I think I left my heart in seattle

Two days ago i returned from a 9 day trip to the Pacific Northwest. I spent the first 6 days and nights with my good friend Rachel in Seattle. It was my first time in Seattle, and the west coast for that matter, and I absolutely loved it! Seattle is a beautiful city with a lot of interesting things going on as well as a lot of pleasant, friendly people. It was so good to see Rachel again, in her city. The weather was beautiful 4 of the 6 days, and only rained for 2 of them. This was a great time of the year to go.

It's funny, one of the things that sticks out the most in my mind is the difference between Seattle's public transportation and Chicago's CTA. I think a lot can be said for a city based on it's public transportation. Seattle's buses were clean, comfortable, and on time! Their bus drivers were humane! They waited to start moving until people were seated, they didn't slam on the brakes and one even helped me get my huge suitcase up the steps. I was astounded, and frankly, it made my trip all the more pleasant. I know there are a lot of CTA bus drivers out there who are pleasant and courteous, but they are few and far between.

Anyway, Seattle was great! Click here for a few pics.

The second part of my lovely vacation was spent 2 hours north of seattle in Lynden, Washington. My college roomate, Tara, got married and I got to be a bridesmaid! It was a blast. Not only the wedding, which was gorgeous, but also getting back together with all my college roomates. It was a fabulous time as well.

Now I'm back in Chicago and it feels kinda weird. I missed a full week of work, a full week of commuting to and from work and 9 days worth of seeing the same old sights, the same old apartment. I'm glad to be back, but I definitely could have spent a lot more time in the Pacific Northwest, or anywhere else on a longer vacation! Yesterday, work was a struggle. I couldn't seem to get motivated. Today was a bit better. I have some new projects on my plate so there's no shortage of work to be done.

Oh, and I decided I love Iced Coffee. I had always thought it was really yuppy to drink that stuff and it probably still is, but it gives me the caffeine fix i need with a nice cooling effect. yum!