Portland: Our real objective was to see family and get to know this green city a bit… Our friends had visited Portland the year before and had been intrigued enough to wonder out loud about buying a farm in the area. In the end, it was the family who really made each day wonderful and left us with a lasting love for the Pacific Northwest.

• Rose Gardens - My cousin Jim provided us with an amazing tour of the City in his convertible. We ended up literally smelling roses! There were so many varieties and I could have stayed for hours to smell all of them. However, we needed to get back in the car to try raspberry shakes at Burgerville.

• Powell’s City of Books - When we walked in and saw that the bookstore had its own map, I knew that I had found my mom’s heaven. So, we set off to find one of the books she has written and we found it! That evening, we had a BBQ at a cousin’s home where my daughter and husband played guitar with two of the cousins!

• Farmer’s Market and other shopping- In my mind, I thought that Portland would be the greenest place in the country with cool crunchy people and tons of organic food. There was a lot of good food at the market, but it wasn’t as large as I was expecting - and there weren’t as many free samples as we had tried at Pike’s Place (so maybe I was too spoiled already). Of course, my daughter was impressed by Buffalo Exchange which is like a trendy vintage shop that is stuffed to the gills with clothes that are perfect for the 15 - 25 crowd. I was more at home though at Newport Seafood Grill with another cousin.

• Multnomah Falls - Everyone said that we had to go… and everyone was there or so it seemed. The waterfall was beautiful, the hike up to it was twisty and fun, but the there were literally crowds of people who insisted on doing it en masse. That evening though we connected with a cousin and his family I hadn’t seen in literally 20+ years!

• Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery - The Columbia River is a powerful body of water that is literally stopped by the dam. So, the Army Corps of Engineers created a fish ladder for the salmon so that they could return to spawn. I had my doubts, but there’s a window in the basement where one can watch the fish pass. It is a bit mesmerizing — and I wanted to know more. So, we headed to the Fish Hatchery where we saw enormous sturgeon. I thought that they were six feet — but apparently I was more than 3 feet off… I certainly was glad that the fish tanks separated me from these beasts.

Coast: This was our final “stop” and a chance for us to get out of the cities and into a different type of terrain.

• Cannon Beach - We really weren’t planning on going to the Oregon Coast, but everyone said that we couldn’t miss it. So, we headed over to see the huge boulders sticking out of the water. It was freezing — and I was not prepared for the unrelenting wind that hit my ears as we walked along the water. Although things were beautiful, I was amazed that people were able to stay out and enjoy it. The Wayfarer Restaurant on the beach though was warm! Our server mentioned that they’ve had 160 mile per hour winds that have ripped through!

• Lewis & Clark NHP - Fort Clatsop is where Sacagawea lived with her infant son + where they camped for 4 winter months! Although the fort was reconstructed, it was interesting and because we didn’t have enough time to do the trails, I’d like to return at some point.

• Olympic National Park - We were able to walk through Hoh Rain Forest - which was extremely buggy. The trees are able to grow extremely quickly because of the sheer amount of rain - and the mosses are quite impressive. Unfortunately, I felt like the mosquitoes were intent on keeping a piece of each of us with them… Happily, we stayed in Kalaloch which was absolutely phenomenal. Located on the coast, the Kalaloch Lodge has log cabins that are close enough to the water that we could hear the pounding sound of the waves coming in. Nightly, people built bonfires on the beach - and on the day we left, the lowest tide in 20 years provided a spectacular chance to see thousands of tidepool critters including: anemones, sea stars, mussels, tube worms, barnacles, and even small fish… Of course, the toddler still remembers roasting marshmellows on our indoor stove.

• Makah Nation - We drove up past Forks (the location in the Twilight books) to the top corner of the Olympic Peninsula. There we hiked to Cape Flattery and caught dramatic views of the water pounding the surf. Because we were on a Reservation, we wanted to help out the local economy and stopped at the sign marked “smoked fish”. A guy inside a little shack offered us a chunk of fish that he had just finished and it was the best tasting fish I have ever had. So, we bought two packages of shrink wrapped fish!

The Parks near near Seattle: Yes, we missed the San Juan Islands, didn’t see Vancouver Island, and couldn’t get to every hike in every park. What we did see was awesome. The woods looked different than they do on the East Coast though and there was this purity to the air that made me want to hike longer than I would have otherwise…

• Klondike National Historic Site - I initially wanted to get my Passport to the National Parks book stamped, but along the way, I learned about the various experiences of people who participated in Alaska’s gold rush including the man who started Nordstrom’s Department Store!

• Deception Pass - On the day we went to visit cousin Amy, we had finished brunch with our old neighbor Andrea  (Queen Anne restaurant called the Five Spot - great locale for brunch with the kids) and weren’t sure what we wanted to do. So, we headed over to this park. We sat on the beach first and even saw a seal, but it was buggy and foggy — so we meandered over to the other side. There was a sandy lake where dozens upon dozens of children were playing, and the water was warm!

• North Cascades National Park -  Yes, I admit that I thought that the Cascades would be the same as any other forest. They weren’t though… They were spectacular. We stopped at Cascadian Farms where I ate the largest blueberries I have ever seen. Then, we Hiked Thunder Knob Trail (North Cascades) with the toddler - vistas of snow-capped mountains , waterfalls, and turquoise waters!

• Mount Rainier - When the guide inside the visitor’s center in Paradise said that there was snow on the trail, we should have listened. We didn’t and just proceeded past the guys in hiking boots and carrying poles… We started walking and came almost immediately to these deep patches of snow that the toddler refused to cross. So, we carried him. Before long we were getting big grins from hikers who were impressed with how far we had come on Glacier Vista… but when I was crawling up the glacier to take photos, I realized that there was no way that I could hoist Gabriel up, and we headed back across a new path. Of course somewhere in the middle of our path, Gabriel desperately had to potty and when duty calls during potty training, we had to just watch him in awe relieve himself on the pathway before we could relocate him.

• Mount Saint Helens - I had waited for years to see this volcano… and it didn’t disappoint. After walking through the visitor’s center, we settled in to watch a film about the devastation inflicted by the 1980 eruption. When the film was over, the screen went up and the windows displayed an actual view of the mountain! Then, we took a hike with a guide who told us that his parents met when they were both working near the volcano in the late 70s and were there when it erupted. I was interested to learn it is not a National Park, but managed by the US Forest Service! But after having heard about the personal experience of my cousin’s husband who was camping nearby in 1980, I felt more personally connected — and that really made a difference.

We returned on the 22nd from a family vacation to the Pacific Northwest. We visited friends and family — and many wonderful places. Because I twittered as we traveled, I thought it would be nice to provide some longer overall impressions of what we saw, what we did, and what we felt along the way. And, I will sprinkle in some of our scenic photos… Hopefully, I will be able to send family and friends a personal link to photos soon too.

We initially flew into Portland (we had to catch a puddle jumper over to Seattle) and out of no where, mountains emerged. I was in awe… I’m still not sure if we saw Mount Hood, Mount Adams, or Mount Rainier — but it didn’t matter because there before our eyes was a snow-capped peak appearing through the clouds. It definitely set the scene.

Seattle: Overall, we loved Seattle. We have traveled quite a bit, but it was the first time that any of us said - yeah we could do this. We stayed in Bellevue - where my husband’s firm had an office until a few years ago. He was amazed how the area had grown from a small town to an outgrowth / small City in its own right.

• Gas Works - This was an amazing park with panoramic views of Seattle. Although it was cold, children were flying kites, a band was playing, a tai chi class was being led by a man in a kilt, and sea plane after sea plane flew overhead. The converted coal plant sitting in the center and the various painted tubes were fascinating to walk through — and climb on.

• Pike Place Market - Everyone talks about Pike’s Place being the place to go to see flying fish — that is fish being thrown. We watched the fishmongers for a good half hour and even bought some delicious chopped smoked salmon. Then we strolled through dozens of stalls of fresh fruit, chocolate, products made of honey, jewelry, tie die clothes, and more. I fell in love — and still think about the Chukar cherries dipped in pinot noir and chocolate.

• 1st Starbucks - If it wasn’t for all of the people taking photos, I would not have realized that this Starbucks was any different from the thousands of other Starbucks. I do remember the hot chocolate being significantly less expensive and tastier than the ones I have had at Starbucks in New York. But, it was neat to see where the Starbucks brand got its start — and it did have me thinking about what it takes to start a successful business.

• Public Library - When my friend Lindsay raved about the library, I figured that we had to take a look. It was absolutely immense, with escalators, a foreign language section that even had a shelf for books in Amharic, and an atrium on the second floor that was truly impressive! It provides a great excuse to borrow a few books — or just hang out among them for a few hours.

• Experience Music Project - My daughter and husband had talked about doing this together for a long time.  My husband describes it as a way to live the last century of music –and while they were there, they visited the Hendrix section, played various instruments and performed a song. Overall, my daughter didn’t believe that it was worth the money.

• Children’s Museum (and Carousel) - While they were experiencing music, my son and I were having a blast playing in tunnels, pretending to work at Taco Time, and even climbing through a pretend whale! Portions of the Museum were a bit worn out, but Gabriel really didn’t care and had a fabulous time. Before we got there, we took a ride on the carousel, and after we left, we caught up with my husband and daughter at the International Fountain near the Space Needle. The fountain was amazing and because it was chilly, I didn’t run in, but man I was tempted by the shooting streams of water that expelled themselves in short gasps from the huge silver ball.

• REI - When I heard about REI, I thought that shopping for outdoor equipment would be completely different than anything I had ever experienced. The rock wall was completely booked though, the store didn’t have any shoes in my son’s size, and I didn’t find anything that I thought was unique. I was very disappointed — but we headed to a second REI in Portland later in the trip that was a bit better…

• Queen Anne - This neighborhood has Kerry Park with an amazing vista of Seattle. I really loved the homes too… and of course their proximity to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which isn’t too far away. It is also wonderful that our friend Victoria (who took us for an incredible meal to Wild Ginger) is close by.

Did any of you read Street Smarts in the July issue of Wired Magazine? The article is about how the crash of the financial markets and the resulting decimation of many of Wall Street’s biggest players could open up new opportunities for the bright minds who work or would have wanted to work there. Because I am employed by one of these Wall Street players, I thought that I would provide my $0.02…

When I was in business school, I wrote a business plan for a new venture finance course. I wrote about creating a new microfinance organization dedicated to the Hispanic community. While there are other players — like Accion and various others in the market, I was so sure my concept would add value that I sent the plan to the former head of a US Federal Agency (who I knew from when I had been an intern in the Agency). He was interested in hearing more — but as business school became more of a memory and as I started working that concept and will to scope it out further also became a memory. Then when my employer Arthur Andersen died its quick death, I looked for an opportunity to give back to the world once again — even trying consulting for two not-for-profits. I wanted to give back, but the chaos that surrounded Andersen in its final months and these two NFPs resulted in me feeling a need for stability — and I found it in banking. For the last five years now, I have worked in the banking industry and for the last 2.5 dedicated time (outside of my job) inside to creating community service programs which enable my busy colleagues to give back. Sure we’re swamped with work — even doing more with less people — but at the end of a period, I know that my heart and soul feel better.

Lately, I have been thinking about what comes next for me. I am young enough to know that the world still has potential of being my oyster. Yet, I am old enough to realize that a) I need to provide for my family, b) I do not want to start from scratch again on the bottom floor, and c) all opportunities are not the right opportunity even if they sound interesting. The question ultimately lies for me in where do I believe that I can enact real change?

I think many people my age feel the same way. We want to go places where we can add value and where our opportunity costs are low (ie, we need to believe that the cost of the next best thing we have given up is not large). Some people believe that the salaries and bonuses they have amassed by working at these financial powerhouses have enabled them to do what they believe in during their non-working hours.

So while I do not if the difficulties on Wall Street will spark an exodus of the great minds into fields that truly benefit humanity, I think that people, like myself, are always trying to figure out how to make a difference.

I fear that my 2G iPod that we’ve had since 2002 has seen better days. Yesterday, I discovered that the headphone jack wasn’t working. So, although the device can still hold a charge, I cannot use it. You may say a few things:

1. Jules why don’t you just use a newer device? Because this worked beautifully. With 20GB, I was able to listen to music and This American Life Podcasts while working. After all, I can’t watch a screen while I work.

2. Why don’t you just use the device as an external firewire drive? Okay - you’d be my husband if you were asking this because I think that my device may be repurposed by him…

3. Why does this bother you? We’ve had multiple iPods over the years –including the 4G, the Mini, the Nano, and the Touch — but none have held up anywhere near as well as my 2G. While technology may evolve, my needs haven’t evolved as much — at least during the work day. And honestly most technology eventually ends up in landfills –and isn’t recycled which makes me thoughtfully consider each piece of equipment I purchase.

4. Are you sure that the headphone jack is busted? Well, I’ve tried various headphones and although they work with the Touch, and I see that a song is playing, I cannot hear anything. Old forum postings suggest taking it back to Apple, but sadly the warranty has long expired (although I did find the support manual online). Alas…