Photo Courtesy of Heidi McBride Gallery & Art Consultancy

First Thursday, October 1, Festivities begin at 5PM

Please join us to celebrate First Thursday at the Ardea, apartment homes that combine dramatic design with waterfront living in Portland’s South Waterfront neighborhood. Views of the city, river and mountains, combine with pedestrian plazas and greenways, where life is close to the city and even closer to nature.

Begin the evening in the two story penthouse, where Stoller Vineyardswill be hosting a tasting featuring the 2006 SV Pinot Noir (named among the year’s best Pinot Noir in the April issue of Wine & Spirits, and has received 3 stars, Excellent, from the San Francisco Chronicle) and the 2007 SV Chardonnay. The wines will be paired with a selection of fine cheeses

An installation from the Elizabeth Leach Gallerywill be installed in the penthouse for this special First Thursday event. Established in 1981, the Elizabeth Leach Gallery offers Portland’s most comprehensive selection of contemporary fine art. The Gallery is located in the Pearl District at 417 NW 9th.

Also on display will be pieces from the Heidi McBride Gallery & Art Consultancy. This blend of a traditional gallery and a design consultancy hand selects the strongest pieces of artwork by emerging and established artists and makes them available in a gallery setting.

Art will be the topic of the evening with maps to First Thursday gallery openings on hand as well as a list of the top exhibits showing in downtown and the Pearl District. You can hop the Portland Streetcar, just out the front door to begin your tour.

Live music will add to the ambiance of the event and for added fun the roadies from KINK will be on hand to entertain you. Conveniently located, with ample free parking available, the Ardea is the perfect location to relax, celebrate fine wine and superior art and begin your downtown and Pearl District gallery visits.

Phillipe Petit high above the world in 1974

It’s one of the great tales of perseverance and life as art.  In the early 70s, the newly erected Twin Towers dramatically changed the New York skyline and though only a few years old, already stood as a grand symbol of mankind’s capabilities of form over the systems of nature.  Though they were certainly controversial at the time and came to stand as metaphors for just about everything from the hope of the American Dream to the encroaching corporatization of that dream throughout the years, for one man they were a challenge beyond any other.  Naturally, much of the discourse and varied symbolism has faded since the events of 2001, with the loss of the Towers and thousands of lives creating an altogether different resonance in our hearts and minds.   Everyone has their own personal relationship to that day and the Towers themselves, but for one man in 1974 it was a platform to practice an art and a logistical adventure where personal safety & property rights were as irrelevant as the open spaces on either side of the high wire. To Phillipe Petit only one path was clear.  From Tower to Tower, with nothing but a pole and a cable.

“Man on Wire” (not to be confused with this, or even this ) is a stirring documentary of a unique feat.  Inspiring and beautiful, it is a wonderful film to take in on what is to be a warm and clear day, and a solemn tribute to those two 110-story structures that endure in our collective conscience.   Stop by the Cyan (1720 SW4th) for a lovely evening on the grass.

Festivites begin a 6:30 with music and yard games, followed by an open discussion at 7:45, and the film at 8:30.

Photo by Justin Doty

It’s the beginning of the month once more, and that means another fun get together in the lobby and field trip to the many galleries and festivities downtown for ‘First Thursday’.

Please join us for a glass of wine and a bite of food.  Take the streetcar to gallery hop downtown and the Pearl, or just relax and stroll along the river.

Show up and we’ll do the rest.

5PM

Summer is still here! Don’t miss Movies on the Green at Cyan/PDX apartments. This weeks series featuring the 80’s classic, Romancing the Stone, Friday, August 14, 2009  . The festivities will begin at 7pm and the movie will start at 8PM. Drinks and appetizers will be provided.  Be sure to bring along a blanket or lawn chair for the turf field, invite friends, kick off your shoes, sit back and relax, and enjoy the show. Cyan/PDX is located at 1720 SW 4th Ave.

Photo by J. Maus, Courtesy of Bikeportland.org

Just wanted to post this wonderful picture from this past weekend’s Providence Bridge Pedal.  More than 20,000 were in the saddle on Sunday, and some of the images are simply breathtaking.  Be sure to check out the slideshow on bikeportland.org, and others around the web!

Picture courtesy of www.southwaterfront.com

Join in for Riverfest 2009 at the South Waterfront on Saturday, August 22, 2009. This  free, family friendly festival provides for a great opportunity to celebrate life and living on the river. Live music, food, beverages, fun activities, and attractions are sure to provide for a good time. Join your neighbors for Riverfest 2009 on the South Waterfront. Additional events will also take place throughout various areas along the river Thursday, August 20, 2009 through Sunday, August 23, 2009.

Riverfest 2009 at the South Waterfront is proudly a South Waterfront Community Relations Collaboration.

Image courtesy of www.biteoforegon.com

Another weekend is upon is and another festival opens its doors (tentflaps?), this time featuring the culinary wonders of the Pacific Northwest.  Like the many “Food Related Verb” of “City”festivals throughout the country, the Bite of Oregon features top regional chefs as well as entertainment and a family friendly atmosphere.   This year’s festival will also feature an appearance by “Hell’s Kitchen” winner Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper on Saturday and Sunday and even Iron Chef Oregon competitions on Friday and Saturday.

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Come celebrate First Thursday and take a ride on the streetcar!

August 6, 2009

First Thursday is just around the corner and there are plenty of opportunities and activities to look forward to. Here at The Ardea, we welcome you to take the streetcar and join us for wine and hors d’oeuvres at 5PM. Later, we encourage those to join along as we hop on the streetcar to check out First Thursday in the Pearl District.

We will then join  in on the celebration of the name revealing at our 12th and Washington location featured in the picture above.

The Ardea

First Thursday

August 6, 2009

Wine and Hors d’oeuvres: 5PM

Streetcars to downtown and the Pearl District: every 13 minutes

 There is no better place to begin and end your First Thursday gallery hopping than right here at The Ardea.  First of all, there’s plenty of parking and it’s free! Or, you can walk in, bike in, kayak in and streetcar in.  No more hassle driving around hunting for a spot and missing valuable moments of checking out the exhibitions and of getting your share of the hors d’oeuvres.

 Speaking of wine and hors d’oeuvres, after you park, your first sip of fine wine and a bite of delicious food awaits you in the beautiful courtyard of the Ardea under cool breezes from the river flowing just a few steps away.

 Once you’re relaxed, step on to the streetcar and head into downtown and the Pearl District, getting on and off whenever the spirit moves you.

 When you’re all done, step aboard the streetcar and return to the Ardea. Take a stroll along the river as the sunsets, the water a perfect drop back for reminiscing about the art, the food, and the city.

 If you want to take a tour of the apartments, we’ll be happy to show you around. It’s breathtaking riverfront apartment living with unparalleled concierge service, you’re close to the city, and closer to nature.  When you live at the Ardea you can keep your dog, your kayak, your fine pinot and your must see film list.  Life is short. When you show up here, we’re ready to make sure that you do the living and we do the work. Just show up. We’ll take care of the rest.

Image courtesy of Allison Andrews @ Soccercityusa.com

Football returns in anger to Stumptown this week with a packed lineup at PGE park with playoffs for the U-23s, a massively important top of the table battle with Puerto Rico for the big boys, and a highly anticipated friendly against Coca-Cola Championship Playoff winners Burnley on Saturday night.

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