Reality Check, Courtesy of Seattle, WA.

When I was planning for my trip up to Seattle, I put that beautiful city on a pedestal, without having been. I talked about how much I'd love it, and how perfect it'd be. I told my friends that everything would go exactly as I planned and I was prepared for if it didn't, but that everything would be fine. 

Prior to my Pacific Northwest road trip, I'd been to 4 states, including the one I currently reside in. Mind you, I've only stepped foot in Arizona once or twice. And the furthest I got into Utah was Zion, which is right outside of St. George, which is 2 hours away from Las Vegas. So, should I really count those 2 lovely states? Probably not, but I'll do it anyway. And I’ve been to Southern California many, MANY times. So, I'll still count that one. To say the least, I haven't done much travel and exploration, yet. I've talked about it continuously; how much I want to travel and how much I'd love everything I came into contact with. But I'm just beginning my travels. 

Well, there's one thing I forgot to take into consideration on my trip. Reality. The only knowledge I had of these other places was what I heard from a friend, what I saw in movies, what I read in books or on other blogs. I honestly had no clue what to expect from my trip or these new cities I’d be venturing into.

I encourage you to NOT base your experience to come off of any of these. Sure, use them to give you an idea, but keep an open mind for what’s to really come. This was my mistake. I expected everything to play out just as I had seen in all the movies. (Okay, one movie in particular, Sleepless in Seattle. Tom Hanks, need I say more?) To make a long story short, everything did not play out as it had in Sleepless in Seattle.

For instance, did you know that Seattle is a NORMAL city with bad parts of town that you shouldn't end up in, with your sister, after dark? That you will feel uneasy as you walk down the unfamiliar streets, in a bad part of town, at night, with too many pairs of eyes glaring at you? I didn't. Or at least, I was naive to the fact that Seattle was a normal city, just like everywhere else. I know this happens in Vegas, often. But I hadn’t been prepared for this in Seattle. I don’t know why I wasn’t, but I wasn’t. So when this happened, I was a little shocked.

After my sister, Paige and I got back to the apartment that we were staying at with our Chinese food, she asked me if I was okay. I’d been quiet ever since the little encounter on the street corner. I remember telling her that I just hadn’t expected it and wasn’t sure why. I wasn’t upset that it had happened; I was upset that I hadn’t expected it. I'd thought that I was more prepared. I suppose this is courtesy to my lack of travel and exploration, or maybe just my lack of street smarts. 

My trip was incredible. The best experience I've had thus far. But I learned a lot also. Seattle gave me a slight reality check, saying, "Hey Mel, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. The reality of life is that you never know what to expect and you have to be prepared for that. But I promise it's still extraordinary." Duly noted.