Transit
So we're sitting here at Seattle-Tecoma Airport with a couple hours to kill before our flight to LA - thankfully most places have free Wifi, so while Kieran scrolls through various social media I have time to reflect on the past 3 days in Vancouver and just how damn lucky we are to be able to make this trip together.
We got picked up by our taxi at 7.30am and waved goodbye to the Metropolitan Towers in Vancouver. For the first time since we arrived the weather was grey and dreary. It looked like it had been raining all night. It reminded me a lot of Auckland.
Our taxi driver was a lot more chatty than our first one and had a lot to tell us about how beautiful the city was but how expensive the real estate was.
We were staying basically in a 1 bedroom apartment and he said that usually that would cost about $2500 a month - which is actually ridiculous considering we'd looked at an actual 3 bedroom house in Calgary for $2K.
He dropped us off at our Air Alaska arrivals platform (which i didn't know was a thing. If we had bussed we would have been screwed), wished us well on our travels and we were off.
Our flight out to Seattle was only at 11.45am but we'd arrived way earlier. We got to the check in at about 8am. The lady behind the counter decided to pop us on the 9.55 flight as it gave us more time at Seattle airport between flights so we checked in and headed through customs. Because we were only going to transit through Seattle we went through customs and Immigration on the Vancouver end, so coming into the States would be a breeze.
The officer at the immigration counter was so abrupt to begin with. Not a smile nor a hello just straight into "What are you coming to do in the United States" I was a bit taken aback and nearly stuttered the words out for "Visiting family" but after a couple more questions he warmed up to us and was even cracking jokes towards the end (we had the same birthday). The rest of the walk through to our gate was uneventful (other than my laptop bag falling to actual pieces which I had to chuck out and then proceed to transfer everything from my laptop bag to my other carry on) and before too long we were boarding our plan at 9.15 to Seattle.
We were flying in quite a small plane so Kieran and I sat back and waited for everyone else to board. Kieran looks up and leans over and goes "Isn't that the guy from John Tucker Must Die?"
And I look up and I'm like, "Oh yeah, Jesse something or other" So we look it up on Insta and sure enough it's Jesse Metcalfe. Not even in LA yet and there's a celebrity. He seemed hella tired though and not in a very good mood so we didn't fan girl and ask for autographs.
The flight into Seattle was only about an hour - with actual air time being only about 30 minutes. It was the shortest flight of my life - which I'm completely grateful for because after getting to Calgary I'll be happy if I don't see the inside of an airport or a plane again for months! Not that I have an issue with flying, but I'm just kinda tired of it now.
Just before Kieran and I got up to get a coffee from Starbucks (because it's currently 1pm and we haven't had a stitch to eat yet and we've been up since 6.30am), and naturally to work at Starbucks you need to spell people's names really badly. So I order a White Chocolate Mocha (grande - and a nod to my teenage years getting Starbucks in Auckland city) and he says my name perfectly and I think OMG we might have a winner. Kieran has to repeat himself but again the guys says his name back fine and we wait for our coffees. The sassy African American behind the counter yells "White Chocolate Mocha for... Casey" I say thanks, take my coffee and look down. Sure enough, the guy has written Casey, not Cassie. But it was close right!?
Then we hear "Vanilla Latte..." Kieran goes to get his coffee, he says thanks and as we wander off the African American lady lets rip on this poor guy who 1). had no idea how to spell Kieran and 2) when he went to write what looks like 'Qurin' just scribbled something illegible. She goes "Jason what the hell was that!? How the heck am I meant to read out the names on the cups when it's just a damn chicken scratch?" and she kept yelling. We thought she was just a bit miffed to begin with but she walked into the back in a huff so maybe this wasn't Jason's first offence.
Anyway - it's almost 1.15 and close to boarding time.
Next stop - LA, California.
We got picked up by our taxi at 7.30am and waved goodbye to the Metropolitan Towers in Vancouver. For the first time since we arrived the weather was grey and dreary. It looked like it had been raining all night. It reminded me a lot of Auckland.
Our taxi driver was a lot more chatty than our first one and had a lot to tell us about how beautiful the city was but how expensive the real estate was.
We were staying basically in a 1 bedroom apartment and he said that usually that would cost about $2500 a month - which is actually ridiculous considering we'd looked at an actual 3 bedroom house in Calgary for $2K.
He dropped us off at our Air Alaska arrivals platform (which i didn't know was a thing. If we had bussed we would have been screwed), wished us well on our travels and we were off.
Our flight out to Seattle was only at 11.45am but we'd arrived way earlier. We got to the check in at about 8am. The lady behind the counter decided to pop us on the 9.55 flight as it gave us more time at Seattle airport between flights so we checked in and headed through customs. Because we were only going to transit through Seattle we went through customs and Immigration on the Vancouver end, so coming into the States would be a breeze.
The officer at the immigration counter was so abrupt to begin with. Not a smile nor a hello just straight into "What are you coming to do in the United States" I was a bit taken aback and nearly stuttered the words out for "Visiting family" but after a couple more questions he warmed up to us and was even cracking jokes towards the end (we had the same birthday). The rest of the walk through to our gate was uneventful (other than my laptop bag falling to actual pieces which I had to chuck out and then proceed to transfer everything from my laptop bag to my other carry on) and before too long we were boarding our plan at 9.15 to Seattle.
We were flying in quite a small plane so Kieran and I sat back and waited for everyone else to board. Kieran looks up and leans over and goes "Isn't that the guy from John Tucker Must Die?"
And I look up and I'm like, "Oh yeah, Jesse something or other" So we look it up on Insta and sure enough it's Jesse Metcalfe. Not even in LA yet and there's a celebrity. He seemed hella tired though and not in a very good mood so we didn't fan girl and ask for autographs.
The flight into Seattle was only about an hour - with actual air time being only about 30 minutes. It was the shortest flight of my life - which I'm completely grateful for because after getting to Calgary I'll be happy if I don't see the inside of an airport or a plane again for months! Not that I have an issue with flying, but I'm just kinda tired of it now.
Just before Kieran and I got up to get a coffee from Starbucks (because it's currently 1pm and we haven't had a stitch to eat yet and we've been up since 6.30am), and naturally to work at Starbucks you need to spell people's names really badly. So I order a White Chocolate Mocha (grande - and a nod to my teenage years getting Starbucks in Auckland city) and he says my name perfectly and I think OMG we might have a winner. Kieran has to repeat himself but again the guys says his name back fine and we wait for our coffees. The sassy African American behind the counter yells "White Chocolate Mocha for... Casey" I say thanks, take my coffee and look down. Sure enough, the guy has written Casey, not Cassie. But it was close right!?
Then we hear "Vanilla Latte..." Kieran goes to get his coffee, he says thanks and as we wander off the African American lady lets rip on this poor guy who 1). had no idea how to spell Kieran and 2) when he went to write what looks like 'Qurin' just scribbled something illegible. She goes "Jason what the hell was that!? How the heck am I meant to read out the names on the cups when it's just a damn chicken scratch?" and she kept yelling. We thought she was just a bit miffed to begin with but she walked into the back in a huff so maybe this wasn't Jason's first offence.
Anyway - it's almost 1.15 and close to boarding time.
Next stop - LA, California.
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