Seattle, Day 1
Sep. 25th, 2019 09:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fandomonymousI'm going to attempt to post daily on vacation.
Why? Well, I took really serious notes on paper on my big Europe vacation last year...then promptly lost the notebook in Paris. (A big shame - it was a red Moleskine I loved to death, that I'd gotten signed by Dessa no less!) I want to record where I've been and how I'm feeling, for me if nothing else. So feel free to read or not. :)
My flights are all Alaska Airlines. This particular one was Flight 7, the first direct flight from JFK to SEA of the day, leaving just after 7 AM on the East Coast and scheduled to arrive after 10 AM on the West.
I stayed up all night, yet just *barely* missed the early LIRR I had wanted to take, so had to do the two-subway way to the Airtrain instead. Which worked out, but still, annoying. I also in my haste forgot to actually drop my rent check in the slot (rent is due on the 1st, when I'll be out.)
TSA was only notable because I forgot to take off my belt. Basically no line though, which was nice.
I got the 'saver' version of my ticket, which meant I didn't get to select my seat. I was supposed to be seated all the way in the back (literally, last row window seat) but by the time I boarded someone was in the aisle seat of that half-row dead asleep. The crew moved me a few rows up into a completely empty row, which was neat!
I was very prepared to sleep - myNoise white noise on over-ear headphones *and* foam earplugs, eye mask, and a dose of hydroxyzine taken while waiting at the gate, plus the whole having stayed up all night thing. I stayed up just long enough to watch the plane take off, then fell asleep sitting up, propped up against the window/wall using a rolled-up sweater and scarf as a pillow and my jacket as a blanket.
I woke up about an hour later, attempted to stretch myself out across my row and found that however the air was circulating, if I tried to lay down such that my feet were near the aisle, they were *freezing*, so that didn't work.
I had pre-packed a takeout container of snacks - trail mix, SkyFlakes, little chunks of fancy cheese from Murray's (Catalan aged goat cheese and French aged goat/sheep mix), and a strange meat bar. (Can you tell I was taking advantage of a bunch of CVS coupons?) The meat bar was *awful* but the rest was great. I fell asleep sitting up again after I was done, and didn't wake up until we were well into the Rocky Mountains, when I promptly requested seltzer and coffee from the staff. I stayed up with some podcasts to entertain me (some backlog of All Songs Considered and Reply All), and Shattered Pixel Dungeon.
We landed early but had to wait to be taxied to the gate. Combined with being so close to the end, I got out somewhat later than I had wanted, but it turned out fine. Getting to the light rail was uneventful as well. I had tickets on my phone, but they were never checked. The light rail passes through a town called 'Othello' with what looks like a very vibrant Vietnamese community - I want to check that out on my way back to the airport next week. But frankly, everywhere else I want today felt and looked very very white, more than New York would be even modulo class and hipster markers, and that felt really strange.
I got to Capitol Hill at noon, which left me a few hours before my AirBNB would be ready for check in. I got a burger with grilled onions and brie, fries, and a peach radler at a lovely bar where I admired the decorative wrought iron and the very reasonable prices. I also went to the post office to mail my rent check to my super and investigated but did not patronize a few more places. (Nearly got my watch band replaced, the massage place I wanted to go to didn't have slots free.) Quality Food Market is ENORMOUS and has a Murray's in it?!?! Pride/rainbow capitalism stuff is up in full force despite it being October, though a number of places here seem to full time cater to queer community.
My AirBNB is *lovely* - a basement, decently bigger than my apartment, oddly laid out but very comfortable once I got my bearings. I really like the couch, a big brown leather number that converts to a loungier state by pulling at the back.
I got a perfect latte at Joe Bar, walked to Cal Anderson Park and briefly napped on a park bench. Then through bits of Pike/Pine - vintage shops, Elliot Bay Book Company (read and almost bought some manga), Raygun Lounge, and down towards Pike Place Market.
Absolutely STUNNING sunset with clouds and water and just loveliness all around aesthetically. The preference for neutrals + blue + green is *real*, which is odd but also kind of great.
Most of PPM was closed or at least not serving food; ended up at Steelhead, expensive but FABULOUS service. Also went to Rachel's Ginger Beer, which was honestly disappointing. (If you had told me the "Original Flavor" was ginger flavored lemonade instead of ginger beer, I would have believed you, and that tells you something.)
Had a *rough* time getting a bus back to the AirBNB - the bus was late, the bus driver was new and having technical difficulties - but here we are.
Why? Well, I took really serious notes on paper on my big Europe vacation last year...then promptly lost the notebook in Paris. (A big shame - it was a red Moleskine I loved to death, that I'd gotten signed by Dessa no less!) I want to record where I've been and how I'm feeling, for me if nothing else. So feel free to read or not. :)
My flights are all Alaska Airlines. This particular one was Flight 7, the first direct flight from JFK to SEA of the day, leaving just after 7 AM on the East Coast and scheduled to arrive after 10 AM on the West.
I stayed up all night, yet just *barely* missed the early LIRR I had wanted to take, so had to do the two-subway way to the Airtrain instead. Which worked out, but still, annoying. I also in my haste forgot to actually drop my rent check in the slot (rent is due on the 1st, when I'll be out.)
TSA was only notable because I forgot to take off my belt. Basically no line though, which was nice.
I got the 'saver' version of my ticket, which meant I didn't get to select my seat. I was supposed to be seated all the way in the back (literally, last row window seat) but by the time I boarded someone was in the aisle seat of that half-row dead asleep. The crew moved me a few rows up into a completely empty row, which was neat!
I was very prepared to sleep - myNoise white noise on over-ear headphones *and* foam earplugs, eye mask, and a dose of hydroxyzine taken while waiting at the gate, plus the whole having stayed up all night thing. I stayed up just long enough to watch the plane take off, then fell asleep sitting up, propped up against the window/wall using a rolled-up sweater and scarf as a pillow and my jacket as a blanket.
I woke up about an hour later, attempted to stretch myself out across my row and found that however the air was circulating, if I tried to lay down such that my feet were near the aisle, they were *freezing*, so that didn't work.
I had pre-packed a takeout container of snacks - trail mix, SkyFlakes, little chunks of fancy cheese from Murray's (Catalan aged goat cheese and French aged goat/sheep mix), and a strange meat bar. (Can you tell I was taking advantage of a bunch of CVS coupons?) The meat bar was *awful* but the rest was great. I fell asleep sitting up again after I was done, and didn't wake up until we were well into the Rocky Mountains, when I promptly requested seltzer and coffee from the staff. I stayed up with some podcasts to entertain me (some backlog of All Songs Considered and Reply All), and Shattered Pixel Dungeon.
We landed early but had to wait to be taxied to the gate. Combined with being so close to the end, I got out somewhat later than I had wanted, but it turned out fine. Getting to the light rail was uneventful as well. I had tickets on my phone, but they were never checked. The light rail passes through a town called 'Othello' with what looks like a very vibrant Vietnamese community - I want to check that out on my way back to the airport next week. But frankly, everywhere else I want today felt and looked very very white, more than New York would be even modulo class and hipster markers, and that felt really strange.
I got to Capitol Hill at noon, which left me a few hours before my AirBNB would be ready for check in. I got a burger with grilled onions and brie, fries, and a peach radler at a lovely bar where I admired the decorative wrought iron and the very reasonable prices. I also went to the post office to mail my rent check to my super and investigated but did not patronize a few more places. (Nearly got my watch band replaced, the massage place I wanted to go to didn't have slots free.) Quality Food Market is ENORMOUS and has a Murray's in it?!?! Pride/rainbow capitalism stuff is up in full force despite it being October, though a number of places here seem to full time cater to queer community.
My AirBNB is *lovely* - a basement, decently bigger than my apartment, oddly laid out but very comfortable once I got my bearings. I really like the couch, a big brown leather number that converts to a loungier state by pulling at the back.
I got a perfect latte at Joe Bar, walked to Cal Anderson Park and briefly napped on a park bench. Then through bits of Pike/Pine - vintage shops, Elliot Bay Book Company (read and almost bought some manga), Raygun Lounge, and down towards Pike Place Market.
Absolutely STUNNING sunset with clouds and water and just loveliness all around aesthetically. The preference for neutrals + blue + green is *real*, which is odd but also kind of great.
Most of PPM was closed or at least not serving food; ended up at Steelhead, expensive but FABULOUS service. Also went to Rachel's Ginger Beer, which was honestly disappointing. (If you had told me the "Original Flavor" was ginger flavored lemonade instead of ginger beer, I would have believed you, and that tells you something.)
Had a *rough* time getting a bus back to the AirBNB - the bus was late, the bus driver was new and having technical difficulties - but here we are.