We are giving away a pair of tickets to Walking Tour of Portland’s Sinful Past on February 11. To win, comment on this post why you’d like to attend. Winner will be drawn and emailed Friday, February 9.
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From our partners:
A Valentine’s/Oregon’s Birthday Walking Tour of Portland’s Sinful Past: Shanghaiers, Saloons and Skullduggery
February 11, 2018
4 p.m. | $18 | 21+
Tickets: brownpapertickets.com
Meet @ Floyd’s Coffee
118 NW Couch St., Portland, OR 97209
As a nexus for labor and shipping in the Pacific Northwest, Portland often had the repute of a rugged, rough and tumble town, more than willing to allow the miners, loggers, and fishermen an opportunity to part with their hard earned cash in whatever debaucherous manner they chose.
In addition to the shanghaiers and con men, always on the prowl, saloons, gambling halls and bordellos also thrived in “Whitechapel,” “The North End,” or Old Town, as we know it today. Some of these storied establishments have come and gone, but others have survived, and many say that Portland, or “Strip City,” still has that vulgar and rugged reputation to this day.
Join Historian Doug Kenck-Crispin as we visit locations of famous saloons, bars and bordellos, card rooms and gambling dens, some of which are still in operation today!The tour will meet at Floyd’s Coffee at 118 SW Couch St. Feel free to arrive early and have a coffee! The tour will “end” outside of Mary’s Club, one of Portland’s most hallowed strip clubs*. At the conclusion of the tour, you can join Doug inside for an adult beverage!
Doug Kenck-Crispin is the Ribald Resident Historian from www.orhistory.com. He is the co-producer of the bi-weekly podcast series Kick Ass Oregon History. Doug has been featured in the Portland Mercury, The Oregonian, Portland Monthly and OPB’s Oregon Experience. He has a BA in History, and is nearing completion of his MA in Public History, with an emphasis on the History of the Pacific Northwest (Portland State University). A lifelong resident of the region, Doug enjoys a good yarn, the more bizarre and unbecoming the better, especially when they are true!
This sounds like so much fun!
I love wine and Chocolate and I’d love to what this experience would be like.
I’m new to Portland so I could use a history lesson, along with a date night with my woman.
My husband in Chinese; what a fun and cultural way to spend the day!
Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love, but February 11 is made for celebrating our love of Portland. I’d love to partake in that PDX adoration!
I love Valentine’s day, but I love Oregon more. I’ve lived here all my life and it would be incredible to see Portland in a way that I could learn something in the process. What better way to see our amazing city than a walking tour?
I have been wanting to do one of the walking tours for awhile now! This would be great!
This is the one major Portland tour I have never done. Rain or shine, I’d LOVE to show my love of Portland and its storied past by going on this tour.
Sounds fun.
Let’s do this!
So fun!!! I would love to take someone to do this!!!!
My husband and I both love history. As a matter of fact, he bought us tickets to see the The Treasures of Tutankhamun as one of our first dates while we were still in high school in the 70’s! Taking him on this humorous history tour of our favorite city would be a fun and unique way to say “I love you still, after all these years!”
Always wanted to do this!
I would love to take my partner to this!!!
This would be such a cool tour to take!
I was a tour guide for Boston and would love to learn more about the history here in PDX
A lifetime in Portland and I’ve never toured Portland’s seedy past. Would love to win these tickets!
Sounds like a hell of a time! I have always wanted to one of these!
This sounds awesome, I would love to do this!
as odd as this seems , this is pretty much my perfect valentines date. i’ve always wanted to do one of these.
I have been wanting to do this tour for a long time and would love to take my boyfriend who is from the East Coast. He thinks Portland is just cloudy and rainy all the time so I want to take him “underground” to see another side of Portland!
sounds like a swell time!
This would be fun & love learning about the area
Sounds like a really great date with the husband. He’s from the east coast and doesn’t know a lot about the pacific northwest’s history. I bet he’d love to go :)
Because my friend needs to get out of the house and have fun.
This is something my husband would flip for, so I’d love to be able to take him!
This is a walking tour I am unfamiliar with. I would love to hear more about Portland’s seedy side, past and present.
I don’t have a Valentine in Portland and this sounds like an anti-establishment way to spend the holiday.
What a cool tour! Would love to join this.
This would be so fun! And such an alternative idea to most people’s Valentine’s plans!
would be cool to learn a bit more about Portland
sounds like too much fun to pass up!
grrr! sounds devilish!
Lived here since 1976 and never done this…intriguing idea
Always see this and never have dine it would love to go!! Great valentines day gift!!❤
My GF and I NEED a spooky and macabre V-Day!
This would be a fun Valentine’s date!
Oh my gosh this would be fun!
always wanted to do this tour…..now just need to win the tickets to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Would love this!
i am always in love with learning more about this fair city, esp with those who seek to preserve those stories that made, and make, portland a special place with the truthful, oft sordid history. pearl districts be damned; long live old town;-!
This would be a sweet treat to enjoy with my sister.
this is very intriguing…
Sounds like an interesting time!
Fun
I’ve never done a walking tour and I’ve lived here for 10 years. I do adore Mary’s!
I would love to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors.
I would love to do this!!
I’m writing a film that includes this storyline in Portland’s history and would love the opportunity to learn more for my research and makeout while I do. Appreciated!
This would be so rad and a perfect date!
My husband is from CO and I’m always doing my best to fill him in on what history I know about the area but sounds like this guy is the expert!
My dad was born in pdx in 1913. His grandfather was a policeman in albino in the 1800s. I’ve heard stories…but never done this tour. Would love to win these tickets!
What a gift?! This is the perfect date for my partner & I-having been gone for 20yrs….I just moved back to my hometown of Portland (and boy has it evolved into an entirely new city, than what it was, when I left for College in 1997). This tour sounds like the perfect intro for both of us, as I am feeling somewhat new to the city, as well….having been gone so long, id love to rediscover it with her & this tour. Sounds like a blast!!
what a fun time! would love this!
I love history and learning about my home! Sounds like a blast
This would be perfect right before our rez at Little Bird for dinner! Yes please. lets get creeped out by the wicked shit that went down before we were around this town!
I keep hearing about this tour…we would love to hear about Portland and take this fun tour. Thank you for the opportunity
Portland has the best history, learning about where we live is always fantastic!
I love the podcast Doug puts on and am incredibly keen to experience his “live show” (aka the tour).
Been curious about this! Sounds fun!
We’d love to go! I’ve always wanted to do this!
Would love to go with my boyfriend. Brings a new meaning to Valentine’s date to learn about the more naughty side of the city.
I am Chinese and enjoy learning about local culture.
My husband is Chinese; what a fun way to spend the day!
I NEED a date night with my manpanion. We are too boring.
I’d love to take my partner for valentine’s day!
Ive been trying to make one of these tours for a long while now, but have always either been working or had other plans. What a perfect way to spend a pre-holiday afternoon!
(It beats making up my own walk on the topic, which believe me I have considered…all the former bordellos in this town have to have good stories…LOVE stories…)
I would love to take my mom on an adventure! This would be so interesting!
This would be so much fun!
Oh I would absolutely love this tour!!
Always been interested in Portlands history.My grandmother told me about underground establishments with gambling fights and prostitution.she was friends with the head madam back in the 40s
I love all things scary/disturbing and am relatively new to Oregon! Would love for the opportunity to explore the city and learn about its past!!!
Oooooo I would love this!!!!! Pick me pick me!!
It would be so much fun to get to show this side of Portland to my husband!! He loves anything history, and this would be such a much darker side of history for him to see!!
I got my spanky pants on and my Monkey Shoes waitin’ by the door. Need I say more? Cheers!
This would be a cool experience!
It’d be such a spectacular way to celebrate Oregon’s birthday (a few days early) by walking along her streets learning about who stomped along those paths long before us.
Outstanding.
Fun!!
This definitely sounds like a unique experience.
Sounds very interesting, educational, and fun
I’ve been wanting to attend one of these tours for ages. What a perfect time to experience.