Seattle sneak-away!

I feel pretty lucky to have a husband who needs to travel professionally. This is the second time I have tagged along while he attended a conference. This year the annual SIGUCCS conference is in Seattle, Washington, a place high on our "someday" list.

 We departed on different airlines within 20 minutes of each other, and reunited in Seattle. (That is the trickiness of him purchasing airfare through work and me looking for the cheapest flight.)

I want to tell you that I flew Delta airlines, and it was such a wonderful experience. The seats were far more comfortable than those on Frontier. The head rest was adjustable, so I could make it work for my shortness instead of struggling the entire flight. Frontier no longer allows all seats to recline. Delta does. Being able to adjust the seat a few inches, make the head rest correct, and then using my Yoga Wrap meant that I was able to manage my comfort, and minimize pain during the flight.

Once we were reunited in Seattle (Dan was romantically waiting at my gate) we took the light rail from the airport to downtown. It is easy, cheap, and really was a spectacular way to be welcomed. The ride was lovely, and 30 minutes later we were finding our way through the streets of Seattle to Hotel Motif. We are on the 14th floor, facing the water. (I am writing this sitting in bed, leaning on my hotpad, watching the boats and ferries move across the water.)

At night, this is my view. Magical really!

Once we settled and I rested for a while, we walked down Pike Street hoping to find food. We found the Market of course, but were surprised that almost all of the restaurants were closed already! (6ish) We did find the Sound View Cafe, and wow the view!

We could watch the boats moving, the ferry loading and unloading, and see the tugboats moving the large barges stacked with multi-colored containers. However my eyes kept returning to this amazing rooftop garden across from us. I so wanted to see the inside of the apartment and know more about that magical place.

We returned to the Pike Street Market for breakfast, and to stroll a bit with the vendors all there. It was super crowded, and I look forward to returning on my own during the week. We chose a different restaurant that overlooked my magical balcony, and watched the water traffic even more. Trying to imagine it ever feeling ordinary to take a ferry as part of a daily commute lead to more dreaming of moving to the Pacific Northwest in the future. (However I have to document that Dan did mention moving to Spain in the same conversation. Moving internationally has long been a dream for me!)

After more wandering and then a rest back in our room, we met up with some of Dan's SIGUCCS friends for lunch at the waterfront. It was fun to put faces to some of the names in his life. We then split off and wandered near Pioneer Square, and found Dan a perfect cup of coffee at Slate Coffee. I had nitrous brewed Chai tea, and it was spectacular!

We could not resist the lure of taking an underground tour. It was really fascinating to see and hear the history of how Seattle was built, and walk through the crazy places left when they raised the level of the streets. (What was the first floor of a business then became the basement!)The above picture is one of the glass square skylights that remains in the sidewalks, allowing light to filter down to the  underground corridors along buildings. I felt like taking a later tour, with paranormal investigation equipment and guides, lights out, and slower, would have been the ideal way to explore, but 9pm start time didn't feel like a realistic option for me at the end of a busy day.

Dan went out to dinner with some of his tribe, and I thankfully retreated to our room, to recline and rest.

Today is the start of Dan's obligations with meetings, and the conference beginning tonight, so it is also the first day of my solo-while-not-entirely-solo adventures. I really feel like I could spend the day right here, reading, napping, watching the water...but I can't go all day eating bagels and peanut butter. So I am heading out in a few minutes, and will let you know what I discover!