My life has had a sudden injection of steampunk.  

First of all I noticed on Amazon that Disney had reissued 20,000 Leagues under the Sea at a price I couldn't resist and which includes a 2nd disk packed with extras.  The movie's real star is the Nautilus, a Gothic sub that's still lookin pretty good half-a-century after it was built.  The interiors are a fabulous mixture of bare steel and Victorian opulence.  At the time the movie was the most expensive ever made.  It even has a squid!

Then during a recent visit to Portland I discovered a steampunk exhibit at Victoria Mansion.  Eight artists were showing off their stuff, all great, all different.  Two exhibits that really caught my eye were clockwork insects by Mike Libby (you can get an eyeful of them at http://insectlabstudio.com/), and a time machine by Christian Matzke (you can catch a glimpse of it on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JDOMrKY9YM).

Finally, I've got Zeuglodon to look forward to!





   

Have only passed thru Portland Oregan but Portland Maine was a treat, with lovely old brick buildings and a working waterfront where the Nautilus would not have looked out of place.  

As for the movie itself, there used to be an exhibit at Disneyland with actual portions of the set.  I remember visiting it as a kid and hopping down to sit on the couch like the kids in one of the pictures below:

http://www.20kride.com/photos_other_dl.html

And there's a Nautilus ride at Disneyland in Paris:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/paris/naut1.htm

I'm not sure what the earliest manifestation of steampunk was, but might it have been the Nautilus?