Seattle: Day 4

The absolute worst thing about holidays, without a doubt, is that they always come to an end. Just once, I would really like to be ready to leave a place before I was forced to go. But, alas, no one on earth has as many vacation days as I want. I buy lottery tickets in the hopes that I will be able to turn my life into a giant holiday long before I reach retirement age...

But I digress.

Yesterday morning, we packed our bags and said good-bye to the Gaslight Inn. I cannot say enough good things about this bed and breakfast. It was comfortable, welcoming and the location- at 15th avenue and Howell Street- couldn't be better. If you're planning a trip to Seattle, this is definitely the place to stay.

On our way out of town, we stopped off for one last indulgence at the Capitol Hill location of Top Pot Doughnuts. What can I say? I just couldn't help myself.

We also stopped at Northgate Mall before leaving the city limits. It's a mall like any other, but the draw for me is that Seattle's only DSW Shoe Source is located here. Although I have to admit that I exercised a significant amount of self-control and left the store empty-handed, I still needed to look around.

Across the street from Northgate Mall is a shopping curiousity, the likes of which I have never seen. Stacked in a warehouse-like complex is a Target, Best Buy, and Sports Authority, one on top of the other. It certainly seemed to be an efficient use of the available space, but as someone who was unfamiliar with the area, I have to say that it was hard to tell how to get into the complex... we took several circuitous turns before making it into the attached parking garage.

For lunch, we stopped in at Panera Bread. This is supposed to be one of- if not the- healthiest fastfood chains around. Whereas there appeared to be some healthful options on the menu, it was too extensive for either one of us to make a good decision in a hurry. Thrown off by the number of questions we were asked at the till, I ended up with macaroni and cheese and a side of chips, while Ian was served extra bread with his turkey sandwich. Moreover, very few people in the restaurant seemed to have ordered sensible-sized portions. I suppose eating healthy food is a start, but eating too much healthy food doesn't put you much further ahead than eating junk. Not to mention that in addition to "healthy options", Panera Bread has an enormous glass case full of tempting cookies and icing-covered pastries. I defy anyone to make a healthy choice when faced with that. It would be next to impossible.

If you really want healthy food in a hurry while you're in Seattle, I recommend Chipotle. The portions can be enormous, but it's harder to go wrong when there are limited side-dishes and no desserts to be had.

Our trek back across the border was largely uneventful. Budget Rent-a-Car was kind enough not to tack on any additional fees when we returned our car, which almost made up for the fact that they were charging us at least 60$ more than we were quoted at the time of booking. There is a reason why online reviews try to steer tourists away from Budget. I have rented cars from National before and found their business practises to be vastly more ethical. If you need to rent a car, National is definitely the way to go. I would only use Budget if there are absolutely no other options. That said, wherever you rent your car, try to get a Toyota Yaris; the gas mileage is outstanding. Driving to and from Seattle, as well as around the city, we only had to fill the car once- and got back to Vancouver with our tank seven-eighths full!

Seattle was a lot of fun! Check back tomorrow for a full recap of my recommendations!

Bisous,
Cee