A walk through Dayton’s Oregon district
Dayton is not the most interesting city you can visit. It is a typical small midwestern community, but it does have some cool spots where I love hanging out. One of them is called Oregon district, and it is basically a long street, filled with bars, nightclubs and quirky little shops.
And despite the fact that some people say Oregon district is unsafe at night, I have personally never felt unsafe. Just exercise usual caution and the chances are that you will be fine.
A typical building in Oregon district. These cute little buildings give the area a small and cute Midwestern town feeling.
How to get there and where to park?
Oregon district is basically an extension of the Fifth street in Dayton, and when driving through the city, you will notice green signs, pointing you in the right direction. If you are driving from Oakwood or Kettering, drive down the Far hills avenue towards Dayton, and join the Patterson boulevard after you pass Miami valley hospital - it will be a slight right turn.
Then, you will eventually see a fast food restaurant, called Arby’s, and this is where you have to turn right. The street you are turning right onto, is the beginning of the Oregon district. The main parking lot is situated right after you drive under the bridge, on the right.
Regarding parking, the city of Dayton unfortunately recently put up parking meters on the main Oregon district parking lot. The parking fee is costly, three dollars, which is a lot if you just plan to have one drink or buy something at the store next door. One night, when me and my friends were walking back to the parking lot, we noticed parking tickets on at least ten of the cars on that parking lot. Even if three dollars is a lot for a parking fee, I would still rather pay these three dollars than almost seventy dollars for the parking ticket.
Street art in Oregon district
Oregon District is a perfect destination for street art lovers. While you cannot expect it to be like Wynwood walls in Miami, the art is certainly not the work of a beginner.
Most cities in the United states of America are full of street art, and Dayton is not an exception. You just have to know where to look for street art. Oregon district has two beautiful graffiti walls, just next to the main parking lot. One of them is a portrait of Jimi Hendrix, and it is situated on, what a surprise, a music store. The other one is a beautiful mix of two words, ‘teach’ and ‘peace’ with a peace sign, and it makes for a great photo.
Jimi Hendrix, and a part of the entrance into the Omega records store.
You will also find some other graffiti in the side streets of Oregon district. The area is reasonably safe during the day, so do not be afraid to wander away from the main street and explore the side streets. At night, you should avoid poorly lit streets there, though. You know, just in case.
Another piece of street art in Oregon district. I think that more people should live by this motto nowadays.
Oregon district's best restaurants
There are plenty of great restaurants in Oregon district in all price ranges and they all offer different cuisines. If I had to pick a favourite among all of the restaurants in Oregon district that I have visited so far, I would have a very hard time deciding. I can narrow my choices down to two restaurants - Wheat Penny and Thai 9, but please do not neglect the rest. Salar is amazing, but it is considered an upscale restaurant and it did not make to my Top two list only because of a pretty high price.
Lili’s bistro is a typical American diner with typical home comfort food. The best things you can order in there are simply chicken wings and mashed potatoes with a side of biscuits and honey mustard. Delicious! And pretty cheap, too.
Roost modern Italian is a modern Italian restaurant in the heart of Oregon district. Usually, Italian restaurants in America are not even close to ‘real’ Italian restaurants in Italy, but Roost modern Italian is pretty close to perfection. Even their menu is in Italian. With an English translation on the side, of course.
My three favourite items on their menu are the blackened salmon, the vegetable lasagna and seasonal bread pudding. How about the prices? Roost modern Italian is not the cheapest restaurant, but once you take one bite of their food, you will forget about the price, I guarantee you.
Salar is a Peruvian restaurant, and this is the first restaurant where I tried Peruvian food. Like I already mentioned, this is quite a pricey restaurant and you have to wear a proper attire to be let in, but I would still say it is worth it. The best items on their menu are the Macchu Picchu pork chops with potatoes and the Caprese salad. I am usually not a big fan of a caprese salad, but I am glad I made an exception and tried it at Salar. The salad was served warm and it was delicious.
Wheat Penny is a restaurant that is just a little different from most restaurants I have been to so far. It is situated in a part of an old warehouse, and the interior looks like a warehouse too. Chairs look beat up (but that is just an impression, in reality they are pretty comfortable), and the tables are made out of wooden palettes.
The food menu is very limited, and that is one part that gives Wheat Penny its special charm. If you can decide between four cheeses pizza and the house salad, you cannot go wrong with either of them. How do I know? Well, because I could not decide which one to order, so I ordered both. Problem solved.
Thai 9 is the only Thai restaurant in Dayton, and I love it. It s situated right next to the music store - the one with the Jimi Hendrix mural, and, be prepared, the food in there is very spicy. My favourite item on their menu is vegetarian salad with baby corn, and Thai coffee, which is super sweet. When ordering, your server will ask you how spicy would you like your food from one to ten. Be careful - I figured out through trial and error that number three is waaaaaaay too spicy to eat for me, meaning anything above three is very very spicy.
Shops
The first shop in Oregon district that you should visit, is definitely the music store right next to the parking lot. They sell everything music in there - from vinyls, CDs, music posters, and even tapes! You will also find stickers, T-shirts, candy and funky socks. What I like about that music store is that you get a free poster with any purchase. And, on the outside of the store, they offer some free books.
Then there are some interesting souvenir shops that also sell home decor, and, my favourite thing, T - shirts with funny slogans about Dayton. For example: ‘Dayton is a good place to live (if you don’t live there).’ Most of them are reasonably priced, and they are the closest thing to a real souvenir shop you will find in Dayton, Ohio.
Then, there is a Goodwill store, which is basically a thrift store. In one of my previous posts, I have already described the Valley thrift store, which is a great place, and to be honest, I do not like Goodwill that much. This goodwill is small, but very unorganized, and not as cheap as you might expect, but you can still find some great bargains in there from time to time.
Other than that, Oregon district also has some erotic shops with neon signs and explicit exhibits in the windows, so you will feel like you are walking through Red light district in Amsterdam.
Nightlife
Oregon district is a popular place for young (and not so young) people to have a few drinks on basically any day of the week. One of my favourite bars in Oregon district is called Toxic brewery, and the place is cool enough that it deserves a separate entry. So keep an eye on my future posts, because I will describe this amazing place very soon. Other than Toxic, these are my favourite bars in Oregon district:
Hole in the wall. Remember the Super Mario game on a console? And other arcade games from your childhood? Well, you can play them at this bar, for free! And the best part? If you get there early enough, you will not even have to wait for your turn, you can just keep playing! Well, old arcade games are not the only reason I like this place so much. The drinks they offer are also pretty amazing.
My favourite beer there is definitely any type from the MadTree brewery. Seriously, they do know how to brew great beer! It is a bit on the pricey side for European people (because I am used to not having to pay more than one Euro for a beer) - three dollars and up, but it is well worth the price.
Blind Bob’s bar is the best bar with live music in Oregon district. Of course, do not expect to see Green day in there, but they do host some amazing local bands every week. Sometimes, you have to pay the cover charge, which usually costs five dollars, but expect great music when you have to pay to enter. The bands usually play a mix of their own music and covers of famous songs, and music type varies from band to band.
Tumbleweed Connection is a great place for country music fans. I personally cannot stand country music for some reason, but if you like it, give this place a try. They also do line dancing every once in a while, which is an authentic American midwest experience. When I went line dancing to Tumbleweed Connection, that was my first (and probably last) time at that bar. The decoration is just amazing, but, like I said, the music is just not my style.
Trolley stop is another great place for live music, and there is usually no cover charge! Just like Blind Bob’s bar, they host less known local bands, but d not be fooled, that does not mean the music is bad! The place usually gets packed after ten o’clock, so try to arrive early if you would like to have a place to sit.
A few words for the end…
Oregon district is one of the places that makes Dayton unique. Whether you are just looking to walk through it during the day, eat in one of the restaurants, have a drink or three in one of many bars or just browse through one of the cute little shops, Oregon district will definitely not disappoint you.
