My Week of Holiday Excess & Adventure

I tried to go home at a sensible time. At 6pm, I was standing at the bus stop, waiting for the 6:10 bus to take me home. I entertained myself with thoughts of how good I was, going home and curling up to read "The Prestige," and definitely not drinking anymore alcohol.

At 6:25pm, I thought, I have been waiting for this bus for a long time and maybe it isn't coming? Just then I saw CRo.

CRo and I discussed our options. She texted Metro and first it said our bus was coming and then it said our bus had sailed mysteriously by without us noticing. Instead of anger, we embraced opportunity and stopped in for a quick drink at The Can Can. I had two very creative and tasty drinks. The first had egg and nutmeg and maple syrup and something else and the second was one of the best Bloody Marys I've ever had.

We took a different bus home so we could eat at the Luna Park Cafe, where I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fried egg and chili. We amused ourselves by feeding the jukebox at our table and me trying in vain to get the apparatus to play "Mac the Knife."

After all the excess, this morning I feel remarkably better than I should, but it occurs to me I haven't told you about the Christmas Ship yet. I want to thank Courtney and her husband for showing me a great time last Wednesday night.

As their website says, The Christmas Ship has been a Northwest tradition for 58 years. It leaves from different locations and travels along different routes during the month of December, and for a fee you can ride on the boat and listen to carolers on the loud speaker and see all the pretty lights. There are two "stops" along the tour when the boats pause in their journey and the carolers let loose. On the shore at these stops, is often a bonfire and hot chocolate for the residents. Our trip lasted a couple of hours and there were games for the kids, and booze for the adults. You can also order box lunches ahead of time, which I highly recommend, because those lunches are tasty and filling.

The night we went was unsurprisingly rainy and cold, but most of the ship was covered and warm, with a few exceptions where people would gather to hear the choir better. Only then you were at the mercy of the weather.

We traveled on the Parade Boat, which follows the actual Christmas Ship and holds the overflow of people. One of the highlights was going outside to watch The Christmas Ship navigate under the 90 through a tight spot, and then staring up at the bottom of the bridge as we followed behind.

Tomorrow is the last run of the Christmas ship this year, but as I wrote it is an annual tradition. Mark your calendar for next year and then buy your tickets fast because it sells out most nights. Thanks again, Chris and Courtney, for a great time!