If you haven’t seen them already, please go visit part 1 and part 2 of this series on my Independence weekend to catch up.
[Some scenes from the ferry and Dan on the ferry.]
Okay, so after Pike Place Market, we decided to take a ferry to Bainbridge Island. I had never been there, and felt a ferry ride would be a nice Seattle-ish experience. We bought our tickets just in time to get on the boat, and all was going well. We had a nice view of Seattle as we headed across the water, and Dan was very happy to be at the windy front of the boat–his preferred ferry-riding location.
[One of many cute (and expensive) houses on Bainbridge Island.
If you are the owner of this house, can I please live with you?]
Once we arrived on the island, we decided to get some dinner. We agreed that Mexican food sounded good, so we settled on a place, several blocks from the dock, that had some outdoor seating. We were told it would be a 10-minute wait for an outdoor table, which was fine.
[From outside of the restaurant.]
About 30 minutes later, the hostess was apologizing because the table wasn’t clearing up as fast as she had anticipated. She offered us beverages and we just told her to give us any table, indoor or out. We also asked for menus.
No tables were opening up. More time passed, and the ferry we wanted to take back to Seattle would be leaving in less than an hour. If we didn’t make that, we’d have to wait another hour for the next one. We suggested she take our food orders, which she did.
I should mention that during this time, we kept hearing her tell people that the wait was 10 minutes, so apparently that’s just what she says all the time. 😛
Long story slightly shorter, we eventually decided it was best for her to package our food for take out and we could eat it on the ferry. We also asked to pay in advance (it seems weird that we had to keep coming up with these time-saving ideas for her). She kept assuring us the food was coming soon, but I know it took longer than what she originally estimated.
She then came out to let us know they were out of rice (of course!), so would sauteed vegetables be alright instead? I said whatever was quick was fine–whether we had a side or not. Thinking back, I don’t recall any vegetables (Dania and Dan: do you remember?), so she must’ve decided they would take too long.
Finally, after basically sitting in that waiting area for an hour, she had a bag of food for us. Dan chivalrously carried it as we made the 15-minute walk back to the ferry. I was power walking, concerned about time, but we made it back okay.
[Scene from the ferry terminal before heading back to Seattle.]
Once on the relatively empty ferry, we found a booth with a table and were anxious to enjoy our meal (we hadn’t eaten in about 8 hours and had been walking all day, so you can imagine how hungry we were at this point). Just as Dan started to set the bag down on our table, he realized the food had basically leaked through and the side of the paper bag was all greasy and saucy. Awesome!
The restaurant on the ferry was closed and roped off, but Dania and Dan unlatched the rope and took a bunch of napkins for our Bag of Mess. The to-go trays were not very secure and had been jostled enough on the walk that they spilled out all over. Even the plastic silverware at the bottom of the bag was unrecognizable (Dan says they looked like ribs at first–ha!). It was all very nasty, the table was getting all dirty, and our food looked incredibly unappetizing. However, we were so hungry and tired that we just ate it in silence. Not exactly the relaxing dinner on Bainbridge Island that we had imagined. I could tell the food would’ve been pretty yummy in the right setting, but it was hard to compliment it very much under the circumstances.
Fortunately, both Dania and Dan are laid back and have a sense of humor, so mostly we found the evening amusing, even if frustrating. And eating on the ferry was pretty fun, it was just the mess that made it unfun.
I didn’t take any photos of the food mess. You’re welcome.
After getting back to Seattle and walking (what seemed like another mile) to our car, we headed home and played a game of cards in our hotel room. I thought maybe I would be up for playing a few more, but I was too exhausted.
[A couple more Seattle photos. We had to get one of Dania under the Dania (furniture) sign!]
Tune in tomorrow (or the next day…) for more! Thanks for reading so far. 🙂
PS Happy birthday, Katrina! 🙂
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