02/10/17 5:15 am – the alarm clock on my iPhone starts screaming, pleading I wake up and turn it off. After a devastatingly short 5 hours of sleep, I hauled my luggage downstairs and made a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs (classic) before I left for the airport.

I boarded the smaller plane, a 2x2 seater, and waited patiently for our departure time. 8:40 came and went, and nearly AN HOUR (and some de-icing) LATER, we were off towards Salt Lake City, my layover city-of-choice on the way to Seattle. But, since we were late taking off, my 55-minute layover quickly evaporated and turned into a 5-minute layover. Running through the SLC airport and swearing under my breath, I got to gate C11 just in time. Ha, so I thought – I missed my connection.

Fast forward 7 hours and I had gotten on a new flight and landed in Seattle, my first time entering the famed PNW. I picked up my rental car and took off towards Kerry Park. This iconic cityscape-viewing spot is placed up on a hill north of downtown, perfectly positioned to show off the skyline and Mt. Rainier. If you’ve ever seen a photo of the Seattle skyline, there’s a 99% chance it was taken at this park. Arriving right at sunset, I snagged a few photos (see below) amongst the roughly 120 other people lined up, whose gear ranged from big cameras with telephoto lenses all the way to iPhones and selfies.

After sunset, I journeyed up to my buddy’s place where I’d be crashing for the next few nights.

Most of my day Sunday was spent hiking and exploring a couple local spots east of downtown Seattle. Stop #1 was the Chirico Trailhead which leads up to Poo Poo Point, my new favorite name for a lookout spot. It was a seemingly easy 4-mile roundtrip hike, but the 1800-foot elevation gain was deceivingly difficult for my out-of-hiking-shape body. Overlooking Lake Sammamish, Lake Washington, and Seattle, the popular paragliding takeoff point offered breathtaking views and I hung out for a while before making my descent.

My next stop was the obnoxiously-touristy Snoqualmie Falls, a 270-foot raging waterfall that offers easy access for even the laziest of tourists to walk up and indulge in. I snapped a few pics and was on my way, it was a bit too crowded for my personal taste, but I couldn’t pass up the easy photo opp. I mean, seriously, look at this thing!

Monday came and brought with it an interview for a potential residency spot at a hospital in Seattle, one that I’m quite excited about. After spending a few hours answering questions about myself and how I interact with people, I left happy with the impression I made and headed “home” to pick up my friends for a night out at a fun restaurant called Stateside, tagged as a French-inspired Vietnamese fusion spot. I didn’t take any photos of the food, but it lived up to its hype. Afterwards, we popped over to a place with Moscow Mules ON TAP. And with that, my trip to Seattle more or less came to a close. Tuesday morning I left for the airport, en route to Denver, where I am currently typing up this post.