Conquering the Pacific Northwest: Cruising into Pittsburgh

All good things must come to an end. We packed up the rental car and headed south. We left early because you never know how bad traffic is going to be at the border or along the highway. Besides, after over a week of being in very close proximity to my parents it was very nice to have a few hours of freedom. There was no delay at the border, since getting married it’s been as easy as I remembered when I was a kid, and we made it to the airport in no time at all.

We were pretty broken up over parting with the rental car. Despite being woefully impractical it was an absolute blast. We’ve got to hand it to the folks at Fox Rent-a-Car for talking us into it (and giving us one heck of a deal!). After dropping off our checked bag we had about six hours to kill before flight time. We made for the light rail and headed downtown. As we rode closer to downtown the train filled up with happy people going to and from Seafair.

Once arriving downtown we made for the waterfront where we grabbed dinner at Ivar’s, unlike the Ivar’s we stopped at in the suburbs soon after arriving, this is the original location. We ate our fish and chowder while the seagulls impatiently watched us eat. Tough for them, we ate every last bite.

After eating we strolled in and out of the shops, but our attention was grabbed by one of the multiple boat companies selling harbor cruises. I highly doubt it was the first time they were offering half-off their hour-long harbor cruise, but the price was right and we had almost two hours before we had to head back to the airport. Despite their consistent pressure to buy the expensive drinks, we enjoyed the sights. Most interesting was certainly getting to see the port up close, container ships were actively being loaded and unloaded, and we even had to make a tight turn up a freight berth.

Seattle landmarks in the distance

We walked back to the light rail stop in the downtown transit tunnel with smiles on our faces and couldn’t imagine a better way to bid farewell to the west coast. Before we knew it, we were back at the airport. We still had time to kill before the flight! Like any seasoned adult travelers (without kids), we found the nearest bar. We split some nachos over a drink before queuing up with the rest of the herd for the first flight back.

Little sleep was had on the flight. The flights were hot and it seemed like we weren’t the only ones uncomfortable. Arriving in Pittsburgh almost felt like a punishment! The rain was pouring down and the air was a sticky hot. But the fact of the matter is: the vacation isn’t over until you’ve paid for airport parking. $72.