As a Baysider for the past five years, I've seen my share of change. When we first moved in, our house in downtown Portland was the last thing on the street before it dropped off into an industrial wasteland. Our view was of abandoned buildings and those infamous scrap yards. But, on the upside, we could see Back Cove beyond the metal heaps.

Since then, things have changed dramatically. We've watched a gorgeous Greek Revival house moved onto the lot next door; the Whole Foods rise amid the recycling piles; and the new Pearl Place apartment complex transform the skyline (and introduce us to a new siding style I'm calling creative scrap heap reinterpretation).

Here is a view from the past (note the building being torn down where Whole Foods now stands):

And one from the present: