Portland!

I wanted to visit my sister in Portland, Oregon, and was able to score a relatively cheap tickets. I took the shuttle to San Jose. Thankfully Mina talked me into taking the early one. We left a little late and ran into traffic. I got to the airport a half hour after scheduled arrival, which if it had been the shuttle I was originally on, I would have had about 30 minutes to check my bags, go through security, and get to the gate. This time I had almost two hours of slop.

I checked my bag and proceeded through security. I had to use the backscatter x-ray, which I wasn't thrilled about. You have to stand with your feet apart (on the painted footprints) and put your hands on your head. I felt like I was about to be arrested! Once I got the all-clear, I grabbed all my stuff and headed in to find some coffee and browse the bookstores. I stopped at Peet's. I thought about going to Starbucks, but I like Peet's brewed coffee better. Maybe the new blonde roast at SB will be better. After all that, I went to my gate to sit down. In a "power chair".

Not bad, huh? I also had free wi-fi and there was a SB right at the gate. All I needed was a massage chair and life would be great! The boarding of the flight was amazingly smooth and the flight was nearly empty. I got to sit in row 2 with no one in the center. We landed with no issues and Monica met me outside baggage claim.

We went from there to Dave's work and took a ride on the tram. Oregon Health and Sciences University has a tram that runs from the campus down at the waterfront to the hospitals up on the hill. It is really a cool ride, although slightly unnerving.

Then we came home and got ready for the dinner. Monica was the assistant cook for the common dinner. Her housing complex has two dinners a night for everyone who is on the meal plan. Someone cooks, someone assists, and someone cleans dishes. Everyone takes turns, so it is fair. Quiche was on the menu. There was a vegan quiche and a vegetarian one. There was also a green salad and a three-bean salad (although I think there were four beans in there), all of which were delicious. Monica made pumpkin pies for dessert. Yummy!

I am really going to enjoy my visit here!