Trip to Seattle: Day One, Part 2

We landed in Seattle without incident. I followed the signs to the baggage carousel, and got my bag off with the help of a fellow traveler. I dragged everything to the car rental counter, and picked up my car. When I handed my driver's license to the woman at the counter, she looked at my address and said that she understood why I had that lovely accent! She then asked if I ever watched that show on the Food Network. I knew that she probably meant the Paula Deen show, and I was right. She also said that she'd been to either Georgia or Alabama as a small child, and her strongest memory was of the fried chicken, biscuits, and gravy that she was served for breakfast. I laughed and told her it sounded like a Georgia breakfast to me. Her boss marked a map for me in addition to verbal directions, and even walked me to the car rental section of the parking garage (I think he was going that way anyway, but it made me feel better).

The car was a Hyundai Sonata, and it was great. I did have some trouble trying to unlock the trunk...I kept looking for a place to put the key, and couldn't find one. I then couldn't find a way to pop the trunk from the driver's side of the car, so I put my bags into the back seat and pulled out the car's manual. There's NOT a place for the key in the back, and the lever to pop the trunk is on the driver's side door!

I headed out of the terminal, and found my interstate. Between the Hertz directions and my own internet directions, I found Issaquah and the Holiday Inn without incident. The only glitch with the hotel is the fact that it had NO elevator! I lugged my two bags around the lobby until an employee spotted me and offered assistance. I declined the offer of help with the luggage and lugged them up the stairs on my own. I also made a mental note to either get help when I checked out or take them down one at a time. I freshened up and decided to eat dinner in the hotel dining room. The food and the service were both good, and the tea was especially good. I kept asking for unsweetened ice tea, but I think that's the way it's served in most places outside of the South...maybe that's why I kept getting odd looks.

The two-hour time difference was a little odd. I followed in my father's footsteps and read the telephone directory, discovering that Barnes & Noble was one street over from the hotel. I headed out around 6:30 p.m. PDST, which was 8:30 to my body. I bought a couple of magazines, and drove around a little before heading back to the hotel. I watched a little television, and headed to bed.