Portland is a pretty cool city. It's very walkable - enough so that the foot I broke several years ago is wondering what on earth I'm doing to it. So are my legs.
It's ironic that I had to fly from Boston to Portland to get away from the rain ...
Greg Mortenson's book Stones Into Schools is a really important book, if you are interested in the War On Terror in general, and COIN in particular. I hear that Gen. Petraeus requires his staff to read it. It's so impressive that I stopped into Powell's books and picked up a copy of his other book, Three Cups Of Tea. I'll try to get a more detailed post up this weekend, but this is Big Stuff.
Powell's Books is possibly the best bookstore I've ever been in. Maybe even better than the Harvard Coop. If you like to read, you could lose days there. They have a whole floor of used books.
It's always a good flight when you're going home
I got my Masters there while living on a houseboat over on Sauvie Island which you probably flew over on the base leg for landing into the airport. My folks live about an hour due west of there now as they rented out their Montana place to my Stepsis's family. Beatiful city. Some great pub's downtown.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am thinking you were in Portland Maine, so you had me going there. I am reading Stones into Schools now, oddly enough, and I think he has the right approach. When you read Three Cups of Tea, you will wonder why he went back after the rough beginnings. Some good bookstores in the Portland that the one in Oregon was named for, too.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Portland for two years. Loved the city, it's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAnd Powell's ... I've packed a lunch and spent a day there plenty of times. Envy! :-)
I wonder if it is close enough to Seattle to get really good coffee?
ReplyDeleteAa for the book: Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.
Jim
w/v: reade. I kid you not.
Just a hop, skip and a jump into WA from there! Interesting, I read Three Cups of Tea as a travel/flight read also.Good book.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels.
Portand is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been visited. The college kids masquerading as homeless, panhandling for money I found somewhat annoying.
ReplyDeleteBP,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on the books. I'll have to add them to the library...
Best Regards,
Albert
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles.
Reviewing the Nikon Monarch 8X42.