Return to Wunderland

What I loved about Portland are their different neighborhoods which seem to have their own vintage movie theater, such as the Bagdad in the Hawthorne district...

On a trivial note, this was the same theater that hosted the premiere of Gus Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho" in 1991, after it was renovated by McMenamin's.

In the Belmont district was the Avalon not only shows movies but is an old fashioned arcade.

Maybe those of you that don't have a kid  or kids wouldn't think of going here, but we wanted a relatively inexpensive way to pass the time indoors....

I remember the last time we went here, we had a lot of fun playing the video games...

There's a set admission price to get in ($5 bucks or so), then you can also pay a set amount for a bunch of nickels (or was it quarters) to play the games.

One of our favorites was air hockey...

This game was funny. You pick your 18 wheel truck, then your character. Our was this pimptastic dude that had the Saturday Night Fever pose. You drive the trucks through all kinds of courses and obstacles. It was fun crashing on purpose just to see the graphics. So old school.

This other game, Downhill Bikers, was also fun. You had to get on actual bikes and PEDAL! That one left me tired!

It's like Chuck E. Cheese without the pizza, the creepy giant rat and his band, and less noisy.

We only spent an hour or so there before heading out again. There are a lot of telephone poles int he neighborhood completed covered with staples. You can't even see the wood anymore!

Below, one of the many Fred Meyer stores in Portland. It's like a Wal-Mart or a one stop shop kind of place.

Our previous visit to Wunderland:
Spring 2009

Plus a visit to the Milwaukie location earlier this trip.

One of my favorite songs by Big Country:

Such a tragic end for frontman Stuart Adamson (suicide by hanging in 2001). Such a talented singer and guitarist.

I remember totally wanting the 12" single for this in 9th grade! For you young 'uns out there, 12" refers to the larger disc format of an actual vinyl record. Most singles were 45 rpm and were 7". The large record was 12" and 331/3 rpm. Most 12" singles featured the "long" or "extended" versions of songs. Many groups had special 12" singles with dance mixes too.

"And you will take my hand and be with me in Wonderland..."

Our next destination would be a visit to the oldest amusement park in the U.S.