Sunday, April 3rd, 2016.
Portland, OR / Tacoma, WA
It’s 6am and I am tired. I offered Laura a ride to the
airport last night and now it’s too late to take it back. I silently curse my
past self and begrudgingly get out of bed.
Around 6:15am we approach my rental car and find a parking
ticket stuck to the windshield. Ugh. Laura offers to pay for some of the cost
but I decline. I am going to let it go and see what happens. After a few wrong turns and a stop for gas I somehow still manage
to get Laura to the airport early. She is grateful for the ride and we say our
goodbyes.
Now I have about 8 hours to kill before my 4pm flight out of
Tacoma, I consider going to brunch in Portland, but instead decide to hightail
it to Tacoma and try to hit the zoo before going to the airport. The freeway is
gloriously empty and I make it to Tacoma in 2 hours and 45 minutes flat. I now
have a comfortable 3 hours to explore the Tacoma zoo and aquarium. I have to
stand in line for nearly 20 minutes to get my ticket. I am a solo adult in a sea
of small children. I nervously play on my phone and try not to look like a
creep.
Eventually I gain entrance into the zoo and make my first stop in the aquarium. The jellyfish are totally awesome (as always) and I even get to see a few sharks. From here I make a full loop of the zoo and finish up at the polar bears, which are adorably playful.
Eventually I gain entrance into the zoo and make my first stop in the aquarium. The jellyfish are totally awesome (as always) and I even get to see a few sharks. From here I make a full loop of the zoo and finish up at the polar bears, which are adorably playful.
Around 2pm I am climb back into my Subaru and look for
lunch and gas. I end up grabbing Chipotle and gas at a nearby shopping center
and then heading to the airport. Around 2:30 I am drop off my rental car. Goodbye blue Subaru; you have served me well. I head into the airport to check in.
Holy Crap. My flight is at 3pm not 4pm! I am instantly
resigned to missing my flight but go head and line up at security anyways. I
mentioned to one of the guards that I am running late and he insists that I go
to the front of the line. I do not argue and waltz right through. From here I
break into a full run and make it to my gate with minutes to spare. Ah man,
that was scary.
The flight back is uneventful. Eventually I land in Los
Angeles and pick up my car in Lot C.
Visiting Portland was such a great blast from the past; I already want to go back.
Visiting Portland was such a great blast from the past; I already want to go back.
