Hillsboro -- Neon Momo Claw Machine Arcade

We loved Neon Momo!

Okay, us enjoying a claw machine arcade is not that surprising, but I think we liked it more than Claw City.

The arcade is smaller than some, but there is a great selection with it feeling more airy and spacious.

Some of that may be timing. We had apparently missed one rush, and shortly before we were done a couple of other people came in. As it was, our experience was that there were plenty of machines and room to move.

Part of that is that instead of cramming in multiple aisles of machines there are some coloring tables. If you have a mixed range of ages, younger ones might get tired of the machines sooner and be glad for the coloring break.

That does not mean that young children cannot use the machines as well. There is a range of difficulty including some that are very easy.

Two machines will keep going until you win a prize with only one swipe.

There were more difficult machines, as well as some different designs.

Regarding degree of difficulty, with the standard machines I would say that it is not cycling through the various levels and they keep them well-stocked. Knowing how to guide the claw still helps, but is the primary risk factor. So, you can do pretty well.

Also, they will still come and offer to fluff up the animals for you if they notice you having difficulty. I finally said yes after I picked up and dropped Pegasus four times. Then he jumped out of the claw again and they gave me a free swipe.

I know I could have gotten more help, but I have my pride and we were all doing okay.

It is currently their one year anniversary, so they are having promotions including raffles and a bingo game. They also gave us each a free tanuki key chain.

The celebrations end July 6th, so today is a great day to go, open from 2 PM to 8 PM. You could get a free tote bag.

Staff was really friendly and prices and rules seem reasonable. We are recommending!

COVID: It is indoors so I do recommend masking. It does feel better ventilated than most arcades I have been in, but you should still wear a mask.

Accessibility: In addition to giving the arcade a more open feel, that there are not multiple aisles would make navigating with mobility devices much easier than some places and the restroom was accessible. Even with plenty of bright lights there were no strobes, and with the easier levels manual dexterity is less of a must. I think this could be a better clawing experience for multiple disabilities.

https://neonmomo.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558804125962 

https://www.instagram.com/neonmomo.inc/ 

 

Wunderland Beaverton

People of my generation who grew up here may remember a commercial where various people sang about going to Wunderland to the tune of "Macho Man" by the Village People. 

At the time I only remember it having video games where each play cost a nickel.

The nickel is still the unit of currency, but you load up a card and some games cost more than a nickel.

It still tends to be a good deal. For example, the claw machines with the stuffed animals give you two tries for eight nickels. That is a bargain.

There are still some traditional video games, but there are many games that you would find at other types of arcades, like shooting baskets or skee-ball. 

For this it is most like Chuck E. Cheese, in that the games are built on a smaller scale. While playing skee-ball the other players are very close.

When it was just video games, it seemed geared more toward young teenagers. Now I would say there is more of a focus on children, though there were teenagers around as well. 

The addition of other activity options, like a movie theater and laser tag, makes Wunderland a good option for birthday parties and for families with different age ranges.

It is not ideal for claw machine aficionados. You don't get tickets for clawing, so the only prizes are the ones you can grab. Also, most of the claw machines were just for balls.

 That being said, 40 cents for two claws is pretty great, and if we just want to claw there are places for that. 

Prices were also reasonable for concessions (we did get some Icees and popcorn) and check the web site for various specials. It's a good value.

COVID: Not only is it all indoors, but there are lots of people and it feels a bit hot and sweaty. That might be worse on a rainy Saturday, which was when we happened to be there. I kept my mask on, but the ability to distance is not great.

Accessibility: I would say it is mostly navigable, but there are a lot of children running around, which could lead to crashes. Also, there are flashing lights, though I did not notice any strobe effects.

https://wunderlandgames.com/locations/beaverton/

Return to the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center

Ten years later we made it back.

When we went originally we did not even know about Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory Heritage Trail (our efforts there started around 2022); the wagon frames stood out from the highway since they were first raised.

I think we had heard that there were updates, but where we really started to think about going back was driving past on the way to somewhere else and seeing a yoke of oxen.

(Actually, I think they look like cows, but with the wagon there it is implied they are going to be used for pulling and plowing.)

We had also heard that a live chicken has settled in, but we did not see it. We found an elk we didn't remember.

It was good to go back.

There are new features, including two movies, that added to the experience.

When we visited previously, I realize now that we did not go all the way through.

Currently as you work through the wagon boxes, there is one display space where most of the school group activities are, like packing a wagon. 

Then there is the movie theater, and beyond that is another display area.

Once you exit at that end there are picnic tables. 

It feels like a one-way route, though there is not really anything to prevent you from turning around.

From field trips, we know that the third wagon box and its contents existed before, but we did not get to it on our last trip and did not know we were missing anything.

The obvious flaw with that setup if that if you decide you are not interested in the movies it would be easy miss the rest and not even know.

A clearer setup may be possible, but there is a lot of information where self-guidance is relatively easy.

One new thought from the displays is that with the origin of the trail in Independence, Missouri, some of the early travelers on the trail were escaping conflicts leading to the Civil War. Oregon's whiteness and hostility to Black settlers is well-known, but we did pick up some abolitionists as well. 

There is always more to learn.

COVID: While there is a fair amount of outside landscape to explore, most of the exhibits are indoors and it is a good idea to mask.

Accessibility: Once you are inside, navigation is pretty good, but there are steps to get up to the wagon level, more steps to get into the Visitor Center where you buy your tickets, and then steps at the end.

There are ramps, but they are not as obviously placed as would be ideal. 

It was refreshing to see sensory bags available. 

 There is room for improvement.

https://historicoregoncity.org/

Related posts: 

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2015/09/portland-metro-area-end-of-oregon-trail.html 

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2024/12/finishing-oregons-mt-hood-territory.html