Portland - The Peculiarium

We recently visited The Peculiarium, perhaps the place that best encapsulates Portland's desire to be kept weird.

We should remember, though, that Terry Currier didn't make "Keep Portland Weird" an official slogan until 2003. The Peculiarium has been around much longer, born the same year as me.

I'm don't know if this is supposed to be Samara from the ring or not, but I'm not going to take any film recommendations from her.

The Peculiarium is reasonably priced: only $5.00, or free with a decent costume. I am not sure how stringent the definition of "decent" is, but the people we talked to were all pretty nice.

I especially appreciated their understanding of consent, because that desire to be edgy and cool can really bring out the worst in some people.

This went beyond reminders not to force people to enter or look at things or get close to things, and included a reminder to not force your kids to sit on Krampus' lap!

That being said, it is pretty awesome that we have a place where you can sit on the lap of Krampus and... do you tell him what you want if you have been naughty? I'm not sure how that part works. Wrong time of year anyway.

Much of the collection were cases of collectibles, like Star Wars contraband seized at Comic-Con, or models of these memorable cars.

Also, it is nice to know where there is a vampire killing kit available, just in case.

Sadly, The Peculiarium was one of those venues where I seemed to get a lot of photographic interference, making many of the photos come out blurred. Bad lighting? or something more sinister?

The Peculiarium has its weaknesses. One is some difficulty in nailing things down. The sign says they were founded in 1972, the web page 1967. The map mentions ghostly bongos, but doesn't give any other details, and web searching doesn't reveal any other references. I want to know where the ghostly bongos are!

In addition, maybe sometimes they don't trust in their own horror. For example, if the dollhouse is really haunted, it shouldn't need all the ghastly room decor, right? So there is some - if you will pardon the expression - overkill, which tends toward silliness.

But it is only $5, and that will allow you time in a coffin, plus pictures with Krampus, Sasquatch, and as part of an alien autopsy.

If the pictures come out.

https://www.peculiarium.com/

Portland Tram

My sister and I tried doing the 4T trail on Labor Day, with less than satisfactory results, including never getting to the tram:

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2018/11/portland-metro-area-t4-trail.html 

Having ridden the tram a few times since then, I decided to take pictures the next time and then write it up.

If you think of the tram as a tourist attraction, it will probably be kind of disappointing. It's purpose is to move people (and sometimes equipment) up and down the hill, which is needed by many people daily. It appears to work pretty well for that.

There is some view, but it is not sightseeing. The angle and set-up don't really take advantage of potential landmarks.

There is a little bit of rocking as you hit the towers, but it is not by any means a thrill ride (and would not be a practical means of mass transit if it were).

It is easier than driving down would be, and faster than waiting for a bus.

In conjunction with its role in mass transit, it is adjacent to the largest bike rack I have ever seen, and it gets pretty full (though you cannot tell from this picture).

Also as part of its role in mass transit, they honor Tri-Met and C-Tran annual and monthly passes, OHSU employees and patients are pre-paid (though you do need a badge), and no tickets or passes are needed for the ride down.

If none of that applies and you want to ride up just for the experience, well, it's not the worst thing you could do, and $4 isn't a bad price.

http://www.gobytram.com

(But don't take the 4T trail to get there. I can't stress that enough.)