Portland Ghosts

5. Old Town Pizza

Portland, OR

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Old Town Pizza, which opened in 1974, sits at the corner of Davis and 2nd Streets in Portland's North End. The popular restaurant is located in what was originally the Merchant Hotel, built in 1880 by a pair of extremely successful lumbermen. Today, the reception desk of the hotel is where diners order their pizzas. The building (and thus the restaurant) sits directly over the old tunnels, which has led to many stories of people being present for reasons other than dining. The Merchant Hotel catered to high-class guests, but the North End neighborhood was known for being rather seedy; a known prostitution ring was run out of the hotel. In the early 1900s, a working girl named Nina (pronounced NIGH-na) lived in the hotel. She had been brought through the tunnels as a slave and apparently knew some important information. A group of traveling 'missionaries' convinced her they could free her from her unwanted occupation—provided she gave them information about the tunnels and the trade. Nina complied, but her body was soon found at the bottom of the elevator shaft. No one knows who murdered her or why, but it can be assumed she stayed at the hotel because of her unfortunate end. Strained voices are heard coming from the basement where the Shanghai Tunnels are located. Objects move of their own accord. Lights flicker without explanation. The hazy, musky smells of sweet perfumes waft through the air, especially near the old elevator shaft, which is now a booth to eat in. The name “Nina” was carved in the brick of the old shaft's wall; perhaps it could have been by Nina herself, trying to let people know who it was doing the haunting. Nina is seen to this day, wandering the pizza parlor in a black dress. The current owner of the restaurant is always willing to talk about the ghostly happenings at his establishment. Old Town Pizza does allow scheduled ghost tours and paranormal investigations, so perhaps you too can see the restless spirit of Nina, always searching for a way to be free.