Tag: Jane Sadek

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Tacoma Sightseeing Smorgasbord

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: LE MAY’S & POINT DEFIANCE PARK

We’ll be moving fast today on this tour of Tacoma, Washington. We’ve seen the big rocks and now need to sift through the sand before we head to Olympia. From cars and beaches to jaw-dropping blooms, come along as we see the sights!

A Logistical Morning

Mornings are always tough on vacation. I wake up at the crack of dawn and Bill doesn’t. On this day, we also need to get all packed up, because we’ve spent our last night in the Best Western.

I was up early and slipped quietly out of the room. I headed up to the breakfast area where I could review our plans for the day, spend a little time on Facebook and do a few crossword puzzles while I enjoyed breakfast. When I wondered back to the room, Mr. Bill was still snoozing, so I got myself ready for the day and started packing up. Around 9, he had breakfast and we were soon loaded up for the road.

LeMay’s – America’s Car Museum

Like the Museum of Flight, LeMay’s had been chosen primarily with Mr. Bill in mind, but I was happy to tag along. While planning, I had discovered there were two LeMay’s – one a huge storage facility south of town where the bulk of the LeMay automobiles were stored and the other a more commercialized facility. I was still unsure which to visit until the Chrome & Glass tickets were offered at the Museum of Glass. Discounted tickets to America’s Car Museum sounded like a good reason to go with it instead of the more extensive collection south of town.

LeMay’s was fun, but after the pristine experience at Petersen’s Automobile Museum in LA, LeMay’s seemed a little tacky and dusty. The entrance area, on the top floor, focused on current models of shiny, new cars. The building was built like a parking facility, so you wandered down a ramp that circled down to the bottom floor. Cute, but eventually hard on the legs.

As soon as we left the top floor with the slick new cars, I noticed we were in a museum where the exhibits did not get the love the cars at Petersen’s got. They were lovely and it’s not like they’d been abandoned, they just made me wish I had a duster with me. All the cars below the first level needed a little touch up.

There was a wide assortment of vehicles, from antique luxury cars to a life-size model of the Flintstone’s foot-propelled vehicle. Along the winding concourse there were various educational exhibits and some play stations for kids. Oh yes, and the photo opportunity with the bright blue motorcar. It was fun strolling along reminiscing about various models of cars, but didn’t linger too long, because we had other things to see.

Our next stop was the W.W. Seymore Botanical Conservatory at Wright Park. That wasn’t much, cute, but we were in and out. More time could have been spent looking at the magnificent collection of trees at Wright Park, but Point Defiance Park was calling.

The Gardens of Point Defiance Park

Planning a vacation is a bit of a gamble. You think a car museum is going to be the hit of the day, only to be disappointed dusty hood ornaments. A Conservatory is little more than a greenhouse you might find in a gardeners backyard. What would we find at Point Defiance Park?

What we found in the park was an amazing garden. Don’t get me wrong, the Dallas Arboretum and Longwood Gardens have nothing to worry about. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Point Defiance Park.

First, we hit the Rose Garden. There’s nothing outstanding about the configuration of the garden. It’s just astounding how many gorgeous bushes of this floral favorite they have. Above is a sampling, but it barely scratches the surface.

We saw a few lilies and irises, because they have gardens devoted to them also, but they paled in comparison to the roses. An example of gardens not quite ready for prime time was the dahlias. The massive rhododendron garden had already peaked and faded.

As we strolled along, we weren’t always sure exactly what we were looking at, but it all looked good. Then we wandered, by luck, into the Japanese Garden which was wonderful. We’d been looking for the rhododendrons, but a nice couple overheard our consternation and let us know we’d find that in another part of the park – and that we were too late to see it in its glory.

And Then There Was Owen Beach

OK, we’d put in a full day of sightseeing and needed to make the drive to Olympia. It wasn’t going to be a long one, but we’d need to unload the car and find something to eat, so we needed to save ourselves a little time.

We did have to wander a bit, in order to find the disappointing Rhododendron Garden. We saw boat ramps, restaurants, picnic tables and other forms of amusement, but we stayed on track. Once we confirmed the Rhododendrons had nothing to offer, we started looking for the exit. I did say, “If you see a sign for Owen Beach, you might want to stop there. It’s really popular with the locals.”

Eventually, we did see a sign for Owen Beach and since it was getting to be the end of the day, there were even parking spaces on the lot – something the guide books warned me might not be available. Are we EVER glad we stopped! It was actually one of our favorite stops of the day.

It was a beach for the locals. Some people were getting in their power walk or running along the sidewalks. Some kids were putting off getting out of the water as long as they could, even though their little chins were shivering. Mostly people just walked along in groups or hand-in-hand.

It was beautiful. I’m proud of the way I captured it in my photo book, but nothing could capture the reality. The calm water, the quiet conversations, the laughter. It was just what a pair of tired travelers needed. We walked along, hand-in-hand, grateful for a respite from what seemed like the rest of the world, totally unrelated to the sandy, driftwood-strewn beach.

As the sun began to go down, we returned to our car and made the short drive to Olympia, capital of Washington State. Be sure to come back next week and discover the surprise we found there.

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

McMenamin’s Tacoma Elk’s Temple

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: IN TACOMA, QUICKY MEETS CLASSY AT THE ELKS LODGE

Well, we’re back in Tacoma where odd is a little more normal than it is in Dallas! We’ve had a great day of sightseeing (and coffee) in Downtown Tacoma and it’s time for dinner. If McMenamin’s is in the name of the venue, expect it to be ordinary. The Elks Temple is no exception. Let’s go for dinner!

Collecting McMenamin’s Locations

I discovered the McMenamin’s brand when we visited Oregon. We spent a lovely morning at Edgefield in Troutdale. The odd mixture of grand architecture, at a poor house, with vegetable gardens was charming and our breakfast was delicious. Bill enjoyed it enough that he didn’t completely nix the idea of dinner at the Elk’s Lodge when I started describing it to him. Actually, a hotel with multiple restaurants & bars, as well as a music venue or two, might not sound all that odd, but I’d done enough research to know it wouldn’t exactly be his cup of tea.

I’m the sort who would stay at a McMenamin’s Lodge just because it was funky and out of the ordinary. That is not Mr. Bill. While I wasn’t crazy about our Best Western lodgings, the creature comforts and familiarity made it a perfect place to hang our hats for a couple of days. Still, I convinced Bill to give the Elks Lodge a try.

It did not go well. It was a Saturday night with a big name concert and everyone, who had not been at the museums, must have been sleeping in for a big night at the Elks Temple. So we had all of Bill’s least favorite things – traffic, no place to park, crowds and noise.

Still, he was a trooper. We got a “Wandering Map” at the front desk and began to explore. In each venue, there was lots of foot traffic, no place to sit, crowds and noise. I expected him to cut and run to the nearest Taco Bell at any moment, but instead he asked where we might get the most normal food. I postulated the Pub might be the right spot. Luckily, the rest of the patrons were more interested in the exotic, so we were seated right away.

We had a lovely meal, perhaps a tad noisy, but it was Saturday night. I think Bill and I shared the salmon to meet my gluten-free requirements. They had a dessert special I could not resist. Being GF makes dessert a hard course to order, but this was a polenta shortcake with mixed berries. Really good!

If you like funky, then The Elks Temple is a must. If you don’t, go to Olive Garden! We headed back to the Best Western to rest up for the next day’s activities and it proved to be a long one. Come back next week for cars, gardens and beaches. You’ll love it!

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, TRAVEL, United States

Sing an Anthem to Tacoma Art Museum

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: FROM DISAPPOINTMENT TO DELIGHT

I hope you’re enjoying this visit to Washington State with us. We’ve just been disappointed by a major Tacoma attraction, so I’m not expecting much from the rest of the day. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised at the offerings of the Tacoma Art Museum.

Coffee First!

When Bill requires a caffeine fix, it’s best to accommodate him as soon as possible, but I’m always happy when there’s something besides a Starbucks nearby to accomplish that. Not being a coffee drinker, the ubiquitous coffee emporiums are like the WalMart of coffee shops to me, except they have the opposite pricing plan.

The alternate on this day was called Anthem. According to their website, they have locations all around Washington State and a few in Arizona. Bill liked the coffee and I liked the view. We caught our breath between museums.

Choosing the TAM

Tacoma has three great museum in close proximity in their downtown area. As we came across the Bridge of Glass, we could have taken the stairs down to the WA State History Museum or head between the buildings to the Tacoma Art Museum. I, of course, wished we could do all three, but I was most interested in TAM, so Bill followed my lead.

After a photo session with a Alonzo Victor Lewis’s statue of a pioneer, in front of the Washington State History Museum, (Please note, the statue was better dressed than anyone else I had seen this day!) we made our way to the more modern facade of the TAM. Confession, I wasn’t expecting much, because it is an edifice devoted primarily to modern art and I’m not much on modern art, but they do have Chihulys, so I was going in.

At the desk I nearly lost my composure. I understand gender and sexual preference can be fluid this day and time, but every potential variation on that theme was sitting at the reception desk in that one person. The hair was clipped close on the sides and was fuller on top. There were multiple piercings and there were tattoos. The person was very buff and obviously worked out, a lot, but they also spoke in a lispy falsetto. Yes, there was eyeliner, but there was also a hairy chest sticking out of the shirt. The fingernails were cut very close, as if they were a nail biter, but they’d also painted the nails an interesting combination of colors – one color on each nail. I remained respectful and polite, but I wondered what they thought they were representing and how they thought I should be responding to all the various stimuli they offered. I did not laugh, but I have to be honest – I wanted to.

Below is a sampling of some of my favorites displayed in the museum. The architecture of the building was outstanding – sort of midcentury modern on steroids, and I loved it. First up was a collection of offerings from Washingtonians. Several items caused us to stop and think.

There was only one room of Chihuly, but the selections were varied and well displayed. I thought they did more honor to the artist than the whole Museum of Glass. Around every corner was a surprise and while leaning to the modern side, were not so off the wall (excuse my pun) that I couldn’t appreciate them. I remember fabric offerings, glass and even jewelry. One room was part display, part performance art. After looking around the room, you were supposed to take a piece of fabric and tie it to the art piece. I obliged.

We spent several pleasant hours enjoying all the galleries. Some even had traditional figurative art. I enjoyed watching the people, also. The patrons of the museum had much in common with the person at reception. One guy wore a flowing sheer jacket of many colors and carried handbags. He also danced on the concourse between galleries. A masculine sort of girl stuffed into a little-too-tight camouflage fatigues with a backpack, sat on a benching watching the dancer with a look of disgust. Not sure what all was happening there, but it was interesting.

Coffee Again?

After our visit to TAM, Bill once again needed a caffeine fix and this time he wanted to brave the street and the railway and go to the Starbucks. We made it across and they did have coffee, but it wasn’t your usual Starbucks. There was no comfy furniture to lounge in or counters for your laptop web-surfing activities. They had a few small round tables you could stand at, if you wanted to, but who would have wanted to. Bill asked them what was up and they said the normal Starbucks accoutrements were the victims of Tacoma’s homeless population. They had to get rid of the furniture, to keep the homeless people from sleeping in there.

So we’d had a successful day of sightseeing. I think Bill would have been content to take a nap and revisit the MOD Pizza, but I had different ideas. I wanted to check out the McMenamins Tacoma Elks Lodge. Come by next week and see why!

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The Museum of Glass

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: TACOMA’S MUSEUM OF GLASS

Thank you for joining us on our 14 Day tour of Wild & Wonderful Washington. Downtown Tacoma has a concentration of three wonderful museums for you to enjoy. We started our day at The Museum of Glass.

Don’t Miss the Museum of Glass

I do think the Museum of Glass is something everyone should see, but I was over-hyped about it and confess to being a little disappointed. The architecture is marvelous and your entry to the lobby will certainly wow you, with its large Chihuly sculpture, but I had expected Chihuly EVERYWHERE and while they do have lovely glass creations, most of them are not Chihuly.

Hint for the money-wise. There’s a two venue ticket you can get called Glass & Chrome which admits you to The Museum of Glass and LeMay’s – America’s Car Museum. We already had LeMay’s on our to do list, so we took advantage of the deal and saved a few bucks. I’ll tell you more about LeMay’s in a few weeks, but the deal is worth it, if you plan to see both.

Is That All There Is?

I followed my nose through the exhibits and was through in no time at all. I got out my brochure and gazed at the map. Yep, I went there, there and there. I was done. There was no huge shrine to Chihuly, besides the sculpture in the entry way. Had they had lovely glass creations? Yes, they had, but the price had been $20 and I hadn’t even filled up an hour. Yesterday, I’d spent only $5 more and had a full day of entertainment. So far, I was under impressed.

I knew there was also a workshop where they were creating glass works, so I decided that must be the true draw. The exhibits had been a warm up show, right? Wrong! We went to the theater where glassmaking was going on and it was all business, no showmanship. I’d seen more interesting glassmaking at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas.

This was a Saturday morning on a holiday weekend! Why was there only one other family watching the glass being made. Why didn’t the artist at least look up at us and explain what was going on? How had the glass blower at Scarborough Faire managed to make this all seem so exciting and these people were boring me to death?

Well, We’ve Still Got the Bridge of Glass

As I listed my must-sees for Washington State, Snoqualmie Falls had been at the top of the list and not far behind the Museum of Glass, but the museum had ben oversold to me and now I was disappointed. There was one more chance for it to blow me away – the Bridge of Glass.

Based on a picture I’d seen of a small child gazing into a plexiglass box of Chihuly pieces, I thought I was going to walk over an entire bridge with only plexiglass keeping me above the wondrous pieces of Chihuly’s Art. NOT!! It was a plexiglass bridge, but it was white – not clear and it was not looking over fabulous glass pieces. To boot, the day was a bit windy, so I wasn’t keen to see the Chihuly pieces in cabinets at one end of the bridge. And what the heck were those big glass glumps on poles.

Find Me a Starbucks!

This is not an unfamiliar phrase in our marriage. Bill’s blood sugar drops suddenly and I’m tasked with finding the nearest cup of Starbucks. When he hit me with this demand on the Bridge of Glass, I was looking across the roadway at a Starbucks, but it was across six lanes of traffic and a train track and I just wasn’t in the mood.

To our left was another coffee shop called Anthem. I didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t offer at least as good a cup of coffee as the competitor across the daunting obstacle course. I don’t drink coffee, but really! Why should I risk my life for a cup of coffee. I don’t think Bill was thrilled, but sometimes he picks up on the fact that I’m done and he probably shouldn’t press his demands.

On this day, we went to Anthem. Praise the Lord and from there on to TAM! Come back next week and join us for a cup of coffee and some great art!

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Museums, TRAVEL, United States

The Museum of Flight

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: SOARING THROUGH HISTORY

Thank you for joining me on this 2024 vacation to Wild & Wonderful Washington State. Last week we talked about Snoqualmie Falls, definitely wild and wonderful. Our visit to The Museum of Flight was also wonderful. Let’s enjoy the wild blue yonder together.

Walking Among Legends of the Sky

You would be right to guess that I choose today’s attraction to keep my travel buddy happy. He loves anything and everything to do with flying, but it wasn’t all about him. We’d been to Petersen Auto Museum earlier in the year and I’d spent happy hours wandering through all the cars. I was looking forward to the planes.

I’m sure we each look at the exhibits with a different focus and I’m sure his is kin to the thrill of flying. With me it’s more about design, but I also fascinated by the curation of an exhibit – how an item is displayed, what’s with it, what lighting is used and what information did they provide. I also seek the designs of our day in those days. What looks the same in today’s version of this item and what has been changed and how has it been changed.

And confession, I think about what photos I need to take to make gorgeous pages. Here’s another:

If You Go

If you go and you should, plan for a whole day. We were there for hours and hours and still didn’t see it all. The location is part of what was once the Boeing company, where so many aircraft were created, tested and manufactured. They’ve even included the Old Red Barn where Boeing began.

The price of entry is $25 for seniors and it was worth every penny. It doesn’t open until 10 and closes at 5, so no early morning or evening hours. You’ll be challenged to see it all in that time. We lucked into a tour about the time we arrived, but the rest of the time was just us wandering around on our own. We had lunch at their snack bar and it was amazingly good.

You’ll walk close enough to some to touch the aircraft. Others will be up high, as if they were flying. Still others will be set among a display that demonstrates their milieu during their hey day. Perhaps my favorite area was the Personal Courage wing with antique planes from World Wars I and II. The flyers were brave in those days.

Best Western Lakewood

After a full day on our feet, we were ready to relax. I’d found an economical Best Western with a convenient location. It was certainly no Snoqualmie Inn by Hotel America, but the price had been right.

I thought we were in for the night, so I changed into my lounging clothes, poured a glass of wine and put up my feet. But I was wrong. Mr. Bill needed a meal and wasn’t interested in delivery. So I got up, put back on my travel clothes and went to MOD Pizza. When we returned to the motel there was an impromptu party on the patio. Now I was really missing Snoqualmie Inn.

Another great day down and tomorrow was going to be all about me – museums galore, all within walking distance of one another. Come along next week when we go to downtown Tacoma and visit a few.

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Delish Salish

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: ANNIVERSARY DINNER AT THE SALISH LODGE

I’m taking you along on our 2024 vacation to Wild & Wonderful Washington State. We’ve just enjoyed the amazing Snoqualmie Falls and we’re about to check out the dining offerings at the Salish Lodge.

Thirty Years Later He Can Still Surprise Me

Though we left home a few days after our actual wedding anniversary, this trip was our gift to ourselves for 30 great years of marriage. You’ll notice I didn’t say perfect, because we are two humans, but it’s been a darned good ride.

During those years I’ve come to understand the things that will displease him and feeling as if he’s paid too much for a meal is one of them. I really thought having our anniversary dinner at the Salish Lodge would be a pretty cool way to celebrate, but I also knew that most of the guidebooks considered it pricey.

So, as we climbed the hill back towards our car, I introduced him to the edifice we’d seen at the top of the falls. I told him the history and I told him my concern about the prices, but I also told him how wonderful it was supposed to be. Then I even back-peddled on that and told him about the remodel of the main dining room that was going on. I figured he’d make a hard pass on the Lodge and go directly to the car.

Instead, he wanted to check it out. He went up to the reception desk and started a conversation. I stepped away, because I didn’t want to influence him either way. If we had dinner there, great. If we didn’t, I was determined that was going to be great, too.

To my surprise, he made some reservations and we had about an hour to kill before they had room for us. We hung out in the lobby, read all the signs and just enjoyed the relaxation.

As I mentioned, the main dining room was undergoing renovation, so our seats were tucked away in some other spot, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. The bar(?) was cozy, with only a few tables – one of which had to be the best possible view of the falls and we were at the table next to that one, so our view was pretty darned good, too.

The couple next to us was celebrating something, also, but they’d gotten dressed up for their dinner at the Salish. We just had on the casual clothes we’d worn to see the falls. Bill chose the risotto. He claimed he wanted to try something different, but what might have been the difference was that the price was less than the rest of the menu. I opted for the Duroc Pork Chop with Bearnaise Sauce and a spring mix of vegetables.

They brought out some gorgeous bread to entertain us while we waited for our meal, but of course, I’m gluten free, so they brought me a gf dinner roll. Not quite the same, but they get points for effort. We knew we were at someplace out of the ordinary when they added a coconut oil candle to our table.

Then a little later, they brought us a sample of the gazpacho. We hadn’t ordered it and it’s not a favorite of mine, but again a nice touch you don’t get at other places. In fact, the waitress kept us busy with all kinds of samples throughout the meal and topped it off with free hand-made chocolates. The food we had ordered was delicious by the way. Bill felt his meal was worth every penny – even if it was a little out of his usual budget.

When we arrived back at the hotel, it was 9 PM Dallas time and I was beat. I went right to sleep. Bill stayed up a little longer, but I warned him to get plenty of rest, because the next morning we’d be heading to a huge attraction he’d want to be awake for.

You’ll want to be awake, too, next week when we visit the Museum of Flight. Come and check it out.

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Starbucks and Snoqualmie

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: ENJOYING THE BEST OF WA STATE

You’re coming along with us on our two week sojourn to WA State. We’ve just left the SeaTac rental car facility with one of our bags missing a wheel. Now Mr. Bill needs a little more coffee to make it through this very long day.

First Things First

I was anxious to get down the road to Snoqualmie Falls, but Mr. Bill needed a little caffeine. We were in WA, the home state for Starbucks, so Bill stopped at the first one we saw. We loved the art inside the store, so we took this shot of Bill. He kept that smile pretty much the whole trip. We loved WA state.

Coffee consumed, instead of hopping on the Interstate, we took some backroads and it was a beautiful drive. The rhododendrons had enormous blossoms on them. Everything was wildly green. It was a great drive.

We got to the little town of Snoqualmie just in time to check into our hotel, Snoqualmie Inn by Hotel America. What amazing accommodations. The designers had thrown away the time-honored configuration of hotel rooms and come up with something much better! Instead of the room being based on the length of the bed with a small walkway, it was based on the width of it. Because of that it felt as if you were in a normal living space with a bed at the end of the room, instead of living around the edges of a bed. We loved it. Absolutely everything had been considered and was of the best quality. Not fancy or elaborate, just elegantly functional.

I was so impressed that I actually chatted up the staff. I wanted to know if there were other Hotel Americas to stay in. They said the Snoqualmie Inn was a model for a chain the owners hoped to start. I certainly hope they are successful, because I’d stay there wherever I went. The price was right and the accommodations were wonderful. I checked the internet and it’s still the only available Hotel America facility, but I’m watching for more.

Our room also had an amazing view – one that encouraged us to get out there and go to Snoqualmie Falls, the reason we were in this town to begin with.

The Falls

Just a few clicks down the road from the Snoqualmie Inn by Hotel America you come to the falls, but without the signs you wouldn’t know that from the road. I remember my first sight of Niagara Falls and how it bowled me over from the road above, but this is not that kind of experience.

Here you park your car, walk across the street and head down some stairs. When you come to the fall’s overlook, you will be blown away. At least we were. What you will see is in the photo above. It was worth coming to WA State and we’d only been there a few hours – so put this on your itinerary.

We ooooohed and aaaaaaaahed, took a few pictures and then headed off to the lower part of the park. There is a parking lot at the top of the falls, where we had parked and another at the bottom of the falls, but we opted for taking the woodlands path between them. Absolutely wonderful choice.

It’s a steep climb down that feels a lot steeper coming up, but worth every ounce of effort. The gigantic trees, the verdant growth around the trees, red clay paths, the occasional fallen log – every step on the way down was great.

As you reach the bottom area, you begin to see manmade additions to the scenery. The falls are part of a working power plant, but rather than detracting from the beauty all around us, it merely made things more interesting to me.

At end of the path, you have another area for photos, ooooooohs & aaaaaaaaahs. We took lots of photos, many of which I will share below. After we felt as if we’d seen and photographed everything we wanted to, we began the climb back up. As I said it was steeper going up than it was coming down, but we had a good a time and recommend the trek.

In the photo above you see a brown and white building. That’s the Salish Lodge. It’s a bit pricey, but I recommend it anyway. I’m sure staying there is an experience well worth the price of admission. There’s a spa there, too – but my guy is not a spa guy.

They are famous for their meals, too. When we were there, the main dining room was being renovated. I explained the pricing and the renovation to Bill, but that didn’t keep him from being intrigued. So our next stop was the lodge. Come back next week and I’ll tell you how that went. In the meantime, enjoy the slideshow below!

DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Sliding Into Sea-Tac

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: SEA-TAC & My Red Suit Case

I’m taking you along on our 2024 vacation to Washington State, a vacation we’d been looking forward to for many years. Come along and we’ll suffer through the travel day together!

Waking Up at 2:30 AM

So, we did get a deal on our Delta flight to Sea-Tac, but it was very early in the morning – so early that my alarm went off at 2:30 AM. We’d joked about just staying up, but we’re senior citizens now and those days are over. At 3:10 AM the Travel Buddies hit the road.

As I did my planning I was dismayed to discover The Parking Spot had bought out my old favorite, Park ‘N Fly. I’m a bit suspicious when it comes to travel and if something ain’t broke, I don’t try to fix it. I’d been using Park ‘N Fly for at least 30 years and wasn’t happy about trusting my vacation departure to someone else, but I have to admit, even though I had to find a different location, the whole Parking Spot experience was very smooth.

Getting Through Security

By the time we drove to the remote parking lot, rode the shuttle to the airport and checked our luggage, the sun was shining into the big windows of the Delta terminal. We stood in the security line and when it was just about our turn, they made an announcement that the line was closing down due to unnamed problems. It was supposed to be only a 10 minute shut down, but there was a sign nearby that said the next security gate was about 3 minutes away and it only had a 10 minute wait. Fearing the 10 minute shut down might have a little mission creep and not wanting to stand still for however long it would take, we decided to hot foot it to the next gate. Great decision. The walk was invigorating after all the driving and riding. We were whisked through security in no time and were cooling our heels at our gate.

LAX Layover and SeaTac Arrival

Our cheap flight to WA State included a brief layover in LAX. Our flights to LAX went off without a hitch. The flight from LAX was a little delayed, but they made up the time in the air. Before long we were riding the SeaTac monorail to the the rental car facility.

As we went through the machinations of locating our rental I noticed our faithful Old Red suitcase was not cooperating as well as it usually did. Something was wrong with one of the wheels. A cursory inspection revealed the wheel had been destroyed. We pulled away the broken plastic pieces that were slowing us down, to reveal a piece of metal that had been holding it all together. Old Red’s traveling days were over.

That Red Suitcase

I can’t let an old traveling companion like Old Red pass away without acknowledging its glory days. I got the suitcase and a matching tote at JC Penney’s while Bill was an interpreter in Iraq, 2006-7. I was determined to get just what I wanted and was amazed at the affordability of Penney’s choices. The big red bag was fitted out well, with a hanging bag you could fold up into the lid and a matching shoe bag. How could I resist?

I vetoed the matching rolling carry-on and instead chose a matching rolling tote. It was too big to be a carry on, but I’m not a fan of wrestling a rolling bag on board, anyway. I want all my bags checked and only carry a small cloth backpack on board. The matching tote would be perfect for my toiletry bags and shoes. I was a happy camper.

Of course, right after that was when airlines decided to change up the luggage policies they’d had for years. Two checked bags had been the standard since the beginning of my travels by air. In those days, every one checked two bags and then got on the plane with a rolling carry on. Good old Southwest resisted the change until recently, so my red luggage was fine, for years, with Southwest and the arrangement was good for road trips, but when I flew anyone else rolling tote had to stay home and I’d utilize one of the many rolling carry-ons that somehow landed in our attic.

Old Red made some amazing trips with us for a dozen years as my suitcase. Along the way I discovered it was actually smaller than the maximum size I could check with most airlines, but it was configured in such a way that I still managed to get what I needed in there.

Then in 2019 as we prepared for out Anniversary Cruise, all the hard plastic stuff inside the cloth exterior broke up. That damage and the fact that I needed a little more room to get my vow renewal ceremony gown and all the accoutrements in, suggested it was time to buy me a new bag. So that’s when we bought Purple Pair, the luggage I use now, but the bag we check is so large I can barely maneuver it myself.

However, Bill decided he would continue to use Old Red, even without the protective plastic inside, so she kept traveling with us. Sometimes Bill would use her and sometimes I would take her on a trip with me, when I didn’t need the extra room the purple bags gave me and I didn’t want to handle the Purple Monster.

Seventeen years Old Red went on all our travels with us. I’d only paid about $75 for the pair, so I got some real value out of them. If I ever need a rolling tote, I still have Old Red’s mate – and yes, she’s still great for shoes and toiletries. With all those trips together, I was sad to see Old Red go, but I thought with her lost wheel we’d need to replace her right away. Not Bill, he continued to drag her along, all over WA state.

Once we made it home, we knew we had to get rid of Old Red, but I became very sentimental about her and took the photo above. When we’ve traveled since, I’ve mourned the loss of Old Red. The airlines did replace her for us – a shiny new hard size bag we’ll call Cool Blue – more the size of Old Red than the Purple Monster – but I don’t trust her. There was a period of time where Bill was using hard-sided luggage and the airlines seemed to crack it every trip. Let’s hope they’ve improved hard-sided luggage since those days. Cool Blue went to Arizona and on our latest cruise, performing well both times, but I still miss Big Red.

So, on this trip we said farewell to two old favorites – Park ‘N Fly and Old Red. A new travel era had started! Come back next week and we’ll go to Snoqualmie Falls, one of the best treats of the whole WA state experience.

DESTINATIONS, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Wild & Wonderful Washington State

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: LET’S GO TO WASHINGTON STATE!

I’m taking you along on our 2024 vacation to Washington State, a vacation we’d been looking forward to for many years. Come along and let’s get some planning done.

A 2024 Vacation that started in 2012

Back in 2012 I started planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest, but I quickly decided a couple of weeks wouldn’t allow us to see everything we wanted to see in Oregon, much less also visit Washington State. So we took a great vacation to Oregon, a place we loved and planned to return to Washington State as soon as we could.

As it turned out, we didn’t make it until 2024. Our 30th wedding anniversary was last year and that opened the budget up a little. We are also semi-retired these days, so I proposed visiting Washington State AND staying there for a full two weeks. Bill is an 8-Day guy. We take 8 day cruises and the only way I get by with a 10 day vacation is pointing out we’re traveling to and from our destination on two of those day, so they don’t count. I had no idea how I would cram enough of WA state into 8 days to make it worth the flight.

The 8-Day man relented and the planning began. At the top of the list, Snoqualmie Falls! That’s the picture above. I’d seen images of it when I first started researching the Pacific Northwest and knew I didn’t want to leave WA without a peek at it. Then Butchart Gardens. It had been one of my mom’s favorite places and she urged me often to make the trip. I love all things Chihuly so I wanted to see as much of his work as I could and since he’s a Washingtonian, there was plenty to see. I thought Bill would enjoy the Museum of Flight and there’s a lot in Seattle. And somehow, I was determined to also see the Olympic National Park and its rainforest. If I’d had a few more days, I would have visited the San Juan Islands, too, but I knew I already had more stuff to see than my 14 days would allow.

Planning in Earnest

For flights I used the Incognito Google Travel trick and ended up on Delta. I can never think of the airline without remembering someone’s quip about it, Don’t-Even-Leave-The-Airport. Or perhaps I remembered it, because several in-flight incidents with Delta had been on the news, but it was a deal compared to the rest of the flights I could find, so I planned to leave the airport with them.

My friend Expedia helped me with accommodations in Snoqualmie, Tacoma and Olympia, but for the rainforest I booked a National Park Service lodge. Then I found the big saver, Black Ball Ferry Lines. In researching the ferry to get us to Victoria BC and Butchart Gardens, I discovered you could also book your hotels through them and the savings were BIG at great hotels. Heck, I even booked my Butchart Garden tickets through them and my hotel in Seattle. The day I made the purchase the price gave me the jitters. I don’t usually make purchases that large, so hitting the Pay Now button was a little scary.

I made another important decision in this process. Parking in Seattle is reputed to be impossible and more than one source told me to take advantage of public transportation. The hotel I chose put us right across the street from the light rail station, so I decided once we arrived in Seattle we’d take the car back to Sea-Tac. All of these decisions turned out to be very good ones.

So, travel purchases made and bags packed, let’s got to WA state next week!

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Memory Keeping, Museums, Photography, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Petersen Automotive Museum

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: I LOVE CARS

The Grand Finale

As I’ve mentioned, I didn’t do much in the way of research for this trip. Nephew was supposed to cover LA, Lizbet planned Huntington Beach, we know the Central Coast and Bill found Casa de Herrero. All I can really take credit for is bringing the glue that turned all of these disparate things into a vacation.

Petersen Automotive Museum was not anybody’s list, but we passed it when we were leaving LACMA and I made a mental note of it. When we decided to go, I just put LACMA in the GPS and looked for the place I saw across the street. We spent more time in the car museum than we did in the art museum! It was one of our favorite things of all the new places we visited.

If you don’t love cars, then this is not the place to go. That’s all there is: cars, cars and more cars, with a few motorcycles thrown in for good measure – floor after floor of cars. They tell you to take the elevator to the top and then work your way down.

My favorite part was this section of the museum. Here’s some of the cars they had. Yes, I do keep showing you various shots of Steve McQueen’s sports car, but it’s only a fraction of what I have.

This car museum spoiled me forever. In a few months time I would go to another famous car museum, but all I could thing of was how inferior it was to this one.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Eventually we had to leave the car museum. Perhaps I should have covered it in more detail, but there were cars, lots of cars and then some more cars. It was heaven.

After some fast food it was back to the car rental place and then onto the airport via a shuttle. (We used Fox.) The weather was glorious all the time we were in California, but the story was different back at home. North Texas had been caught up in the annual freeze over for most of the time we were gone, which was odd, because we used to have one snow day a year and that was it.

We enjoyed the final day in LA. Our flight left LAX a little before 7, but the time difference was against us and it was midnight before we crawled off the plane. Thankfully, the flight was to Love Field, because things are much closer together and our car is always just across the street. We don’t have to wait for a parking shuttle.

Remember the cold weather? Well, Bill had me stay in the building and went to get the car. What a gentleman! But he was soon back without the car. It wouldn’t start. We feared we’d be sleeping in the terminal, but Bill called some emergency number posted in the garage and it was no time at all until a guy showed up and jumped a start.

We made our way home and went to bed. Directly to bed!

Before I move on, I’ll share a few more of my favorite cars with my photobook pages.