It made a world of difference to have a HOME in the middle of the Emerald City: a home where we could play games with the kids (from a well-stocked play-room!), eat home-cooked meals prepared in a well-stocked kitchen with good food from a nearby grocery store, sit together at a table smiled down-upon by beautiful family faces of the kind and easy-going Laurel, and our kids (6 & 8) dodging flying corn from their first Air Popper after a post-dinner 2-block walk to a rad playground (and great wood-fired pizza on a later night!).