Seattle, Washington - Business Office 1

The scene on TV is scary. About one-half a dozen firetrucks…lights flashing, ladders extended…were nether the runway of the monorail. Frightened passengers were climbing downward waiting for the security of corporation soil nether them.

That could’ve been us...



The flying to Seattle was nice. Southwest Airlines has vaulted its agency to the top of domestic carriers alongside a elementary strategy; maintain it elementary as well as maintain it consistent. As “passengers alongside particular needs”, nosotros were able to board kickoff as well as snag the bulkhead seats. One knock on Southwest is that at that spot are no reserved seats for most passengers. It’d live squeamish to know ahead of fourth dimension where you’ll sit down but this is 1 fourth dimension beingness disabled comes inward handy.



The flying left from Ontario, California correct on fourth dimension at 9:50am. The baggage handlers deftly handled Tim’s 350-pound ability chair, using a particular elevator correct exterior the jetway door. H5N1 quick halt inward San Jose, as well as we’re arriving at SEA-TAC aerodrome at 12:30pm.



I had called a taxi service ahead of fourth dimension to reserve an accessible cab but they said merely to telephone outcry upwardly when nosotros arrived. I did as well as nosotros had a ride inside thirty minutes. Don’t cheer besides much, though, every bit you’ll view later.



It was one-half an sixty minutes as well as $42 dollars afterwards that nosotros arrived at our hotel, the Homewood Suites inward the Queen Anne District, merely 3 blocks from the infinite needle as well as across the street from the belatedly Post-Intelligencer paper edifice alongside its beautiful globe on top.



I had called nearly ii weeks before to build reservations as well as talked to an Ed at the reservations office. All the accessible rooms were taken but he assured me he’d conduct hold a bath chair set inward the room if nosotros stayed there. At $215 dollars a night, this was the cheapest decent hotel I could respect as well as thence alongside a petty trepidation, I made the reservation.



At cheque in, who else would live manning the counter but Ed who non solely remembered our telephone conversation but also told me to cheque out the room as well as permit him know if the chair he set inward was OK. It was as well as provided a squeamish grade of access inward the bathroom…all nosotros needed, really.



The room itself was a spacious two-room suite alongside a dissever sleeping accommodation as well as a queen sized sofa bed. It also had a modest kitchen, walk-through closet, robes, ironing board, as well as merely a slight sentiment of Puget Sound out the window.



There is an eve manager’s reception…with beer, wine, as well as appetizers…along alongside a hot buffet breakfast served each morning. One notable matter is that a nice, local microbrew is poured along alongside the common bud as well as bud light. The bar is manned past times Ed who greets us as well as tells us what appetizers he’s serving. While Ed is pouring the beer I comment to him that he surely seems to live everywhere. He tells me that the managers accept turns running the reception past times picking what appetizers volition live served as well as manning the bar. It’s a rattling hands-on approach as well as I don’t know when I’ve had meliorate service at a major chain hotel.

That evening, at Ed’s suggestion, nosotros walk a petty over a block to Buckley’s. This is a local pub that serves smashing microbrews for $3 during happy sixty minutes as well as served 1 heck of a macaroni as well as cheese dish for $13. Bubbling alongside cheese as well as infused alongside bacon, it’s the best dish we’ll conduct hold this week.



We croak on on to the Seattle Center…the quondam World’s Fair site…and attempt to ride the monorail into town. I state “try to,” because it is non working at the moment. The workers conduct hold no thought when it volition live running.



After a delicious breakfast inward the hotel’s rattling squeamish dining room…with its flooring to ceiling windows giving a sentiment out to the sound…we caput downtown. There are ii major charabanc stops close the hotel alongside frequent charabanc service. Unfortunately, nosotros are merely exterior of the downtown gratis fare zone, as well as thence nosotros conduct hold to pay but it’s non much as well as 20 minutes later, we’re downtown.



Our kickoff halt is the Mariners Team Store to purchase tickets for a game. The principal argue we’re inward Seattle at all is that we’re trying to add together some other stadium to our list. Tim’s goal is to view every major league stadium. We larn tickets at kickoff base of operations at the top of the acre grade for $60 each. This is a fleck steep when the same tickets at our stadium…Angel Stadium inward Anaheim, California…are $24. This is also for a squad that volition become on to destination alongside the less-than-stellar tape of 61 wins as well as 101 losses to destination inward lastly identify 39 games behind the sectionalization champion Angels.

It’s non a long walk from at that spot to the Pike Place Market, abode to the world’s kickoff Starbucks as well as the flying fish guys. It’s a rattling touristy identify as well as also has a lot of traffic on the street out front end but at that spot is some smashing create here. We purchase some fruit to accept dorsum to the hotel, spotter the guys throw some fish around, see a few shops, as well as caput dorsum to the hotel to residue upwardly for the game.



A twain of blocks away, we’re able to choose conduct hold of a charabanc that volition accept us all the agency to Safeco Field, abode of the Mariners. We larn at that spot early on as well as the Pyramid brewery as well as bar are correct across the street having happy sixty minutes but Letty as well as Tim aren’t interested. We larn inward and, every bit nosotros exercise alongside whatever novel stadium, accept a lap around to view what’s there.



We respect our seats as well as are shocked to respect they are completely blocked past times a TV photographic idiot box camera platform. I can’t believe they charged us $180 dollars to sit down here! I respect an usher as well as complain. He says I conduct hold to hold off for a manager who, when he shows up, allows us to move.


Mind you, this game is far from a sell-out. Less than one-half of the seats volition live filled tonight…this is merely unforgivable that the squad would sell us such lousy seats at these prices when many meliorate locations were available.

At our novel seats…about 50 feet away from our master location…we settle inward for the game. I larn us some of the local specialty snack…Ichi Rolls from the Sushi stand…and spotter at Ichiro, Arian Beltre, as well as companionship become downward inward flames again.

One rattling squeamish characteristic to the stadium is that inward rainy Seattle (yes, it rained nearly every day, fifty-fifty inward August) at that spot is a roof over the commons to maintain it out. It is soundless an outdoor stadium; it’s merely that the retractable roof rolls over similar a giant umbrella when it starts to rain. That’s what makes it funny when I view during the side past times side flavor that they had a rainout inward Seattle. Really?
They couldn’t set the roof on?



After the game, nosotros become exterior to choose conduct hold of a charabanc going back. We respect out that 1 charabanc comes past times around every 20 minutes. One…for the several one 1000 fans that are exiting.


Luckily, the charabanc driver sees us as well as holds everybody else dorsum as well as thence that Tim as well as his chair tin can board first. We also respect out that nosotros conduct hold to transfer to some other charabanc at Pioneer Square to croak on on to the hotel.



Now I conduct hold to banker's bill that at that spot is a commuter rail station correct side past times side to the stadium but it doesn’t occur to anyone here…supposedly the greenest metropolis inward America…that it would alleviate as well as thence much traffic to the game to run trains? Only on surely weekend games to they run Sounder trains…not during the week. Only that lonely, solitary charabanc coming past times every 20 minutes.



(Note: The new Link lite rail, which opened upwardly a yr later, instantly serves the stadium)



I conduct hold to state at this point, however, that the charabanc drivers inward Seattle are the best as well as nicest transit drivers we’ve ever come upwardly across. They ever strapped downward the chair, were friendly, as well as never hesitated to give us data nearly the town patch nosotros were there. They would also plough out to salve our bacon inward a major agency later.

The side past times side day, nosotros walk over to the Seattle Center. The monorail is soundless broken. Inside 1 of the halls, nosotros conduct hold a rattling proficient hot domestic dog as well as become exterior to view the fountains. They conduct hold this cool outflow gear upwardly inward a large bowl that the kids tin can become play in. It fifty-fifty has a wheelchair ramp that spirals downward the side. After much coaxing, Tim finally goes downward as well as has the fourth dimension of his life dodging the spray.

I notice a monorail moving along the beam. We hurry to the station, purchase tickets, as well as we’re off on the cheesiest transit you’re probable to come upwardly across. The driver dresses similar he’s on Star Trek as well as sings Elvis songs during the one-mile journey. The develop is old and, of course, looks similar what people inward 1962 thought trains would hold off similar inward the future.



At the other destination inward downtown, nosotros explore the area, conduct hold some coffee, see the Nordstrom’s flagship store before hopping dorsum on board to the Seattle Center.



Next, nosotros larn some sandwiches from a nearby deli as well as choose conduct hold of a charabanc to Ballard. Another charabanc takes us the lastly mile to the Ballard Locks, a Corps of Engineers projection that allows vessels inward from the salt-water audio to the fresh H2O Lake Union as well as on to Lake Washington past times lifting them inward the twin locks.

It’s an interesting procedure to watch…you tin can become correct to the edge, beak to the people on the boats every bit they hold off to live raised or lowered. Afterward, you lot tin can become across the locks to the salmon ladders on the other side.

A ramp lets wheelchairs into the surreptitious chamber where you lot tin can spotter the massive fish swim upstream. Going out to sea, large pipes deed every bit waterslides giving the fish the ride of their lives every bit they shoot into the ocean.



Back on the Ballard side of things is a squeamish commons as well as pretty garden where nosotros conduct hold a picnic of our sandwiches on top of a light-green loma looking downward on the locks.

Instead of the bus, nosotros decided to walk dorsum to Ballard going past times agency of a few shops along the agency to purchase some smoked salmon to accept home. We also view a twain of genuine TV stars…the Wizard as well as the Northwestern. These ii boats are featured on the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch as well as are based hither inward Ballard, every bit are a few other boats from the series. Didn’t view whatever of the Hansen brothers though.



Back on the bus, nosotros larn stuck inward a massive traffic jam but finally build it dorsum to the hotel. Some to a greater extent than lite rail or fifty-fifty a few ferries would build this metropolis much to a greater extent than bearable.

At the hotel that night, I’m watching the word where a scene of multiple burn trucks conduct hold their lights on as well as ladders extended. It seems that the monorail broke downward again…just a few hours after our ride…and the passengers were beingness evacuated downward those ladders. I don’t actually desire to know how they would conduct hold had to evacuate Tim.



Stay tuned for component 2...
 
Darryl
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