iPostcards from Seattle, WA

Seattle as a place to visit was exciting for me,

since some of my high school buddies

and some of Bill's relatives live in the area.

But as far as considering Seattle as a place to live,

I felt unsure about leaving sunny Los Angeles for the rain.

But I went in with an open mind.

Since we went in August,

we were blessed with beautiful sunny days

and clear skies during our visit.

in front of our hotel, Seattle's premier boutique hotel,

Inn at the Market and the Pike Place Market

My friend, Troy, the DSM, was nice enough to have us stay for free.

in front of Seattle's world-famous public market

at the foot of Pike Street

by Seattle's Space Needle

in front of the original/first Starbucks location/store

on the ferry leaving Seattle ...

for Bainbridge Island to look at homes with ...

a view of Seattle's skyline

or have Bill's cousin, Jeff, custom-build a house for us

or get a condo with ...

a view of the Space Needle, Queen Anne, and Elliott Bay

or a townhouse in Queen Anne with
a view of Seattle's skyline

... and a view of Elliott Bay and marina

or view of Mt. Rainier

As for the real estate market,
we did learn that Seattle is at the top of
most overpriced cities in the U.S.
My high school buddies inadvertently
helped me in making up my mind,
when they asked me
if I was ready to wear flannel on a regular basis ... LOL

iPostcards from Portland, OR

Now that Bill and I work remotely from home, he, for quite sometime now, has been itching for us to explore the possibility of living somewhere else outside California. Since I wanted to travel for my birthday, we decided to go visit friends & family in Portland, Oregon & Seattle, Washington and check out the real estate market in both cities. We met with some realtors and checked out several properties:

... condos with river/marina views,

houses with city/downtown/mountain views,

properties with a view of Mount Hood,

townhouses by the river, etc.

having dinner with our friends David & Denise

iPostcards from Cannon Beach, OR

We spent my birthday on a road trip

from Portland, OR to the beautiful Oregon Coast:

with John Dale, Bill's nephew, in Cannon Beach, OR

picturesque Cannon Beach, OR

view from some of the homes

at Manzanita Beach, OR

view of Mount Hood from Portland, OR

iPostcards from New York, NY - Spring 2007

view of Manhattan from the plane

at my eldest sister's apartment in Murray Hill,

which has a magnificent view of ...

the Empire State Building

My company flew me in for our annual sales meeting.

We had a very successful meeting and fun party

held at the Marquee New York.

Here I am in front of our head quarters in NYC
and in front of the head quarters building

of my main account, Alliance Bernstein.

You may have seen this building falling apart

in the movie, Spider-Man 3.

We got to see the following Broadway musicals:
The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theater and

The Color Purple, the Musical, at the Broadway Theater,
starring American Idol, Fantasia.

at Central Park

iPostcards from New York, NY - Winter 2007

While I was in New York City for work,

I was very happy to be able to catch up with a lot of old friends.

I regret that I did not have enough time to catch any shows (Broadway or off-Broadway).

The only show I got to see was this one...

It was not Fashion Week, but it sure seemed like it...

since some of my friends in the travel industry

promoted their respective hotels or airlines

in a fun-filled fashion show tagged as "Project Funway",

a spoof of the reality tv show, "Project Runway",

where they creatively utilized materials

from their respective properties to create their pieces.

Please click HERE for links to the videos.

Travel Advisory

Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.
For more information, please click HERE.

For a complete list of carry on baggage restrictions,
please click HERE.