Opening day of Sunday Market bigger than Opening Day of Hunting Season in Astoria?
May 3rd, 2008 Categories: Fun Stuff, Local Events, Where To eat
Mothers day in Astoria means the opening of Sunday Market! It also means brunch at the Silver Salmon for our family. After stuffing ourselves to the point that we need a nap we somehow find the energy to roll ourselves out the door and down the street. Usually live music greets us as we get within earshot of the hustle and bustle that IS Sunday Market. It’s a day to see old friends who have moved away but return yearly to see good ol’ mom on her special day. By the time we are done greeting all of our friends, family and assorted four-legged market attendees we’ll be packing some good stuff home. A bag of kettle corn for Jamey, fresh flowers for the kitchen table, homemade dog treats for Scout and a soft toy for G. I keep debating on which Bill Dodge print I am going to get for my office. I’m excited and hope we get some warmer weather next weekend to truly make the day memorable!
Astoria Sunday Market
Sunday 10 am to 3 pm
May 11- October 8th.
Rain or Shine.
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LaDeDa, LaDeDog!
May 1st, 2008 Categories: Fun Stuff, Local Events
LaDeDog is a new destination dog boutique at 120 Tenth Street in downtown Astoria. I had heard about it and read an article about it but had never took the time to visit it, until yesterday! What a nice surprise. The boutique truly lives up to it’s name and is a ’boutique’ in every sense of the word.
Wicki loves “Earl the Chicken”!
You will find gourmet treats, the latest couture and ‘bling’ as well as the more practical outdoor apparel & accessories. You are encouraged to bring your well behaved ‘best friend’ to sample treats from the bakery bar & to try on the latest fashions or peruse the large supply of squeaky toys! You can also shop online at www.ladedog.net
LaDeDog is sponsoring a “yappy hour” on Saturday May 10th between 5-6pm where special doggie treat samples will be available as well as human refreshments. They will be featuring the “Fence Puppies” and quilted dog portraits created by Ronni Harris. If you are interested in purchasing a custom canvas portrait, bring your dog in for a complimentary photo.
In my opinion, this boutique is truly worth visiting.
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Navigating Historic Home Ownership
April 22nd, 2008 Categories: Architectural Guidelines, Real Estate News
Homes and landmarks with Historic designations are scattered throughout the North Coast and most commonly perched proudly on the hills of Astoria. They continue to be one of the most popular and really exciting parts of our local real estate market , and I am often asked about the responsibilities of owning a home that is considered historic so I recently set out to give myself a “refresher course” on historic home designations and to get the facts and try and dispel some of the myths of historic home ownership. (like the most popular question; does the city really tell you what color you have to paint your house? the awnser is no by the way)
Your first stop in Historic home ownership should be to Read the rest of this entry »
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New Urbanism at work in Historic Mill Pond Village
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Columbia River, Mill Pond Village, Real Estate News
2855 Mill Pond Lane, Astoria, Oregon
What is New Urbanism?
Astoria is lucky to have such a project in our midst. Award-winning Mill Pond Village was the brain child of Developer Art Demuro and Lennerz, Coyle & Associates. Mill Pond Village showcases many of the brightest designers and builders in our area as well as offering the best riverfront living in Astoria! Creative planning has encouraged a true community spirit here. Residents can walk to shopping, congregate on their covered front porches, stroll the riverwalk or catch the historic trolley.
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April in Astoria is not to be confused with April in Paris!
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Weather
This spring is sure to be remembered for it’s cool temperatures and snow advisories. Our entire area saw snow fall this weekend and this morning. Everyone from Safeway to Starbucks was saying “this is so strange” to ” how unusual” and “it must be global warming”.
Then some visitors from Wisconsin came into our office and Read the rest of this entry »
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Astoria Housing Market Update- April ‘08
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News
Here’s the updated market stats for Astoria, Oregon residential sales for April.
The temporary bump in inventory due to the December storm seems to be leveling off finally. While a balanced inventory is 6 months supply, the Astoria area at 9 months is promising. There seems to be lots of Buyers looking, but reservations about the economy are at the top of mind for most.
While Astoria (97103 zip) seems to be gaining speed, the overall Clatsop County residential market looks like this for the last 30 days:
- Sold- 33
- New- 106
- Pending- 35
- Expired- 76
- Current Active- 567
source: Clatsop MLS
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Can I really get a house in Astoria for $153,500?
April 21st, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News
You may have heard that Astoria is on the radar once again for being one of the top 5 places to retire. And yes, Barbara Corcoran did give yet another outlandish number as the average home price. I remember when this happened a few years back. I fielded more than my share of calls from out of state buyers wanting to purchase their retirement shang-ri-la for a mere $150k. Can a person really get a “retirement” home for $153,500? And by retirement home I mean a property that doesn’t require a lot of rehab or have any crazy issues!
Here’s the skinny on houses that sold this past year near the $150k price tag- Read the rest of this entry »
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Beautiful & Unpredictable
April 16th, 2008 Categories: Weather
That about sums up spring here on the North Coast. Saturdays weather was such a welcome change!!! Dry, warm and sunny! (it was actually hot out in God’s Country!) These kind of days always are such a blessing and seem to bring out thoughts of gardening, bbqing and the lazy days of summer. Read the rest of this entry »
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Top 5 Reasons To Love A Small Town
April 9th, 2008 Categories: Life in General
Photo by Shirley Morisse
I was born and raised right here in good old Clatsop County. Like most 18 year olds who spent their youth in a small town, I was really only certain about one thing: I was getting out of this one horse town and never looking back. Fast forward 14 years and here I am BACK in this one horse town and discovering how great small towns can really be. (Provided you don’t want to FedEx something on a Saturday, hit the gym for a workout after 10pm, anonymously have a post-work cocktail to unwind, or anonymously do anything really.)
- People talk to you! Yes, it’s true what they say, friendliness abounds in small towns. This can be both good and bad, but mostly good. Bonnie the checker at Safeway will tell you the recent hijinks of her Terrier named Rascal despite the long line; Jimmy at Pro Lube who hasn’t seen you since you were 10 will loudly exclaim you aren’t the homely girl they remember you being; and if you unknowingly drop a dollar bill, a stranger will happily chase you down the street to return it without fear of being maced.
- There’s no carpool lane! Say goodbye to your depressing morning commute that requires you to roll out of bed at 5am so you can beat the 7am stampede at the local Starbucks, then drive 10mph in the carpool lane for an hour and MAYBE make it to work on time. Some old timers here in the county may argue that nowadays we have a rush hour akin to Seattle at 4pm, but I’ve yet to hear a traffic report on any local radio station. Amen.
- Escape civilization in 5 minutes or less! Hankering for some Zen time void of all humanity? No need to schedule that 7 hour drive to the nearest State Park into your Blackberry a month in advance. Here in Astoria you can drive a few miles in any direction and find beaches to walk, mountains to hike, and rivers to fish.
- Kids still play outside! If you are accustomed to driving the sprawling subdivisions of any major metropolitan area, seeing children playing outside is a rare occurrence. Around here, it’s still commonplace to see kids running rampant through neighborhoods until the final waning hour of daylight. Depending on your parental status, or “auntie” status as is the case for me, this is another one that can be both good and bad.
- Coffee on demand! This is not a universal small town perk, but it certainly is true here in Astoria. We love our lattes and you can get one just about anywhere. We have a plethora of drive-thru stands, sit-down coffeehouses, and various conglomerations of businesses where you can do your laundry, tan, rent a movie, and have your double mochaccino to boot.
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Spring Break at the Beach
April 7th, 2008 Categories: Weather
A time for bikini’s, beach volleyball and ……….snowmen? While typically we would expect to see rain with an occasional sunny day, this spring break was not at all typical. Easter Sunday ushered in the week with cool, wet, gray weather. However, on Monday the temps continued to drop and by nightfall we were at the freezing mark.
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Jennie
Terri
Jeremy
Miranda
Amy
Vicky
