Odd Stuff in College Park, Maryland

Thanks to a tipoff about the ultra-cool website Atlas Obscura, we went exploring in College Park, Maryland. The website lists weird attractions that the chamber of commerce may not even be aware of. 

The first spot we went to was actually in Hyattsville, Maryland. It's an art house called Vanadu.

Vanadu, the house

Identifier

The name is based on Xanadu, the name for Kublai Khan's ancient, magnificient city referenced in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan. The first line is famous: "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan/A stately pleasure-dome decree". The yard is full of old, odd items and recycled metal bits.

The god Mercury?

The "Van" in Vanadu is also a reference to the owner's small fleet of cars that are decorated in the same style.

Okay, so it's a bus and not a van

My son gives a thumb's up

Side view

The cars are still road-worthy and the owner uses them to get places.

Duckhead detail

There's the van

Needs more stuff on it

A station wagon

Bumper with stickers

Not too far away is the Hand and Owl Tree Carving on the Anacostia Tributary Trail in College. It was crafted by a local chain-saw artist. The hand was supposed to have five fingers but that part of the ash tree (which had fallen down before the artist worked on it) was rotten. The owl perches on the thumb and the middle finger is a pine tree. 

Hand and Owl Tree Carving

Our final stop looks mundane from the outside--the Mom's Organic Market in College Park.

Only slightly peculiar for a grocery store

As customers enter, a seating lounge on the left looks like it's for the patrons who just bought something at the bakery/coffee counter right next to it.

Also not peculiar

At the end of the lounge is a door to the left, leading into a pinball parlor!

A row of awesome machines

The parlor is serious business, with a set of rules on the wall.

Pinballaw

The games run from classics to franchise/IP machines. The first one we tried was a Batman game based on the 1960s live-action TV show.

Great scott, Batman!

The table

I tried the Creature from the Black Lagoon game.

Gilman is coming!

The kids enjoyed playing too.

One of many Marvel-themed machines

Helping his uncle out

The trip was a lot of fun and we will be using Atlas Obscura some more.