My first memory of going on an airplane was when I was super young. Three or four maybe. For some reason, I had begun to cry. I’ve been told that I wasn’t a very quiet crier either. Naturally, the people on the plane were beginning to get annoyed, but the flight attendants were so nice as to bring me a mini pack of Haribo gummies. What a score!
My experience of flying has changed over my many trips around the world. I remember when I was younger, around 9 or 10 and I heard about flying solo. It was a hard no. But a few years later, there I was, walking up to gate C4, about to board the plane on my own. I wasn’t scared like I had been a few years ago. I was looking forward to flying into the Starbucks capital of the world! I felt so special when the flight attendant spoke into the loudspeakers. “Now boarding, Amelia Driver!” I was taken down the hallway and into the plane by a nice flight attendant named Lucy. She then passed me on to Rachel who would be assisting me throughout the flight. I was seated at the back of the plane closer to the attendants and the bathroom. Rachel asked me if I had ever been on a plane before. I remembered the great gummy incident and answered yes.
The rest of the people boarded, and we took off. During the flight, Rachel kept asking if I wanted water. I really shouldn’t have purchased that expensive water at the airport. The two-hour flight went smoothly, no crash landings and no oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling. I was last to leave the plane which wasn’t too bad because the plane was only 18 rows.
After I met up with my friend at the gate in Seattle, we drove to a yummy pho restaurant and then headed towards the Space Needle. We first went to Chihuly gardens with amazing glass-blown sculptures. I have to say, the view from the top of the Space Needle is absolutely insane. Worth the wait to get into the elevators. My friend and I took pictures at the top before heading down a level to the glass floor and restaurant.
I thought that my first day in Washington was a big hit. Ending with a nice dinner of Mac ‘n Cheese. My fave!
– Amelia Driver
We headed back to the car and drove to the ferry to get a boat to Bainbridge Island where my friend lives. The ferry was about 40 minutes, but time flies. There is a galley and multiple vending machines throughout the whole thing as well as an outside deck. I thought that my first day in Washington was a big hit. Ending with a nice dinner of Mac ‘n Cheese. My fave!
I’d looked online and I’d already known what I was going to order at Mora’s Ice cream store. I wanted to see if it was better than The Scoop in California. Sorry to say, but it wasn’t. I mean, it was still pretty good, but even lemon bar ice cream in a waffle cone can’t top my traditional vanilla bean from Scoop.
My favorite part of being on Bainbridge Island was for sure going to Happy Hooves and volunteering to exercise, feed, and groom mini horses. For two days we went to Happy Hooves for 3 hours. I’ve had a lot of experience with horses, so I felt comfortable walking and exercising them. All the ponies were sweet, quirky and for the most part well behaved.
Another fun part was going tubing in the bay. Despite almost suffering from hypothermia because I forgot to bring a wetsuit, it was worth it to see the wonderful looks of joy on my friend’s face as we bounced over the waves.