Great night's sleep in a beautiful, tree-filled, 100-year-old neighborhood.
About the property
- House250 sqft
- Bedrooms1
- Sleeps2
- Bathrooms1
- Half Baths0
- Mininum Stay3 nights
Close to downtown in a neighborhood with shops, restaurants, and good coffee.
Welcome to our NE Portland home. The main-floor bedroom and bathroom are yours. The living room -- spacious, quiet, and lovely -- is a comfortable place to read or share a glass of wine; and it's rarely occupied, so it's available to you most of the time. The back yard -- with BBQ and exquisite garden -- gets the afternoon shade; a great place to hang with the bumble bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Some evenings we invite all of our guests, and sometimes several of our neighbors, to join us in the living room or in the garden for a glass of wine, a bite of something from the kitchen, and conversation. And what amazing conversations! Guests have come from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Iran, France, Germany, Ireland, England, Scotland, Ecuador, Colombia, and all over the US and Canada; they are MDs, naturopathic physicians, a neurosurgeon, two ER doctors, a retired NASA rocket scientist, a retired bird-colonel, a psychiatrist, a TV-and-movie star, and many homemakers, college kids, working stiffs, 70-year-old hippies, nurses, writers, teachers, professors, small-business owners, and countless others who (like you) have life experiences that the rest of us love to hear about.
Your private bedroom on the main floor has south-facing windows that provide natural light all day. It's air-conditioned in the summer and toasty during the winter. And when the sun goes down? A thick, cotton futon with a wool-wrapped foam core. Is this a skinny, lumpy, fold-up, doubles-as-a-couch futon -- the kind that makes people think they don't like futons? No. This is a big, luxurious, ridiculously comfortable mattress identical to the one we sleep on — deeply — every night. Dozens of guests have testified: "That's the best night's sleep I've ever had." Yes. EVER.
We stroll the neighborhood at least once a day, covering two or three miles each time out, and we never grow tired of it. Alameda and Irvington are filled with gorgeous homes and beautiful gardens. Streets are lined with 100-year-old trees: oak, chestnut, maple, sycamore, beech, and elm. Where lightning, snow, and ice have brought down a few of those giants, our neighbors have planted dogwood, styrax japonica, linden, redbud, japanese maple, parotia, stewartia, countless varieties of flowering cherry, crab apple, plum, and pear, and myriad other spectacular ornamentals.
It's a nice walk to lots of neighborhood shops, pubs, and restaurants, and it's a 10-minute drive (or Lyft or cab ride) to city center. Public transit isn't quite that fast, but it can take you, inexpensively, anywhere you want to go.
Owner
Marcia & Ray Johnston
- Response rate:
- 100%
- Response time:
- within one hour
- Speaks:
- english, spanish
- Calendar last updated:
- Apr 17, 2018
About Marcia & Ray Johnston
Marcia grew up in Chesterton, Indiana. She spent part of her youth, including most of a year in Austria and months elsewhere in Europe, traveling the world. She graduated from Lake Forest College, near Chicago, and moved to upstate New York, where she earned her MFA in Writing at Syracuse, taught writing for a year at Cornell, raised two outstanding children (now outstanding adults), and pursued a career in technical communication. She joined Ray in Portland in 2009. In 2013, Marcia published her first book, Word Up!, which quickly became an Amazon best-seller and led to speaking engagements around the country. Except for the speaking engagements and occasional visits to her far-flung children, Marcia is happy to stay home. "We live in our favorite place in the world. It makes no sense to take a vacation somewhere else." Ray grew up in Eugene, Oregon, and graduated, eventually, from the University of Oregon. He spent his youth traveling the world, including a few months in Mexico City, a few months in Spain, a few months all over Europe and the Pacific Rim, and 30 months -- most of them by choice -- in Vietnam. He moved to Portland in 1974 and raised two outstanding children (now outstanding adults). He worked briefly in heavy construction and home remodeling, ran a gardening business into the ground :-), and then, as a technical writer, dozed happily for 25 years in cubicle farms at intel, Electro Scientific Industries, and Welch Allyn. In August, 2014, when he and Marcia welcomed their first vacationing guests (a young couple from Lyons), Ray discovered that he was supposed to be an innkeeper all along. If you want informed opinions about what in Portland is outstanding (as opposed to merely great), we're happy to share. If you want to be left to your own devices, we're happy to stay out of your way! We know how we like to be treated when we're far from home. We built our B&B accordingly, and we run it that way, every day. Welcome home.
Marcia & Ray Johnston purchased this House in 2004
Why Marcia & Ray Johnston chose Alameda
This is our home, a 1926 Craftsman house in beautiful, quiet Alameda. We love spending our time in this remarkable place, and we love sharing it with family, friends, and you -- the long-time friends we're waiting to meet.
What makes this House unique
You're close enough to the heart of Portland that you can walk there, along beautiful streets, in 40 minutes (or drive there in 8). In this neighborhood, you really are "away from it all" — and you're minutes away from practically anything you could want to do. Looking for the great outdoors? Portland is the gateway to that, too. Columbia River Gorge (jaw-dropping vistas, countless waterfalls, hundreds of miles of scenic trails): 45 minutes. Hood River (world-renowned wind surfing/sailboarding): 60 minutes Breathtaking beaches (the Pacific Ocean!): 90 minutes. Mt Hood (year-round skiing, endless hiking trails, endless forests): 90 minutes. High desert: 2 hours. ...and not too far away... Crater Lake Oregon Shakespearean Festival world-class fly-fishing whitewater rafting (Class II, III, IV, V) Pendleton Roundup Mt St Helens For many years, Oregon's tourism motto was "Relax in a state of excitement." The motto has been replaced, but the message still rings true.
Amenities
- Internet
- Air Conditioning
- Heater
- Kids Welcome
- Washer & Dryer
- Parking
- No Smoking
Bedrooms
- 1 Bedrooms, Sleeps 2
- Guest room1 queen, Our guests rave about this bed.
Bathrooms
- 1 Bathroom
- Bathroomtoilet, combination tub/shower
- The full bath, just a few steps from your bedroom, belongs to you and only you. The windows, which have blinds for privacy, look out on the back yard's flower garden.
Location Type
- DowntownWe're a 10-minute drive from downtown Portland (or a 20-minute bus ride, a good bike ride, or a long walk).
Theme
- Adventure
- Away From It All
- Historic
- Tourist Attractions
Meals
- Catering available
General
- Iron & Board
- Air Conditioning
- GarageLimited space is available (for a couple of bikes, for example).
- Hair Dryer
- Heating
- InternetStrong Wi-Fi everywhere in this space.
- Clothes Dryer
- Linens Provided
- Living RoomThe living room is adjacent to your bedroom. It's a shared space, but most of the time you have it to yourself.
- ParkingYou can park in our driveway.
- Towels Provided
- Washing Machine
Kitchen
- Dishwasher
- Microwave
- RefrigeratorYou're welcome to share our refrigerator.
- Toaster
Dining
- Dining Area
- comfy seating for 6 people
Outside
- Deck / PatioThe garden in the back yard includes a couple of tables (with umbrellas) and chairs.
- Lawn / GardenAs one guest noted in her review: "Ray has created a fascinating garden, with beautiful and unusual plants, which is a pleasure to explore."
- Outdoor GrillGas grill and outdoor tables are available.
Suitability
- Long-term Renters Welcome
- wheelchair inaccessible
Attractions
- live theater
- arboretum
- churches
- cinemas
- festivals
- health/beauty spa
- library
- botanical garden
- marina
- museums
- playground
- restaurants
- synagogues
- zoo
Leisure Activities
- scenic drives
- shopping
- sight seeing
- walking
Local Services & Businesses
- ATM/bank
- fitness center
- groceries
- hospital
- laundromat
- massage therapist
- medical services
Sports & Adventure Activities
- mountaineering
- basketball court
- cycling
- fishing
- fly fishing
- freshwater fishing
- golf
- hiking
- hot air ballooning
- hunting
- ice skating
- jet skiing
- kayaking
- mountain biking
- mountain climbing
- cross country skiing
- paragliding
- parasailing
- racquetball
- rafting
- rock climbing
- sailing
- ski lift privileges
- skiing
- snowboarding
- snowmobiling
- swimming
- tennis
- whitewater rafting
- wind-surfing
Notes
- Share our 1926 Craftsman home in Alameda—one of Portland's loveliest, quietest, most architecturally rich neighborhoods. Your guest room is on the first floor. We live upstairs and often have guests in our apartment on the basement level. We'll happily interact with you as much or as little as you like. If you want opinions about what in Portland is outstanding (as opposed to merely great), we're happy to share our faves.
House Rules
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Cancellation Policy
100% refund if canceled at least 14 days before arrival date. 50% refund if canceled at least 7 days before arrival date. You must contact the owner directly to request cancellation.
10 Reviews
Latest reviews
A beautiful neighborhood, house, and welcoming hosts
Absolutely beautiful home!
Excellent location with lovely hosts
We had an absolute blast with Mark and Alison. Spectacular human beings, outstanding guests. Warm, generous, smart, informed, and engaging. They seemed like family (and for us, that's a good thing) within minutes of arriving at our door, and that feeling grew. We hope to see them again! ~ Marcia & Ray
Friendly folk
Definitely a home away from home
Like staying with good friends!
Location
City center is a 10-minute drive (or a 20-minute bus ride, a good bike ride, or a long walk) from our house, through beautiful neighborhoods; past lots of cool shops, restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops on NE Broadway; over the Willamette (wil-LAM-ette) River on the Broadway Bridge; right by Chinatown; within a stone's throw of Powell's City of Books; and into the heart of Portland. Some Portland highlights: - Japanese Garden - Chinese Garden (Lan Su) - Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden - Washington Park - Forest Park (one of the largest urban forest reserves in the US) - Pittock Mansion - Portland Saturday Market - Saturdays and Sundays, year 'round. - Farmers' Markets, all over the city, every day from May into November. Popular day trips: - Columbia River Gorge (40 min) - Mt. Hood (75 min) - Oregon Garden, Frank Lloyd Wright house, and Silver Falls State Park—all near Silverton (90 min) - Pacific Ocean (90 min) - Bend and the Oregon High Desert (5 hr) - Oregon Shakespearean Festival (5 hr) - Crater Lake (6 hr) Open from May until October - Painted Hills (6 hr) Around Portland Portland is pedestrian-friendly and bicycle-friendly. The city itself is compact and oval; it's a pleasant walk from the Pearl (northwest Portland) to the University of Portland (southwest edge of downtown Portland). By bus, it's less than 30 minutes from your door to just about anywhere in the city. If you plan to use Portland's 5-star public transportation system (Tri-Met goes everywhere), you might want to take a minute to download and familiarize yourself with the TRIMET app. (Go to trimet.org.) Among the many good things the app does for you: Shows you how to get from where you are to your nearest bus stop. Tells you, to the minute, when the next bus arrives at your stop. Turns your phone into a travel pass! City of Portland short-term rental (Type A) permit # 15-143936-000-00-HO