Istanbul

Have been in Istanbul since Monday and have to say that this a great place to visit. So far I have seen the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Underground Cistern, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market, the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent, and took a cruise up the Bosphorus. The mosques and old Ottoman buildings here are amazing, making Istanbul a must visit destination for anyone with an interest in history or architecture. Although it was raining a bit on Monday evening, the weather has been great ever since - sunny and warm. Perfect sightseeing weather.

Turkey is a Muslim country, but it's much more progressive than it's Middle Eastern counterparts. Women are not required a wear a head scarf, although some do, and many restaurants serve alcohol. I have noticed that women are more modestly dressed in public - not a lot of exposed legs, arms, or cleavage - but that seems to be a matter of personal choice. The vast majority of people here look similar, dark hair and eyes with slightly tanned skin, although some people look more European and other more Middle Eastern in terms of their facial features (mostly the nose really).

This afternoon I'll be catching a plane down to Izmir and heading out to Ephesus, sight of a many old Roman ruins, then coming back to Istanbul on Sunday to finish out my trip before returning to the US on Tuesday.

'Nawlins, Part 2

Not feeling like a want to type too much right now, so here are some pictures from my trip. First pic is the signboard outside the House of Blues, second is Jackson Square in the French Quarter, third is some random statue I came across, and fourth is Aleesha (college friend) and Derek (her co-worker) as we were leaving Pat O'Brien's.

'Nawlins

Having a great time in New Orleans. Staying in the French Quarter which is touristy, but I gotta say, I love the old brick buildings and all the balconies. I totally want a NO style house - all window and balconies and courtyards. Went to Audubon Park yesterday, it's like NO's Central Park. Then made the mistake of walking back to the French Quarter which was about a 3 hour walk back along Magazine Street. Great area for shops and restaurants if you are ever down here.

Turns out one of my friends from college lives down here, working for Lockheed, so I met up with her and her frends tonight and hit the local hangouts. So much fun. I don't know if I could ever live here, but it's a great place to visit if you like food and live music. Damn never every place has live music every night which is so great. You must go to Pat O'Brien's if you are in NO. Two copper plated pianos, a great staff, and a huge music selection. Not to be missed. Other suggestions:

• Red Fish Grill - touristy restaurant in the FQ, but good food. The hickory smoked red fish with crab is fantastic and the bread pudding is something else. It's so rich, one is enough for a couple of people to share.
• Coop's Place - dive bar a block from the vendor at the French market. The kitchen is in the courtyard and you can watch the employee's smoke and play cards while they cook. Awesome. They have rabbit jambalaya.
• Pat O'Brien's - just off Bourbon Street. A must if you are in town.
• Lafitte's - possibly the oldest bar in the US. They don't have electricity inside, just candles.
• DBA - neat local bar just past the French Quarter. Lots of local bars in this area.

More to come...

PDX Airport

Arrived at the airport about 6 am this morning and am now sitting at the gate waiting for my flight to New Orleans. Getting up at 4:30 am to head to the airport is not my idea of a fun Sunday, but what can you do? Unfortunately there are no direct flights from Portland to New Orleans so I have to connect in Denver and won't arrive in the Big Easy until around 5 tonight. And then I'll probably end up eating and heading straight to bed since I'm super tired from 2 nights of going out. A whole day wasted. But at least I'll have the rest of the week to explore the French Quarter and see what New Orleans has to offer.

Quick Update

After a long hiatus, here's a quick update on what I've been up to:

• Finally got everything set up in my new place in SW Portland. Not totally loving the location, but it's an nice roomy place and I finally have a deck.
• Heading to New Orleans on the 19th for a week long conference. The topic is stock plans so it'll be pretty dry, but I'm excited to visit New Orleans for the first time. I'll be staying at the W in the French Quarter which will be great.
• Heading to Turkey on the 26th for a week and a half. Will be spending most of my time in Istanbul, but hopefully also a couple of days somewhere on the coast.
• Going to Mazatlan in early December for a week of vacation. Will be a great time of year to get out of rainy Portland.