MichaelMcKinlay.com

As reported on Nick Ramsay’s LongCountDown.com I can confirm that yes, Michael McKinlay of MichaelMcKinlay.com is confirmed as being stuck in Seattle for 24 hours.

I should have been in Japan about 8 hours ago as I am writing but missed my connecting flight in, you guessed it, Seattle. My plane left Calgary more than an hour late(not sure why exactly) and that was enough to make me miss my flight here. As soon as I got off the plane I literally ran through a good part of the airport and I swear it must have looked like I was in the tv show, “The Amazing Race.” I arrived at the departure gate a full 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time but the plane was already gone! I couldn’t believe this as I figured they would wait for me. Surely, the airline would have known that my one flight was late. I also thought that because I actually arrived at the gate before the printed time on the ticket that there wouldn’t be a problem.

I was so bummed out when that happened and then I became angry! I went to the airline to complain but they then told me there was nothing they could do since I had arrived on a different carrier. I then went to that carrier and they ended up giving me a hotel and meal vouchers. I still can’t believe that this all happened and when I return, I will be contacting the airline for additional compensation. I’ve missed a day of my vacation, and have had all of the inconvenience and hassle of contacting important people waiting for me in Japan.

Trying to make the best of a situation I decided that I would try to explore the city since I was going to be here for another 24 hours. I’ve never been to Seattle before and have always wondered what it was like since a couple of my favorite bands(Nirvana and Foo Fighters) have their roots here. I thought I could check out a place called “Pike Place” which is tourist area along the wharf. I was all set to go but by the time I got to my hotel and had eaten dinner, most of the shops were closed.

I then thought I could go check out the ‘Space Needle.’ I don’t know much about Seattle, but when I think of it the ‘Space Needle’ always comes to mind. I did a Google search from the hotel computer and knew the ‘Space Needle’ then found out it would be open until midnight giving me enough time to get there. Unfortunately, Saturday was not my day.

I got on the correct number bus, but took it in the opposite direction. I ended up riding the bus for an 1.5 hours and going absolutely nowhere, except back to the hotel, where I ended up crashing for the night.

Not enough time to go downtown this morning before my afternoon flight so I’m just sticking to the hotel and going to the airport early. I do not want to miss my flight again!