McMenamins Crystal Ballroom Tour (Plus the Barley Mill Pub)

Time for more stamps.  Here we are waiting for our tour of the Crystal Ballroom.  And here is yet another stunning light fixture in Ringler’s Pub.IMG_5327

The brewery at the Crystal Ballroom.  This totally counted as a brewery tour.  Score!IMG_5328

Our guide leans against a pole in Lola’s Room, the smaller concert venue.  He apologized for being under the weather, but still managed to tell us many interesting facts.  IMG_5330

The Crystal Ballroom is not impressive to Matt at all.IMG_5333

These fabulous chandeliers, of which they are two, were in storage at a bank. McMenamins bought them and installed them.  That bank missed out, because that’s hand-blown Italian glass by some important dude.  Because not too many examples of his work exist these chandeliers are worth more than a million dollars.  (Note to self.  Make quick notes of tour facts so you can be more precise when writing the blog post.)IMG_5334

Self portrait with Matt on stage at the Crystal Ballroom.  This is where I saw .fun –or use this link if you want to actually see the pictures–and Matt and I saw Cake.

IMG_5338

Girls pose on stage.IMG_5339

A view from the balcony.  IMG_5340

After getting our stamps for the Crystal Ballroom, Lola’s Room and the Brewery Tour we headed over to the Crystal Hotel. Here was the answer to the photo quiz.IMG_5342

Then we had to skulk about waiting for Al’s Den to open.  I loved reading about Club Portland which was the gay bathhouse that was the previous tenant of the Crystal Hotel.  It was still Club Portland when I moved here.IMG_5343

And I adore this clever advertising for the four club baths.  See how the picture changes for each location?IMG_5345

Crystal Ballroom and Hotel completed, we popped over to the Barley Mill Pub to get our last stamp on that page.  We stayed for dinner and our free fries or tots.  Here, Matt reads the “One Day” column from the Mercury to me.IMG_5346

There is a lot of Grateful Dead stuff at the Barley Mill Pub.IMG_5347

Including this great collage of Grateful Dead tickets.  I was pleased to find that the show I saw (Eugene ’94 with Cracker) was in the lower left corner.IMG_5348

We are getting closer and closer to completing our passports.

McMenamins Hotel Oregon

McMinnville is further away than I thought, but we eventually got there.IMG_5070

I was hungry, so we walked up (and up, and up, and up) to the Rooftop Bar, which was great!  And is probably simply marvelous in the summer.IMG_5072

After we ate, we walked around outside and Matt posed for a picture with the pointy thing.IMG_5073

We went looking for the answer to the clue, which was “Kiss Me I’m Irish”.  This woodcut was not the answer, but I thought it was incredible.IMG_5074

I took a picture of this one because it was the most Irish one I had come across.  It was not, however, the answer.IMG_5076

Hey look! It’s a room named after Oregon’s most famous Suffragette.IMG_5077

This was the answer to the clue.  Tough one.  I’m not sure if Matt found it on his own (I tend to dawdle when looking) but I heard someone point it out to someone else.  I’m not sure if I would have noticed it on my own.IMG_5078

My completed page.  The Rooftop Bar guy stamped my first stamp in the wrong place. And then the Pub guy stamped that square in the wrong place.  So it got all messed up.  Matt’s was fine, however.IMG_5085

Our prizes.  I opted for the two magnets.  (An $11.00 value).  Matt opted for a sleeve for his pint glass.  Then he wondered why.IMG_5086

On the way back to the car we encountered this duo, who were dancing to Beyonce’s “Put a Ring on It”.  They were fun to watch.2016-03-05