Sisters In Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Confession. I am technically an only child. But you will hear me refer to a brother and a sister, who are technically my first cousins. They are my siblings, and after living with them for years while I finished college and beyond, So to hell with the "technicalities" because I just got to spend three beautiful days in Seattle with my sister!

I think Mother Nature had her nurture hat on, knowing that my weekend in Seattle was all about catching rare quality time with my sister because she provided the most beautiful weather in the history of weather.

Our first two days in what I've understood is a typically rainy climate were perfect: 81 degrees, sunny, mild breeze, blue cloudless skies. It was as if Seattle called to us with this gift, knowing how much this kid sister and I had to catch up.

While we both have Noble blood running through our veins (um, no, I'm not going regal on you; the family name is Noble), we did come from different wombs. Even so, and maybe it was all the years we lived together, from when she was a young girl to when I was a young woman, Casey and I were cut from the same cloth. Only I think she got the better part of the fabric. She is flipping beautiful and has a self-deprecating and perfectly timed sense of humor accented with intellect and wisdom. Her energy is infectious. She is younger (yes, a lot, damn it!) and so much wiser than yours truly in so many ways. And stronger, too. She inspires me.

So, I was in a city I didn't know, solo, in a great hotel, the W Seattle, waiting for Casey to arrive later that night. After a snack and work at the bar, I decided it was the perfect chance to become a ghost. So I holed up in my room, raided the mini bar, and ordered in-room movies. I turned off the computer, put my phone on silent, and snuggled in bed, waiting for Casey to show up, which wouldn't be until around midnight.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Avengers" and remembered why I love Robert Downey Jr.. I wrote in my journal. I dreamed. I reflected. I sang out loud, which I only do in private because I can't carry a tune to save my life. And I loved that, at that moment, no one except Casey (who, according to my Flight Tracker app, was 32,000 feet above the Earth) knew where I was. Disappearing is sometimes an incredibly rejuvenating activity. I may have to do it more often.

The fact that Casey's Alaska Airlines flight from Juneau was an hour and a half late gave me more ghost time, but by the time she finally pulled in at two dark o'clock in the morning, I was ready to rejoin the human race. And it was "game on" despite the hour. I don't know how long we talked, but the 10:30 a.m. call left me feeling like we had just finished a little catnap. Thankfully, there's a lot to be said for adrenaline, and we were quickly ready to hit the streets of Seattle.

The W Seattle was as exceptional as all the W Hotels I've stayed at. Okay, I admit it's not like the W Scottsdale, which has all the debauchery of Vegas, but I liked the W Seattle. Their front desk staff was always helpful and friendly. The décor is fun and hip, but you must like pink because the lounge has it. Oh, and fringe, lots of it! It is an older property, but they did a very excellent job bringing the style and feel of the W brand to the bones of the building. We liked it, especially the room service that morning. Coffee and a cappuccino got our tardy asses out into the sunshine.

We walked down to Pike Market, but before exploring that, we needed food. Upon the recommendation of a funny man in a tourist booth, we landed at Elliott's, right on the water. On our way, we passed the Gum Wall and followed great advice—"leave some, don't take some."

I didn't get the entire history of the Gum Wall, but it was just a long brick wall filled with gum deposits protected by an overpass. Some people got creative with their gum contributions with fancy words and pictures made by stretching their gum out, but most just left a wad of gum fresh from their mouths. The Gum Wall is not something one sees in every city you travel to.

Elliott's was fabulous and gave us the time to do what we came to do: solve all of our problems PLUS the world's problems. I'm not sure we did either, but you've never seen two talkers go at it like we did. A bottle of wine, delicious food, and a table with a view couldn't have improved.

Casey is an Interior Designer by trade and now an up-and-coming famous one with stints on shows both on HGTV and The Travel Channel, so the Seattle Antique Market was like a beacon to her, and we couldn't escape. I usually don't do antiques. Sorry, but when I see things in an antique store that I distinctly remember playing with or owning when I was a little girl, I feel like an antique.

Because Casey is so much younger, this phenomenon doesn't happen to her yet! I was a good sport and enjoyed memories from my youth: a typewriter, a Formica table and chairs that I swear came from our first home, record players and a Bobby Sherman album, a vanity set that looked just like the one my grandmother had, and a penny-slot horse ride. Though non-operational, we had to try it out as it provided the perfect "we're being dorks" photo opp. We only purchased five "vintage" glasses that I think my Aunt Bev sold to them personally, and Casey was a happy camper. I was just depressed.

Fortunately, Pike Market cheered me right up. We arrived at closing time, but the fish-throwing hadn't stopped completely. I'm not exactly sure what the fishermen were chanting, but it distracted me from the fishy smell. And, oh, the flowers everywhere! If I lived in Seattle, I would be broke from purchasing fresh flowers daily. The Pike is controlled chaos, with delivery trucks, cars, pedestrians, bikes, and mopeds all rushing about, stopping in the middle of the road, almost taking out tourists who have also stopped in the middle of the road to take pictures, oblivious to the Pike in motion around them. But, wow, the energy! It's kinetic, fun, mesmerizing. Had it not been raining the following day, I would have headed straight there and spent that whole Sunday enveloped in that chaos.

Because I don't follow the rules when I am with my fun sister, we headed directly to the bar at the W and ordered drinks AND dessert. We figured that on a sister's vacation, dessert makes a perfect appetizer. We continued to conquer the ills of life and our globe before dinner at Amber. It is quite a hopping nightlife spot in Bell Town. We lucked out with two seats in the bar. Amber is loud, it's young, it's crowded. We loved it.

Another late night of jabbering (no, we weren't even close to losing our voices), and after a late morning wake-up call, we realized it was "Are You Ready For Some Football?!" time. It was a good day to hunker down indoors as our perfect weather had become drizzly and gray.

The Fox Sports Grill was already packed when we arrived; thus, we were relegated to a side room and one little TV. We were told it doesn't matter if the Seahawks are home or on the road. Fans come out in droves, and the main bar is perfect for watching your entire Fantasy Football team. Casey and I are no strangers to the NFL. Our brother Brandon played for eight years after an outstanding career at Penn State, and through past jobs and my neighborhood, I became friends with several pro football players. We are football women, born and bred, and we make no apologies. We love the game.

We enjoyed our one little TV, bar food, lunch, and drinks. It was loud, which was okay because we were tired. I'm sure that had everything to do with the weather and nothing to do with the schedule we'd been keeping. One of our teams lost, and one won, so we left satisfied, stuffed, buzzed, and nearly deaf from the loud fans in the bar.

On the brief cab ride back to the W, I did what I never thought I would do: I let my cell phone out of my sight. Half a block later, as we stepped into Starbucks, I realized it was gone, lost in the vortex of the Yellow Cab Company of Seattle. I've never lost my phone, ever, and what a lesson I learned. Is everyone this dependent? I broke out in a cold sweat and felt like I'd had a limb amputated.

We made every effort to find it. We called the cab company immediately, offered a charming "tip," tried Find My iPhone, and prayed to no avail. But something strange and wonderful happened. The world didn't stop spinning. Seattle didn't implode. Armageddon didn't come. I continued to draw breath and live. It was interesting and insightful not having that crazy little device in my hands for 48 hours. I have to be honest and say it was peaceful.

One of the lovely women at the hotel desk said, "OMG, that's terrible!" when we told her I had lost it. Terrible? No, the number of orphans in Africa due to AIDS is terrible, the loss of a loved one is terrible, and the bubonic plague is terrible. Losing my phone was the best thing to happen. It brought me much-needed perspective. It wasn't terrible. It was just an inconvenience.

Forty-eight hours later, I was back in business with my replacement phone and a much saner understanding of my iPhone addiction, or my "former" addiction. I am a recovering cell phone addict and proud of it! The only real downside was losing all the pictures from this trip. Thankfully, Casey is an Instagram addict, so I have those digital memories at least.

Our last night's dinner was at a great restaurant called Purple, though I don't know where that name applies to the theme. It's dark, dramatic, and trendy. Everything is wrought iron, down to the napkin rings. It reminded me of the movie "The Man In The Iron Mask," only without the eye candy that is Leonardo DiCaprio.

Their wine list was fabulous, although I tried a Pinot Gris that I swear was really beer. Our waiter agreed, and we got it right on our second try. Because we had already consumed enough calories for an entire NFL Football team with the bar food just hours earlier, we mixed it up with bowls of fantastic tomato soup and a few starters. I loved the spicy prawns! But most of all, I loved the conversation with my sister.

Three perfect days in Seattle were just that, including losing what I once thought was an essential part of my being (damn iPhone.) It was just the right amount of time for craziness, fun, sightseeing, dining, drinking, and shopping. But the best part of it all was the chunks of time to talk and connect with someone so important in my life that I don't get to see often. You can't put a price tag on that kind of time, and the talk time with my sister was truly priceless.

Casey and I planned this trip four days before it happened. It was utterly spontaneous, and it also turned out to be financially reasonable despite the last-minute arrangements. It was a sign, and I'm blaming the Universe again. I'm so glad I answered Casey's text in the middle of the night. I'm happy I got out of bed right then and booked a ticket. I'm so glad we made it work.

"Meet me in Seattle," the text said.

Any time, Sis…any time.

Until next time,