i moved to portland from chicago in september 2019. after a couple of sub-par airbnb experiences from then to the beginning of january 2020, i was really looking for a better experience. when i was researching my move, i knew the alberta arts neighbourhood was an area i wanted to try living in, so i concentrated my search in that northeastern stretch of alberta street for an airbnb and found shane's place. i liked what i saw in the pictures and what i read in the previous guests' reviews. i booked the room and moved in in early january. that began a really great six months of becoming a portlander!
the space was clean, the bed was comfortable, and it had everything you could need for an extended stay. if you like to cook your meals, there's an easy-to-use cooktop, a full-size refrigerator (that you share with your roommate), and microwave oven, as well as dishes, pots, pans, a kettle, a coffee maker, silverware, dishes, glasses, mugs, cooking utensils, and a can opener. there's a washer and dryer in the unit that all the guests in the other rooms on the third floor of the house use as well; laundry detergent is supplied if you don't bring your own. there's a front and backyard porch where you can sit with your laptop and work on comfortable days. (when the flowers are in bloom, the whole place smells fantastic!) there is plenty of street parking at all hours of the day.
there is an excellent gym two blocks away, two grocery stores two blocks away (one to the north, one to the south), two excellent food truck pods in the area (one two blocks to the north and one eight blocks to the east of the house), and a post office three blocks away. and, of course, there's all of the fantastic places to eat, drink, and explore on alberta street two blocks to the south of the house. between 15th ave to 30th ave on alberta street, you can have thai, sushi, bugers, italian, middle eastern, and mexican food, as well as outstanding baked goods and pastries at several bakeries, and gourmet ice cream. places of note are: the cruz room for tacos, the tin shed for filling breakfasts, la petite provence for croissants and other fine baked goods, proud mary cafe for coffee and meat pies, tc o'leary's for a genuine irish pub experience and excellent fish and chips, hana japanese bistro for sushi, angel's donuts for donuts, and, of course, salt and straw for ice cream. if you can catch a concert at the alberta rose theatre on ne 30th ave, you're in for a really great nite of intimate performances by a wide range of bands and artists.
and if you need to go downtown or to other areas of the city, take the #72 killingsworth bus at the corner of alberta street and NE7th ave to take you two miles west to the MAX line station at interstate or take the #8 bus at the southwest corner of NE15th ave and alberta street to take you south to connect with the green, blue, or red lite rail transit lines.
this is the neighbourhood you want to explore and a stay at shane's puts you in the middle of everything great about the city. without hesitation, i recommend a stay at shane's place.