Those of you unfamiliar with the quirks of Portland, Oregon may not have been aware of the giant fucking purple octopus in the middle of Downtown, but rest assured, it was as much a part of that landscape as the Hung Far Low sign. The inflatable cephalopod was attached to Greek Cusina, a restaurant whose wheelhouse doesn’t need to be explained, and which, after running afoul of city ordinance one too many times, shuttered its doors and extended its collective middle fingers towards City Commissioner Randy Leonard.
But what of the great purple icon? Surely it would be irresponsible to destroy it, or likewise to doom it to some warehouse in one of our charming industrial quarters. Greek Cusina’s owners agree, or at least want to recoup any expenses they can. Soon – they don’t say exactly when – its going up for auction on eBay, giving lovers of the weird and wonderful a chance to own a piece of PDX history. It’s the sort of item one buys to show off, so we can only wonder when the oversized octopus will reemerge. Will it be on top of another Downtown restaurant? Affixed to the top of an SUV? On the roof of someone’s house in tony Laurelhurst? The possibilities, while not endless, are exciting!
