Normally Memorial Day weekend in the Pacific Northwest can be an iffy proposition weather wise. It is more likely to be cold and damp as summer often takes its sweet time to arrive. That is why we are not concerned about scheduling trips elsewhere then. Well, this year Mother Nature really surprised us. Maybe she was feeling guilty about the extremely rainy winter we just have experienced (50 percent more rain than usual). Yesterday it was over 80 degrees and this morning we left with clear blue skies and mountains in all directions showing off their simmering white snow covered peaks. It will be another spectacular day in Seattle. In fact the weather forecast for the weekend was that it would be the best Memorial Day weekend in decades. You win some and you lose some!

Another pre-departure observation. This is the first long trip we have taken in the United States in quite a few years. I suddenly realized I did not need to worry about passports; creating a currency conversion charts to figure out what things would cost; no money conversion at the airport; no concern about running up a big bill on my cellphone; no concern about crossing 5 or more time zones and no foreign language charts. This trip should be a piece of cake!

We had a 7 AM departure so we stayed at a hotel near the airport to avoid the hassles of trying to catch an early morning ferry. Even so we got up at 4:30. One nice thing about early morning departures is the airport was really quiet and there were no lines at security or baggage check-in counters. It made getting up that early worth it.

Our flight to Boston was non-stop on our favorite airline-Alaska. They still seem to value their customers and act accordingly. The captain even stepped outside the cockpit, introduced himself to us and relayed information about our upcoming flight-definitely a nice touch. There was now a face to associate with the voice you hear from the cockpit. Even the stewardess addressed us by our names (maybe because we were elite gold members) and thanked us for our business- again a very nice personal touch in this day and age of airline herd mentality.

It was almost a 5 hour flight and we both caught up on some of that lost sleep from last night and starting to read the new books we brought. I typed up this blog entry between my naps.

We arrived 1/2 hour ahead of schedule and were met with Seattle weather-cool and cloudy with a cool (60s), showery day predicted for tomorrow. I have to assume Mother Nature did not want us to miss our usual May weather! It was a quick cab ride to our hotel for the next three nights-Seaport Boston Hotel, located on the waterfront. It is relatively new and modern. An interesting aspect is they state that no tipping was needed as it was included in the stay. The bellboy turned down my offer of a tip, restating their policy-admirable.

Stan and Cindy arrived not long after and we met for cocktails and dinner in an old time favorite seafood restaurant of Stan called ” No Name Restaurant” located on the fishermen’s wharf near our hotel. Basically it is a “hole in the wall” kind of place that first opened in 1917. Having survived that long must mean they do something right. Because this is New England we all ordered lobster in one form or another and also tried their famous seafood chowder, which was very rich and filling. Beer, wine and Boston Cream Pie  (which actually looked like a cake) completed our menu. It was all good.

 

Retiring early as tomorrow we plan an all day sightseeing tour of the major sights here in Boston.