Orthopedic Healthcare Northwest PC

Breaking a bone or completely tearing a ligament is no fun. Sadly, I can vouch for this. The OHN offices are accessible and attractive, and getting an appointment is fairly easy.

The in-office facilities are excellent, and the offices are adjacent to Sacred Heart Hospital. There are many doctors working for this group, and many are world-renowned experts, which is very, very reassuring if they're going to be rebuilding parts of your body to be as "good as new."

I strongly recommend this medical practice, although if you need this recommendation, I'm really sorry.

Aquarium Village

Lots of fish, lots of indoor exhibits, lots of outdoor exhibits as well. The see-through, walk-through exhibit is amazing, almost scary at times, and this aquarium also used to be the home of Keiko.

The aquarium focuses largely upon ocean and tidal aquatic life, which is perfectly appropriate given where the aquarium is located. Most people don't realize how rugged the Oregon Coast really is; the sea life that lives on the Oregon Coast is actually pretty tough to see in the real world because of the terrain.

And it's a beautiful drive to get there, too.

City of Seattle Parks & Recreation Department

This is not the best zoo I've ever been to, but it's a very attractive zoo with a wide variety of animals from diverse habitats. It's great fun for kids and adults alike, and the food is decent, albeit a bit overpriced.

The terrain of the zoo is wooded and hilly, making for a nice walk in the park in addition to seeing the animals.

If you buy the Seattle City Pass, it includes admission the to zoo, effectively reducing the entry fee.

Seattle Aquarium

The Seattle aquarium, situated on a pier on Elliott Bay, is a wonderful place to take the family. There are many varieties of fish, lots of open space between exhibits for kids to roam, a touchable exhibit, and even some outdoor spaces.

Parking can be a little bit of a challenge, but there's always the excellent bus/trolley system if you feel so inclined.

It's expensive if you purchase tickets a la carte, but if you buy the city pass, which includes admission to the Zoo, the Space Needle, the Aquarium, and probably some other places I'm forgetting, it's actually very reasonable.

The Space Needle

The view of western Washington from the top of the Space Needle is truly breathtaking. Unfortunately, it's really important, in order to have the view, to pick a day that isn't cloudy, rainy, or foggy.

The exhibits at the top include interactive computer screens, teaching about the area and describing what can be seen from the top. In addition, let's not forget the very exciting rides from the bottom to the top, and back down.

As my 3 year old daughter put it, "wow, our car is way down there?"

Pick a day with nice weather, and bring a pair of binoculars if you feel so inclined.

Oregon Zoo

This world-class zoo is not only a good place for the animals, but it's a city zoo that's built into a gorgeous woodland park, with hilly terrain and giant trees.

Not all animal species are found at the Oregon zoo. However, the ones that are represented at the zoo are kept in sizable habitats, and seem to be living in relative comfort.

Particularly fun is the lorikeet exhibit, which gives one the ability to feed tropical birds while they sit on your shoulders and wrists. Great photo opportunities there.

The polar bears are always fun, too.

The zoo restaurant is actually very good as well, if not a tad expensive for what you get.

Another nice feature of the zoo is that it shares a parking lot with the Portland Children's Museum.

James Heating & Air Conditioning

We bid out the installation of an A/C unit for our home 5 years ago. After many proposals, we went with James Heating and A/C due to price and reputation of good service. In addition, most other companies specified a 3-ton unit for our house; James specified a 2.5-ton unit. They assured us it would be beneficial because the unit would be able to keep the house cool and would go through fewer on-off cycles.

The installation went well.

Since then, we have regularly had them clean and inspect our furnace and A/C unit. I have seen the before and after views, and it is obvious that they do a good job with maintenance.

In addition, we were assisted in finding problems within our system, such as improperly connected ductwork inside the floors and ceilings, and in selecting conventional and electrostatic air filters.

Eugene Airport

Eugene airport (Mahlon Sweet Field) is one of the nicer airports I've traveled through. Yes, it only has 10 gates, and the airlines no longer fly anything larger than CRJ-700s into Eugene, but the airport is a first-rate facility with attractive architecture, interesting art exhibits, ample parking, access to cities from Seattle to Denver to LA to Phoenix.

For those desiring to eat at the airport, the coffee shop behind the security checkpoint is quite good, with a decent snack menu and some good pre-made sandwiches and salads, and seats in the airport are plentiful and comfortable.

Market

Saturday market, an outdoor celebration of art, food, and crafts, is held every Saturday at 8th and Oak from April until November, rain or shine (which in Eugene means "rain until July").

In addition to handmade crafts and homemade foods, one will find tye dyes galore, hippies from the '60s, hippies from the 2000s (and everywhere in between), live musical acts (some invited, and some not), a farmer's market featuring some of the best organic produce around, and a wide variety of ethnic foods.

It has existed since 1970, and is one-of-a-kind.

Oregon Community Credit Union

I don't use most of the features of the credit union. My favorite features of the organization are:

1) the seemingly endless string of no-charge ATMs available to credit union members
2) the large number of branches
3) the extended hours that represent the credit union's NORMAL hours of business.

After dealing with banks that close at 3 p.m. for most of my life, it's a pleasure working with a financial organization that is usually open until 5:30 p.m., and has decent Saturday hours as well.

I've always received good customer service in the few times I've requested it, and I therefore consider it to be one of the best "banks" I've ever given my business to.