Oregon

An abandoned Foster's Freeze covered with graffiti.

Sacramento’s Oldest Ice Cream Shop, Portland’s Neon Signs and More From Our I-5 Road Trip

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Our trip up to Portland and back was filled with stops to charge our car and take photos, I also had a couple of days in Portland to roam my old stomping grounds and take photos of things I never did while I lived there. Thrifty Klean Center. 1661 S. El Dorado Street, Stockton, California.…

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Marquee for the 99W, a red, green, and white sign advertises the films playing, The Sandlot and Spider-Man.

Returning To My Favorite Place In Oregon, the Beloved 99W Drive In Theatre

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Longtime readers will remember I loved going to the 99W Drive-In just outside of Portland in the small town of Newberg when I lived in Oregon. Unlike California, where drive-ins operate year round, the 99W is subject to the weather whims of Oregon, and operates typically late spring through early fall. Thankfully Pat’s sister’s wedding…

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Overall of the Sandy Jug, which is a building shaped like a jug, painted a pale cream. The very top is painted brown, with a gold stopper. Around the shoulder of the bottle are gold circles with roses painted in the middle. A door sits in the middle, with a blue neon sign reading "Cocktails" above, on either side of the door are windows of glass blocks.

Grabbing a Drink at Portland’s Only Bottle Shaped Bar, the Sandy Jug

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While living in Portland I would sometimes find myself passing by a massive jug, solidly painted maroon. Inside? A strip club dubbed Pirate’s Cove. I always sighed, and bemoaned the fact it was a strip club. Here was a beautiful example of programatic architecture, and it was a strip club? And not even painted well?…

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Myself seated on a bench just outside the roller rink above you can see the pipe organ that hangs above the rink.

Oaks Park: One of the Last Trolley Parks is Home to America’s Oldest Roller Rink

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Located on the banks of the Willamette River is a true treasure of Portland, Oaks Amusement Park. Not only is it one of America’s oldest amusement parks, it is home to the oldest roller rink in the United States. In 1905 the Portland area was gearing up for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. Meanwhile…

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Exterior of Grand Lodge, a Greek revival style portico with columns, with the building itself made of brick.

McMenamins Grand Lodge: 100 Year Old Freemason Retirement Home Turned Whimsigoth Hotel

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As mentioned earlier, we returned to Oregon for Patrick’s sister’s wedding. She chose to get married at a local campground with a beautiful lake. As her and her friends adore camping, many opted to pitch tents right on site. As for me I chose for Patrick and I to stay at McMenamins Grand Lodge, a…

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A black and white image of the back of an abandoned drive-in, portions of the screen are missing, on the left is the small ticket booth.

Abandoned Places, Neon Wonders, and More from Our Idaho Road Trip

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A road trip is never complete without pulling over to some weird places, including abandoned buildings, amazing neon signs, and more. While Patrick and I have traveled to Idaho a few times, there is always something we missed the time before. So today, I bring you the collection of random places we stopped at during…

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