madelyn and jenn take seattle

(written by jenn and madelyn in our hotel room after getting up at the ungodly hour of six forty-five )

So neither of us is lost or dead. We are happy.

We both arrived and got to the hotel with the people nice to us. We said, we need food! So we called a cab, who took us Pike Market and left us there, considerably poorer than we were at teh beginning.

This is where it began.

We could not find food.

To clarify--neither of us are huge fish eaters. And we looked around at all the neat shop things and got horribly, horribly confused by teh many, many, many flights of stairs that eventually led us to water. We stared at teh water for a while and considered just sitting down, taking out our phones, and calling livejournal to make an entry saying we needed to be rescued. (Madelyn here: There were nice pier type things. They looked restful.)

By this time it was about three o'clock pm. (She's not even exaggerating. We wandered. For. Hours. There were totems and lots of water and every single type of business but one that would provide FOOD. Damn you, Seattle.)

Anyway, we walked the waterfront, mocking the cross country runners and the scary people alike, and looked at the water. The water stayed there. We did not. Eventually, we were teased by a place called The Old Spaghetti Factory, and we ran--yes, we *ran*, (there was a big street but OMG THE PROMISE OF FOOD!!!! It looked dark, but I didn't want to say anything that might diminish our spirit.) but sadly, they denied us food by not being open until four thirty and it was three forty-five. (And we were like, we can totally keep walking and then come back if we find nothing else. Like we'd be able to FIND that sucker again.)

So we took off north, using the space needle as our guide and our bastion of last resorts, where we would go and leap to our demise if someone, somewhere, did not show us food. We passed a place that sold wall beds and what could be a club and a lot of places that *didn't* sell food, and then we started going east, (We also passed Subways. Two of them. Seattle was now outright Mocking Us. Damn you, again, Seattle.) and then there was a mall and Mimi laughed at us. (She called to report in and just laughed and told us to follow the monorail which we so did.) Then, finally, God help us, there was food at a place that mentioned Elephant. But did not serve elephant.

After eating--adn we decided to take a *long time eating*--we left and decided to avoid the entire deeply monetary taxi rape and go for a bus.

Yeah, I bet you can guess how this went.

Actully, we guessed, (there was this big long list of buses and numbers and we didn't exactly....know where our hotel was so we were like, screw this, if we can get to the airport, we can WALK.) and we were *right*. Then this semi-hot boxer in the bus, who has been to Houston and has two kids--we are friendly like this when trawling for information--told us to get off on the stop right after the airport. We nodded adn he got off at the airport and we waited adn then got off in a place taht looked *really familiar*. Actually, it wasn't familiar at all, and we just kept staring at the horizon as we walked. Then, like a miracle, our hotel was *right there*.

So we lived. Later, apparently terrified we would try to go die outside again, our hotel offered to drive us to a restaurant to get chocolate cake and pick us up. (Seattle made amends to us with that cake. That cake could feed half the people reading this. It was good cake.) We totally walked back to prove our courage and everything. (And because I felt kind of dumb calling the shuttle to come get us two blocks away.

So we're alive. (And if you made it through this entry, you so get a reward. Go to sisabet's vid Father Figure--somewhere in her recent entries--SV, Clexy goodness that totally CONNECTED WITH US ON DEEP EMOTIONAL LEVELS. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY BOTH OF US GO GO GO. AND GO.)

Comments

[eliade.livejournal.com]

You must have breakfast (& lunch) at The Crumpet Shop in Pike Place Market. :) Food is there for you!

Also, do you guys want to meet for lunch or something? My team has a "team lunch" tomorrow, sadly. :P But Saturday maybe? I'm not sure what your plans are.

[eliade.livejournal.com]

Actually I'm free today, come to think, if you're interested. I can get away pretty much anytime. Ping me via e-mail at eliade @ drizzle.com and I can send you my phone # etc. But no sweat if you'd rather not--I understand about tight schedules and the fear of meeting premenstrual strangers. *g*

[chopchica.livejournal.com]

OMG AM LEAVING FOR THE AIRPORT RIGHT NOW!

I'll call you when I land, around 2:00. I'm supposed to be meeting Cait at the airport, so cross your fingers!

OMG I AM GOING!

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Oh, god! If you are down by seatac, then to fulfill your kitch restuarant needs, you have to go to the top of the inn at the holiday inn there. It has a rotating restuarant with singing waiters, and really, it is a kitch classic. And they have good cake.

If you do need rescuing, then please post in LJ. I'm on the thing all the darn time. *g*

[deadlychameleon.livejournal.com]

I do recommend the Old Spaghetti Factory. There's one I visited in Portland, and it was good, and it was cheap. The one in Portland, at least, was kind of interesting to look at too. Have fun!

Oh, and to solve the bus mystery in Seattle, WA:
http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov/cgi-bin/itin_page.pl?resptype=U
Put in your start address, finish address, and it tells you what to do from there.
Also, you can call this number: 206-553-3000
Isn't the pacific northwest nice?

[blueraccoon.livejournal.com]

there's also a really good pub-type place just a block away from pike place market. if you're facing the market, go left on Pike and you'll see it--it's called the Pike Place Pub or something like that. Yummy food and decent prices.

[zoerayne]

I'm totally envious of your adventure, and cursing the momentary guilt (and, um, common sense) that made me cancel on the trip.

I can't wait to hear more!

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of wandering Rome (Rome!) desperate for food and unable to find anything. I was ready to kill and eat my travel companion before the day was over.

[chance1562.livejournal.com]

Hee, the bus system confuses the hell out of me sometimes, and I live here. FWIW, there's a really yummy Piroshki place at Pike Place and also Turkish Delight, which I'm told is also yummy.

::shrugs:: Sounds like you found food anyway ;)

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

I am thrilled to hear that Father Figure connected with you both on a deep emotional level. That is the best news in the world.

Oh and try and stay alive and all of that.

[devin-chain.livejournal.com]

*pines*

I so wish I could have gone with you. I'm sitting in my office thinking "I could be in Seattle RIGHT NOW!"

*smites teaching schedule*

[vylit.livejournal.com]

Then, like a miracle, our hotel was *right there*.

Oh, god. You both scare me, but good for you!

[lainy122.livejournal.com]

Bwahahaha! That sounds like something I would do *g* Mm....food....

[wrenlet.livejournal.com]

Who else votes for blow-by-blow posts of the entire weekend?? *raises hand*

You have no idea how much I wish I could be there :D *miss*

[teneagles.livejournal.com]

Did you actually go all the way into the market? It's deeper than it looks, there are more levels underneath, and there's actually a ton of places to eat. Real restaurants, and everything.

True that downtown isn't particularly restaurant-heavy, though. If you want food, get on a bus and head to the U district, or Queen Anne, or Capitol Hill, etc, where there are restaurants approx. every ten feet.

Do you know the street mnemonic? It's handy if you get turned around, downtown: "Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest" (Jefferson and James, Columbia and Cherry, Marion and Madison, Spring and Seneca, University and Union, Pike and Pine).

[disbelief11.livejournal.com]

There's a delicious French bakery at the Market - Le Panier. And a good sammich shop - Sisters. The Crumpet Shop is good too. Sounds like maybe you guys didn't find the whole place - a lot of shops are across the street from the open stalls of fish and produce.

Speaking of stalls, the Chukar Cherries stall is heaven. Heaven, I tell you.

[lierdumoa.livejournal.com]

Hey! Was wondering if you'd be able to take a look at the chapter tonight, or if not, possibly sometime tomorrow?

Rome

[erica-is-amazed.livejournal.com]

I just spent seven days wandering around Rome.

I had logged into a computer at an internet point near the Termini train station.

Typing in www.livejournal.com dropped down a previously viewed page of /users/seperis.
Since I was just about to tell her about that - I noticed you had mentioned Rome in a comment on her LJ.

Weirdly amusing.