I know of a few other people from Lewis & Clark who live in SE Portland, but I don’t think it’s the most popular area to live off campus because it’s a bit of a commute (I know lots of people who live in SW or Sellwood). But it’s definitely an option for people who want to live more in the city and who don’t mind a 15-20 minute drive to campus. I wanted to share a bit about my experience, both to share what it’s like for some students who live farther from campus, and for anyone who might consider living in SE. Here are some things I’ve learned from SE Portland!
The TRAIN! I wish someone had told me about the train that blocks off most of SE Portland for up to two hours, many, many times per day! I somehow missed the train every time I drove out here to look at apartments and when I was moving, but got stuck behind it twice the first week I was here. Since I’m directionally challenged, I use Google Maps to get just about everywhere, but Google Maps doesn’t seem to be aware of how much the train can slow down traffic. I ended up being very late to class one day (even though it was online) because I couldn’t get home on time! I asked a few people on nextdoor and found that LOTS of people are frustrated with the train, but there are ways around the train tracks. For example, the Morrison Bridge and the Hawthorne Bridge cross over the river and the train tracks, so you don’t get stuck on one side of it. I’m very glad some experienced commuters were able to give me advice about the best routes to get to campus!
Parking. Parking is an issue on-campus and off-campus, now that I’m living here. I purchased an on-campus parking pass for the semester, so I’m allowed to park my car when I drive to campus. But that doesn’t mean there will be a spot! I’ve found that the easiest place for me to park is in the parking lot below Fir Acres Theater, so that I can quickly get to the library and other academic buildings. However, I sometimes need to park up by Templeton to pick up packages from the mailroom. This is really tricky! The last couple of times I’ve gone, there has only been one available spot besides staff parking. Luckily I only needed to park there for a few minutes! Parking off-campus by my apartment is similarly tricky. There’s no designated or paid parking for my building (which is somewhat nice, since I don’t have to pay an extra fee), only street parking. Lately I’ve always been able to find a spot not too far from my apartment, but parallel parking on a busy road can be a bit of a nightmare!
Living alone is weird. This has been my first time living alone since I briefly had a single on campus. Otherwise, I always had a shared room or shared living space. It’s been especially weird during COVID, when I can’t invite people over or go to hang out with friends. I’ve figured out a few things to make my apartment more homey and less lonely: playing music a lot of the time while I’m cooking, working, etc., with different playlists for different activities (fun, focus, relaxing, etc.). I’ve been watching new TV show episodes when they come out with my family over Zoom! This has worked surprisingly well for all of us to watch together.
I’ve also been having to leave my dog at home alone, and it’s been kind of upsetting for her in this process of transition. I set up a camera so I can check in on her, and lately she’s been crying a bit when I leave, but then calms down and waits patiently. I always leave her with relaxing doggy music playing and a toy with peanut butter!