cookies and code

It’s been a whirlwind trip, but I’ve come and gone from the great state of Oregon. I spent a week in Hillsboro, a suburb of Portland, at vendor training for one of the biggest MS shops in the financial industry. While the training was very enlightening (more to come on that later), it should come as no surprise that I was excited to try to the local cuisine. Since we ate out at every meal, here are a few local places that I’d highly recommend trying out if you ever find yourself in the area:

• Burgerville – Fast food chain that uses food directly from Oregon with milkshakes that rival those of Chick-fil-A (as far as fast food goes).
• Camp 18 in Seaside – Tasty soups and bread, huge portions, and an amazing location.
• Pizza Schmizza – Gourmet pizza by the slice.
• Imbrie Hall – Great appetizers; try out the Cajun tots for some good bar food!
• Thai Orchid – Great lunch specials and curries. If you like spicy food, ask for “extra hot”; “hot” works out to be a “medium”.
• Old Market Pub – Delicious specials and great atmosphere.
• Mio Sushi – Fresh, delicious sushi as well as awesome Katsu Don and lots of Japanese lunch options.
• Jake’s Famous Crawfish – Classic staple of downtown Portland. Classy place with some of the most amazing salmon I’ve ever had in my life. The halibut is great too!

Please keep in mind, I am stealing all of these great suggestions from our trainer, so thanks to Michael for the excellent suggestions. We also had an opportunity to stop by Rose’s Deli and Bakery and Stanford’s which are descent places to check out as well.

No trip would be complete however without some great beers and Oregon is famous for its microbreweries. Let me just tell you, tasting is believing. Most every local restaurant is equipped with its own brew and I was fortunate enough to get a small sampling of the selection Portland has to offer. Below are the beers I’d recommend at least trying if you’re looking to quench your thirst:

• Imbrie Hall – Some super IPA with triple the hops, Ruby, and the Rubinator (Mix of the Ruby and a stout called the Terminator).
• Old Market Pub – Mr. Toad’s Wild Red Ale, Hot Tamale!, Black Magic Nitrogen-Powered STOUT, and the Honey Root Beer.

Last but surely not least, I have to give a huge shout out to Simeon and Ryan for taking the time out of their busy days to hang out. Both guys have helped out the Adogo with remote presentations, so nothing is better than traveling to meet the people with which you only get to chat. Thanks for showing us around!

Portland is a great city with a cool technical population and a very lay-back vibe. If you ever have the chance to visit, definitely give it a shot. If you have time, check out some of the pictures Zach took on the trip for a good laugh.

So I went to donate blood today as I like to do every couple months and I got turned away! Turns out that I took a cruise to Roatan, Honduras (off the coast) and there is a risk of Malaria in the area. Obviously I don’t have Malaria (cough), but I was told I can’t donate blood for a whole year now as a precaution. I really enjoy donating blood for some strange reason (my wife used to be a Phlebotomist), so I’m kinda bummed. I think what bums me out the most though is that the cruise ship (Norwegian Sun) never mentioned any risk of Malaria in the documents we got for the trip. Oh well, live (hopefully ) and learn, I guess.