A couple months ago, I wrote a blog called “The Worst Trip”, which detailed the time my brother filled my family’s car with diesel during our cross-country road trip, causing us to be stranded on a Las Vegas highway. That trip has lived in infamy for years because it was truly the worst trip I have ever been on, and I never thought it would be dethroned. Until now.
My family used to live in Seattle, so every couple years we go back. We moved when I was really young, so I’ve never really felt a pull to the Pacific Northwest, but my dad and siblings absolutely love it. So, when my dad had a work conference in Seattle that just so happened to coincide with my siblings’ spring break, it seemed too perfect to pass up (I really only went because I did not want to go to school). The trip began surprisingly smooth, as TSA is usually horrific when my brother and sister are involved. Our plane flew out March 11th, and we arrived in rainy Seattle a couple hours later. My dad was already in the city, so he picked us up from the airport in our rental car- a gray Chrysler Pacifica. All was well, and we headed to the I-District (or so they called it, I have no idea) for dinner. We had a grand ol’ time, and as we were walking across the street to where we parked, all I could hear was a lady yelling “IS THIS YOUR CAR?” and my sister gasping. And there it was- our middle passenger window smashed and three backpacks gone (mine, my sister’s, and my dad’s). I honestly could not believe my eyes, and the lady with bright
pink hair continued to yell and shove her phone at us, telling us that the cops were being a word I cannot type here, and that we need to talk to him. She and her husband were residents of the nearby apartment complex, and she was witness to the carjacking, but there were no license plates on the car that broke into ours. As my dad talked to the police, the lady told me about her cat litter! A very strange series of events, and my head was spinning. PSA:
Driving down the highway with a busted, crumbling window is really an experience.
We got to the hotel we were staying at, and everything kind of started to sink in. When I pack, I only put clothes in my suitcase so everything else is in my backpack. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad for me (except for the fact my wallet was stolen), but for my sister and dad, it was kind of devastating. My sister is a nursing student at UIUC, and her IPad with all her notes was stolen, as well as her wallet. But, all of my dad’s life work- including all his written notes, ideas, and electronic files on his computer, were just gone on top of his medications, flash drives, and books he had gotten from the conference (as I think it was some sort of writing/author summit?). Not good. But, as we were leaving the car to go inside the hotel, we found a QFC receipt that the carjackers had accidentally left behind, which is the Seattle equivalent of Jewel Osco. When we showed the officer who came to take our case, he laughed.
It was a wild night, but my dad was determined to fulfill the purpose of our Seattle trip and go down memory lane. The next day, we got another rental car, and headed off. We visited the EEU (the University of Washington’s Experimental Education Unit), which was our first preschool, Discovery Beach (our favorite place when we were little), and drove past all four houses we used to live in. We also visited old friends, all of whom told us their own personal Seattle horror stories, which included carjackings, car thefts, and arson. The guy at Apple also told us how his car was stolen and how he was attacked when walking to Target. Wild times.
The next day, we went on a little hike that we used to do, went up the Space Needle, visited Pike’s Place to see the throwing of fish, went on a ferry to Bainbridge Island, drove to Queen Anne to see the city view, and then met up with MORE old friends. Also, when we got back to our car from the ferry, the car we parked next to had their windows smashed through. Seattle is a very interesting place!
The day after that was our last, and it was time to head home. But, traveling with two missing IDs is very difficult. My sister and I were each taken individually by TSA agents to answer questions about ourselves, which was a very nerve-wracking and time consuming process. I thought I had failed when I couldn’t remember my family’s home phone number (which was disconnected when I was five), but somehow, we made it through! We did end up missing our flight, but we were able to connect through Denver. The very next day, I was at school.
Overall, the trip was very memorable and we did a lot, but it definitely takes the cake for the worst trip. I think part of it was also that the grayness of Seattle constantly made me sleepy, but having our stuff stolen added to my bad mood. I am glad I got to see all our old family friends and breathe the salty pacific northwest air, but I would take a car full of diesel all over again. In conclusion, (1) I do not think I particularly like Seattle, (2) I will ALWAYS take my wallet with me even if I think everything is fine, and (3) I will always put my backpack in the trunk.
Hi Joanna! I would just like to start things off by saying I am so sorry you had such a bad experience in Seattle. I have never been there but after hearing about the tragedies you experienced I think I am ok with that. I have only ever heard stories about car hijacking and crimes from friends that live in Chicago, and I will be keeping my fingers crossed that I will never have to experience this firsthand. Were you able to eventually find the person who did it? On another note, I found it inspirational that although your trip didn’t start necessarily on the right foot your family and you made it work and still got to enjoy the rest of your trip. I for one love to be able to go back to places I have already once explored because I am excited to go back to the places I have missed. If I were to write about the worst trip my family and I have ever taken I would have written about my family and I’s trip to the Bahamas. Let’s just say everyone got sick and the night we arrived we found some not-great stuff in the hotel room. But I would take that trip 100x over experiencing a car hijacking. Again I am so sorry you had to experience this but I am glad you were semi-able to enjoy the rest of your trip.
Joanna, my family loves to travel, so I’m not too unfamiliar with unfortunate out-of-town experiences. However, this had my jaw dropped. Just driving down a highway with a broken window sounds awful (and terrifying with the possibility of stray glass pieces), but the result of the lost items sounds worse. Losing a wallet is already a nuisance, you have to call your credit card companies and replace your driver’s license. However, some things are definitely not as simple to replace. Your sister losing her notes sounds very inconvenient, I hope she had some things backed up? But explaining what your dad had lost was incredibly devastating, especially when it’s the buildup of years of hard work and ideas. It broke my heart when you said the officer just laughed at the receipt because, in your family’s position, I would be forlorn and furious. It’s something that you can’t put a price tag on, and it’s so sad to know that thieves disregard the value that they don’t see. However, I love that your dad still tried to make the trip an enjoyable experience and make use of the time you can all spend together. I think in situations like these, it’s easy to focus on what went wrong and how it could’ve been prevented. However, you can learn and allow yourself to move on and still enjoy the present. I hope your sister has recovered from losing her notes, and that your father was able to find some sort of solution. I am also now scared of Seattle!
Hi Joanna! I feel terrible that all of your stuff was stolen in Seattle. I honestly take Naperville for granted because sometimes I leave my car unlocked when I go places (I probably should not say that though). Anyways did you rebuy everything that was stolen? And how will your dad get his notes and things back from his computer? I know all of his life’s work was in there. Could he just relog into his google drive? Anyways did you ever find out who did it, or do you just have to pay for the damages? But honestly, you are the most positive person I know so I am sure you and you family made the best of a terrible situation. I have always wanted to go seattle because the space needle sounds so fun. I have watched videos of the fish throwing at Pikes Place. It reminds me of Greys Anatomy because that’s where it is filmed. I also know that Seattle means a lot to you but I am glad that you moved Naperville or else I would have never met you 🙁 Also I know you hate going through TSA so maybe you should get TSA precheck because then you do not have to take your electronics out of your bag. Overall another great blog by THE Joanna Cho. Sorry my thoughts and questions were kind of everywhere this was just my stream of consciousness.
Hello Joanna, I’m so sorry you had a rough trip in Seattle:( I think it is so cool though you lived in Washington, even if it was for a short amount of time. Seattle seems so beautiful, however, I am sorry though you had to experience all the chaos that you did. How long did you live in Seattle for? Oh gosh, the car. Haha “the cops were being word I cannot type here”. Oh my gosh, it is nice that she witnessed it happening and could tell you what she and her husband saw. Wow, the discussion about cat litter makes everything sound way more pleasant! Oh no, the notes and all of your dads work! That does not sound good, oh gosh. Did you ever find out who did this to you and your family? Aw you visited your preschool, stop that makes me so sad. Time really flies. Oh gosh, I did not know that it was common to have carjackings and car thefts in Seattle. It is still nice that you didn’t let that chaos affect the reason why you came to seattle. I am happy you still got to visit friends and visit the beautiful scenery out there. Oh gosh, the car next to you had their windows smashed! Why is it so normalized there? Oh no the TSA checks, yes that had to definitely be overwhelming. I am so happy you and your family are okay though.