Flying to Long Beach

Why is it so much harder to wake up early when you are officially on vacation than when I have to get up for work?

We made it in good time to Seattle, even considering the heavy rush hour traffic.

We checked into our hotel around 4:30 pm and we went to our room and noticed a strange odor but just opened the windows hoping that in time the smell would leave.

Dinner was in order, we were starving.  We went and had a nice meal and then stopped at Target and then Total Wine.  Bernie wanted to stop at Total Wine to pick up his favorite Scotch an 18 year old Glenmorangie that is a special item.  

He has been wanting this for a while and since it is so much cheaper in the US and hard to find at home he treated himself.  We are not taking it on the trip, it is staying with the car to take home.

When we returned to the room the odor was still strong.  Not sure what it was, but it smelled chemical in nature, kind of like if you were trying to spray a cleaner/deodorizer but I knew we culdn’t spend the night there.  A quick visit to the front desk and they accommodated us with a new room.  Great Service here.

We are exhausted!  I am trying to stay awake but by 8 pm I can not resist sleep any longer.  Although even with being so tired both of us had a restless sleep.  Has to be because of the strange environment and knowing we have to wake early for our flight, or maybe we are just excited.

Anyhow the alarm went off at 4 am only to realize the darn alarm clock was actually 20 minutes early in it’s time!  Oh well we are up now.

There is a Starbucks right beside the hotel and I know it opens early but after walking over there I see it doesn’t open till 5 am on Saturdays, 4 am on weekdays.  Sad face…. 

Oh well will have to wait until we get to the airport.

We catch the 5 am shuttle to the airport and with our Nexus card we get to go thru the TSA approved line and thru security within two minutes.  A record I think.

STARBUCKS – and we both need a heavy dose of caffeine.  We also grab a quick meal and by the time we are done we are ready for boarding.

We are flying Jet Blue.  This is our second time flying with them and love their first bag free deal.  Plus as soon as we are up in the air we find out they offer free wifi!  Seriously!

It isn’t long before we are touching down at Long Beach Airport.  We quickly grab our bags and walk out to the taxi line.  Long Beach is so much more civilized and actually nice to fly in to.  The taxi ride is about 15 minutes and it is a flat rate of $45 to San Pedro terminal.

We are at the pier around 10:30 and drop off our bag with the porters.  We then head out on foot to town.

We stop and get an amazing Mexican meal at Tacos y Mariscos.  

                      

We then walk over to Off the Vine for some wine.  The owners are a lovely couple that are so very helpful.  We buy two bottles to take on with us.  Off the Vine

Night in Seattle

Heading out to Seattle today after my shift.  Yeah I had to work today.  Early early early... 4:30 am start but I am done at 12:18 pm and once I get home and change and pack the last minute items we will make our way South to Seattle.

It is a nice drive and the weather should be good.  It will take about 2.5 hours and we are spending the night.

When we booked the flights we were able to find a great deal with Jet Blue to Long Beach but it is out of Seattle. 

Even with the nights' accommodation, which includes parking for the week, it still works out cheaper than flying out of Vancouver.

We are staying once again at the Marriott TownePlace Suites which is a great place and there is a Starbucks right beside the hotel and includes breakfast.

Flight is early Saturday - 7 am - but we get into Long Beach early too.  This will allow us to grab a cab to the pier, drop off the bags and then maybe go for a walk.  

Stay tuned.

Wednesday Dec 5 - Seattle Bound

As we ofen do we booked flights out of Seattle and since parking for 11 days was going to cost almost as much as it usually does for a month we looked at other options.  After checking around we booked the The Marriott Towne Suites that included 14 days of parking.

As soon as we are on the road I decide to hook up our GPS, one we bought about five years ago (A Tom Tom) only for it not to work at all, won't even turn on!  We have had nothing but problems with it so decide well we are down in the States why not get a new one.  We pull into a Best Buy and buy a Garmond, and it works like a damn.  Love the traffic option which comes in handy as we are in the midst of rush hour traffic when we get to Seattle.

We quickly locate the hotel, which is located in Kent about ten minutes from the airport. 

It is a nice hotel that does long stays and offer small sitting area and kitchenette.  There are a lot of restaurants, stores located nearby and a Starbucks right beside the hotel as well as a 7-11.

We both love Mexican and decide to head to Aztec Restaurant, for which we have eaten at before.  Sadly it has gone down hill.  The restaurant needs a good cleaning, especially the bench seats and carpet.  The food was so so, definitely reheated.  Portions are LARGE so we shared an entree and left full.  Prices are reasonable and they appeared to have a good children's menu.  http://www.aztecamex.com/ 

Did not sleep well, but then again I never sleep well before any trip.  But tonight I have a stomach ache (probably from the food and I wicked sinus headache, which is usually triggered by a food allergy).

When we wake we head off to get a Starbucks and enjoy in bed while watching tv.  The hotel offers a nice complimentary breakfast.  We have also booked the complimentary shuttle that runs every hour, but believe during busier times it runs more often.