Thursday 16 August 2007

Kelly: my personal recreation manager (part 2)

Girls Night Out


How crazy is it to meet new people and skip the introductions? I went for dinner and a movie last night with Kelly (I knew her before), Lisa, and Emily. We just jumped right in and talked and laughed and had a good time. We tried to get the bus boy in the restaurant to take our picture at the table but none of those pictures worked at all. I'm not sure he'd ever used a camera before, he wasn't even pushing the button down fully, thereby capturing nothing at all.


After we were done dinner the hostess of California Kitchen managed to take a good picture of the four of us.


This was the best self portrait x 4 that I managed to get in front of the poster of the movie we saw. I really liked Becoming Jane, and I definitely never would have seen it if I hadn't been invited out to see it with girlfriends - not the kind of movie Ken and I see together.



Antique Shopping


Today Kelly took me out shopping. We found some really smelly antique shops, some serious junk shops, and a couple of spectacular stores.


This one store Why Not? was probably my favorite. The dress in the window was so cute. The bodice was cut from a vintage piece of needlepoint, and then sewn into a dress with coordinating fabric. I spent the rest of our antiquing trying to find the perfect piece of vintage needlepoint to sew into a dress, but I'm going to have to keep looking.

Why Not? also had these paper crowns that I loved. I loved the music paper, the ribbon, the cameo vintage picture in the middle, and the raised word on the front.


The crown had grommets in the back corners with ribbons strung through them to tie the crown together and adjust the head size, and the inside was printed like a certificate saying:

This Paper Crown is Presented To

______________________

In Commemoration of _____________

On the ___ day of _________ , _____

Presented by __________________

*

Then tonight:

I got Shanghaied

Kelly (my personal recreation manager), with helpful information from Lisa, found out about these tours of underground Portland. The website for these tours gives you the impression that you'll be walking through tunnels under the streets of downtown Portland where kidnapped young men were transported onto boats and forced to work on ships as they sailed to Shanghai.

The tour started in a courtyard behind a bar downtown. We took the kids and they were all repulsed by the cigarette smoke. They were plugging their noses, and pulling their tshirts up over their mouths to breath. They were putting on a bit of a show, but Keith and I made them cut it out (O.K. Emily, so Keith and I are alike). The kids made an instant recovery when our tour guide started in with his stories. He was a very entertaining storyteller and really knew how to share a yarn.


After the initial introduction to the 'history' of the tunnels we all went through a trap door in the sidewalk into the underground.


This is supposedly an opium den, which came with the explanation that the drunk and the stoned were the easiest targets for the Shanghai-ers.

Now here's the thing, we didn't walk through a catacomb of tunnels. I'm pretty sure we didn't get led around more than just the basement of the bar above us. So as much as this tour we took is put forward as historic, I'm thinking maybe it's more like those roadside mystery spots that I've driven by on the highway.

Yes, I'm pretty sure:

I was Shanghaied!


10 comments:

Mandy said...

How fun! I loved reading about your fun girls' night. I'm glad you were able to find some antique shops you liked.

Price Cream Parlor said...

Love the antique shopping. Did you purchase your lovely crown? I am a bit taken back about the tunnel tour. Our company is scheduled to go today - so is it not worth it then? Seriously, not really tunneling under Portland? Confused...

jenny said...

I must say I am a bit addicted to self portraits as well. Maybe a little vain? Hmmmm

I am with you on the meeting of people minus the introduction. That my friend is the beauty of blogging. You guys all look so gorgeous.

Ortensia Norton said...

Nothing like girls night! I love the stuff you found at the antique store. I could see Chloe in that dress.

Moose Jaw has amazing tunnels. Unfortunately it's not in the greatest Canadian location...the gelato is excellent as well if that pulls you in.

Ortensia Norton said...

I was dreaming of California Pizza kitchen just the other day.

Ortensia Norton said...

Now i've got to know about the amusement park exercise!!

Michelle Alley said...

So funny! My husband and I are from Portland. I'd never heard of this, but I showed it to Craig and he seems to have remembed it. So - thanks for the heads-up! Looked like an interesting experience!

Humphreys Family said...

Bruce and I did the underground tour while we were on our honeymoon, lol. Although i thought ours took us farther, and we didn't hear about any shanghai hijinx. They talked about more historical stuff, like flooding, or something and how the area was built up - i don't remember it being so sensationalized....of course, i may not have really been listening at all since i had only been married for 2 days. Hope you guys are having a great time, it sounds like you've had fun.

Sandi said...

I'm getting jealous of your fun trip. What a great time. I need to do something like that for my friends.

Jill said...

Your night out with the girls looks so fun. I looked into seeing that movie today while the kids are school (woohoo), but they've already done away with the summer matinee times dang it!

That tunnel tour sounds like a complete bust, but makes for a great story.