Had I only taken the time last night to write my review, I might have achieved that glory of glories... a First icon on my Yelp profile.
But alas, Jen K. beat me to it, which I suppose is fair because I only heard about the open house through her. I'd echo her comments on the train experience and add a few of my own:
Pros:
The trolley is available for charter, and I thought that sounded pretty cool. Taking a whole group of people down for a train ride from Johns Landing to Lake Oswego, doing a dinner and coming back sounded like a pretty unique and fun way to travel.
Mwehs:
The trolley is historic, but it feels a little ragged. The advertising on the inside of the car is a mix of old vintage ads and new modern sponsorships. While I understand the mix of historic and modern, this muddle seemed to be a theme. The train is electric, but needed a diesel generator strapped to the front to make it go. The seats are cool old benches that flip from front to back... except for the one modern yellow plastic school chair stuck in the front. This sense of confusion could easily be corrected and make the experience feel more historic.
Cons:
The logistics were AWFUL, but I think that may have just been the open house. The train leaves from the terminus in Lake Oswego, which is very close to the downtown area, which is nice... so people queued up there. But then they told everyone it would be faster if they walked up to the train barn first... so basically, the train stopped two blocks from where it started, shuffled passengers in and out, both ways. Again, easily correctable... but with an under-the-weather 4 year old, these sorts of delays go from inconvenient to maddening.
All in all, I would probably go back, if for no reason other than the novelty factor. I'd definitely consider chartering the trolley for a business function... or perhaps a UYE? :) read more