Seattle, Day 1: Hostels Trying to be Hotels, The Dock Bar, and More

Today, I said goodbye to Vancouver and hello to Seattle.  It was very strange; I was beginning to feel like Vancouver was my home city after two weeks there.  But it was time to move on.

I said goodbye to Alex and Maria as they left for work.  I finished packing, and headed out.

At 9:30 AM, I arrived at the station whee the Amtrak bus would take me back to the United States, and ultimately to Seattle.  At 11:30, the bus arrived and I hopped on.

After filling out the customs form, we started moving.  We passed Richmond, Surrey, and Delta (the southern suburbs of Vancouver), and finally we arrived at the United States border.

I hadn't done any land border crossings before.  I was a bit nervous, but I made it through all right.  The delay at the border was maybe 30-40 minutes.  Not bad.

We eventually arrived in Seattle.  I hadn't realized how spread out the Seattle metro area was before.  We got in the Seattle city limits about 25 miles from the actual exit that we took to the station.

Upon arrival, I went to a coffee shop I had looked up at the Vancouver station.  It was called Zeitgeist Cafe. The baristas were snooty and the espresso was terrible, so I'm definitely not going back there.

I took bus 5 to Fremont N and 27th.  I got lost on the way, so I called the hostel and asked for directions.

Once I stepped in the Hotel Hotel Hostel, something was off.  It wasn't subtle, either, with the decor akin to a large nightclub.  The staff was friendly, though.  It had more amenities than most motels I've been in.  I guess the "hotel hotel" at the beginning of the name of the hostel should have tipped me off.

This is an example of a hostel not only losing a sense of community, but actively trying to.  I guess some people don't like hostels due to lack of privacy, but come on.  This hostel does not have privacy, as it's technically still a hostel (shared bathrooms, dorms, and common areas).  It just tries to look fancy.  My advice for them: be a hostel or don't.  Most people who usually stay in hostels (including myself) do not want fancy accommodation.  They want to be focused on the area surrounding them and meeting the people in it, not distracted by amenities which they don't need nor necessarily want.  I understand having a few might be nice, but it I felt like I accidentally walked into a rave club owned by Tony Stark.  Not cool.

Anywho, I had to do laundry after a bit, so I went to a laundromat nearby.  I then looked for a place to eat while I waited for the wash to be done.  Right next to the laundromat was a bar called The Dock Bar and Restaurant.  Those of you who know me know I don't drink, but there was a sign advertising two tacos for $3.  I went in.

I ordered the tacos, and chatted with the bartendress about hot sauce and food trucks.  I liked the place, so I ended up getting a crab and shrimp macaroni and cheese.

It was delicious.  The Bechamel-cheese sauce had clam juice in it to thin it a bit, which went well with the seafood.  There was plenty of seafood, and it was real crab (no imitation crap crab here!)  The best part: it was only $13, and had as much crab and bay shrimp as what you would order in an expensive seafood restaurant.  I'll definitely have to come back.

I then went back to the hostel, and went to bed.

Vancouver, Day 14: Pizza, Storm Crow Tavern, and More

When I got up, I decided to go to Caffe Rustico again.  They weren't open for another hour, so I went to Slickity Jim's.

I had the "I See Food", a crab cake and avocado benedict.  Usually I don't like crab cakes, but these were good.  After my meal, I went to Caffe Rustico.

I spent a lot of time there (I think from 9 AM to 2 PM).  Over that time, I got two shots of espresso, a Sprite, a slice of Paesano pizza (pesto, olives, feta, and artichoke), two slices of the veggie pizza, and a Napoli (like a biscotti, but filled with chocolate and topped with sliced almonds).  Some would say this is too much, but for this place, I beg to differ.

Eventually, I went to the area around Maria's work, where we were going to meet.  I got there early, and hung out in the Davie Community Gardens.  It was a really nice place; I ended up meditating there for half an hour.

After meeting with Maria, we walked to a nearby JJ Bean.  Alex met us there after a bit, and we took public transit to Commercial Drive.

Commercial Drive has a lot of nice, cheap places to eat, but it can also be pretty sketchy.  Our destination was the Storm Crow Tavern, basically a pub for geeks.  Sounds just right!

We walked in, and ordered our food.  We pondered playing a few board games, but we just wanted to eat.  (Also, the games were a bit complex).  I ordered the Mexican Vampire Bordello Mac n' Cheese of Cthulhu.

That name alone would lead any sane person to run out of there, so I stayed to eat.  It was definitely worth it.  The toppings (black beans, tomato salsa, cilantro, onion) made it even better.  At one point, I looked up over my table and noticed a sort of altar with a statue of my macaroni and cheese' namesake, Cthulhu.

Imagine sitting down and having this guy watch you eat his macaroni and cheese.  Trust me, it's even more awkward than you think.

Afterwards, we went home.  I prepared a bit for the trip to Seattle the next day, and went to bed for the last time in Vancouver.

Vancouver, Day 13: Biscotti, Shawarma, and More

For breakfast, I had coffee and cereal at the hostel.  I also met someone from Seattle who was in my dorm, and he offered to show me around Seattle when I got there.

After getting ready for the day, I walked over to Slickity Jim's.  They had a long wait, so I decided to go somewhere else.  After a bit of walking, I got to Caffe Rustico.  They had espresso, which was just what I needed (I woke up a bit groggy that morning).  I decided to go in.

I had some espresso.  It was very good, probably the best I've had.  The owner and I chatted a bit, and he gave me what he called the "Vancouver Special".  From what I could tell, it was a sort of latte, and it was delicious.

This is what I love about slow travel.  You get to experience life like a local, and eat in these gems of places distributed randomly in the city in which you currently, albeit temporarily reside in.  If the owners are friendly, you chat with them and learn from them a bit about what it is like to live in their city.  I would have never discovered these places as a stereotypical tourist, dashing from attraction to attraction, not thinking I have time to actually explore.

Caffe Rustico was so good, I ended up eating lunch there, which took the form of penne alfredo and a hazelnut biscotti.  I decided I'd go here again on this trip.

I met some other friendly people in the evening, so that was good.  For dinner, I went to Falafel King and ordered the lamb shawarma.  The herb salad and hummus were good, but the lamb was not good at all.  I put the rest of the meal in the "free food" shelf of the hostel refrigerator.  After that, I called it a night.

Vancouver, Day 12: Chimney Cake, Getting Lost in Stanley Park, and More

Alex, Maria and I went to Slickity Jim's again for breakfast.  After that, I left for the hostel.

The first night at the hostel was disappointing.  It was huge, more like a hotel than a hostel.  Thus, there were very few people who wanted or had the time to chat.  A lot of people were downright rude.  Two exceptions were two people from Austria, but they had to leave for Seattle that day, so we didn't talk much.

A few blocks from the hostel was a Romanian bakery.  Maria is Romanian, and had mentioned chimney cake, a sweet pastry of enormous proportions shaped into a helix.  Alas, they had them!  I ordered one and took it back to the hostel.

I did get lost in Stanley Park that day.  It was fun, but also scary.  In some places, Stanley Park becomes a labyrinth of thick foliage; those are the scary parts.  In other places, there are huge lawns, with walkways and bridges over ponds.  Swans and geese are a common sight there, and they're not afraid to walk right up to people.

Eventually, I walked back to the hostel and went to bed.

Vancouver, Day 11: Chinese Food, IKEA (again), and More

Today, breakfast was a large bowl of macaroni and cheese.  Forget the stereotype about Kraft dinner, this was the real stuff.  It had three cheeses, and was sizzling when they brought it out.  That's always a good sign.

For lunch, I went to a Chinese restaurant across the street.  I had heard there was a lunch special for $7, so I decided to check it out.

When I sat down, the waitress gave me the menu.  It didn't have a lunch special.  When I asked, she seemed annoyed.  She then gave me another menu with the lunch special on it.  It seemed that because I seemed like a tourist, they gave me a version which had the pricier items and not the good deals.  I guess some people don't get that not all travelers are rich.

I ordered the sweet and sour sliced fish, which came with chow mein and a cup of hot and sour soup.  The fish and the soup were very good, but the chow mein was greasy and a bit bland.

Not much happened from the Chinese restaurant until dinner.  Dinner was at IKEA again, but this time we also went downstairs and got a lingonberry sundae.  It was $1.50, a really good deal for something with lingonberries in it.  They tasted like something in between a pomegranate seed and a cranberry.

It was late when we got home, so we went to bed.

Vancouver, Day 10: Best Eggs Benedict, New Novelty, and More

For breakfast, I went to Slickity Jim's again with Maria.  I got what I believe is the best Eggs Benedict variation ever invented: "A Figment of my Imagination", with blue cheese, a poached egg, hollandaise, and finally topped with sliced Turkish figs.

I didn't get to explore much today, unfortunately.  However, I did make it to the New Novelty Indian buffet for lunch.  It was good; I had chana masala (chickpea curry), matter paneer (green pea and paneer curry), and palak paneer (spinach curry), all over basmati rice.  I also had three pieces of naan (flatbread).  Needless to say, I was stuffed for the rest of the day.

I did get to plan for the rest of September, so that was good.  Eventually, I went to bed.

Vancouver, Day 9: Chorizo, IKEA, and More

Coffee today was at Baguette and Company.  It was really good, but the pistachio danish was what really made the trip over worth it.

I decided I would try again at New Novelty.  I got there about noon, and saw the sign.  The lunch buffet was nine dollars.  I reached into my pocket, and pulled out eight dollars.  That was all I had brought with me.

I decided to walk a bit.  When I say 'a bit', what I mean is 'at least 45 blocks'.  After walking, I saw what looked to be a pub with the name "Slickity Jim's Chat n' Chew Cafe".  That sounded like a name for a combination of a strip club and an American Old West speakeasy.  So I thought to myself, "Okay, I'll go in there."

To my relief, there were no half-naked men or women in cowboy boots serving Prohibition-era absinthe.  It was, like many other questionably-named eateries, a hipster lair.

And what a hipster lair it was.  What set it apart from other dens of madness of these sorts was its food.  I had eggs and chorizo.  The chorizo was the best I've ever had.  I mentioned this to the waitress.  We talked briefly about the variations of chorizo, and when I was done, she said she'd pay for my meal.  I was taken aback, I didn't know the nuances of Mexican vs. Portuguese chorizo were even that interesting.  (I'm kidding of course; she actually said it was because I was really nice.)  I gave her double the usual tip, and decided to come back sometime.

Once I got home, I started making chana masala with the ingredients I bought at the Punjabi market the day before.  It turned out well; both Alex and Maria really liked it.

We then went to IKEA.  It's a Swedish chain, and expresses that fact quite visibly, complete with tourism ads on the walls for Sweden, Swedish truffles and chocolates available for purchase, and what else... ah yes.  A smorgasbord.

I had a Swedish apple cake, a shrimp and egg salad sandwich, and haddock and chips, which came out to about 11 dollars.  Not bad.

And with that, we went home to bed.

Vancouver, Day 8: Punjabi Market, Catching Up with Old Friends, and More

After the usual breakfast at Float On, I decided that today would be the day I would go to the Indian buffet, New Novelty.  I was really excited.  What would I get?  Chana masala?  Palak paneer?  Butter chicken?  All of the above?

Finally, I arrived at New Novelty.  I walked in, and asked if they were dong the lunch buffet.  The person at the counter then told me that the buffet was only open from 11 AM to 3:30 PM.  It was 9:30 AM.

No Indian buffet for you!

Then, I got an idea.  There was a Punjabi market over on Main Street.  So I went there instead.  I got taro, Thai chiles, Bombay Tadka sauce, chickpeas, potatoes, and onions.

I went home for a bit, then met Alex near the Waterfront.  We walked over to Maria's work, and met her there.  We also met a friend of mine who also lived in Vancouver, Jeff.

After we had all convened, we went to Japadog, a food truck on Burrard Street.  They sell Japanese fusion hot dogs (think hot dogs, but with Japanese ingredients used as condiments).  I had the Negimiso, a pork hot dog topped with cabbage, seaweed, and some other sauce I can't remember.  It was delicious.

Afterward, we walked to English Bay, then turned back and went home for the night.

Vancouver, Day 7: JJ Bean, UBC, and More

In the morning, Maria and I took a break from Float On.  We went to JJ Bean, one of a chain of cafes in Vancouver.  It is well-loved by locals, so whatever you do, don't compare it to Starbucks around a Vancouverite.  I speak from experience.

The coffee was good.  I couldn't say the same for the spinach and feta bun I had, though.  It was cold, had barely any feta, and the very small amount of spinach it had was dried out to a crisp.

For most of my day, I stayed home.  When Alex and Maria got off work, we went on a walk through a park owned by the University of British Columbia.  Afterwards, we toured the university by car.  I don't remember much; I was very sleepy during the ride.

Afterwards, we went home.  We watched television some more, and went off to bed.

Vancouver, Day 6: Filipino Food (but not too much else)

My sixth day in Vancouver was relatively uneventful. I went to Float On in the morning, then just worked on my travel plans for a while.  After a bit, I got hungry.  There was a Filipino restaurant a block away, so I went there.

I walked in, and noticed that all the menus were in Tagalog.  I didn't even recognize any of the dishes.  Both of these are good; it probably means it's authentic and does not go out of its way to cater to tourists.  I love places like that.

I got a bitter melon, tomato, and egg scramble and a chicken thigh stew with carrot, onions, and red bell peppers in a tomato-pepper broth.  It came with rice.  For dessert, I had a deep-fried and battered banana covered in maple syrup.  All of this cost $9, not a bad deal at all.

I was going to go to an Indian buffet in Little India, but decided to make something at the house instead. I made a grilled cheese, mushroom, and olive sandwich.

Once Alex and Maria got home, we watched some television and went to bed.

Vancouver, Day 5: Fort Langley, Bubble Tea, and More

Alex and Maria had the day off.  Alex went paintballing (I actually chickened out at the last minute).  I ended up going with Maria on a day trip to Fort Langley.

Fort Langley is in farm country, along the Fraser River.  It's quite nice, but it's easy to get turned around while driving, which did happen a few times on our way there.  Eventually, we made it.

We stopped for brunch at Country Fair Bistro Cafe & Patio.  I had Eggs Benedict.  The whites of the eggs weren't cooked enough in places, which was kind of a bummer.

After going through at least three antique shops, there was a cranberry store.  Apparently, there's a cranberry festival every year in Fort Langley, and being a small town, it's a huge thing in the area.  One activity is 'bobbing for cranberries', which I would imagine is like bobbing for apples without the frustration you get when you never, ever get any apples (because they're too big to bite into while blindfolded).  Sounds fun.

After picking up Alex (and getting lost again on the way there), we all went for bubble tea.  I had never had bubble tea, so I didn't know what to expect.  I learned that it's like a smoothie on top, and a small amount of hot tea on the bottom.  You can get black tapioca 'pearls' in the tea part if you wish, and you can add milk.  You can make the smoothie as a slush or as a juice, and you can get any combination of smoothie flavors as you want.  I got a slush jackfruit, peach, and pineapple with pearls and no milk.  It was surprisingly good.

 When we got back, I made dinner.  For an appetizer, I made guacamole on toast.  There were mushroom sandwiches for dinner, and for dessert, I made buttered and spiced peaches.  We called it a day soon after that.

Vancouver, Day 4: Montreal Smoked Meat, North Shore, and More

For coffee on my fourth day in Vancouver, we went to JJ Bean, a local chain coffee shop operating mostly in Vancouver.  The coffee was superb, and so was the marzipan-stuffed croissant crusted with sliced almonds.

We then decided to take a drive up to the lookout at Cypress Provincial Park.  It was a great view, I could see all of Vancouver.  Afterwards we went back and stopped in North Vancouver for a bite to eat.

We went to a place specializing in Montreal smoked meat.  It was very good; it tasted like smoked roast beef, and the texture was that of thinly-sliced ham.  I had it with an egg on a rosemary bagel crusted with rock salt.

We drove to the North Shore, an upper-class part of Vancouver.  For all of you who are familiar with the Bay Area, think Marin County, except slightly less pretentious.  There was an indoor public market, so we went in.

I actually liked it better than the one at Granville Island.  It was bigger, and seemed to be frequented more by locals than your average tourist.  I got a cup of ginger ale.  Forget the canned Canada Dry stuff, this was the best.

Back at home, Alex worked a bit in the kitchen while we listened to some music.  Afterwards, we picked Maria up (I forget from where) and went to Alex and Maria's friends' house for dinner.  We played some tabletop games there as well.

Afterwards, it was time to go home and go to bed.  It was a good day.  Also, I only spent $10 on food!  That meant I had $18 to spend the next day if I felt the need to.

Stay tuned for the next post!

Vancouver, Day 3: Dosas, Salvadorean Food, and More

Today was a day of planning and errands.  Not ideal, but necessary for traveling slowly.  Also, I got to explore the area around where I'm staying a bit more.

I started my day off with a cup of coffee at Float On ($2.50).  Seriously, that stuff is addicting.  I then planned out some things I wanted to do; Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley were both possibilities.  I also wanted to get a haircut, so I found a place on Kingsway that I might go to soon.

After Float On, I got a tomato and ham Eggs Benedict from Co-Zi Cafe, which was very good.  The Hollandaise sauce was different than what I'm used to having at Gold Street Cafe in Redding.  There was less egg yolk, just a hint of butter, and a lot more lemon juice in this one.  The change in proportions made a huge difference; the resulting sauce was creamier, lighter, and had more of a lemony flavor to it.

Near midday, I went back to Nooru Mahal to get a palak lamb dosa ($12).  It's like a burrito, except filled with curry of some sort (in this case, lamb with spinach curry), and wrapped in something like a crepe.  It was truly delicious.

Once Alex and Maria were both home, I made tuna melts.  To make them, I mixed tuna, cilantro, and lime juice, put some on bread, and topped them with cheddar cheese.  I then toasted them in the toaster oven until the cheese was bubbly.  There was some basil growing on the patio, so I garnished the melts with that.  Not bad for a kitchen with just a toaster oven!

For dinner, we went to a Salvadorean restaurant.  Two friends of Alex and Maria also joined us.  I had the Desayuno Salvadoreno (Salvadorean breakfast).  It was a cube of cotija cheese, refried beans, a tomato-egg scramble, a wedge of avocado, and something else I can't remember.  It was all very good.  I also had a pupusa (well, one half-pupusa from two different people), which was very good as well.  I also had two glasses of cantaloupe juice.  Needless to say, I was stuffed at the end.  Mine was about $14.

It was past 11 when we got home.  I was very groggy, but I know we were figuring out a possible day trip for the next day, and something about Alex and Maria possibly going with me to Seattle for my first weekend there.  We'll see what happens.  Until then, later!

Vancouver, Day 2: Getting Lost in Yaletown, Butter Chicken, and More

After waking up, Alex and I had breakfast at Float On.  I had coffee and a frittata, which cost about $7.  The frittata was excellent, containing egg, rosemary, green onion, and goat cheese.

After he left for work, I bought a book of public transit tickets.  I boarded bus 8, and headed for Hastings and Abbott Streets.  From there, I went to Lost & Found Cafe and bought a freshly-baked bun filled with egg, green onions, cheese, and ham for $3.

From there, I walked west.  I didn't know where I was going, but that was the point.  There's so much more you notice when you're lost in an unfamiliar place.  You aren't focused on what you're expecting, so you can take more in.

I eventually got through Yaletown, and arrived at the Hornby Street Pier.  There was a ferry, so I took it to Granville Island.  It was a bit of a tourist trap, but there were two places I liked that made all of it worth the trip.

The first was Granville Island Public Market, a huge building comprised almost entirely of food vendors.  If there is a heaven, I hope it's something like this place.  I overspent my budget here, but I didn't count it toward my $14 budget (who would when visiting here?).  I got two plums grown in the Okanagan Valley in eastern British Columbia, four pieces of crab meat caught in Victoria (on nearby Vancouver Island), some ginger ale, and a polenta pie with mozzarella, tomato sauce, and fresh basil, topped with an olive tapenade.

The second was a cafe mostly specializing in gelato.  I was going to get that, but then I saw a Nanaimo bar in the display case, and got one of those instead.  I had never tried one before.  It was a delicious layered chocolate-coconut brownie, a layer of custard on top of that, all topped with a chocolate shell.

I went back to Alex and Maria's.  When they both were back, we went to Nooru Mahal, a restaurant serving Indian, Sri Lankan, and Singaporean food.  I had butter chicken and mango ice cream, which set me back another $14.  I'll definitely have to spend less tomorrow, or at least start going within my budget consistently.

I'll have pictures from the first full day in Vancouver soon.  Until then, goodbye!

First Day in Vancouver: Italian Food, Mango Lassis and More

When I got up after my first night traveling, it all hit me.  I wasn't home anymore, and I wouldn't be for a while.  Traveling was my life now, at least for the time being.  Was I sad?  Depressed?  Not in the slightest.  I was finally doing what I love best.

I got up right as one of my friends I was staying with, Alex, was finishing breakfast.  We said goodbye, and he left for work.  I had some cereal, then got ready for the day.  Maria, the other friend I was staying with, got up a bit later than Alex.  She had the day off, so she took me on a tour of the city.

We had breakfast in Float On Bakeshop and Cafe.  I had a vegan maple-glazed donut with Maldon sea salt.  Think what you will about the vegan movement, but this was delicious.  The coffee I had was great as well.

Afterward, we went on the bus and the subway to downtown, then walked to Stanley Park.  We were going to got o the aquarium, but it was fairly pricey ($29!), so we decided against it.  We walked back to Ciao Bella, an Italian restaurant that had a lunch special for 50% off any pasta dish.  I ordered the Ciao Bella linguine, which had mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a demiglaze reduction white wine sauce.  It was one of the best meals at an Italian restaurant I've ever had.  Since I got it with meatballs, it was $14.

After going to the store, I went to a soccer game with Alex and some of his co-workers.  I played goalie, which I got progressively better at (especially after Alex showed me how to kick and stop a ball properly.  I am not usually a big sports person, as you can probably tell.  It was fun, though.

There was also a game of bubbleball going on.  How it works is basically like soccer, except you get inside a spherical, plastic bubble so you can knock players over and roll around to avoid people.  I was able to get in one.  I looked silly in it, so naturally, Maria took pictures of me in it.

After we were done, we went home and ate dinner.  We had apples with peanut butter.  (They were renovating their kitchen and only had a toaster oven, so the options were limited.  I made mango lassis for them because they had bought breakfast and dessert after lunch for me.  We played a tabletop game while their cat, Cosmo, tried to sabotage us by walking all over the space we were playing.  After that, the day was done.

On food that day, I spent $14, which was exactly my limit.  Hooray for good budgeting!

We'll see what the next day has in store for me.  Until then, later!

Taking Off

After waking up at 3 AM, I boarded the shuttle from Redding to the Sacramento Airport.  That went great, although everybody seemed to be too groggy to talk much (understandably).  Then, I was dropped off at the airport.

I hadn't been to an airport since a year ago, when I went to Ireland.  The sheer vastness of these places astound me.  In Redding, there's a flight to and from San Francisco, and a nice Chinese restaurant upstairs, but that's it.

After figuring out the flight was in Terminal B and not Terminal A, I went through security.  At first, they turned me away because I forgot to get a boarding pass.  I decided to get one at a nearby kiosk.

After security (and nearly losing my wallet), I figured out the gate the flight was leaving from.  After that, I got to the good part: food!

For breakfast, I got a plain crepe served with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and melted butter on top.  That cost $6.  That may sound like a lot, but it's fairly cheap for this airport.  It was also very good.

Yet for every good thing in a day, there seems to be a bad thing that pops up when it's over, like an antagonistic version of Whack-a-Mole.  So what was bad?  Lunch.

Famous Famiglia's credits itself as being "New York's Favorite Pizza".  I call bull.  The crust literally tastes like cardboard, it's so soaked in grease that a sponge might be used to sop it up, and the cheese tasted like it had been in the fridge for at least two weeks.  Luckily, I was too cheap to put any other toppings on it besides cheese, and I had only one slice.  However, it was expensive, especially for what it was.

To make up for that, I splurged a bit and got a better (but more expensive) dinner in the Seattle airport.  I had a pulled pork, green onion, and cheddar quesadilla with sour cream and guacamole on the side, topped with barbeque sauce.  That set me back $12, but it was worth it.

So, to sum up airport food at $14 a day, I'll just say it's really hard to do unless you go for fast food.  I certainly couldn't do it, but maybe that's just because I just started budgeting this way.

When my friends picked me up in Vancouver, we went for ice cream (I got one scoop of lavender and one scoop of lemon).  After that, they drove me over to their house, and I got some rest.

Leaving tomorrow

Tomorrow, I start on my trip.  I'll be getting up early, and that means coffee.  Lots of coffee.  From there, I take the shuttle to Sacramento Airport, and fly to Vancouver (with a short layover in Seattle).  I will be staying with friends there for 10 days before spending the rest of the month in the Seattle area.

For my first post on the road, I will write a piece on how to get (relatively) good airport food on the cheap, or at the very least, document my feeble attempt at doing so.  Should be fun!