One thing I haven’t done in a while is get out and explore a new neighborhood on foot. When I ran a steady 30-40 miles a week, it was good to simply explore a new area and when I was running I had plenty of time to take it in. Prior to coming to the US I lived in the old dockland area of Bristol in England and walks were fantastic with lots of old buildings, cranes and boats to check out. Today I decided on a whim to get out and explore one of the neighborhoods north of Burnside in the West Hills of Portland and I was pleasantly surprised to find a really eclectic neighborhood in Hillside. I am used to the planned developments of more modern times with their standard features and the homes in this area appear to have been designed one by one. The landscaping also highlighted the love and care some home owners put into their homes and with many flowering trees in bloom, some were simply stunning. Here is a selection of the homes I happened to stumble upon.
Andy Robbins Photography 
Come over to the NE and walk through Laurelhurst with me sometime. It has beautiful winding streets that end at the park which was designed by the same brothers that designed Central Park in NYC. Our park is a photographers delight. It is an arboretum, with large Redwoods and beautiful trees from around the world. And the pond at the center is full of ducks and turtles. On a sunny day, it is a haven for scores of people, young and old from neighboring all over town.
That sounds like a fabulous idea Phil, sign me up!
Beautiful pictures Andy. I am blown away by the neighborhoods…the colors are amazing. We strolled around the Hawthorn area this weekend…was great. I especially like the fact that there is a mix of houses where you can see the owners are taking care of all the details vs. houses where nature has bigger impact than the owner….I love the second more than the first.