Cheapness In Seattle (A 2019 PNW Trip Report - 2020 update added on 6/25

Chapter 1: Of All The Cheap, Lousy Ways To Save A Buck

You may have heard it said (once or twice) that it rains nine months out of the year in Seattle. Well, according to the internets, which are never wrong, Seattle gets rain 156 days on average, which means it’s actually less than half of the year. It gets a total of 38 inches per year, which is less than the rainfall in New Orleans, Miami, and New York City. So there.

But perception is reality, and that’s especially true in these days of instant-reaction hot takes. If you shout something for long enough, it eventually becomes truth. Hey, hang on a second.

“I’M A BILLIONAIRE!”

Ok, that didn’t work, but the larger point remains. Everyone is convinced that the only time you can experience decent weather in Seattle (and by extension, the Pacific Northwest) is during the summer. And because everyone is convinced of this fact, summer is Soak The Tourists Season all over the area.

On top of that, many huge corporations and job creators have made their homes out that way—Amazon, Microsoft, Nike—which has driving up the cost of living. When making reservations, I was in a bit of sticker shock. It felt like planning a trip to California all over again. I had to work very hard not to constantly spend $200/night for hotel rooms.

There were other issues with cost during the planning of the vacation as well. We almost always fly Southwest due to the lack of bag fees, which are a killer for 6 people. But as I mentioned in my previous TR, their low fares don’t seem so low compared to the competition anymore. Unless you want to fly at 3 a.m.. I have a very, very short list of things I would like to be doing at 3 a.m., and flying cross-country cramped in a Southwest jet is not one of them.

As it turned out, I was able to get a reasonable price on a Southwest flight for the trip home, but we ended up getting the best deal on the flight out by going with United Airlines. I have a credit card that earns frequent flier miles with them, and one of the perks is that I can get 2 free bags with them when I use it for the flight. So that helped offset costs somewhat. Every dollar counts, man.

We flew out of Baltimore (BWI) very early in the morning on July 24. Our flight was at 5:30 a.m., which just goes to show that no airline wants to let you get up at a reasonable hour. We had a layover at Chicago O’Hare, and I know what you’re thinking: O’Hare?? Bet that connecting flight was delayed.

Well, it was. But in a shocking twist, it was delayed LESS than an hour.

This was fine. We had enough time to grab some airport breakfast sandwiches for famished souls and recharge. We also had time enough for Julie and me to indulge in another perk from our credit card: once a year, I get two (2) free passes to a United Club in any airport, so peons like us can see how the other half lives. Julie and I abandoned our kids at the gate and wandered into the club to see what all the fuss was about.

It was pretty swanky in there. They had a nice little breakfast spread of fruit, cakes and muffins as well as coffee and an espresso machine. I grabbed a slice of pound cake and Julie made herself some sort of coffee creation.

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We wandered around just to get a sense of what it was like to wait for a flight without being crammed amongst the unwashed masses, with 170 people fighting for the 35 chairs at the gate.

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And after about ten minutes, we left. We had a plane to catch, after all. Plus, we remembered our kids were still out there.

In the end, we used our free club passes for 10 minutes of quiet, a cup of weak coffee, and some pound cake. I’m counting that as a win.

We had no issues with our flight to Seattle. Although there was quite a bit of cloud cover on the approach, it was neat to see some of the highest mountain peaks jutting through the clouds.

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We landed at Sea-Tac airport somewhere around 11:00 a.m. West Coast time. And then I left the rest of my family at the airport to fend for themselves.

This was where Soak The Tourists Season was most apparent. I generally rent cars using my Costco membership, because their site gives some great discounts, and they work with multiple rental companies. I usually find a decent rate a few months out, make a reservation, and then check back frequently as the travel date gets closer. Most often, the rates will drop as companies get desperate to move their inventory. With no penalty for cancellation, I’ve often re-booked my car 4-5 times in advance of a trip as the rates keep dropping.

With Seattle, it was different. When I first checked, each company wanted something like $1,100 - $1,200 to rent a minivan for 2 weeks. No matter how often I checked back, the rates held steady. Then they started going up. I saw one get as high as $1,800. Clearly, demand was high.

However, when I widened my search to include all of Seattle (not just the airport), I found a Budget location downtown that would rent me a van for $550 for the two weeks. I could even return it at the airport.

The only problem was that I was at the airport, and the airport is nowhere near downtown. In order to make this work, I was going to have to be willing to take 1.5-2 hours out of my day to go pick up the van.

Was it worth two hours of my time to save $600? For me, the answer was yes. Because I’m cheap.

Scotty volunteered to go with me. As it turned out, the Seattle Light Rail system has a stop at the airport and another one that was only a 1-2 block walk to the Budget garage. It cost us about $5 apiece to ride. So I guess technically I only saved $590.

Julie and the other kids contented themselves with reading books/playing video games in the airport lounge while they waited. The light rail was great—a very easy ride into the city. We had no issues whatsoever. There wasn’t even a line at the rental counter. I signed my life away and then the agent went and retrieved the van for us.

It was…

…sigh…

A Dodge Caravan.

If the Toyota Sienna is the Rolex of minivans, then the Dodge Caravan would be the Casio. I did the standard walk-around looking for dents and dings and made sure the hamsters in the engine were fed, and then away we went. It was fairly painless getting out of the city, so I felt good about not letting the airport rental companies gouge us just for convenience. We picked up the rest of the family and then headed out towards Tacoma.

We stopped for a fast food lunch and ate in the van. Our drive was taking us completely around Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula, which included a drive across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. This bridge is famous mostly due to its previous incarnation, better known as “Galloping Gertie”, which was built in 1940 and collapsed in the same year under 40-mph winds. You might have seen the famous video in your high school physics class during a lesson on resonance and natural frequencies.

I cheerfully told the family all about the bridge collapse just before we drove over the channel. I’m sure they all appreciated the history lesson, as well as the chance to liven up a boring drive.

The plan was to drive up to the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula and spend the night in the town of Sequim (pronounced Skwim). Then we’d be in position to spend the next day exploring Olympic National Park. As it turned out, we got to Sequim around 3:00 p.m., which put us in an interesting situation. If we kept going, we could drive up to the visitor center at Hurricane Ridge, which is up in the Olympic Mountain range. But the visitor center closed at 5, so we had a limited window. If we made it, we’d save ourselves at least an hour of driving and backtracking the next morning.

Complicating matters was the layer of clouds that appeared to be hanging over the mountains. There was no guarantee that we’d be able to see anything once we drove up to the ridge.

We decided to go for it. Fortune favors the bold, and all that. Also, we didn’t have much else to do that afternoon.

Olympic National Park encompasses most of the peninsula that bears the same name, just shy of 1 million acres. It’s a very unique park, in that it encompasses several different types of ecosystems in that area—mountains, coastline, temperate forest, and rain forest. You can find wildly different climates, temperatures, and scenery depending on which part of the park you enter.

The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is in the mountains, about a 20-mile drive from the town of Port Angeles. It take roughly 45 minutes to make that drive, climbing up a long series of switchbacks. The mountains have an effect on the weather, which can change quickly in the park. Things looked ok for us when we reached the park entrance…

444717

…but the road up into the mountains still appeared to be covered in clouds.

We kept going, though, and when we finally reached Hurricane Ridge, we were glad we did. The clouds had lifted just enough to give us a nice view of the Olympic Range. It was a nice spot for six jet-lagged travelers to breathe in some fresh air and enjoy snow-capped peaks almost 8,000 feet high.

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We didn’t spend a great deal of time here. Just enough to wander the visitor center, pick up a Junior Ranger book for Drew, and enjoy the view. Along the way back, we stopped at an overlook. In the distance was the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which I encourage you to say out loud, because it’s really fun to say. Beyond that, we could make out Canada in the hazy distance. There were no signs that they were alerted to our presence, so our invasion later in the trip was still a go.

444723

By this time, we’d been awake for at least 18 hours or so and we were starting to feel it. We drove back to Sequim and checked into the Holiday Inn Express there, and then walked across the parking lot to a Black Bear Diner for dinner.

Section 3B, article (d) of the Oblivious Family Vacation Rules states that we must try never to eat at places that are readily available to us at home in Delaware, ruling out most chain restaurants. However, while the Black Bear is a chain restaurant, we don’t have any near us and had never been to one, so this was deemed not to be in violation of the rules. Plus, they serve breakfast all day, and eating breakfast for dinner is one of the underrated pleasures of life. We ordered mostly standard breakfast food items. The dishes of note were Scotty’s chicken and waffles, and Dave’s cinnamon roll french toast. All of the food was just fine and dandy, if not out-of-this-world amazing. We were all satisfied.

I especially appreciated this photo in the bathroom, providing definitive proof of what we all suspected was true.

444727

Coming Up Next: More ecosystems than you can shake a stick at. Or, go ahead, shake a stick at them. See if they care.
 
Note: I'm trying to attach photos to the chapter rather than link them to Google since the links aren't showing up for everyone. But this method only lets me post 10 photos at a time. Hopefully everyone can see them, but I'm not thrilled with this method and will keep looking for solutions for the linked photos I previously used.
 
Yes I was able to view them all. Glad you were able to save money on the car rental. Just think you got a mini tour of the city.
 


It's weird to be arguing about whose team stinks more.

Redskins fan chiming in....

At least they're not the Dolphins.

Our only win so far - yet not really out of the running for NFC East. :joker:


In the end, we used our free club passes for 10 minutes of quiet, a cup of weak coffee, and some pound cake. I’m counting that as a win.

Did you at least bring the kiddos some treats from the lounge?

Was it worth two hours of my time to save $600? For me, the answer was yes. Because I’m cheap.

Smart decision for the budget.
 
UGH! I hate it when the dis doesn't give me alerts for threads I'm following. I've missed so much....well, not really....ragging on the Dolphins is too easy, not much missed.

At least they're not the Dolphins.
True.

Thank goodness for that!
Yeah thank goodness your team doesn't suck as much as my team. I win!!! Wait! that's not a win. Doh!
 
Great first day! Olympic is pretty aptly-named. Majestic views. And glad you were able to discover the secret commode of bears. Does Sasquatch use that also?
You are a family of true Phillies fans. Sporting the gear even after they began their second monumental slide in two years. :sail:
My family consists of Phillies fans, but we are baseball lovers most of all. So, we root for the Phillies until the end of the season or whenever Eagles chants starts at Phillies games. Through most of my life, that has been much earlier than the Fall. Then we root for the nearby American League team.:wave2:

Attend any Mariners games while you were out there?
 
Well, according to the internets, which are never wrong
Did you get your French model date there too?

“I’M A BILLIONAIRE!”
How'd that work for ya?

Ok, that didn’t work, but the larger point remains. Everyone is convinced that the only time you can experience decent weather in Seattle (and by extension, the Pacific Northwest) is during the summer. And because everyone is convinced of this fact, summer is Soak The Tourists Season all over the area.
I haven't heard it rains that much, but is overcast a lot even when not raining.

At least it's not like here...it's soak the tourists season all year. Between Disney, Universal, Sea World and others, it's guaranteed your wallet will leave Orlando lighter.

I had to work very hard not to constantly spend $200/night for hotel rooms
It's getting harder not to do that ANYWHERE. When I was driving back to GA, I would stay sometimes overnight in Valdosta. $150+ and it's not a tourist place or town people clamor to go to.

But as I mentioned in my previous TR, their low fares don’t seem so low compared to the competition anymore.
Every time I've tried to see if I could get a good Southwest flight, it's been as expensive or more than other options. Low price leader - PAH!

I have a credit card that earns frequent flier miles with them, and one of the perks is that I can get 2 free bags with them when I use it for the flight. So that helped offset costs somewhat. Every dollar counts, man.
Yes, every dollar counts. Same reason I got a Delta card...free checked in bag.

We had a layover at Chicago O’Hare, and I know what you’re thinking: O’Hare??
They're going to score some Chicago style pizza or dogs during the layover?

Bet that connecting flight was delayed.
Oh, that.

Julie and I abandoned our kids at the gate and wandered into the club to see what all the fuss was about.
Great parenting points score.

It was pretty swanky in there. They had a nice little breakfast spread of fruit, cakes and muffins as well as coffee and an espresso machine. I grabbed a slice of pound cake and Julie made herself some sort of coffee creation.
Wait....you didn't bring your kids and you didn't grab something for them? :sad2:

And after about ten minutes, we left. We had a plane to catch, after all. Plus, we remembered our kids were still out there.
Your great parenting points are just racking up!

We had no issues with our flight to Seattle. Although there was quite a bit of cloud cover on the approach, it was neat to see some of the highest mountain peaks jutting through the clouds.
That is cool! I remember one time we were staying in a hotel in the N Georgia mountains and watched a thunderstorm go across BELOW us. That was cool too.

And then I left the rest of my family at the airport to fend for themselves.
More great parenting points.
Woo hoo...you're about to be the grand champion.

With Seattle, it was different. When I first checked, each company wanted something like $1,100 - $1,200 to rent a minivan for 2 weeks. No matter how often I checked back, the rates held steady. Then they started going up. I saw one get as high as $1,800. Clearly, demand was high.
That's not unique to Seattle. I've found renting at ANY airport is more expensive than even 5 minutes away.

Was it worth two hours of my time to save $600? For me, the answer was yes. Because I’m cheap.
Well duh! $300 per hour is a good investment.

f the Toyota Sienna is the Rolex of minivans, then the Dodge Caravan would be the Casio.
I would disagree. We'd had a 2005 Grand Caravan for many years and aside from an ongoing problem with brake rotors overheating/warping, no major issues/concerns. Also really like the seating that folds down into the floor. Makes for ability to haul a lot. I believe ours has close to 200K miles.

made sure the hamsters in the engine were fed
Did you feed them the high quality kibble or just the standard hamster food?

I cheerfully told the family all about the bridge collapse just before we drove over the channel. I’m sure they all appreciated the history lesson, as well as the chance to liven up a boring drive.
I know they loved it. No doubt.

Complicating matters was the layer of clouds that appeared to be hanging over the mountains. There was no guarantee that we’d be able to see anything once we drove up to the ridge.
Ruh roh!

The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is in the mountains, about a 20-mile drive from the town of Port Angeles. It take roughly 45 minutes to make that drive, climbing up a long series of switchbacks. The mountains have an effect on the weather, which can change quickly in the park. Things looked ok for us when we reached the park entrance…
:woohoo:

We kept going, though, and when we finally reached Hurricane Ridge, we were glad we did. The clouds had lifted just enough to give us a nice view of the Olympic Range. It was a nice spot for six jet-lagged travelers to breathe in some fresh air and enjoy snow-capped peaks almost 8,000 feet high.

444718
Nice view.

We didn’t spend a great deal of time here. Just enough to wander the visitor center, pick up a Junior Ranger book for Drew, and enjoy the view. Along the way back, we stopped at an overlook. In the distance was the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which I encourage you to say out loud, because it’s really fun to say
Um, since it's a Spanish name, pronouncing it correctly in Spanish isn't nearly as fun as you'd think.
It's Foo-ka.

Plus, they serve breakfast all day, and eating breakfast for dinner is one of the underrated pleasures of life
::yes::
Breakfast good. Breakfast for dinner, even better.
Tell me there was bacon!

All of the food was just fine and dandy, if not out-of-this-world amazing. We were all satisfied.
At least that's better than it stunk. On the other hand, breakfast is hard to mess up. I've seen it done, but not easy.

I especially appreciated this photo in the bathroom, providing definitive proof of what we all suspected was true.

444727
I KNEW IT!!!

Gotta call my sister and tell her nanny nanny boo boo.
 
If you shout something for long enough, it eventually becomes truth. Hey, hang on a second.
"I HAVE THE BODY OF A MALE MODEL!"

Hmmm....Nope. Two DisDads agree. That doesn't work.

It was pretty swanky in there. They had a nice little breakfast spread of fruit, cakes and muffins as well as coffee and an espresso machine. I grabbed a slice of pound cake and Julie made herself some sort of coffee creation.
I'm glad you got to enjoy the lounge for a little bit.
Back when I used to travel for work and racked up a lot of air miles, I had a gold frequent flyer card that got me into the lounges. They are more comfortable and a nice break, but I definitely wouldn't pay for them. Unless I was in the upper echelon of society and had money to burn. Which I do not.

Was it worth two hours of my time to save $600? For me, the answer was yes. Because I’m cheap.
Hey, I would do it to save that much.
I looked at that in Orlando and I think it would have saved about $100. I didn't think it was worth it in that case.

If the Toyota Sienna is the Rolex of minivans, then the Dodge Caravan would be the Casio.
Good comparison. I used to own a Sienna, and I've rented a Caravan. Enough said.

the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. This bridge is famous mostly due to its previous incarnation, better known as “Galloping Gertie”, which was built in 1940 and collapsed in the same year under 40-mph winds. You might have seen the famous video in your high school physics class during a lesson on resonance and natural frequencies.
I have heard of this and seen the video. Pretty much an essential part of any high school physics course.

In the distance was the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which I encourage you to say out loud, because it’s really fun to say.
Saying it out loud almost makes you feel like you're getting away with something.

we could make out Canada in the hazy distance. There were no signs that they were alerted to our presence, so our invasion later in the trip was still a go.
We need to build that wall.

Plus, they serve breakfast all day, and eating breakfast for dinner is one of the underrated pleasures of life.
True. In the never ending struggle to figure out what to make for dinner every night, when someone suggests breakfast for dinner, a certain calm washes over me.

I especially appreciated this photo in the bathroom, providing definitive proof of what we all suspected was true.
Here I thought all this time they used rabbits...

(OK, if you're confused by that comment, there's a joke about bears and rabbits doing their business. I can't really repeat it here without censoring it, but it always made me chuckle)
 
Of All The Cheap, Lousy Ways To Save A Buck
Wait... you went at Christmas time?
Doesn't it rain in Seattle then?
You may have heard it said (once or twice) that it rains nine months out of the year in Seattle.
No. I heard it was ten months of the year.
Seattle gets rain 156 days on average,
Yes, but it only gets sun on 152 days of the year...
“I’M A BILLIONAIRE!”
Did it work???? :hyper:
Ok, that didn’t work
Dang!
Everyone is convinced that the only time you can experience decent weather in Seattle (and by extension, the Pacific Northwest) is during the summer. And because everyone is convinced of this fact, summer is Soak The Tourists Season all over the area.
How can it be Soak season if it's the only season without rain? This is very confusing.
I have a very, very short list of things I would like to be doing at 3 a.m., and flying cross-country cramped in a Southwest jet is not one of them.
Ah yes... "You want to go somewhere? And leave us? Then you have to suffer."
Our flight was at 5:30 a.m., which just goes to show that no airline wants to let you get up at a reasonable hour.
This is a truism.
We had a layover at Chicago O’Hare, and I know what you’re thinking: O’Hare?? Bet that connecting flight was delayed.
No. Actually I was thinking your flight was on time... which meant you had to sprint to make the connection.
Well, it was. But in a shocking twist, it was delayed LESS than an hour.
:lmao:
Julie and I abandoned our kids at the gate and wandered into the club to see what all the fuss was about.
Where they were never seen again.


Ahhhhhhh….
Plus, we remembered our kids were still out there.
Poop. Memory sucks.
In the end, we used our free club passes for 10 minutes of quiet, a cup of weak coffee, and some pound cake. I’m counting that as a win.
I do too. That quiet is priceless.
Cool photo!
And then I left the rest of my family at the airport to fend for themselves.
Now that's how you vacation! Woot!
Most often, the rates will drop as companies get desperate to move their inventory. With no penalty for cancellation, I’ve often re-booked my car 4-5 times in advance of a trip as the rates keep dropping.
Huh. Didn't know that.
I get a business rate through work which gives me unlimited mileage and that's usually the deciding factor for me.
When I first checked, each company wanted something like $1,100 - $1,200 to rent a minivan for 2 weeks.
Ouch.
However, when I widened my search to include all of Seattle (not just the airport), I found a Budget location downtown that would rent me a van for $550 for the two weeks. I could even return it at the airport.
Whoa! That's a massive savings!
What's the catch??
Was it worth two hours of my time to save $600? For me, the answer was yes. Because I’m cheap.
For me too.
It cost us about $5 apiece to ride. So I guess technically I only saved $590.
Still...
A Dodge Caravan.
Nooooo!!!

I knew there was a catch.

I've rented one of those too.
If the Toyota Sienna is the Rolex of minivans, then the Dodge Caravan would be the Casio.
That's being unkind to Casio. It's not that bad of a watch brand.
This bridge is famous mostly due to its previous incarnation, better known as “Galloping Gertie”, which was built in 1940 and collapsed in the same year under 40-mph winds. You might have seen the famous video in your high school physics class during a lesson on resonance and natural frequencies.
::yes::
I remember the video, although I hadn't seen as much as I saw on your link.
I always thing, when I see the part with the car, followed by the collapse that there's some guy going "Noooo! My car!"
I cheerfully told the family all about the bridge collapse just before we drove over the channel.
:lmao:
It’s a very unique park, in that it encompasses several different types of ecosystems in that area—mountains, coastline, temperate forest, and rain forest.
Huh! That's pretty cool.
We kept going, though, and when we finally reached Hurricane Ridge, we were glad we did. The clouds had lifted just enough to give us a nice view of the Olympic Range.
Good. :)
pick up a Junior Ranger book for Drew,
::yes::
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which I encourage you to say out loud, because it’s really fun to say
I've seen that movie. A Fish Called Juan de Fuca.
Beyond that, we could make out Canada in the hazy distance.
:wave:
There were no signs that they were alerted to our presence, so our invasion later in the trip was still a go.
We knew. We just didn't want you to know that we knew.
By this time, we’d been awake for at least 18 hours or so and we were starting to feel it.
Oh boy. Is it bad that, given my shifts, that I read 18 hours and immediately thought "So not very long, then..."
Section 3B, article (d) of the Oblivious Family Vacation Rules states that we must try never to eat at places that are readily available to us at home in Delaware, ruling out most chain restaurants.
I have that rule book. Now I know why it says "Oblivious Family" on it...
But I still follow it.
eating breakfast for dinner is one of the underrated pleasures of life.
::yes::
:rotfl:
 
I have a bad feeling you might be taking endless shots at me after Sunday Night's game.

Not too sure about that, maybe if the Cowboys decide to start playing before the second half.

If the Eagles keep deciding not to play any defense, it won't matter.

At least they're not the Dolphins.

Let the record show...my fears were completely well-founded. Yeesh.
 
Is someone making a run for it?

:rotfl2: I didn't even notice that. Maybe he illegally crossed from Canada.

Yes I was able to view them all. Glad you were able to save money on the car rental. Just think you got a mini tour of the city.

I'll never forget those parking garages!

Redskins fan chiming in....

After last night's game, I'm feeling pretty miserable about my team too.

Our only win so far - yet not really out of the running for NFC East. :joker:

How the mighty have fallen! Well, 2017 was fun.

Did you at least bring the kiddos some treats from the lounge?

Nah, we'd just bought them breakfast sandwiches.

Smart decision for the budget.

That was the idea!

Great first day! Olympic is pretty aptly-named. Majestic views. And glad you were able to discover the secret commode of bears. Does Sasquatch use that also?

Well, no one has actually witnessed it, but...I'ma have to say yes.

ou are a family of true Phillies fans. Sporting the gear even after they began their second monumental slide in two years. :sail:
My family consists of Phillies fans, but we are baseball lovers most of all. So, we root for the Phillies until the end of the season or whenever Eagles chants starts at Phillies games. Through most of my life, that has been much earlier than the Fall. Then we root for the nearby American League team.:wave2:

Football is my first love, although I'm thinking of divorcing it after last night's crapfest. Anyway, I have joked for years that you can never accuse a Philadelphia sports fan of being a front-runner or bandwagon fan. :rotfl:

We come by it honestly!

Actually, you could say the Phillies and Eagles are having remarkably similar seasons.

Attend any Mariners games while you were out there?

Well, not quite. I have a curse of the home team always being out of town whenever I visit, so I rarely get to see any games. But we still managed a little something in our own way.
 
Did you get your French model date there too?

Yvette and I are very happy together.

How'd that work for ya?

I'm just waiting for the check.

I haven't heard it rains that much, but is overcast a lot even when not raining.

At least it's not like here...it's soak the tourists season all year. Between Disney, Universal, Sea World and others, it's guaranteed your wallet will leave Orlando lighter.

Sheesh. You're not kidding.

It's getting harder not to do that ANYWHERE. When I was driving back to GA, I would stay sometimes overnight in Valdosta. $150+ and it's not a tourist place or town people clamor to go to.

It's pretty bad. Some of these places are definitely overestimating their value.

Every time I've tried to see if I could get a good Southwest flight, it's been as expensive or more than other options. Low price leader - PAH!

The bag fees really are killers, but the only time I get low fares now are for the redeye flights.

Yes, every dollar counts. Same reason I got a Delta card...free checked in bag.

::yes::

They're going to score some Chicago style pizza or dogs during the layover?

Not exactly...

Great parenting points score.

That's what we do!

Wait....you didn't bring your kids and you didn't grab something for them? :sad2:

I had just bought them breakfast sandwiches. Sheesh.

Your great parenting points are just racking up!

Can they be negative?

That is cool! I remember one time we were staying in a hotel in the N Georgia mountains and watched a thunderstorm go across BELOW us. That was cool too.

That sounds pretty awesome!

More great parenting points.
Woo hoo...you're about to be the grand champion.

I owe money at this point.

That's not unique to Seattle. I've found renting at ANY airport is more expensive than even 5 minutes away.

I usually can get good deals at the airport through Costco, but this time I had to get creative.

Well duh! $300 per hour is a good investment.

I would hope so!

I would disagree. We'd had a 2005 Grand Caravan for many years and aside from an ongoing problem with brake rotors overheating/warping, no major issues/concerns. Also really like the seating that folds down into the floor. Makes for ability to haul a lot. I believe ours has close to 200K miles.

I'm glad that worked out for you. I've had them as rentals several times, and just never been impressed.

Did you feed them the high quality kibble or just the standard hamster food?

It's a rental. Low-grade, all the way.

I know they loved it. No doubt.

::yes::

Um, since it's a Spanish name, pronouncing it correctly in Spanish isn't nearly as fun as you'd think.
It's Foo-ka.

:rotfl2: Way to burst my bubble.

Breakfast good. Breakfast for dinner, even better.
Tell me there was bacon!

Of course there was bacon! A necessity at any great breakfast.

At least that's better than it stunk. On the other hand, breakfast is hard to mess up. I've seen it done, but not easy.

It is pretty hard to mess up. Kind of like pizza, unless your name is Chuck E. Cheese.

I KNEW IT!!!

Gotta call my sister and tell her nanny nanny boo boo.

Enjoy!
 
"I HAVE THE BODY OF A MALE MODEL!"

Hmmm....Nope. Two DisDads agree. That doesn't work.

It worked for me, but I got the plus-sized model version. Gotta be more specific, I guess.

I'm glad you got to enjoy the lounge for a little bit.
Back when I used to travel for work and racked up a lot of air miles, I had a gold frequent flyer card that got me into the lounges. They are more comfortable and a nice break, but I definitely wouldn't pay for them. Unless I was in the upper echelon of society and had money to burn. Which I do not.

It was nice in there. I supposed I'll get another visit next year. I think what I liked most was not having to fight people for a seat at the gate.

Hey, I would do it to save that much.
I looked at that in Orlando and I think it would have saved about $100. I didn't think it was worth it in that case.

Yeah...there's definitely a threshold somewhere in there as to whether it's worth the effort or not.

Good comparison. I used to own a Sienna, and I've rented a Caravan. Enough said.

Same here. We drive a Sienna, and love it. I haven't loved any of the Caravans I've driven.

I have heard of this and seen the video. Pretty much an essential part of any high school physics course.

It is pretty amazing to watch.

Saying it out loud almost makes you feel like you're getting away with something.

That's the idea! My wife can't yell at me because it's in the name.

We need to build that wall.

Well, you said you were working on electing morons.

True. In the never ending struggle to figure out what to make for dinner every night, when someone suggests breakfast for dinner, a certain calm washes over me.

I don't ever get tired of it. It really does solve a lot of problems.

Here I thought all this time they used rabbits...

(OK, if you're confused by that comment, there's a joke about bears and rabbits doing their business. I can't really repeat it here without censoring it, but it always made me chuckle)

I don't think I know that one, but you could always PM me...
 
Wait... you went at Christmas time?
Doesn't it rain in Seattle then?

Good catch. You were the first one to get it.

No. I heard it was ten months of the year.

:faint:

Yes, but it only gets sun on 152 days of the year...

Well, there is that.

Did it work???? :hyper:


Maybe the check is still in the mail.

How can it be Soak season if it's the only season without rain? This is very confusing.

Well...I, uh...I don't even know anymore.

Ah yes... "You want to go somewhere? And leave us? Then you have to suffer."

Pretty much. Heaven forbid anything be convenient.

This is a truism.

So...early...

No. Actually I was thinking your flight was on time... which meant you had to sprint to make the connection.

Did that once, in San Francisco on the way to Hawaii. With a pregnant wife in tow. Good times!

Where they were never seen again.


Ahhhhhhh….

:rolleyes1

Poop. Memory sucks.

Mine does, for sure.

I do too. That quiet is priceless.

It was awful nice not to be jostling for position at the gate.

Cool photo!

Thanks!

Now that's how you vacation! Woot!

:woohoo: And then I got on a different plane...

Huh. Didn't know that.
I get a business rate through work which gives me unlimited mileage and that's usually the deciding factor for me.

I get unlimited mileage and a second driver through Costco. So it's almost always a good deal.

Whoa! That's a massive savings!
What's the catch??

Just time.

For me too.

Oh, good. Another vote in favor.

Nooooo!!!

I knew there was a catch.

I've rented one of those too.

Yeah...they're just not great.

That's being unkind to Casio. It's not that bad of a watch brand.

:rotfl2:

I remember the video, although I hadn't seen as much as I saw on your link.
I always thing, when I see the part with the car, followed by the collapse that there's some guy going "Noooo! My car!"

I can't believe the one guy tries to go out to get it. You couldn't pay me enough.

Huh! That's pretty cool.

Yeah, it's a unique part of the country.

I've seen that movie. A Fish Called Juan de Fuca.

That would be a fantastic title for the sequel!

We knew. We just didn't want you to know that we knew.

But now I know that you knew, even if I didn't know that you knew that I didn't know before.

Oh boy. Is it bad that, given my shifts, that I read 18 hours and immediately thought "So not very long, then..."

Yes. Yes, that's very bad. Run while you still can!

I have that rule book. Now I know why it says "Oblivious Family" on it...
But I still follow it.

Following our family has never led anyone astray. That I know of. Come to think of it, has anybody seen Barry lately?

I didn't want to say anything.

Ah, it's fine. That was as thorough a beatdown as anyone can imagine. Being a Philadelphia fan, I have a lot of experience with high expectations turning into crushing disappointments.
 

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