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success
Cost, time, location, and reservations
1.
How do I sign up?
2.
How much does this cost?
3. How long is the typical
tour?
4.
Do I have to make a reservation?
5.
Do
I have to pre-pay, and if so by what date?
6.
What exactly will I be seeing on the tour?
7.
Do I have to be part of a group, or can I attend a tour on
my own?
8.
I've signed up for a tour, but I can't remember where to
meet.
What to bring or wear
8.
Is it
dark down there? Will I need a light?
9.
Do I really need to bring a dust mask?
10.
What should I wear? Can I dress up?
11. Can I take pictures?
12. I
have difficulty standing still for long periods of time, is this tour for me?
(Parents - please think of your children)
Parking, Food, and other considerations
13.
Where
can I park my car during the tour?
14.
Is there someplace to eat before or after the tour?
15.
Are there alternate ways to travel to and from the tour
site?
Who runs these tours?
16.
What is
the Cascade Geographic Society?
17. What else does CGS
do?
FAQ not found? Please write to kaseits@comcast.net with your question.
How do I sign up?
To arrange a tour contact us at:
shanghaitunnels@onemain.com
or call us at
503-622-4798.
Let us know how many people are interested in attending and what nights you are
considering.
We will let you know if there are any open tour times for that day, or if not we
will suggest some alternatives.
Please be sure before you contact us that you have read the
18 key points for a successful
tour.
Return to Questions
How much
does this cost?
Adults: $12 per person
Children (under 12): $7 per child
Not recommended for children under the age of 6.
There are no refunds.
Please note - individuals will always be placed with larger groups for all
tours.
Tour sessions require a minimum of 15 participants. Generally there will be no
more than 25 participants.
Return to Questions
How long is the
tour?
The tours last about an hour and a half,
and they typically begin sometime AFTER 4:00 pm, when the cooperating restaurant
owners open for business. If requests are made in advance by a group - afternoon
tours may be made available on a case by case basis.
Return to Questions
Do I have to make a reservation?
YES. However, a reservation must be accompanied
by pre-payment in order to hold your spot. If you book a reservation, but you do
not pre-pay Cascade Geographic Society reserves the right to cancel your
attendance. Usually everyone who books a reservation is admitted to the tour.
To make a reservation contact the Portland Underground Tours c/o the Cascade Geographic Society at 503 622-4798.
Do NOT for any reason contact the restaurants
- they DO NOT schedule the tours.
Return to Questions
Do I have to pre-pay, and
if so by what date?
PRE-PAYMENT is not required. HOWEVER, pre-payment
is the ONLY way to GUARANTEE your reservation. Pre-payment also allows the tour
guide to create a better plan for the tour without overbooking. If you choose to
pre-pay, all payments must be mailed within 72 hours of booking your tour.
Please send check or money order to:
Portland Underground Tours
PO Box 398
Rhododendron, OR 97049
What exactly will I be
seeing on the tour?
The tours take place in Old Town-Chinatown, which was known back in the days of
shanghaiing as the "Old North End" You
will venture into the "Portland Underground" tunnels to view a segment of the
once-hidden world of shanghaiing. You will experience remnants of this shocking
maritime history --- unique architecture, underground holding cells, a
"deadfall" trapdoor, unearthed artifacts of this terrible, misguided labor
practice, and more. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the secret
history of shanghaiing.
What educational material the tour covers depends on what specific tour you take. There are three primary tours offered:
1- The Shanghai Tunnels Heritage Tour
2- The Shanghai Tunnels Ghost Tour
3- The Shanghai Tunnel Ethnic History Tour
In the past, people brought their own flashlights which were too large and powerful, and became distracting and took away from the experience and the ambience of the "Portland Underground". We ask that guests do not bring their own flashlights, instead small flashlights will be loaned to every fourth participant for use during the tour. However, if you intend to take pictures your camera will need a source of light.
I've
signed up for a tour, but I can't remember where to meet.
Hobo's Restaurant, 120
N.W. Third Avenue, Portland, Oregon
97209. If
you patronize the restaurant as a customer prior to your tour, let the waiter
know and we will find you in the restaurant. If you're not a restaurant
customer, please meet ten minutes prior to your tour outside Hobo's on the
sidewalk. [DIRECTIONS:
Located a block and a half blocks north of West Burnside, between N.W. Couch &
N.W. Davis Streets.]
The restaurant staff does
not schedule or lead the tours;
pre-arranged tours are available only through us, at 503-622-4798.
Return to Questions
Where can I park my car during the tour?
Street parking is available at meters, which are free after 6
p.m., Monday through Saturday, and free all day Sunday and holidays. If you
prefer covered parking,
there is a "Smart Park" parking structure at
N.W. 1st and Davis, just one and a
half blocks away from Hobo's Restaurant, where the "Portland Underground Tours"
begin. Please see
their website for information on parking rates.
Return to Questions
Is there someplace
to eat before or after the tour?
"Portland Underground Tours" highly recommends
Hobo's
Restaurant. This unique antique Old Portland bar of yesteryear includes the
ornate mirror from a former "Red Light" establishment (that was tactfully
labeled in the old City Directory as a "woman's boardinghouse"). This 1880's
Victorian-era historic building creates an ideal setting for enjoying food or
drink. All of this, coupled with the fact this was a former shanghaiing and
"white slavery" joint --- known back then as "Lasso Saloon" --- makes it the
perfect place to gather before or after a tour of the "Portland Underground" and
have a meal or a place to toast the old shanghaiers and their infamous and
colorful maritime history.
The Boiler Room. This nightclub also has been
cooperating with "Portland Underground Tours", and has made it possible that
visitors can still take tours of this world beneath the cobblestone streets of
the "City of Roses". It is at this spot, where shanghaiers once grabbed so many
victims that Portland's reputation boasted of being the "Worst Port in the
World", that you can view photographs of the infamous catacombs of the past ---
that is, if you are 21 years of age! This is a great place for a drink or a
light snack, but, a word of caution: A trap door in the floor, which at one time
claimed a countless number of victims for the shanghaiers, is reportedly still
operational and yearns for those good ol' days when the Old North End was
reputed to be the rowdiest spot on the West Coast and any other waterfront area
in the rest of the world.
Return to Questions
Are there
alternate ways to travel to and from the tour site?
Travel by Light rail:
Located two and a half blocks from "Portland Underground Tours"
at N.W. 1st and Davis. This is an excellent way to travel into Downtown Portland
and avoid parking issues. Be sure to get off at the Old Town/Chinatown stop. For
information on MAX [light rail] scheduling, please call Tri-Met at (503)
238-7433 or receive 24-hour recorded information at (503) 228-7246.
Travel
by Trolley:
Trolley stops are located in and around "Portland Underground
Tours". This is Portland's latest addition to its transportation system, and is
an ideal way to travel in Downtown as well as all the way to Lloyd Center and
Northwest Portland. Be sure to get off at the Old Town/Chinatown stop. For
information on the Trolley and scheduling, please call Tri-Met at (503) 238-7433
or receive 24-hour recorded information at (503) 228-7246.
Travel by bus - Park and ride:
Another excellent way to travel to "Portland Underground Tours"
and avoid parking hassles downtown is to arrive by bus. Just ask your driver for the
nearest bus stop to 226 N.W. Davis. For information on bus scheduling, please
call Tri-Met at (503) 238-7433 or receive 24-hour information at (503) 231-3199.
What is the Cascade Geographic
Society?
Cascade Geographic Society
is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational
organization founded in 1979. It began conducting research on the cultural and
natural history of the Cascade Mountain Range and "all of the lands and waters
it influences". It received its official non-profit status in 1987.
Return to Questions
What else does
CGS do?
Besides operating "Portland Underground Tours", some of the
things that CGS does are as follows: operates "Stage Stop Road Interpretative
Center" in the Village of Welches on Mount Hood, located at the junction of East
Welches Road and Stage Stop Road, focusing on the history of the Oregon Trail
and its cultural and natural resources; conducts tours of the Oregon Trail and
other historic sites and trails; conducts tours on Old-Growth Forests and other
natural areas; works directly with schools in a variety of ways, including
"Project Discovery" that introduces inner-city students to natural areas and
historic sites for field studies opportunities; provides storytelling and living
history programs; operates a "Sanctuary Lands Program" which protects natural,
cultural, and historical resources; restores fish and wildlife habitats; for the
past 13 years the "Oregon Trail Education Center" has provided upper-division
and lower-division classes through Portland State University's Division of
Continuing Education; works towards protecting final resting places like Native
American burial grounds and pioneer cemeteries; preserves historical landmarks;
sponsors the "Mount Hood Quilt Show & Old-Time Fiddlers Jamboree" during the
third weekend in July; sponsors the "Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow
Trail Days" the weekend before Labor Day Weekend in the month of August;
sponsors the "Mount Hood Salmon & Mushroom Festival" in the first weekend of
October; sponsors the "Mount Hood Public Lands Clean-Up" the first weekend of
November; and much, much more.
Return to Questions
Go to CGS home *
Go to Shanghai Secrets
*
Go to Shanghai Tours *
Read the 18 key points for
success