I just returned from the InterLab 2003 Conference held at the Stanford Linear Accelerator in California. A gaggle of my coworkers also attended and we had a great time. It was a great bonding experience without the distraction of work.
The first thing I need to say is that it's so nice to see so much green. Portland's downtown is beautiful with big maple and oak trees lining the downtown streets. The riverfront park that separates downtown from the Willamette River stretches quite a ways and provides the path from the hotel I'm staying at to the conference location. It's hard to believe that Portland and Oregon have the highest unemployment rates for US cities and states. It's such a great town, who wouldn't want to locate a business here?