Stalking Elvis in the Pacific Northwest

Spotting Elvis in the Southeastern United States is understandable. Graceland is located in the heart of the South (Memphis). Up the road from me in Sarasota is the Waffle Stop diner (660 North Washington Blvd.; Tel: 941-952-0555) which claims Elvis ate there in 1956. Spotting a shrine to Elvis and other Elvis memorabilia in the Pacific Northwest during my recent trip seemed, well. Odd.

First up was the 24-Hour Church of Elvis in Portland, Ore., which has since closed.

“Do you know where the shrine to Elvis is?” I asked the P.F. Chang’s bartender.

“The black velvet painting museum?” He replied.

No, that wasn’t it. That relocated out of the city earlier in the year. (Thanks to Roadside America, I knew Velveteria, the Museum of Velvet Paintings had closed and is moving to California).

Set my iPhone GPS on the address (408 NW Couch St.) and wandered a few blocks to find a tripped-out ATM. Was this it? Yup. The 24-Hour Church of Elvis. It was basically a coin-operated pop-art gallery offering four options including answering Elvis trivia, getting married by the voice behind the screen and watching the Barbie dolls bicycle on their exercise bikes.

I’m so upset my Flip video was out of juice meaning I didn’t capture any video of the experience but did grab some snapshots. Or had a higher power sucked out the energy from my camera for its own use? Hmm…

And, I’m sure it was more entertaining after the bottle of wine enjoyed during lunch than if we hadn’t indulged in adult beverages. It was also fun seeing the reactions of people walking by. They seemed as tickled by the artful ATM as we were.

The next Elvis sighting was in the town of Raymond, Wash., along Hwy. 101 as we drove along the coast to Forks (Twilight country!). All sorts of metal animals and people dot the road through the town and I swear I saw an image of Elvis among those metal sculptures. (Or maybe I didn’t see Elvis but had him on my mind.)

Victoria, B.C., I spotted an Elvis bust in the tattoo parlor, Tattoo Zoo (1215 Wharf St.; Tel: 250-361-1952). Not sure what the connection was to Elvis and the parlor or Elvis and Victoria. Perhaps there wasn’t any other than the quirkiness of an Elvis bust.

Perhaps this was a lesson that the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is everywhere and still loved and admired by the people.

Advertisements

Jenn

Jennifer A. Huber is an award-winning travel and outdoor blogger and writer in Southwest Florida. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., a hiking trail led her to a career path in the tourism industry for more than 30 years. She spent a decade with a park management company in Yellowstone, Death Valley, and Everglades National Parks. She founded the travel blog, SoloTravelGirl.com with the goal of inspiring others to travel alone, not lonely. The unexpected death of her former husband in 2008 reminded her how short life is. His passing was a catalyst for sharing her experiences with the goal of inspiring and empowering others to travel solo. Jennifer holds a Travel Marketing Professional certification from the Southeast Tourism Society, is a certified food judge, member of the NASA Social community, and alum of the FBI Citizens Academy. When not traveling, she is either in the kitchen, practicing her photography skills, or road tripping with her dog, Radcliff.

A Brood X Cicada in North Georgia, May 2021
Featured Girlfriend Getaway Nature Travel

My Excellent Adventure Finding Brood X Cicadas in North Georgia

I set out Memorial Day Weekend on a road trip to find Brood X cicadas in North Georgia. Along the way, I visited friends and stayed in dog-friendly HipCamp sites.

Continue Reading
Stars at the Frankfurt, Germany, Christmas Market, Dec. 2015
Featured Solo with Others

The Best Way to Experience Germany’s Christmas Markets

Psst. Want to know a secret to the best way to experience Germany’s Christmas markets? I’ll tell ya. It’s a cruise with Viking River Cruises.

Continue Reading
Rose in the Mist at the 9/11 Memorial, New York City, N.Y., Feb. 2016
Inspiration Life Lessons Politics Solo with Others

I Visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York and This Happened

I didn’t know her but unknowingly standing in front of her name etched in bronze, I was heavy with sadness. Blinking away tears and trying to hide them from my friend, I looked for distractions while he photographed the scenery.

Continue Reading