The City That Works

Entry 5:

Marc's friend, Scott, picked us up at the airport and drove us back to his place. Along the way he told us of our plans for a picnic dinner at a school yard near his home. Apparently thousands of birds use the school's smokestack as a resting place on their Southern migration. To add to the drama, a local hawk had decided it was a good place to look for dinner. Hundreds of Portlanders sat on the grass, eating cheese and drinking wine as the birds put on a show for the crowd. Brian and his wife Danette joined us with their two kids.

On our second night in Portland Scott took us to the Kennedy School where we soaked in the massive hot tub. The Kennedy School is a former school that has been converted into a hotel with an entertainment complex. Check out the hyperlink/website for more info because words can't do it justice.

The most memorable part of our stay was a trip out to the Columbia River Gorge. We hiked for about 30 minutes before reaching a beautiful waterfall and pool. The lush setting was ideal for a picnic.

During the remainder of our trip we visited the International Rose Test Garden , the World Forestry Center, and the campus of Lewis and Clark College, all of which involved a lot of walking. Then off we were to Union Station to board an Amtrak train destined for the City of Angels. The ride on the Coast Starlight was supposed to last 30 hours, but ended up being more than 34 hours. It wasn't too bad as the two of us had a private sleeping car. We even got to eat our meals in the Amtrak dining car. Unfortunately, by the time we reached the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, it was already after sundown. Nevertheless, it was an experience we had to try at least once. Now that we checked it off our "to-do" list, we are moving on to bigger and greater things.

Out and About

Entry 4:

After a brief flight to Spokane, WA, we jumped in a rental car and headed north to the Canadian border. The Canadian border control inspector had us drive up to her window where she proceeded to ask us where we were going and whether we were bringing any fruits or vegetables with us. We passed with flying colors and were on our way to Nelson, British Columbia (BC). Our visit to Nelson was inspired by the fact that Sharon's uncle and aunt, Morty and Marilyn live there. We had a wonderful visit with them and their family. It was Marc's first opportunity to meet Sharon's cousins and their extended families. Dinner at the Mint house was a lavis affair with at least 8 bottles of wines being polished off (but who's counting?).




On Saturday morning we drove through beautiful forested valleys to reach the Mint summer retreat in Hills, BC. The views were spectacular and the wooded path was covered with wild mushrooms. To play it safe, Marc decided to leave the mushrooms alone. After just three days in Nelson, we're already starting to plan our next much longer visit. Special thanks to Morty and Marilyn for their hospitality; to Lindsey for her clothing contribution to our travels; and to Chantal for her gourmet dessert. Marc would like to thank Matthew and Adam for the seemingly endless bottles of BC's finest grapejuice.

As we crossed back into the U.S. border, we were given the third degree. Who would have thought U.S. citizens would be so interrogated by their own border control?

Where Salmon is King

Entry 3:

Seattle is a small city with great public transit and wonderful food. On our first day (Monday, September 8th) we took an amazing ferry ride to Bainbridge Island where we walked around the quaint town and had an amazing lunch at the marina. The ferry ride was highlighted by epic views of Mount Rainier. Later that day we stopped by the famous fishmarket at Pike Place where we saw flying fish and sampled smoked King salmon (click on Pike Place hyperlink).

We woke up early the next day and took a bus up to the University of Washington. Along with several high school students and their parents, we took a walking tour of the campus. It's amazing how many times a 21-year-old can use the word "awesome" in a 90-minute span. We were struck by the University's focus on environmental issues. All of their cafeterias use compost materials for their disposable plates, cups, and utensils. They also encourage bicycling, carpooling, and walking. As a student, it seems like there are many fun activities subsidized by the school that you could be involved in including canoeing, sailing, and skiing.

From the University we travelled to the famous Lake Washington ship canal and locks. This is where boats are lifted 26 feet from sea level to Lake Washington through a series of canal locks. There is a salmon ladder to allow fish to travel from the sea water to fresh water rivers upstream.

On our last day we boarded the Seattle monorail to the Experience Music Project. We enjoyed playing various musical instruments and watching videos about Jimi Hendrix.

During the three nights we were in Seattle, we had dinner with our friends Eran and Chris. It was fun catching up with them and learning about China. A big thank you goes out to them for a wonderful dinner and free bus passes to the airport.

A final word to those who are thinking about visiting Seattle: All around town you'll find coffee shops, but you'll have to be on the lookout for one in particular. You may have heard of it. . . Starbucks.

We've got a pickle situation

Entry 2:

Friday night was spent infront of the television, watching the weather channel to see if tropical storm Hanna was going to blow into New York. The airline had already cancelled the morning flight to Chicago, but wouldn't give us any information about our afternoon flight. Fortunately, the next morning was very humid, but no rain in sight. Clear skies all the way to Chicago. A big thank you goes out to Stu for our ride to JFK.

Since it was a Saturday night, we were able to get a room at the Chicago Hilton on S. Michigan Ave. for a song on Priceline. So here we are - two scraggly backpackers, showing up to the Hilton after trekking on public transit from the airport.

Considering that we had only one night in Chicago, we figured we have to go the way of deep dish Chicago-style pizza. There are a few known spots in town for this, but we went with Gino's East. We must be spoiled after eating NY pizza. Let's just say we're going back to thin crust...

To make up for the not-so-wonderful dinner the night before, we splurged on a French breakfast that was to die for. It included a mushroom, leek and gruyere cheese fritatta among other delicacies.

We strolled down Michegan Avenue to see Millenium Park. We had previously downloaded the audio tour to the park and were enjoying the sights and sounds. Our favorite spots in the park included Cloud Gate and the Crown Fountain. See the link for more info:

http://w3.millenniumpark.org/documents/finalguide.pdf

(see if you can spot us)

We know, we know - the video came out sideways. Not sure how to turn it around, but enjoy it anyway...

Before leaving for the airport, we stopped at a sandwich shop to pick up a pre-flight meal. It included a massive, stinky, dill pickle. As we passed through security, the one item the TSA asked to inspect was our food bag. After further review, they allowed us to continue to our gate with our pickle intact.

Chicago must be seen again for more than one night, but in the meantime, we're off to the Emerald City.

Moving Day

Entry 1:

It comes with many mixed emotions that we are leaving NY after years of being Manhattanites. We will miss the franetic pace of the city with all its energy. No more late nights on subway cars with break dancing teenagers and aspiring comics. We are leaving behind not only a great city, but some of our dearest friends. On the other hand, we probably won't see snow for a long long time (and that's not such a bad thing).



As we are both "foodies," one of the things we'll miss the most are our favorite eateries. We managed to hit the majority of these restaurants before we left and will always have fond memories of the meals eaten and company shared at these places.



On Friday, August 29th, the movers showed up on time and got to work quickly. We packed up and went to Westchester, NY to spend some time with our good friends Dana and David. For the past week we've been relaxing and unwinding from the busy lives we just left behind before leaving on our whirlwind trip.

We got to visit our favorite pick-your-own farm in NY, Barton Orchard. Check out the link for more information:


http://www.bartonorchards.com/index.htm





We spent time picking tomatoes, kirby cucumbers, jalapeno and habanero peppers, as well as eggplants and squashes. They have a fantastic store where they sell baked and jarred goods. We recommend the slow-roasted garlic salsa and the chocolate chip cookies.





Yesterday (Thursday) we went to the park in Hastings and had a photo moment with Dana and the kids.










After recharging our batteries, we are getting ready to take off tomorrow from JFK to Chicago O'Hare, provided tropical storm Hanna does not cause too much havoc. We'll have one night in Chicago before flying to Seattle.