I always thought it would be so cool to sail into a big city. Chicago, New York, Seattle, sail on in, tie up to the dock, and walk out into the hustle and bustle of city life.
Rounding the turn past Discovery Park, we began to see the cranes from the port. Then the arenas came into view. Soon we were spying the skyscrapers. We had done it! We had sailed into Seattle!
Once docked at the Belle Harbor Marina, we quickly threw in a load of laundry, changed our clothes, and checked out the city. I’ve been there several times before for work and always loved Pikes Market. And I was praying that the Biscuit Bitch was open. Yes, it’s a strange name, but they have the best gluten-free biscuits I’ve ever eaten. and there was no way I was going home without them!
As we walked around, I felt sad for Seattle. Because of COVID, and because of the riots in downtown, many of the stores were closed. Some were boarded up, the owners hoping to wait it out and open their doors another time. And Pikes Market was a veritable ghost town. A few vendors were open selling fruits and vegetables, but the streets were fairly empty.
And talk about rude! We walked into one shop, yes we were wearing our masks. The sales person asked, “Where are you visiting from?”
“Florida”
“Oh, everytime I see someone from Florida, I feel the need to sanitize my hands.” And he did, right then and there. I wasn’t closer than 12′ from him. Whatever.
We managed to score some Rainier cherries, Beecher’s Homemade Cheese, and lots of salmon jerky. We even found this amazing truffle salt from the Truffle Queen. (She ships! You have to try the truffle toffee. It’s to die for!)
And yes, the Biscuit Bitch was open for breakfast the next day. A bacon, egg, and cheese, gluten-free buttery biscuit? Yes, please. And two biscuits with butter and jelly packed for the airplane, thank you very much.
Wednesday came too soon. It was time to leave. Our two weeks sailing in the Pacific Northwest had come to an end. Bill and Kris helped us carry our luggage to the train station where we caught the light rail to the airport. We checked in two hours ahead of time, like good little travelers, and made our way to the lounge. Jeff enjoyed a Bloody Mary. I just drank decaf. I’d had way too much wine over the last two weeks.
I saw the Arrival and Departures board in the lounge, but it was too far away to read it. “Maybe I should make sure our flight is on time. I should go look at the board. Nah, I’m sure it’s fine.” At 11:15 I decided to go find something to eat. Our flight would board in 30 minutes, and they weren’t serving food on the plane. As I passed our gate, I noticed that no one was waiting there. I walked up to the counter and asked,
“What time is the flight boarding?”
“Where are you going?”
“Tampa.”
“Tampa? That flight left 10 minutes ago?”
“What? It was supposed to leave at 12:10.”
“No, it left at 11:10.”
“Did it go early?”
“No, you just missed it.”
I looked a the boarding pass. Sure enough, 11:10. I’ve never in my life missed a flight like that. I was dumbfounded! I went to customer service.
“How can I help you?”
“I missed my flight.”
“Oh, my. How did that happen?”
“I have no idea. Time zone issues? I plugged the wrong time in my phone? Sheer negligence? When does the next flight leave?”
“Tomorrow morning at 11:10.”
They booked us on the same flight for the next day. Luckily, they had our same seats available (We flew first class. I love points.) Then we headed to the Seattle Airport Marriott. It was virtually empty. I walked up to the counter and met Roger.
“How can I help you?”
“I missed my flight.”
“Oh, my. Bad weather?”
“No. I’m not really sure what happened.?
I guess I looked fairly bewildered because Roger gave us a lovely suite. (Thank you Roger!) We got to the room and Jeff realized that he only had toiletries and electronics in his backpack. No clothes. My mother always told me to travel with at least 2 days worth of clothes in my carry-on. I guess Jeff’s mom didn’t teach him that. So, we sat in our suite, watched TV all day, ate dinner, drank more wine, (like I needed that, but what the hell), and hopped the flight home the next day.
What an adventure!
July 2020