a love affair with Astoria

I love my small town. Astoria made it's first impression on me as a young girl when I lived here briefly in my early grade school years. I was captivated by the "old-ness" of Astoria-- abandoned buildings once known to house fur-trading operations, beautiful Victorian homes in various stages of disrepair and restoration, steep streets with hidden pathways and public stairwells, stories of settlers and pioneers... and so, as a 30-something woman I returned for a visit to see what was becoming of modern-day Astoria. I left that 4 day visit with- surprisingly, a job. A couple of weeks later, I had packed up my Portland apartment, my dog and my cat in a U-Haul, hit Highway 30, and thus began my grown-up adventure in the small town that still fascinates and delights me. Six years later, I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Astoria was once a sleepy working class town largely defined by fishing, canneries and logging and as those industries began to change, so Astoria has been challenged to change. Which was exactly what had inspired my visit six years ago-- was Astoria honoring and preserving it's rich history, architecturally and otherwise? Today, I proudly consider myself part of Astoria's renaissance. I am one of many who have lived other places-- more "sophisticated" places, places with more "opportunity"-- yet have chosen this small, vibrant, dynamic, artistic community to make home. There are countless businesses, organizations and people who have and are making Astoria special, preserving it's history, and who are taking part in creating a new definition of Astoria... over time I will be compelled to share as many of them as I am able.

Before the Astoria-Megler bridge was built, the residents of the Washington peninsula and Astoria relied on a ferry to shuttle them across the mighty Columbia River. This was especially vital to residents of the peninsula as it was a quite isolated area with limited resources and services. At the foot of 14th Street in downtown Astoria were the ferry docks and many travelers took refuge in a hotel that operated on 14th Street, just a half block from the docks, from 1925 until it's sudden closure in 1965. After more than 40 years of being sealed up, ignored and forgotten, the old hotel is now given new life as Commodore Hotel Astoria. Reinvented as an affordable and stylish traveler's hotel featuring european style rooms as well as suites, the hotel draws design inspiration from the Columbia River and it's historic Astoria roots-- maintaining vintage integrity while infusing a hip modern and minimalist vibe. If you are lucky enough to visit Astoria, it's well worth a stay.