Portland Class Wraps
The Be True to ExpressionEngine class in Portland wrapped up last week and MsBoyink and I had a great time.
The Location
We had a great time in Portland. We were able to spend a day before the class navigating the public transportation (feeling like the complete surburbia-dwellers that we are) to the Oregon Zoo in the morning, then walking to the Alberta Arts District later that night for supper. After the class we relocated closer to the airport and rode hotel-provided bikes along a path between the airport and Columbia River with Mount Hood as the backdrop.
The Venue
The Kennedy School was a fun spot to do training. It’s hard to believe that this busy jewel of the neighborhood was slated for demolition at one point. There were people moving through it at all hours of the day - we even gave an impromptu tour of our room to 6 strangers at 10:00 at night. The school is part of the larger McMenamins chain which brews its own beer and distills its own spirits. The chain seems to have a great reputation among the locals - and we are now fans as well. Our last night there was capped with a concert by the local Freak Mountain Ramblers, an eclectic group who’s style is hard to describe. Nearest I can come is “Grateful Dead meets The Stray Cats”.
The Class
I continue to be amazed at the people coming out for this training—the words that come to mind for this group are professional, knowledgeable, creative, funny, personable. I’m lucky to have met and spent time with all of them and wish them all the best as they begin using EE in their professional lives. It was also great to have Leslie and Lisa from EllisLab in the room for part of the class. The EE 2.0 preview was great - and EllisLab was generous to allow the students to be part of the current 2.0 Beta program. My thanks to everyone for coming out and making the week so enjoyable!
If you missed this class take heart - I’ll be announcing the next one soon. We’ll be back in Holland, Michigan for that one.
