Weekend Travels: Home to Washington State

I'm in Washington State!

Since I’m a third-year law student, I don’t have a very rigorous schedule, and I was able to reschedule the Contracts TA session I teach so that I could fly back home to Washington State on Thursday and back to New York on Monday. Being me, I put off packing until the last minute, so I was up late last night packing and only got 5 hours of sleep. Whoops.

I still wanted to get in some kind of physical activity before flying all day, so I woke up at 5:30 AM to run 2 miles on the treadmill in my building’s gym. Who needs coffee when you can run? I jacked up the speed to get the miles done more quickly, and ended up with an 8:27 pace. It’s always easier to run quickly on a treadmill, but still, woot!

I quickly showered off, said my good byes to the boy and dog (cats never care if I'm gone...), then grabbed a cab and headed to LaGuardia to catch my flight. I don’t love the travel process, but I do love traveling, even when it’s just flying back to Washington State for a visit to my family. I grew up in the rural Pacific Northwest, in a small town just about 5 miles south of the Canadian border. It’s a long slog from New York – a 6 hour nonstop plane ride or 8-9 hours if there’s a layover, then a 2 hour drive home from Seattle’s airport. But it’s always worth it to see the fam!

the gate across from mine was decorated for Halloween. not sure if this is encouraging when getting on a plane, but it was fun to see early in the morning.

I spent both flights catching up on some TV shows, starting Scott Jurek’s Eat and Run, and studying for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). The MPRE is a standardized exam you have to take as part of the Bar exam that I’ll be taking in July, after I graduate. You have to pass both the New York State Bar, which is the laws of New York, and the MPRE, which is basically an ethics exam, before you can be licensed as a lawyer in New York. I’m taking it on Saturday, November 3 – the day before the New York City Marathon! Cheering on the runners on Sunday will be my reward for finishing the exam on Saturday.

the fact that Denver's airport needs signs for tornado shelters was concerning to me. I saw Twister when I was little, I don't think being in a women's bathroom would save you from a tornado...

Watching movie or TV shows on my laptop always seems awkward. Yes, I’m watching Nashville and I think it’s awesome. Don’t judge me because it’s a primetime soap (Revenge is awesome, too, but I watch that one with the boy). There was also some partial nudity on one show – oops, sorry, hope I didn’t scar your children. Thankfully it was only over-18’s in my vicinity. I also chatted with my seat neighbor, Janice, who it turns out is a sommelier at Purple Cafe & Wine Bar in Seattle. Next time I have a longer trip I'm definitely going to be dropping by!

Afternoon in Seattle

My flight from Denver to Seattle landed around 2 PM, so we got to do a few fun Seattle  things before the two hour drive back to my hometown. We went to the Seattle Art Museum to see an exhibit on female artists, mainly from the 1950s to 1970s. 

It was an interesting exhibit, although some of the art was a bit too abstract for my taste, especially without any description or context. Still, I'd actually never been to the Seattle Art Museum, so it was great to check it out!

this artist, a Polish Art Deco artist named Tamara de Lempicka, was the main reason my parents wanted to go to the museum, but unfortunately this was the only piece of hers in the exhibit

After the museum, we walked through Pike Place Market. I had specially requested to do that since I love the market so much. There's so much food and so many local artists' stands. I found a few great gifts and picked up a wonderfully fresh honeycrisp apple to snack on the 2 hour drive back. 

the Seattle Great Wheel (a brand new addition to the waterfront) with a ferry coming in to dock 

the amount of seafood at Pike's Place Market is staggering. SO much crab, lobster and fish! 

Pike's Place Market is basically an indoor market since the weather is so often chilly, overcast, and drizzly in Washington 

the original Starbucks logo outside the original Starbucks

Pacific Northwest Starbucks cafes have fresh-pressed green juices! NYC, please follow this trend!! 

how funny is this pot holder? my friend Katie will be the lucky recipient of this gem 

the view from outside Pike Place Market -- you can see the Seattle Great Wheel, cranes for loading and unloading shipping crates, and CenturyLink Field (the Seahawks stadium) 

We ended our afternoon in Seattle with dinner at Umi Sake House in Belltown. Since we were having an early dinner, we were able to order off the happy hour menu. I've become used to New York prices, so you can imagine how excited I was about a $10 sashimi plate! The fish was extremely fresh tasting, too, since Seattle has so much fresh fish constantly coming in to the port. 

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Now I'm home and about to watch the premiere of the first season of Revenge with my parents. Trying to get them hooked like I am!