Hassalo and Trimet- Accessibility at it’s Finest
Portland, OR is known for our artisan coffee, indie music scene, and natural beauty- even in the rainy months. That’s all fine and good, but how to access all of your new favorite spots can be a challenge, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the city. Hassalo on Eighth stands in the heart of Central NE Portland, just a skip away from the west-side’s lively downtown across the river. Location is everything, but if you have easy, fast and reliable transportation right outside of your front door, planning takes a backseat and you can enjoy the ride anywhere in the metro area.
Ride Options
Trimet is Portland’s nervous system, servicing the area with multiple ride options from buses to trains to streetcars. The bus lines extend into late and early hours, and travel as far west as Hillsboro and as far east as Gresham. The MAX, Portland’s light rail train system is stationed right next door to Hassalo, making commuting ridiculously easy. On another end of Hassalo street sits the inner metro’s streetcar line, with a smaller service map, but a reliable and easy option if the buses are running late. Each option is a well-oiled machine of efficiency; buses at each stop every 15 minutes, while the MAX lines have a train pass every 5 minutes. Stop and go traffic, red lights, and fuel are but mere memories when throwing in your headphones and opening a book to enjoy a sleek, fast ride to wherever you need to go. The service map covers 533 square miles of the PDX area, serving about 1.8 million people.
It’s All About Community
Everyone needs to get around, but car ownership is becoming a high cost in these tight times. Many Hassalo residents have chosen to remain car-less, opting for the ease of the transit system, and a car rental when they want to get out of town. Although Hassalo has three stories of underground parking, and is a convenient option for car owners, many in our community love not having to worry about the extra headaches that come with a vehicle in the middle of the city. Some even just stick to their bicycles to get around. But even with their trusty eco-friendly wheels, its easy to pack their bike on the Trimet bus racks and travel even further without losing the options of cycling when they get to their destination. Lloyd District in particular has made huge efforts to change how city dweller’s travel by restructuring traffic routes into single lanes, opening room for cyclists, and even pollinator planters lining the pathways that used to be bumper to bumper in the busy business district before Covid. This is in part due to our coveted Eco-District title, enabling positive change into the area with baby steps toward a much greater goal of being the most sustainable neighborhood in the United States. Slowly, and surely, Lloyd has become a walkable, bikeable, or hop-on-a-bus-able place for folks who care deeply about being the change they want to see in the world regarding the Climate Crisis. When searching for a new home, price, and location are usually most important. It’s not practical to restrict your options based on things that may be important to you, like sustainability efforts when searching for the right place to settle down. It’s one of those invaluable assets that make Hassalo a no-brainer: if you care about the environment, and want to make a personal impact, living here is living that aim.
Oh, The Possibilities
We often have curious renters from out of town inquire about access to certain places around PDX in relation to Hassalo. It makes sense when Portland’s largest employers are Nike and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) . Both locations are on the perimeters of the city, the Nike campus in Beaverton (nearby Portland suburb) and OHSU on the SW waterfront and upper west hills. Trimet reaches both with many other large employers on the way. Not only is the SW waterfront OHSU location accessible within minutes from Hassalo, it has an aerial tram line for patients and commuters who want to ride the line to the Marquam Hill campus just a few uphill miles away as the crow flies. Single round trip, and monthly passes are available for purchase, and when ascending the incline of the city, watching the Willamette river shrink in the distance, and the 360 views of the Cascade Mountain range, it feels more like an adventure than a commute. Other major destinations are available on Trimet maps, including the Portland Airport, Pioneer Square and Providence Park , home of the Portland Timbers Soccer League.
Gondola in transit above the city
The subtle ding of the MAX line is a trusty sound around Hassalo, and it’s hard to forget how easy it is to get around when commuters are bustling on and off the trains/streetcars during mornings and evenings. Getting around the city is the least of our resident’s worries, leaving time to plan what they want to eat, see, and experience when they get to their destination. Check out Go Lloyd for more information about Portland’s Trimet accessibility and benefits. You can also check out maps and service schedules directly at Trimet’s website.