and take a look down NE 12th Ave. to the right, where you'll spot
a yellow-and-blue house you might recognize from director Kelly
Reichardt's movie Old Joy. And beyond that you'll see a well-loved Port-
land icon: the gigantic rotating loaf of bread that designates Franz
Bakery, whose intoxicating aroma you can also usually smell from here
depending on the time of day.
Turn left and head down NE 12th Ave., then cross E. Burnside St. and
turn right. (This intersection is notoriously confusing and can be a little
hairy—stay alert.) On the left is Hippo Hardware, an oddball hardware
store and local landmark whose labyrinthine interior is a gold mine of
old rusty hinges, Victorian doorknobs, weird lamps, skeleton keys, and
all sorts of antique fixtures. Treasure hunt!
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