It was official! Vacation had begun, I was in Detroit, and Natalie and I were packing our bags! I was too excited to sleep! It wasn’t until after midnight that I was able to shut my eyes and our alarm went off at 3:45 in the morning. Dressed and ready, we loaded up the car and drove to the Coast Guard station where we were meeting one of her fellow Coasties who would be driving us to the airport. The plan was to leave my car there so that one of the guys from the station could take a look at it while we were out of town.
We walked into the airport with almost three hours to kill, and just as we approached the ticket desk, I realized that I still had my car keys in hand. “Dammit,” I thought, “so much for getting the car squared away while we are gone!” Such is life I guess! Oh well, we were in the airport and not far from being in the air and on our way to Seattle.
Once we were in the air it was smooth sailing, and we lucked out with a straight through flight. I don’t really care much for flying and find the only benefit being the expedited travel time. When we landed it was almost eleven in the morning and gray- as it usually is in Seattle- but it was near 50 degrees, which is better than what was happening back here! We got our rental car and hit the road!
(I was born in Seattle and lived there until the age of five when we moved to Indiana. After a year here, we moved back to Washington and lived there for another year before returning to Indiana where I have lived ever since. I have, however, made many a trip to the state and it is the place that feels most like home.)
First Stop: Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks
At Natalie’s request, we headed for the waterfront. Heading north on I-5, I watched her anxiously to see her reactions to the scenery. It is a route I have taken a time or two, but I have yet to tire of the views: the hills, the trees, the mountains, the city, the water—I love it every time. The Mercer Street exit spits you out into the city, and it is just a couple of curves and a turn or two before you are right next to the Seattle Center, home to the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project, continue west down one very steep hill and there you’ll find the waterfront. Parking is an adventure downtown, but once we found a place to park our adventure was officially on!
<<highly recommend the salted caramel hot chocolate>>
It wasn’t long before we finally heard from my dad, so we decided to head back towards Tacoma to meet him for lunch. Natalie was meeting my dad for the first time! It was great to see him, and I really hate that I generally get to see him only once a year.
--ok, for now my hands are tired and so am I
No comments:
Post a Comment