History Unhinged: Rainy Day Rabbit Holes21 Mai 2025

Ghosts, Gays, & Gambling: Portland’s Crystal Hotel (feat. PNW Haunts & Homicides)

We’ve made some new pod besties, and they are just as spooky as we are!

In this deliciously haunted crossover, we team up with Caitlyn and Cassie from PNW Haunts & Homicides to share ghost stories, history, and a healthy dose of shenanigans from Portland’s Crystal Hotel—a McMenamins property with a haunted, glamorous, and queer-friendly past.

While staying at the Crystal Hotel to record our episode on Portland's infamous Shanghai Tunnels (check out Episode 69!), we couldn’t resist diving into the hotel's own history.

Shaped like a pizza slice and stacked with nearly a century of secrets, this boutique hotel has been home to nightclubs, underground gambling rings, a subterranean bathhouse, and has played a meaningful role as a safe haven for Portland’s LGBTQ+ community. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Crystal Hotel is more than just a fun place to crash after ghost-hunting—it’s a living time capsule, with music, mystery, and possibly a few lingering spirits echoing through its halls.

If you're into haunted hotels, queer history, and storytelling that sometimes goes off the rails (in the best way), this one's for you.

🎲👻🌈 Make sure to check out our new favorite ghouls, PNW Haunts & Homicides, and follow them for more spooky content! You can also find them at www.pnwhauntsandhomicides.com. 💀

✨ And stay tuned—this is just the beginning of our haunted hijinks together. More ghostly adventures with Caitlyn and Cassie are coming soon!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-unhinged-rainy-day-rabbit-holes--6271663/support.

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