Well, I’m back on the road, headed to Alaska! When my SIL, Carrie, announced that she and my niece, Lizzie, would be going on an Alaskan cruise for Lizzie’s high school graduation (Yay, Liz!), I promptly invited myself along. We happened to be having lunch with Gregg’s family, so I invited his cousin, Jamie, to come along with me. Sounds pretty cheeky, but they were glad we were going to crash the party.
Afterward, Gregg’s (and Carrie’s) Aunt and Uncle, Marge and Bob, from the other side of his family had mentioned they were looking at cruises as well. A couple of weeks later, they called to say they are also on our ship! So I’m on the way with different members of Gregg’s family. Oddly, Gregg laughed and said better me than him! He doesn’t know what he’s going to miss! But I’m glad he’ll be home to take care of the kitties.
So the little St. Louis Eschenbrenner tribe started Friday morning, headed to Chicago (where Jamie is based). For some reason known only to them, my company gave us the Friday before Memorial Day off as well, so Gregg took the day off and we got started mid-morning. Although Gregg is not going to Alaska, he and his Mom, Jeanne, dropped me off in Chicago, then headed to Indianapolis for Lizzie’s graduation while Jamie and I headed for Seattle early yesterday morning.
Despite my clear intentions, my Alaska clothes refused to fit into my carry on sized suitcase. So once again I have had to check a bag for a trip. Secretly, Gregg was happy because he sees some duty free Scotch in his future, but we’ll see. Of course when we got ready to load Jamie’s suitcase into the car, she had the tiniest suitcase I’ve ever seen in my life. But she’s half my size, so that’s about right.
Our flight to Seattle was actually not bad at all. It was completely full, but we left on time and actually made it into cool and cloudy Seattle about 30 minutes early. After comparing ride share prices with the taxi prices I remember, it was was actually about $10 cheaper to take a taxi, so off we went to find the taxi line.
Seattle is going through major construction down by the waterfront, which is where our hotel is located, The Marriott Seattle Waterfront. Add in to that the congestion from the NCL ship Bliss, which was in the middle of turnover and it was slow going to the hotel. Tomorrow the Bliss will be replaced by our ship, the NCL Encore, but thankfully we’ll just need to wheel our luggage right next door to join the madness, instead of having to get into the traffic.
We reached the hotel about 11am and, although they were completely booked, they were able to give us a room right away. All those credit card dollars going to toward Marriott status has paid off. So we were given a water facing (ish) room and will have full view of the Encore tomorrow from our Juliet sized balcony.
There is a very populate sea food restaurant next the hotel, but when I asked at the very nice young lady checking us is (named spelled Iyreland), very politely said that they had heard mixed reviews. Jamie and I both thought this meant, “No! Don’t do it!” Iyreland suggested Elliott’s Oyster Bar down the street. So using the Google map machine, we headed down there. I had seen a waiter walk by with a delish looking shrimp dish so I inquired about that. It was spicy shrimp so that’s what I had, along with a salad. It was really, really good. It’s akin to what I’ve seen elsewhere named Boom Boom Shrimp or Bang Bang Shrimp. But Elliot’s was too refined for such silly names! Anyway, Jamie had clam chowder and crab cakes and said her meal was good as well. So well done, Iyreland, even if I have to tell auto correct that yes, that is the spelling I want.
While we were eating, the sun came out and the rest of the day was a perfect day in Seattle. Jamie has a love of all things Starbucks and wanted to visit the Starbuck’s Roastery. I had never heard of such (Gregg and I are Dunkin folk), but I was game and she suggested that we walk the mile. I suggested that she had taken leave of her senses since it was straight up the Seattle hill and so we ordered a Lyft. Here is where the confusion started. The address was 1124 Pike Street and the Lyft driver took us there, but it was a small clothing store and nothing nearby looked anything like the open storefront of the Roastery. Jamie iwas trying to find it on her phone and it was NOT where they said it would be.
The Lyft driver said I think you want to go down to this other place. He called it something other than the Roastery, but he said that’s where a lot of the tourists go. So he took us there and lo and behold, the Starbucks Roastery, also at 1124 Pike Street. But I guess one was EAST Pike Street and the Roastery was at regular old Pike Street. But either way, we arrived and it was jam packed! It is a really cool building where you can see the coffee being roasted and bagged. They even sell several different and very pricey tours. They have this huge roaster and then a series of copper pipes that run along the top and end up depositing the fresh beans into the center of the main coffee bar. I heard one of the barrista’s say that they wanted a Willie Wonka effect, and they got it. It was very cool.
After waiting in the long, but surprisingly fast moving line, we obtained our coffee drinks (Hazelnut Latte for me and Dark Chocolate Mocha for Jamie) about the time that two benches opened up at the coffee bar. So we got to sit and enjoy our coffee and people watch. And my coffee was so so good.
When our coffee was finished, I stayed seated at the bar while Jamie took a turn around the building to do some shopping. I struck up a conversation with two ladies next to me who were from Boston. They also are going out on a cruise tomorrow, except are on Holland America. But they also were a victim of Google maps, except they were on foot. They walked up and down the very steep hill until finally finding it and were extremely grateful when the chairs next to us opened up. Their coffee drinks were more restorative than ours, with us having had our debacle in a comfy car.
After the Roastery, Jamie and I continued on foot DOWN the hill to Pike’s Place Market, where we were due to meet Bob and Marge for dinner later. Now Jamie is very petite and walks A LOT and well, I am NOT and I DON’T. She was a good sport and kept things slow, stopping when I needed a little rest. But we made it with no issues and got to spend a brief few minutes watching the fishmonger’s slinging the fish from the front display back to the guys in the back to be wrapped up. I am so amazed that they are able to catch those huge slimy fish, but nary a one was dropped (while we watched).
We did a little walking around the market and I made a couple of small purchases (a small glass bouquet of flowers and small glass multi-colored pig to represent our Seattle trip. They have a huge brass pig at the opening of the market. I found a small café and sat to have some water and wait for Bob and Marge, while Jamie made her way out the original Starbucks right up the street. But even hard core Starbucks fan Jamie was unwilling to wait in the huge line to get in. So IS SHE a hard core fan? You be the judge! But she did get a picture of the building and then made her way back to us via the market, stopping to make a couple of small purchases.
By the time Jamie returned, Bob and Marge had found me at my spot and had consumed a tide-me-over cup sized portion of clam chowder. Although Marge said it was more clam FLAVORED chowder than actual claim chowder since there didn’t seem to be many clams in it.
We made it to dinner on time and were seated right away. Marge had found a bar and grill right next to Pike Place, where I had fish and chips, Bob and Marge had smoked salmon and crab cakes and Jamie had a small portion of what would turn out to be one example of how you actually CAN mess up Mac and cheese. But the rest of us enjoyed the meal and shortly after finishing decided to call it a day. I would have loved to have bought one of the gorgeous bouquets of flowers to take on the ship to enjoy for the week, but I understand they don’t let you carry flowers onboard any longer so I just enjoyed them from afar.
Anyway, separating to go to our respective lodgings, Bob and Marge went UP the hill to get to the light rail station to take them to their hotel while Jamie and I continued the walk DOWN the hill to get to our hotel. By the time we made it to our room, I don’t think it’s possible that I could have taken another step. So I took a long, hot shower (no bath in the room – grrrr) and then climbed into bed. Jamie read for a while then also called it a night.
Tomorrow is embarkation day and we should be able to see our ship outside the window when we eventually decide to get up!
