What I Did On My Summer Vacation, or, Hitchhikers of the World, Unite!

The day after the dead battery/birthday incident was only Wednesday-- still three full days left of Amazing Race competition until the elimination task (AKA back to Boston). While G caught up on some work at the local coffee shop, I read and did some laundry. So we were both ready to head back into Seattle by the early afternoon. Armed with the general address/location of some galleries, I drove us once again into the city, getting off in Pioneer Square to park the car. G's demeanor turned sour when he realized we were close to tourist central. But my main concern was not having to parallel park. Growing up in Wichita where there is never any need to parallel park, I never learned. So I pulled into the first curbside space I could find that required no reversing. There were other cars parked there, and we did look at nearby signs...it seemed okay to park. I paid for just over an hour and a half, giving us until 3:30 pm. We walked through the Public Market and down first and second aves. We walked into Belltown and through several galleries and unique stores. G was impressed by Seattle's cool nature compared to Boston's archaic demeanor and I chimed in that even the parking meters were progressive-- once you paid and stuck the sticker on your window, you could even move around as long as you were within your set time. We strolled back leisurely to Pioneer Square to where our car should have been parked. It wasn't in front of the pizza place, and my first thought was that we were on the wrong block...but there were no other cars and slowly we realized our car was gone. We looked at ALL the signs and determined it had been towed due to an obscure sign that said no parking between 3-6 pm.
Those that know me well know that in periods of stress or boredom I rip and chew my fingernails off. Needless to say my relaxing summer had given my nails a rest from their normal mutilation, until this week. After the dead battery I had no nails left to chew and helplessly asked G to call the towing company. He looked like he was ready to blow, just like the cartoon character whose face turns red and has steam coming out of his ears. He called, got the address (allegedly three miles away; too far to conveniently walk) and we started looking for a cab. Anyone in Boston can give a horror story about a crazy cabdriver, but we weren't even given this opportunity in Seattle as any cab that stopped refused to take us north. Tears were stinging my eyes and I was trying to figure out when, exactly, we had been cursed. We walked a block up to catch the traffic going north. No sign of a cab, but then like a ray of light from heaven, a city bus advertising "Fairview", the street we needed, pulled up. I asked the driver if he was passing the address we needed. "If you're willing to ride with me, I'm going there", he responded. G and I hopped aboard. The driver told us to pay when we exited and then also told us when our stop was approaching, pointed out the towing lot and smiled and refused to take our fare when we deboarded. "You'll be paying enough where you're going." Sure enough. $149 poorer, plus the $38 ticket (adding insult to injury), G and I collected the car and entered I-5. G wondered why we never have these problems in Boston. Our Amazing Race mission was obviously being thwarted. From here on out, we eschew the rental car and hitchhike. It will be faster and cheaper.