aeidō: Neatle (CHI --> PDX/SEA)

CATIE AND I WENT TO THE NORTHWEST TO VISIT MATTY AND WE HAD THE BEST TIME!!!!!!

We left Saturday night the 1st, hardly missing the snowstorm that dumped snow on Chicago but hell yeah!!!

We flew Alaska which was a generally good experience, I haven't not flown Southwest in like ages so it was kinda boring to be on a regular ole airline, idk. We liked the snack mix tho.

Anyway I said that bc Alaska's terminals at O'Hare are p small so we hung out by the American Airlines ones until boarding.

I am sad bc I didn't get a pic of Lil Man, our semaphore guy

They de-iced us approx three times and we were a few minutes late taking off, our pilot kept saying things to us but the speakers sucked so we couldn't hear or understand anything he said ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We were in/above just solid white snow clouds for a lot of the flight then all of a sudden we were free and this was the fuckin sunset, like whatever

Then Matty and Trish picked us up from the airport after some slight confusion and a "Where are you we were just there and didn't see you" phone call

Matt and Catie trying Matt's new fave Aardvark hot sauce like, first thing. I didn't take a pic of the deep dish pizza we also transported from Chicago, somehow, but it made it. TSA guy asked me if I was sharing and I told him yes but not with him ;*

That night we had Thai in an otherwise empty restaurant, it was soooo good and this is a pic of our appetizer, some tofu

Then we were all tired so we zonked

Then the next morning we woke up and had brekkie and then drove to THE PACIFIC OCEAN!!! yah that's right I saw two oceans within the first quarter of this year and I am not stoppin til I see em all (just kidding I don't have any other plans to see any other oceans, just great lakes ✌)

Allow me to ask you to write a poem in your head about seeing green, like, actual real natural green, after A Hell of A Winter interacting regularly with people coming to Chicago and complaining about the cold and the snow and the wind and this Hell of A Winter every day and not wanting to go outside. This green is literally on the sidewalk. It is moss. When was the last time you saw moss? I love moss. Let me put my cheek against you

Matt fuckin loves the hood on this coat, idek

This is crossing one of the bridges in Portland leaving the city~ it was raining. Everyone at work asked me how the weather was (bc that is one of our main concerns about anywhere else in the world) and I said over and over that it was beautiful and it rained every day multiple times a day and I loved it and I can't wait to live there

It's a two hour drive to the ocean from Portland and we listened to John Denver and cried a lil and also sang loud and I missed everyone I've ever known bc that's the sort of power John Denver has over me

We stopped at this Rest Stop that was just bathrooms, no maps, no snack machines. I didn't get out of the car bc what's even the point of calling that a rest stop? Call it a restroom stop. ;)

As soon as we got in sight of the ocean we took the first road we could that said beach access and um what the heck this is what we saw ???????

Matt gave us a lil lesson about the shore of the Pacific in contrast to the Atlantic's and then we scooted so we could actually go where we were trying to go

Then we parked here off the road and took a lil hike to the ocean again

Matt measures tree stumps by saying "Wow that was definitely a Douglas Fir" and then seeing how far his arms can reach around it

Lol Catie and I somehow both wore coats without hoods which, like, dumb. But we had umbrellas so w/e

Towards the end of the trail (the Ocean) we crossed this lil creek we'd been walking along most of the trail on this swingy bridge that was So great, what a great bridge wowie I loved it

I took this next pic to show my mom how nervous she would have been while also holding very tightly to my camera and my umbrella which was a Feat let me tell you

I was into this path bc you are very aware as you hike it that you are getting closer and closer and then the end of it is the Ocean, like, it just feels climactic walking on it. Also shout-out the weird mud in this region that is muddy but not squishy. Thanks for that, high fives

So then we got to the Ocean again

I was kind of very overwhelmed because this was honestly like top five things I have ever seen anywhere on earth of anything. It was incredible. Thus no actual photo of what all we could see. I had this weird lingering feeling I did that after we started the hike back and I haven't felt any regret about that, it seems like the kind of thing I won't ever forget without having a photo of it. That's really rare for me, tbh, I've been snapshotting or recording everything for so long now, it doesn't happen often that I can actively know I experienced something visually completely without a record of it. Whatevs, thinking out loud here

Then we had a bathroom break in a Woods Bathroom which hey okay coolie, and I changed my film in the shelter of a humid brick room with two toilet stalls. Whatevs

Catie took these next couple bc obv I am in them and obv they are a lil struggle-y

We took a selfie in this tree and this was supposed to be the size reference for it but it was Very Dark in the woods so just use your imagination.

Then we drove back so Catie (we too, I guess) could watch the Oscars. We stopped at this drive-thru coffee stand thingy, somebody tell me the name of this phenomena bc I don't know it. Super cutey

I had a White Sunset and a String Cheese. Then I fell asleep. Caffeine something

Kind of weird thing about Portland is besides downtown all of the buildings are very low, it's spread out in a way that is very West for some reason to me. Not sure where I'm going with this bc hello, strip malls in the Midwest are every other word, but whatever.

This is where I casually mention that I didn't do any fucking editing at all to any of these photos and the film turned out this well. UNFUCKINGCLEAR ON HOW, but thanks if it was you, Walgreens, thanks if it was the fact that all this film is expired now, thanks if it was how great the vibes on this trip were, etc

Everyone in the bathroom, idk

Then we went to a bar down the street and took the unoccupied half of it and changed the TV to ABC or whatever channel and ate some burgdogs and frickles and played some LOTR trivia. We couldn't hear the TV so it was mostly Make Your Own Commentary

The next day we went to a restaurant down the street called Paradox where Matt is a sort of regular and it is vegetarian/vegan and it was really good. I love breakfast so much.

I got vegan biscuits and gravy that were like a 7, but these roast potatoes were a fuckin 10. cheeseeeeyyyy yum. Catie had a southwest egg thing and Matt had a Mediterranean thing. I forget, it was like a scramble. Also apple cider yum.

Here is Matt in front of his house, like I fucking love this photho. Geeze louise

Then we went to Fred Meyer to get snackies and saw this burger cake. We also had a short conversation I keep thinking abt abt the relationship between the Meijer chain of groceries in the tri-state area we grew up in and the Fred Meyer chain of Kroger stores.

Then we started the drive to Seattle!! (From here on you should read that as seet-le like beetle with an S bc that's how we did it the whole trip. Seetle Neetle, etc)

lmao like, put this on a postcar or something honestly. just a casual roadside waterfall.

Catie Cutie

We made it!!

Matt got a lil punchy toward the end of this drive

Through my work (not technically supposed to announce where I work so like, whatever guess it) we got a supa cheap hotel room in Seattle so we checked in (and Mr. Guest Services that checked me in chatted to me about how pleasant the Midwest is) and got a room on the top floor (lol 6 levels) and with a view of the Neetle if you stuck your head at the right angle ^_^

The hallway had skylights tho, which is def coolie

Then we went and had dinner at a Mexican place called Laredo's that was p good!

The next day we got up and went to the EMP museum which had a super amazing exhibit on Nirvana, which like, whatever that band is so important to everything about me etc whatever, but it was great, especially the oral history stuff. So cool.

The museum had this fuckin HUGE screen that they were playing like weird slow-mo footage of musicians doing Rock Moves so obv rock n roll

Then we walked to the market and stopped and had pizza at Zeek's Pizza which was really good! I sound so fuckin elitist saying this but it's been so long since I've had pizza that's not Chicago Pizza or Jack's (shout-out Jack my fuckin dude) and Zeek did a great job. I forgot to take a pic of the pizza but ofc we got breadsticks too. Also they had homemade ranch that was delicious

Then we kept walking (it was like 20 blocks I think? I counted it on my handy Where Maps Map but I forget) and I took this pic for you Mike bc check out these plants

Then we made it to the market!!

They had a lil park outside, these are from there

It was a Tuesday so very very chill inside, not very crowded. We just walked around for a while. I'm not sure what you're actually supposed to do in it, one of those things that is very exclusive to a place but also like, what's the point-y once you're there? It was cool tho, lots of cool things if you have money to spend on anything, fresh foods, etc

There was an empty Chinese restaurant inside too

They were standing under the sign but I was too close to get both so

I'm kind of obsessed with flowers rn (did you know you can get a subscription of flowers delivered to your house for 800 dollars a year) and wanted to buy these SO bad but I didn't bc how can you carry this on a plane?? sad

Look how steep this street is!!

Then we climbed it!!

Band pic, overexposed faces and all

Then we left Seattle the next day ~~

Tree truck

Catie and I went on a hunt to some local boutiques (lmao I love saying shit like that. boutique oooh) for somethin for Mom and Dom that wasn't liquid, gel, or whatever, the TSA sucks bc my family Loves hot sauce and