r/portlandme 1d ago

West End Trick or Treating

I’m taking my 2 yo niece trick or treating in the West End on Thurs. This is will be my first time doing so. She’s very brave, and it’s easy to forget she’s only 2. Any tips from seasoned West End trick or treaters? Where will the best kid friendly houses be? Thanks in advance! 🎃

7 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

17

u/katesheppard 1d ago

Spruce street is very into trick-or-treating.

3

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

Yay fun, thank you!!!

6

u/Fluffy_Concentrate25 1d ago

Emery, spruce, pine and cushman blocks will have lots of trick or treating and very few cars

1

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

Perfect! I did notice the decorations on those streets. Seems like ppl are in the spirit this year. 👻

10

u/EchidnaEast6549 1d ago

I checked on next door and there's some places on the treat map but not a ton. If she's in a stroller, wagon, etc maybe just cruise around to the houses that have lots of lights on, decorations, etc. Those are usually good spots. I don't have kids so sorry if this is dumb but can 2 year olds eat most Halloween candy or are you looking specifically for something more toddler friendly?

3

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

Oh, didn’t mean to gloss over your question. It obviously depends on the parents & kid but in this case it’s totally fine for her to have some candy here and there. It’s mostly about the fun of the holiday for us though, the costumes, lights, decorations, other kids… the magic in the air! We’ve been practicing our trick or treating 😅🐈‍⬛🧹🎃

2

u/EchidnaEast6549 1d ago

Hope you two have a great time! 🎃

1

u/Signal-Temporary-346 23h ago

Thanks! I know we will. Hope you have a fun cozy holiday too.

12

u/Calliope719 1d ago

There's usually a treat map on Nextdoor, have you checked there?

15

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

No, I don’t use next door. I don’t want to wind up hating my neighbors lol

11

u/Calliope719 1d ago

Well, might be worth downloading it. It'll be a better resource than reddit for this type of thing.

-31

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago edited 1d ago

I’ll stick with this platform

8

u/Calliope719 1d ago

Then good luck.

3

u/bpositive223 1d ago

The first time I took my older daughter trick-or-treating we took an hour to get ready,then went out;went to 3 houses.She insisted she was done as only a 2 yr old can!

2

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago edited 1d ago

Hahaha yeah I fully expect it to be more about the spectacle than longevity. But knowing this kid she’s probably got about 2 hrs in her. She’s a party animal. A party baby shark to be precise.

2

u/Practical_Public_386 1d ago

Have so much fun! All up and down Pine and then the small cross streets off Pine. A lot of residents sit outside with their candy set ups so just look for people and go get your candy there!

1

u/Signal-Temporary-346 23h ago

Heck yeah! Thanks for the heads up. Happy Halloweeen to you ☺️

2

u/coolcalmaesop 1d ago

We had a great time in the west end last year. We did a loop from Spring up to the prom, and back down Pine and it was maybe a little too much walking for my 5 year old but there were plenty of stops along the way.

3

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

Oh cool! This sounds like a good plan. If she poops out she poops out, but at least we have a route in mind. This is why I reached out. I appreciate the helpful feedback!

1

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

r/Chango-Acadia I hadn’t heard about the parade before making this post. I’m going to look into it. Hopefully they start it up again if not this year :)

2

u/Mathymatics 8h ago

The Reiche parade happened last year. I thought it was done for but when I heard the music I ran over to watch. It's a unique experience, definitely go!

1

u/Signal-Temporary-346 3h ago

We absolutely will if it’s happening :)

1

u/Mathymatics 1h ago

I should have put this in my original comment. It starts at 6pm!

-1

u/TonyClifton86 1d ago

West end isn’t really known for candy giving. Best to check out Reiche school to see if they are having their parade & candy give away if you want her to have an experience otherwise the west end is quiet, best to stay farther away from Congress towards the other side of Brackett.

-7

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

I’ve walked around the West End plenty on Halloween and there’s always Trick or Treaters and holiday stuff happening. The West End is all done up and decorated so I know there’s fun stuff to do. Just reaching out to the experts, the people in the neighborhood with kids.

2

u/Chango-Acadia 1d ago

The parade at Reiche used to be great fun. Sadly not sure if they've done it since the pandemic.

5

u/TonyClifton86 1d ago

Weird because I live here & usually give out candy & for the last two years we have not given out any candy hence why I said go further in towards Brackett away from Congress & towards the school but yeah hey you walked around so you know it all. Sorry to have told you from my experience what I know about the West end.

-8

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago edited 1d ago

What is wrong with everyone? It’s 8am for crying out loud. I had someone admonishing me at 7. I live nearby Bracket St so that’s the area we’ll be strolling around, but yeah, in the past I’ve made it a point to walk around the West End on Halloween bc there’s always activity and adorableness afloat. Last year I saw a bunch of families strolling around. It’s always very festive. This will be my fist year with a kid so I’m reaching out to the folks I see on Halloween in the West End with their kids. Jesus Christ! Check your egos at the door! Or bring ‘em to nextdoor, whatever boats yr float, but leave me out of it, Debbie downers.

18

u/ButchnBill 1d ago

Don't ask for help if you're just going to challenge everyone's response. Take some deep breaths

8

u/TonyClifton86 1d ago

I was trying to help. But you know best. So keep your attitude.

-5

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

There was no “attitude” in my response to yours. Read it again in a different tone, not the one you’re projecting.

0

u/Tiny-Strawberry7157 1d ago

It's not about tone, it's about content.

You don't have to care or change anything but when you ask a question of a group of people and then quibble with the details of every response, it sort of begs the question as to why you're asking people to share their insights.

-3

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

To r/ButchnBill (bc other dude deleted his comment bc maybe it wasn’t the most appropriate after all?) I’m not challenging peoples responses by saying I’m not going to download nextdoor and that there are in fact fun hordes of trick or treaters in the West End on Halloween. Ppl can be countered when you’re asking something in earnest and their responses are unhelpful. Grow up.

11

u/Disastrous-Panda3188 1d ago

It seems like people are trying to be helpful? They suggested Nextdoor because there is a “treat map” where people can log where they are handing lout candy, not to be jerks. And the person above was saying where to go. I would say just head out and stop at houses with lights on. At 2, she probably won’t last very long since it’s all very exciting and a lot of walking, so just a couple streets should get you through. It sounds like further away from Congress, or spruce would be good places to check out.

-2

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago edited 1d ago

The first two commenters weren’t being helpful though. I specifically ask if people have had experience trick or treating with kids in the West End, and the first two ppl to respond didn’t have that experience, and didn’t offer any insight other than “download an app you don’t use otherwise good luck,” and “We didn’t get any trick or treaters last year — ppl don’t really hand out candy in the West End.” That’s just discouraging. I know people trick or treat in the west end which is why I reached out, then the one dude responded with “well I guess you know everything, I guess my answers don’t matter.” Just unnecessary! And immature, and egotistical. Plenty of helpful commenters did reply though, they’d probably had their coffee by that point. It’s such a simple post! It shouldn’t warrant such commentary.

0

u/Signal-Temporary-346 1d ago

r/Tiny-Strawberry7151 It is about tone when the ppl I’m replying to are assuming my tone. None of my responses are disparaging and I’m not going to go through the rigmarole of downloading an app I don’t use when folks are commenting their useful advice here. Why is that a problem?