Pre-Travel: We drove from Indiana to New Orleans and spent a week there, visiting with friends and family. My in-laws graciously agreed to watch our two dogs for us (no small feat, as they have 5 of their own, all small dachshunds, and ours are 100 and 60 pounds respectively) so we didn’t have to board them in Indiana, and we also managed to get a direct flight out of New Orleans to Seattle. For the first time on purpose, we flew first class.
Pre-Travel, Day of: Had lunch with my father before he drove us to the airport. As we had a week in New Orleans, we spent as much time as we could eating seafood. This was no different. We ate at a favorite, New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company on St. Charles Avenue. I had the Shrimpzilla po-boy, which is a shrimp po-boy with roast beef debris. If you don’t know what those things are, book yourself a trip to NOLA ASAP and eat up!
Airport, Day of: We arrived at the airport hours early, overwhelmed and frightened by reports of 3-hour-long security lines. We were in and out of security in 10 minutes. With a ton of time to wait, we settled at our gate and had a smoothie. Because why? Because the smoothie place was right across from the gate. No other reason than boredom! (it was a good smoothie, however). We were a bit annoyed and worried about the couple who were loudly fighting in front of their child, about their child, and about each other. V. disturbing at the gate, making for an uncomfortable wait. As the man’s shirt said something like, “Stop talking and make me a sandwich,” we were mostly inclined to dislike him.
Flight, Day of: First class! My God, how to describe this amazing experience? How will I ever go back to coach?! We had warm towels, a three-course meal preempted by a bowl of warm nuts, free access to alcohol (although I don’t drink) and entertainment tablets, comfy seats, and a great flight attendant. Like I said earlier, we hadn’t vacayed in 11 years. This time, we were doing it right.
Seattle Airport, Day of: First blip. The car we ordered to pick us up was not there, as there was a mixup with the hotel on time. No worries. They sent a new car and we waited about 30 minutes for it to arrive. We loaded our SEVERAL bags (remember, this is a 10-day cruise with 3 days in Seattle) into the car and listened and observed as the driver showed us Seattle.
Hotel, Day of: I will not name the hotel, but suffice to say, I will never stay with them again. There were several mixups during check-in, so we were sent not once but twice to an occupied room! Then, the hotel had no room for us, and had to board us at a different hotel about a mile away. By this time, it was midnight Seattle time, 2:00 a.m. Central time, and we were EXHAUSTED. We loaded all of our bags and ourselves into a cab, again, and went to the new hotel. Nice enough, but definitely not the one I booked in July 2015 for this May 2016 stay. I was, not to put too fine a point on it, annoyed at the lack of efficiency and organization.
NEW Hotel, Day of: Finally, to sleep. Next day, we’re off to the Aquarium and a Harbor Cruise, if everything gets sorted with the hotel!
The Postmodern Bluestocking 