An ode to the people, places, and experiences within Seattle…
After utilizing last week’s blog to talk about my appreciation and admiration of former President Obama’s iconic aesthetics, I must fulfill my promise to reflect/reimagine/pretend the semester isn’t well underway and I’m still floating on Captain Bo-Dacious’ duck boat (more on this to come) and discuss our recent spring trip to Seattle, Washington.
Chihuly Garden and Glass — Seattle, WA
Following an academically challenging week and more meetings than I have enough fingers to count, I wanted nothing more than to take a much needed nap on the plane and arrive in the popular city that has remained on my travel wishlist for years. Despite frequent trips to C-7 and itinerary updates from the office staff, I wasn’t really sure of what to expect and was more so excited to take on a cool city with a few of my best friends by my side.
Although I could discuss jut about every moment from a 6am bus ride to the airport or the one and only Grad Assistant, Maddie’s exploding bottle of lotion 3 hours into a plane ride (thank you cabin pressure) to eating a fantastic seafood dinner with the space needle and cityscape on the horizon, my goal is to highlight some of the most memorable moments and offer a deep expression of appreciation to the undeservingly vast amount of opportunities I’ve been afforded throughout my collegiate career.
Feeling tired and not yet ready to start the day, we were moved to the Seattle pier as we awaited the arrival of two duck boats. Before I could register what was going on, I heard the sweet, sweet sounds of oldies music and turned to see our tour guide smiling and dancing. The guide and captain of the half land vehicle, half floating form of transportation, better known as Captain Bo-Dacious, gladly took us aboard, choreographed a dance that will most definitely be used whenever I see another dance floor, and kept our group laughing until it literally hurt to breathe, all while telling us about the rich culture of the city and some of its greatest landmarks.
Presentations from start-up companies like Karat^ and established giants such as Amazon and Microsoft sparked an interest within the tech industry that I may one day explore on my own. Intertwined with Penn State alumni and powerful men and women within different enterprises, the literal once in a lifetime opportunities of the week were and always will be unmatched.
Other notable moments which I will likely hold near and dear for years to come was watching Moonlight alongside members of the sophomore, junior, and senior class. It was quite a scene to be able to reserve multiple rows in a movie theater for what has become somewhat of an extended family. Other moments included the coffee — and lots of it. Visiting a new coffee shop each morning and following a surprise trip to Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room with my high school principal and personal mentor who ironically moved to the area relatively recently, I came back to campus with an intense desire for strong coffee. I’ve since purchased a french press, done (un)necessary hours of research, and now claim to be a coffee genius. So there’s that.
One fun thing I’ve noticed from a few PLAers is the utilization of the hashtag, ‘thanksPLA’ on Instagram photos and other social networking sites. Though simple in nature, the digital and outward displays of gratitude by those of us who’ve taken advantage of these opportunities is nothing less than admirable. Had I not gone on this spring trip there’s no telling what the alternative would’ve been, but I know some things for sure — I would not’ve learned near as much, embraced in-depth experiences, or had anywhere near the amount of stimulating conversations with others.
So cheers to all aspects of the Presidential Leadership Academy, good company, and of course, ~great~ coffee.
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