In community, Fun, Portland, Products

Life is full of changes, isn’t it? Things come and go, leaving us with memories of our time at landmarks long gone. From enjoying Macheesmo Mouse’s Boss Sauce to the holiday tradition of the Cinnamon Bear, Portland has quite a bit that sets it apart. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. Many of the features we grow accustomed to seem to disappear.

Movoto Real Estate recently put together a list of twenty six things gone from Portland. Here is a quick snapshot of some of the landmarks you might find if you take a ride down memory lane:

Hamburger Mary’s was simply Fabulous

Hamburger Mary’s was an LGBT-friendly restaurant known for its flamboyant décor and cross-dressing clientele, as well as its slogan “Eat, drink and be Mary.” The first Hamburger Mary’s was wildly popular in the Portland gay community back in the ‘80s, occupying a spot where the Fox Tower now stands, but it closed down in the ‘90s.

Hamburger Mary’s made a comeback in 2011, but the new incarnation eventually succumbed to “evil landlords” (we’ve all had a few). No more B.J. burgers? That really blows.

Portland Wrestling’s Gone, Again (Probably)

Portland Wrestling’s yet another local sports franchise that comes, and goes, and comes back, and goes again…huh, seems to be kind of a Portland thing. Anyway, the first Portland Wrestling company got its start in the ’20s and lasted up until 1992, along the way involving such big names as Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Jesse “Future Governor of Minnesota” Ventura and Portland’s own Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Portland Wrestling made a comeback in 2000, airing for a few years on KWBP-TV, but then it went away again. In 2012, Rowdy Roddy himself launched yet another version, Portland Wrestling Uncut. It was first shown on KPTV then moved to KPDX then, surprise, went on hiatus.

Supposedly it’s returning late this summer, but, well, things have been pretty quiet on that front lately, so who knows.

Can’t Eat at Waddles Now

“Eat now at Waddles,” read the sign, and generations of Portlanders obeyed, some of them to the point where they did, in fact, waddle out of the place. After 60 years of breakfast magic, however, the restaurant closed its doors for good in 2004. Now where are you gonna take the kids for coconut pancakes and a menu that can be worn as a mask? Not as cool as a Tom Peterson mask, but still.

Random Mobs of Drunken Pirates No Longer Roam the Streets

Semi-organized ones, that is. I mean, this is Portland, so you never know when you’re going to get accosted by an eyepatch-wearing, cutlass-wielding mysterious stranger who offers you a swig from his bottle o’rum—which you then accept with a hearty “yo-ho-ho,” as per the Pirate Code.

Sadly, however, it seems that the Portland Pirate Festival may currently be on hold. It’s kind of hard to tell when and if it will return, too, since pirates and scheduling go together like, well, rum and toothpaste. (An event called Plunderathon will take place, however, at Skidmore Fountain on June 14 and 15, 2014.) Can I hear an arrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh?

Farewell, Fareless Square

In Portland, there’s no longer any such thing as a free ride. Back in the good ol’ Gas Crisis days of the ’70s, TriMet declared that all bus rides, light rail and streetcar trips within the downtown area would henceforth be free.

While the area covered by this fare-free zone continued to expand through 2007 (becoming significantly less square in the process), the late ’00s brought us the of-so-fun Economic Crisis which led to budget cuts everywhere.

By 2010 Fareless Square underwent a name change to the Free Rail Zone, as bus rides were no longer free, but by 2012 TriMet was back to charging fares for everything. Oh well, all good things must come to an end, but the crappiness that is having to depend on public transportation goes on forever (or at least until you get your license back).

Check out Movoto’s full article to see the other twenty-one other landmarks you may recall. While it may be bittersweet to remember, it’s a good reminder to enjoy the quirky things that make Portland so unique while we still can.

Don’t see something you remember on the list? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter what your favorite landmark was!