Overheard at... The Funhouse Lounge, Portland

“That was some of the best banjo playing ever.”

Only in Portland! It was our first time at this bar in SE Portland and we had no idea what to expect. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Given that we had come to see an improve act based on Star Trek; The Next Generation, we had some idea it was going to be a bit whacky.

The person at the door told us that we could stay to watch Domprov at 10:00 if we wanted…. But that was waaaay past my bedtime, so we sadly missed seeing what Dominatrix Improv would be all about. The Star Trek act was pretty funny though. Deanna Troy did a good job impersonating the original. And Warp looked spot on.

Still, it was far too easy to become distracted by the décor and conversations happening around us. I conversed easily with a twenty-something couple out on a date (the same ones who said the overhear). We talked classic
video games, and it appears I missed a whole generation of the best game ever based on The Simpsons.

Scattered along the walls were Funhouse mirrors. I searched for the one that would make me look tall and skinny, but I think they hid it in the men’s room or something. But, while I was searching, I landed (only momentarily) in a private room. Every square inch was covered in clown faces of all sort. I wish I had taken a picture, but I was already feeling out of place in sooooo many ways I really didn’t want to call more attention to myself.

This is what I love about Portland, though. It is not so much that my city has such crazy venues; I am sure most big cities can brag of their fair share of pop culture. It is more that, as a 40 something year old mom, I would be welcomed in. I wouldn’t have to be dressed right, or have the correct zip code. I could sit and have a drink, wander around gawking, and even learn all about what it takes to be considered a great banjo player.