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.

                                               Photo by Tom Carroll

This year residents of the South Waterfront Community took part in a Community Garden. Spaces were made available to members of the South Waterfront Community and reserved by those interested. Take a look! There are a variety of crops ranging from tomatoes, peppers, spices, flowers-the list could go on and on. Just like Portland takes pride in commuting by bike or Mass Transit, residents of Oregon certainly can appreciate the joy of cultivating their own gardens. What a great way to connect members of a community.

Get out in the sunshine and enjoy your last summer days at the Willamette River for Riverfest 2009.

Photo by Tom Carroll

Saturday, August 22, will be a big day at the South Waterfront. So put on your walking shoes and take a stroll down the waterfront, hop on your bike, or take the Streetcar. The South Waterfont Festival will begin at 11AM with fun, festivites, and music. Join The Pampered Pooch for their Open House hosted from 10AM to 4PM ,where your pooch can bob for a tennis ball in the kiddy pool outside. Plus, any dog that participates receives a goodie bag with home made dog cookies, a certificate for 10% off a grooming appointment, and your pup can even keep it’s tennis ball.

Please feel free to visit our riverside apartment living here at The Ardea. Where your pets are always welcomed!

Pioneering a New Sense of Place: The Future Building of Portland

Citizen Salons 2009

Saturday, August 29, 2009, 6:00 PM

Location will be provided by City Club

   Members: $75, Non-Members $85

Did you know there is a nonprofit and nonpartisan civic organization here in Portland dedicated to public affairs, community service, and leadership development through education and research?

City Club of Portland, Good Citizens are Riches of the City, club mission: To inform its members and the community in public matters, and to arouse in them the realization of the obligations of citizenship.

City Club of Portland holds many valuable events and programs dedicating to bringing obligations of citizenship to life through teaching and learning. The City Club of Portland strives to increase the awareness of civic affairs.  Learn more about the City Club of Portland and how you can get involved.

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 www.oregonbrewfest.com

To beer or not to beer, that is the question… a rhetorical question.  The answer is yes, and the source comes this weekend to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park for the 22nd annual Oregon Brewers Festival!

Simply put, it is 4 days (July 23-26) of craft beer wonderland, with over 81 brews covering 2 dozen styles, live music three times a day, and even a parade!

Taps flow from noon to 9pm most days (7pm on Sunday) and “taster packages” come in $10, $20, and $50 increments which includes a mug, programs, and the ever important drink tokens.  Admission to the festival is free, but to drink you will be required to show appropriate ID and purchase a taster package.

We look forward to hearing of your adventures in beervana!

The Ardea is a building of pet lovers.  We’ve got dogs, cats, fish, who knows maybe even Sasquatch is living in a unit.  But with all of this four legged activity also comes the need for accessories. 

Leashes, collars, toys, you name it, they are simply one of little items we pick up and work through their life until they are so tired and tattered they become unusable.  But it’s these smaller, less often considered items where reuse and reappropriation of recycled materials can make a big difference in our disposable culture lifestyle.

Enter Cycle Dog, a new Portland based business which takes recycled bicycle tubes and repurposes them for leashes and collars.  I first saw them over at the Multnomah County Bike Fair that ended Pedalpalooza and their merch tent was completely surrounded.  It’s a great concept, with a steady supply of no longer usable bike tubes out there especially in this city, they are finding a great use for an item which normally makes its way to a landfill.  Be sure to look at some examples after the jump.

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