After spending 10 days at Sari's place, I feel I know it intimately. Sari has created a true getaway from the bustling downtown neighborhood below. While the building is "an antique" upon entry and could use an update, Sari's 3rd story walk-up apartment is a breath of fresh air!
Note: there is a very old elevator if you cannot take stairs, its a bit finicky, and feels like you're taking a step back in time, but it works.
Once inside the apartment, a light breeze coming through the tall windows, you'll feel at peace.
The kitchen is well-equipped for extended stays with everything you need to whip up a meal and more, and plenty of appliances and cutlery. The Murphy bed was a great use of space and perfect for my sister who came to stay with me for part of the stay. The table, couch, TV, bathroom were all in excellent condition, very clean and easy to use!
The location is ideal for many reasons. A 10 minute walk took me to some of the best restaurants downtown, a 5 minute walk to the PSU farmer's market, and in 5 more minutes I arrived at the beautiful Waterfront Park.
But the issue with being so central is that Portland's homeless population has also taken up residence in the vicinity. If you're accustom to city living, the noise and activity below may not bother you at all, but coming from quiet Bend, Oregon - I was out of my element.
There were quite a few noise disturbances especially at odd hours of the night and in the morning. Lots of sirens, but worse, homeless people yelling racial slurs, climbing trees, dancing with brooms, stopping traffic, pestering pedestrians...of course, I was there for 10 days, so that's a lot of time. There were also days where there were no major incidents at all.
Remember, the apartment is on the third floor so while I felt very safe once inside, I was worried about my car below.
Parking wasn't cheap ($6 for 3 hours from 8am - 7pm), I might recommend finding a covered/monitored lot for extended stays (not the one across the street which is unattended except by a homeless community) - the street seemed safer than the lot, and I needed easy access to my car.
I do not recommend walking alone at night in this neighborhood. That said, the new governor is working to remedy the growing homeless problem...hopefully, the situation will improve because Sari's apartment really is a gem despite the growing chaos of downtown Portland!