Impressions Along the West Coast
I will try to summarize this trip as best as I can.
Leaving: xylaix and I left about 10pm on Friday night, in a rental car. Arrived in Portland about 11am Saturday.
Portland: The hotel was in a barren wasteland in terms of food. Carl's Jr, Jung's Chinese, and a Starbucks. We drove 10 miles for breakfast one morning, and just ate at the hotel restaurant the second morning. Portland seemed groovy. I felt like I was overdressed as soon as I crossed the Oregon border, but it was a good place to visit.
Wedding: Traditional Easter Orthodox wedding. Officiated by a bishop who I had met once before, and who likes Rocky Horror Picture Show. This was the same bishop from the "a priest, a vampire, and a bishop walk into a diner" story. Eastern Orthodox weddings involve lots of singing, incense, and no exchange of vows. But there are crowns involved.
Reception: Excellent food at a small-ish resort in the woods or Oregon. Line dancing happened at one point. I thought someone had given them 100 tiny jars of homemade jam as a wedding present, but it turns out they were made by the groom's mother for the guests to take home. I had planned to stay in a cabin overnight, but my friends (the only people other than the bride and groom who I knew) changed their minds about that, so I went back to the hotel with them. Left Portland about 11 am Monday morning.
Arriving in Seattle: I had booked a room at the Baroness, a supposedly old historic Seattle hotel. The only problem? Our room was not in the Baroness. It was across the way, at the Virginia Mason Inn. Which is in a hospital. No, for real. If you went down to the hotel basement, you were in the Emergency Room. Staying there, I got the "patient discount" on parking rates. That would have been ok, except the rooms kind of lacked the amenities we were expecting. It was clean, and decent, but sort of like staying in your grandma's spare guestroom. I had to ring the front desk to bring up bath towels and a hairdryer. The real killer tho, was spotty internet. It was free, but it didn't really work.
So we only stayed there two nights, then went to the Pan Pacific Hotel, which totally rocks.
Side note: The roads in Seattle make NO SENSE. This is exacerbated by the fact that about half the city was under construction when I was there. On the plus side, Seattle drivers are more polite than any other city I've ever driven in.
Meeting friends: xylaix and I went to visit buruna_enu and
t_bellwether at their house, which was really very pleasant. They are both lovely and interesting people, and adept in the fine art of hospitality.
t_bellwether is an amazing cook, as well. So we ended up spending quite a bit of time with them, and in the end xylaix even stayed with them when I left.
Meeting other friends: I was also glad I got to spend time with twilight2000 . Wednesday (I think it was) the three of us went out for sushi on Broadway st, at a little place called Hana. It looks like a hole in the wall, but has some excellent sushi for a reasonable price. I was impressed right off the bat, because they have my favorite sake... Mu (english translation: nothingness).
9: Thursday I met up with kantrip to go see 9. Along the way I ended up trapped in a Teavana store, and could not escape until I bought some Samurai Chai Matte. 9 was both very cool and very disappointing. Outstanding, visually. However, they forgot the second half of the plot. The plot elements they did work in, or hint at and then ignore, probably would have been really cool.
Club: So after we connected with xylaix again and had a relaxed dinner at Wann's (more sushi, sake, and Japanese food), we headed to club Re-Bar for an industrial night called Mecha-something (as required by the industrial club code of law).
buruna_enu and
t_bellwether met up with us there. Now, at the risk of too mush "woo" I must mention that two of the people I am at this club with produce very tasty energy, and are not adverse to a psy vamp siphoning off some of the excess. Naturally I end up right between these two people. And then, for some yet-undetermined reason, the bartender brings out a round of vodka shots. This throws off my alcohol pacing for the night. Point being, flooded with more vodka and energy than I've had access to in a while, and on top of everything else, I was gone. I mean the kind of no-self, ego-less mental void that ascetic monks always talk about. It was one of the best nights out I've had in a while. The rest of that night was very pleasant, also, and I slept very well.
Leaving: Sadly, Friday I had to leave. We had crashed the night at our friend's place, so xylaix and I had to head back to the hotel to get our stuff and check out. By this time, xylaix had decided she was not, in fact, going back to California with me. SO I spent a few hours helping her get settled in, moving some furniture around, an generally just hanging out. Left around 8pm, met twilight2000 one last time for dinner at a greek place (which was special because it served flaming cheese), and then I was on the road.
Drive back: Let's just skip this part. It was not fun. Suffice to say I made it home alive, and with all my stuff, and if I never have to drive again it will be too soon.
Overall it was a wonderful trip and one I hope I am able to do again soon (except without the driving).
Leaving: xylaix and I left about 10pm on Friday night, in a rental car. Arrived in Portland about 11am Saturday.
Portland: The hotel was in a barren wasteland in terms of food. Carl's Jr, Jung's Chinese, and a Starbucks. We drove 10 miles for breakfast one morning, and just ate at the hotel restaurant the second morning. Portland seemed groovy. I felt like I was overdressed as soon as I crossed the Oregon border, but it was a good place to visit.
Wedding: Traditional Easter Orthodox wedding. Officiated by a bishop who I had met once before, and who likes Rocky Horror Picture Show. This was the same bishop from the "a priest, a vampire, and a bishop walk into a diner" story. Eastern Orthodox weddings involve lots of singing, incense, and no exchange of vows. But there are crowns involved.
Reception: Excellent food at a small-ish resort in the woods or Oregon. Line dancing happened at one point. I thought someone had given them 100 tiny jars of homemade jam as a wedding present, but it turns out they were made by the groom's mother for the guests to take home. I had planned to stay in a cabin overnight, but my friends (the only people other than the bride and groom who I knew) changed their minds about that, so I went back to the hotel with them. Left Portland about 11 am Monday morning.
Arriving in Seattle: I had booked a room at the Baroness, a supposedly old historic Seattle hotel. The only problem? Our room was not in the Baroness. It was across the way, at the Virginia Mason Inn. Which is in a hospital. No, for real. If you went down to the hotel basement, you were in the Emergency Room. Staying there, I got the "patient discount" on parking rates. That would have been ok, except the rooms kind of lacked the amenities we were expecting. It was clean, and decent, but sort of like staying in your grandma's spare guestroom. I had to ring the front desk to bring up bath towels and a hairdryer. The real killer tho, was spotty internet. It was free, but it didn't really work.
So we only stayed there two nights, then went to the Pan Pacific Hotel, which totally rocks.
Side note: The roads in Seattle make NO SENSE. This is exacerbated by the fact that about half the city was under construction when I was there. On the plus side, Seattle drivers are more polite than any other city I've ever driven in.
Meeting friends: xylaix and I went to visit buruna_enu and
t_bellwether at their house, which was really very pleasant. They are both lovely and interesting people, and adept in the fine art of hospitality.
t_bellwether is an amazing cook, as well. So we ended up spending quite a bit of time with them, and in the end xylaix even stayed with them when I left.
Meeting other friends: I was also glad I got to spend time with twilight2000 . Wednesday (I think it was) the three of us went out for sushi on Broadway st, at a little place called Hana. It looks like a hole in the wall, but has some excellent sushi for a reasonable price. I was impressed right off the bat, because they have my favorite sake... Mu (english translation: nothingness).
9: Thursday I met up with kantrip to go see 9. Along the way I ended up trapped in a Teavana store, and could not escape until I bought some Samurai Chai Matte. 9 was both very cool and very disappointing. Outstanding, visually. However, they forgot the second half of the plot. The plot elements they did work in, or hint at and then ignore, probably would have been really cool.
Club: So after we connected with xylaix again and had a relaxed dinner at Wann's (more sushi, sake, and Japanese food), we headed to club Re-Bar for an industrial night called Mecha-something (as required by the industrial club code of law).
buruna_enu and
t_bellwether met up with us there. Now, at the risk of too mush "woo" I must mention that two of the people I am at this club with produce very tasty energy, and are not adverse to a psy vamp siphoning off some of the excess. Naturally I end up right between these two people. And then, for some yet-undetermined reason, the bartender brings out a round of vodka shots. This throws off my alcohol pacing for the night. Point being, flooded with more vodka and energy than I've had access to in a while, and on top of everything else, I was gone. I mean the kind of no-self, ego-less mental void that ascetic monks always talk about. It was one of the best nights out I've had in a while. The rest of that night was very pleasant, also, and I slept very well.
Leaving: Sadly, Friday I had to leave. We had crashed the night at our friend's place, so xylaix and I had to head back to the hotel to get our stuff and check out. By this time, xylaix had decided she was not, in fact, going back to California with me. SO I spent a few hours helping her get settled in, moving some furniture around, an generally just hanging out. Left around 8pm, met twilight2000 one last time for dinner at a greek place (which was special because it served flaming cheese), and then I was on the road.
Drive back: Let's just skip this part. It was not fun. Suffice to say I made it home alive, and with all my stuff, and if I never have to drive again it will be too soon.
Overall it was a wonderful trip and one I hope I am able to do again soon (except without the driving).