Portland and Seattle

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I completed the 2 year contract I had with CPA Global and they asked me to stay another year. I hadn’t seen my family during the last two years so I asked for a month of unpaid leave before starting my third year in India.

Kim and I decided to visit each other’s Families and Friends during the month off. We decided to spend the first week in Portland. Kim and I met in Portland and we both lived there several years before we met and moved to India.

We stayed at Le Pension in the Hawthorne district of Portland. Le Pension is the second floor of a home in the Hawthorne that includes 3 bedrooms and a bath ([e-mail]). We rented the entire thing for $250 for the week. It was built in 1896. The room we stayed in had one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in and there is a map of Portland on the wall showing Portland at the time the home was constructed in 1896.

Hawthorne was a slum 30 years ago and since then has evolved into one of the most desirable areas of Portland because of its large gorgeous homes and close vicinity to downtown Portland. From the Hawthorne, you are a 20 minute bike ride or a 10 minute car ride from most interesting areas of Portland. We rode the bus around Portland during our stay.

We spent time in the Hawthorne area, the Belmont area, Chinatown, Downtown, and Northwest 21st and 23rd. These are all ‘must see’ areas when you visit Portland. There are great restaurants in all these areas. Just look for the lines of people waiting to eat or consult a foodie website. Other places you must see are Powell’s Books, The Rose Garden, Cannon Beach (90 minutes west), and the Pearl.

I hosted a happy hour for my old law firm (Klarquist Sparkman, LLP) and was very happy to see 20 of my friends and former associates show up to say hello. I forgot my camera so there are no pictures of the happy hour. Klarquist is a great group of intelligent, successful, and committed people who can help you with intellectual property legal services. It was because of their time and commitment that I was qualified to help teach the engineers at CPA Global.

Kim stayed in Portland the second week when I went to visit Microsoft on business. It snowed while I was in Redmond and I have included a few pictures to show that. I went on several business diners while at Microsoft but did not take any pictures.

Kim and I were able to see many of our friends while in Portland and it felt good to be home. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

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