Southeast 44th Ave, Richmond

I would say that Hawthorne Street from about 30th to 50th is one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in Portland. There are a host of little retail shops, great restaurants, bars, and little nuggets of Portland Culture.

I am not a big shopper, but there are some very cool shops in this area. Greg's is a place that sells gifts and stationary and some other nifty knick-knacks. The Third Eye Shoppe is also worthy of mention, even though it is a head shop and may not appeal to certain shoppers. The Baghdad Theatre, while not really a shop, is worth checking out as well.

I am, however, an eater, and while I agree with the other reviewer's recommendation of Zach's Shack, I would also add The India Oven, Thanh Thao, A Pizza Scholls, Big Daddy's BBQ and Vege Thai (for the vegetarian crowd). But, pretty much anywhere you stop in on Hawthorne you'll find something good to eat.

The rest of the Hawthorne experience is just the people, the wacky cars, and crazy paint jobs. I recommend taking a walk down Hawthorne very mcuh, and it's only a few blocks.

The Hawthorne neighborhood is a great place to live and hang out. The street between SE 30th and SE 39th offers a host of retail shopping establishments and many restaurants. East of 39th is the nightlife center of Hawthorne offering many great bars including on of my favorites: Bar of the Gods. There is also an excellent late night hot dog eating establishment known as Zach's Shack. Delicious! East of about 50th Hawthorne goes into a very nice and quiet residential area and is in walking distance of Mt. Tabor, an excellent destination for hiking.

Great street. Neighbors are nice, there is parking available, close to bus (but not the bus noise), close to Mt. Tabor park. Great food, decent shopping and cool nightlife abound within blocks. Grab a scone on a rainy morning in Common Grounds and you'll see. Hip, wonderful, Hawthorne.