Why? Why do I insist upon taking my makeup bag when I travel?
I mean, I know why, but still…why?
It’s because, even though there is very little prior evidence to support it, I keep hoping I will be one of those women who look put together when they travel. The ones who always have impeccable hair and makeup, who have trained themselves not to leave the house without looking perfect. Yup, I will never be one of those women even though I would like to be. I could blame it on a husband who enjoys having a low maintenance wife he finds beautiful without the extra effort. Or I could say it’s because I have annoying year round allergies making my nose and eyes itch so I then rub them causing me to look like Rudolph the red nose raccoon but it’s due primarily to my being too lazy to wake up early enough for that kind of magic to happen. I like my sleep.
Nevertheless, the makeup case was shoved into the bag along with everything else needed for our weekend getaway, confident it would be used this time.
The getaway was simple. After work on Friday we would fly to Seattle, stay overnight boarding Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train in the morning. It takes approximately 35 hours for the train to run the full length of its route, which begins in Seattle and ends in LA. Sunday evening would be spent in another hotel where I would be able to work from on Monday and Dave would get to wander around until it was time for us to catch our plane back to Salt Lake City. There we would spend one last night away from home, returning to our always needy cats Tuesday after work.
I should note my husband is a spontaneous planner. He loves to travel. He is quite willing to go places on short notice when time and money allow but he does not simply leave, hoping for the best upon arrival. Once we know where we’re going, he figures out our eta, reserves lodging, discovers activities and most importantly, finds places to eat that are different from what is normally available. Since our trip was sketched out in January he had plenty of time for research. Don’t ask me how many videos we’ve watched on Amtrak trains along with train trips in other countries, I lost count. I’m a pack my bag, jump in the car and see what happens when I arrive kind of person so I truly appreciate the effort Dave takes to get the most out of wherever we go.
Waiting for our flight
Upon arriving at our hotel in Seattle it was apparent that Dave wanted this getaway to be special. Sure, we had decided to ride the train in retro style because…why not…but he had us staying in a lovely hotel with doormen, actual doormen. I’m afraid I was that gawky tourist as I kept taking pictures of everything.
Hotel Monaco Lobby
Hotel Monaco room
The restaurant selected for dinner was no slouch either. I knew we were going someplace nice with fresh seafood (hello! We were finally out of landlocked Utah, of course we were getting fresh seafood) but the meal was to die for and the waiter…the waiter made the evening unforgettable. He was funny and charming and just a complete delight.
Waiting for dinner
Yes! Fresh seafood!
We opted to walk between the hotel and the restaurant due to their close proximity to each other in addition it just felt nice to move around outside in the crisp night air. The walking turned out to be rather eerie though and brought home an unusual point. With deaths from the Coronavirus having already taken place in Seattle, the streets were fairly quiet. We only saw a few dozen people on our way to and from the hotel, a number of them belonging to the transient variety. The restaurant could have been maybe half full if I’m being generous and not another soul was spotted where we were staying who wasn’t employed by the hotel itself. The feeling of having stepped into an apocalyptic movie however was not enough to dampen our spirits for the train excursion.
Random building in Seattle
Walking to the wharf
There were several fountains on this stretch
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