. Wunderland gives cheap dates a place to go
■ I lie arcaae in me rinn bireei
Public Market is one of several
affordable local hot spots
By Alix Kerl
Oregon Daily Emerald
We all are poor college students
— so it’s time to stop complaining
and do something fun.
Face it, drinking beer and just
hanging out get old. No friendship
or relationship will last long if
that’s all you do. You always had
fun when you were a kid, and you
never had to spend much money to
do it, so why not have some cheap
fun while reliving your childhood?
The fun starts at Pearl Street Ice
Cream Parlour on the corner of 13th
Avenue and Pearl Street. You can’t
miss the build
ing, because it
is decorated
with red, black
and white
stripes. Glance
in the win
dows, and you
know you’re in for a good time. The
windows are filled with candy,
streamers and clowns.
There are so many choices, you
won’t know what to pick, but re
member, you’re on a budget. And
since you’re on a budget, the best
thing to do is to share a tasty treat.
The children’s menu offers some af
fordable options, but a kiddie
chocolate shake is a little boring.
For the same price, $2.75, you
can get the “Luncheon Old Fash
ioned.” It’s a creamy scoop of vanil
la ice cream with your choice of
topping — the choices are blackber
ry, butterscotch, chocolate, marsh
mallow, pineapple or strawberry.
The whole concoction is then
topped with whipped cream, sprin
CHEAP DATI
A date for two
for less than $10
r
Kies, a cherry and a crunchy cookie
or with hot fudge, whipped cream,
nuts and a cherry.
Another tasty option is “Dusty
Road,” which is a little pricey at
$3.95. This baby comes with two
scoops of vanilla ice cream with
whipped cream, nuts and a cherry.
It’s then served with a side of hot
fudge and a pile of old-fashioned
malt to add as you go.
With a little luck, you should be
able to spend less than $4.50. The
front counter is like a miniature
candy store, but don’t let it tempt
you. If you spend your change
here, you won’t have enough for
the next stop.
All right, now head right out the
door — it’s time to work off the ice
cream. We’re going to Wunder
land. This fabulous arcade is only
a short eight-block walk or bike
ride away. The arcade is located
near the corner of East Fifth Av
enue and High Street on the back
side of the Fifth Street Public Mar
ket. General admission is $2.50,
but every day until 6 p.m. admis
sion is only $1.75. That’s only
$3.50 for the two of you! Now it’s
time to play some games.
There are more than 100 types of
games at Wunderland, including
video games and what the arcade
calls “redemption games,” in
which you earn tickets that can be
redeemed for prizes.
If you want to make a fool of
yourself, check out The DJ Game.
It’s kind of like those interactive
snowboarding and karaoke ma
chines: You just hop aboard and
pretend that you’re a DJ. Your task
consists of scratching the records in
time to the beat.
The best overall game is Virtual
On, a futuristic head-to-head battle.
For only 15 cents, you get to play
Former University student David Guggenmos tries his hand at ‘Police 911an arcade game at Wunderland.
Thomas Patterson Emerald
tne part ot a giant robot battling oth
er giant robots in an arena. Boy
howdy!
You can never get bored at Wun
derland, but you will run out of
money. When that happens, it’s
time to window-shop around the
market, where there are a lot of fun
stores. Urban Garden has every
thing from elaborate bird baths to
those hip little sprigs of bamboo. If
you like trendy and expensive jew
elry and housewear, there’s always
New Twist. While there are a lot of
cool stores, remember that we’re re
living childhood here, so we’re go
ing to the toy store.
Elephant’s Trunk is just a few
doors down from Wunderland
and is filled with stuffed animals,
secret code games, playground
balls and elephants. It’s the per
fect place to talk about how much
toys have changed since you were
kids.
The craziest new toy is “The
Kaleidoscope House.” It’s an inter
active play environment for chil
dren of the future. The house has
transparent modernist walls that
are multicolored to teach kids
about color. You can even buy
packages to furnish the house with ‘
artwork by Cindy Sherman and Pe- ‘
ter Halley.
At the front of the store are an »
motorized elephant, boat and
camel that you can ride for a quar
ter. If you still have a quarter left
from playing at Wunderland, take a
ride. I recommend doing it when
no one is looking.
E-mail reporter Alix Kerl
at alixkerl@dailyemerald.com.
COLLEGE STUDENT
SPECIAL
(no coupon required)
0(>
OFF
ANY LARGE PIZZA
COLLEGE ID REQUIRED
NOT VALID WITH
ANY OTHER OFFER
ALL COLLEGE IDS
ACCEPTED
FREE DELIVERY 1809 Franklin Blvd. 484-2799
Sun.-Thu. Ham-Midnight Fri.-Sat. 11am-1am