We learn about transportation in Seattle

Bob's neurosurgeon was at the Swedish Hospital at Cherry Hill in Seattle. We drove to Bainbridge and left our car there to take the ferry to Seattle and avoid driving in Seattle traffic. From the Seattle terminal we walked up a steep hill to a bus stop and hopped the #3 bus to the hospital. We were notified the day before that a room was available at the hospital inn at $75 a night, much less than the $130 deal we had at a hotel about a mile away, so we quickly canceled and went with the inn. The room is pictured below. The window doesn't open and we couldn't get the temperature below 72F. so in addition to the hardest bed I've slept on since some funky roadhouse in the Yukon, guess who couldn't sleep for two nights. But the room turned out to be right down the hall from the room Bob was taken to after surgery. His room was much bigger and the bed much better... and cost a whole lot more too.

A bunch of boring stuff happened with me the next couple days, Bob's back was sliced and diced, and he was finally released after a lot of nagging and whining so we could go home.

We managed the return trip without being able to pre-plan. We took a taxi from hospital to ferry terminal because there was no way Bob was going to ride the bus and walk down the steep hill, but even with the taxi dropping us off at the terminal elevator, by the time we bought tickets and neared the dock he was fading fast. I noticed some wheelchairs by the terminal doors and asked the ticket checker about them. Who knew wheelchairs were available at the ferry? Not the occupational therapist who lives in Bainbridge and takes the ferry to work at Swedish. Nor the nurses. But now I know and you do too. There are wheelchairs for use in terminals, and there are wheelchairs for use on the ferry. So someone brought us a ferry chair and pushed Bob to the seating area in the front. We were told someone would bring us another chair and help get Bob up the very loooong ramp to the parking area when we arrived. Of course that didn't happen. I had to grab a terminal employee who found a chair and helped get him about ten yards from the ferry then said he wasn't allowed to go further. So there we were with a big suitcase, my ridiculously large shoulder bag and Bob in a wheelchair, and it was now up to me to get everything up that ramp. We couldn't put the bags on his lap so Bob, holding the suitcase handle, had to guide the wheeled bag in front of him while I pushed them both from behind and tried to keep my shoulder bag from hitting him in the head. I'm a gray haired old woman for godsake but somehow I managed to get everything to the car. What a sight we made, and what a relief to get home and sleep in a cool room on my own cushy bed!