If I were of immense wealth, I would gift myself a private jet. I have come to truly hate pretty much every aspect of airline travel. I have a graduate degree in a STEM field, yet comparing airfares is like trying to solve a murder mystery where the victim is my wallet, the suspects are hidden fees, and the plot twist is that the ‘cheapest’ ticket charges extra for breathing. It all just makes my brain hurt. In the end I decided on flights that included a carry-on and seat selection, and banked on my carry-on becoming “checked baggage” at the gate. I am a minimalist in the cabin: I tuck my tote beneath the seat (in front of me) and silently judge everyone trying to fit their roller bags, tote bags, cooler bags, and backpacks into the overhead bins, all the while slowing down the boarding process.

Back to the story. On the afternoon before my O Dark Thirty departure from Dulles DH casually dropped, “Do you mind asking “Rocky” if he can take you to the airport in the morning? It’s cold; I have to walk DDog before I go to work, etc.” Guess we’ve been married too long for kissy-face in the airport departure lane.

“Rocky” is not our driver’s real name. He is also not “our” driver. We no longer live within easy Metro access to the airport (a downside, but also, not really); friends out here in Virginia’s horse and wine country recommended Rocky and his reputation of professionalism. To paraphrase my late grandmother, “Women need a good butcher and a good leather man.” To that I would add, “and Rocky.”

Rocky does like to talk, though. For the entire 20-minute drive to the airport I was held captive to his oratory about how he is figuring out how the area honor farms work, because his wife is hooked on fresh eggs and meats. But he did have a coffee for me.

The evening prior I had meticulously packed an airplane breakfast that would be the envy of my fellow passengers. A masterpiece. A Michelin-star bento at 30,000 feet of Irish Cheddar; dried mango slices; roasted pistachios and sriracha crispy rice cakes. Only as we were nearing the airport did I realize my highly curated bento was still at home in the refrigerator.

I have TSA Pre-check (doesn’t everyone?), so there was no security drama for me. But there was breakfast drama. At 5:30 a.m., would it be the $5 bagel that probably tasted like despair? Or would it be a Ben's Chili Bowl Hot Dog? I opted for the bagel and grabbed a carton of Hummus and "Pita Chips," the latter being a euphemism for what I would describe as having the flavor of dried out and toasted pieces of old yoga mats. The "hummus" was a Costco brand that probably hadn't been near a fresh chickpea in months. All I could think of was DH sitting at home, in pajamas, eating my bento with glee.

The travel gods threw me a solid, sort of. The gate crew asked for volunteers to check their carry-on bags. Yes, please! HOWEVER, TSA decided to conduct full ID checks on every passenger, so our departure was delayed by 15 minutes because some passengers did not understand what, “Please have your ID and boarding pass available” means.

I also packed the wrong combination of charging cables, so I had to charge my phone from my laptop, and had to plug my laptop into the seat outlet; of course, the plug periodically kept falling out of the outlet. No inflight entertainment on Alaska Airlines new 737, either. We’re all supposed to be pacified with our “smart” phones. Guess who did not bring her AirPods? In short, a technological clown show in Seat 12C.

These are all First World Problems, I know. The bright spot was the very kind, elderly Japanese grandmother across the aisle who offered me food from her gorgeous bento; she must have sensed my despair. She insisted that I eat the "extra" Onigiri rice ball she had prepared. I nearly wept.

Our favorite DD Astrophysics grad student had risen early and met Mom at baggage claim. We ORCA’ed (IYKYK) to her flat in Wallingford, had some coffee; and then she departed for obligations on campus. I took a brief nap and then went shopping to fill her refrigerator and freezer, and cook, because that is what Moms do. I may or may not have organized her pantry, as well. We opted for delivery Afghani cuisine for dinner on this evening, having discovered the restaurant a couple of years ago when I helped DD move in to her flat. Phenomenal food. On an aside, I’ve never been a fan of the “living wage/service fee/social whatever” fees—it all just sounds like virtue signaling. If my order totals $75 that should be the end of it; do not charge me $45, and then add on the $30 of additional virtue signaling fees. Just simply raise the menu prices.

Bunking in a studio with our favorite DD worked well. Thanks to her noisy building-mates (and their yappy little jerk dogs) she sleeps with ear plugs, so she slept through my early morning coffee and news routine.

Seattle served up our delightfully weird full day together, and we were there for it. First stop: the Ballard Locks and its Fish Ladder, where I had hoped to watched salmon hustle upstream like determined commuters late for a meeting, but alas, that only happens in the summer, so I had to make do with static displays in the Visitor Center. The locks themselves were undergoing maintenance as well, so it was a double bummer on the fish ladder front. Then, a deep dive into Nordic heritage at the Nordic Museum—a little hygge and A LOT of heritage of the Nordic peoples and their immigration to the PNW. The TL;DR? Nordic folks pride themselves on coziness, sarcasm, and surviving endless winters; and they run on coffee, cinnamon buns, and an unshakable belief in personal space.




For lunch, we found a fusion fever dream: a Lebanese-Mexican joint. Tacos stuffed with Lebanese Hashweh, and then fried? Oh, yes. Nachos piled with that same spiced beef and homemade Queso? Chorizo Black Bean Chili? We knew what to do. Culinary chaos in the best possible way.



Next up, The Museum of Pop Culture. We came for the Keith Haring exhibit, but with entrance prices nearing the current cost of a dozen eggs, we decided to stay for the rest. Inside, the atmosphere pulsed with grunge anthems and bubble gum pop tunes; and with every turn in the Frank Gehry-designed labyrinth revealing something weirder and wilder than the last, like Mork's space suit. We loved it all.




The Haring exhibit did not disappoint. His doodles danced and his colors popped. Like the museum itself, Haring’s iconic figures radiated joy, activism and whimsical mischief.



Afterwards, a quick pass through Pike Place Market, with both Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountain range putting on a snow-covered late afternoon show, along with a side of "big ass Lobster tails;" and a friendly Monk Fish.




The grand finale of my short trip to Seattle was the UW Campus Philharmonic Concert. DD has played violin since the age of 4; while we lived overseas she auditioned into the annual international school honor orchestras, as well, so listening to her perform has been part of the fabric of our life for two decades. It’s wonderful that UW offers performing options for non-music majors. The hall was near its 1,200 person capacity, and we were all treated to a Fantasy Theme on Gregorian Chants; English Folk Songs, and more.

The bonus highlight? In the foyer of the performing arts center was a CHIHULY! An alum of the university, Chihuly created "Six Starbursts" in 1996 for the space. Beautiful.



I was much more optimistic about early breakfast options at SEA on my departure morning. The AmEx Lounge opened at 5:00 a.m. and promised "Premium Food" on its amenities list. And they delivered: Steel Cut Oatmeal, Lavender Latte, Organic Pork Sausage…I boarded my return flight (had to pay United $30 to check my carry-on because my ticket was in the “you’re so screwed with carry-on” class) but I didn’t even care at this point.

DH (and DDog!) greeted me upon my return to Dulles. I walked into the house from the garage and smelled the aroma of homemade Bolognese simmering. AND, DH had even followed my instructions to set bread dough rising so that we could enjoy garlic toast with dinner. I told him that I should leave him home alone more often. DDog looked panicked at the thought.


Thank you for reading.

What a lovely long weekend to spend with your DD and to attend her concert! I have to lol as I'm also one who packs breakfasts/lunch for the plane. I really enjoyed your TR; and I share your despair re searching for airfares! I am thinking about flying to SEA this summer and looking all the different options and "add-ons" is a nightmare. I also share the same sentiment about inflight entertainment! Now before each flight, I have to research if the plane offers seatback entertainment, or you have to stream from your own device, so that I bring the "correct" headphones. Flying used to be so much simpler.

Did you buy 2 separate tickets? Alaska Air outbound and US inbound? $30 seems like a steal for checked luggage!

Just FYI, for those seeking decent deals with airfare, especially those living someplace where Alaska Airlines flies, you might want to look at the Alaska Airlines-branded Signature Visa card (from the Bank of America, hiss boo.)

In addition to a passel of frequent flyer miles at signup (and Alaska's FF program is pretty decent) you get an annual "companion certificate" (an e-certificate) that allows a companion to fly on any Alaska Airlines itinerary (round trip, one-way, multi-flight) for $99 plus taxes (usually around $122 all in.) So passenger no. 1 flies at the going price (coach only) and the companion flies on the same flights for a hundred bucks. Seattle, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico... anywhere Alaska flies. If the going price is, say, $500 for a trip, the cost for two is around $620, i.e. $310 per person. Not a bad deal.

I enjoyed the TR too. The Lebanese-Mexican place is one of a number of cafes/restaurants run by the same family around Seattle's Amazonia and one on the east side of Lake Washington.

nadi mama

Did you buy 2 separate tickets? Oddly enough, my flight on Expedia with Alaska/United was the most cost effective of all the options, and somehow the journey was booked as a RT.

Gardyloo, our DD has the Alaska Air VISA card, so she receives the various benefits with her travels. With one child in Seattle; and the other in West Lafayette IN, though, there is no airline offer that currently works for us. We mostly put our travels on AmEx and hope to use the points to offset future travel.

Thanks for clarifying your plane tickets, fourfortravel.

Gardyloo, thanks for pointing out the credit card. It looks like it's a good deal for some people. A local friend of mine has one as he flies a lot betwen Boston and Idaho (via SEA)