In March I went on a weekend-getaway to Seattle and although this trip was only 2 days, it really changed my perspective on traveling because I was traveling in a wheelchair.

Some of you may know that I broke my knee last month and one of the consequences of that was I had to cancel my Japan trip that was scheduled for April. I decided not to cancel our weekend to Seattle because I was able to borrow a wheelchair.

The wheelchair is super helpful because you can only walk with crutches for so long until you feel like your armpits will fall off. However, this didn’t mean I didn’t have struggles or inconveniences because of the wheelchair either.

I hope none of you reading will have to travel with a wheelchair, but for those who do or for those who are curious, here is how my trip went and what changed for me in terms of my perspective on traveling.

Transportation

Driving

As my doctor said, “If you have a right leg, you can drive”.

I (obviously) didn’t drive to Seattle, but the good thing about my new $255 knee brace is that it has adjustable extension and bending (?) settings so I could at least bend my knee up to 40 degrees, which makes sitting in a car much more comfortable than if my knee was in a cast and it had to be straight and elevated all the time.

The surprising thing to me was that not all cars can fit a wheelchair. Sounds like a stupid realization but hey it’s me. My wheelchair could be folded by pushing the seat together, but that didn’t make the wheelchair any shorter or wider. The frame of the entire object was still a square, the only difference is that it’s now flatter/thinner.

Initially we were supposed to go in my friend’s Volkswagon Golf but we couldn’t because my wheelchair didn’t fit in the trunk even with the back seats down. It fit in my boyfriend’s Honda Accord Sport trunk without putting down any back seats. This taught me that just because you have a large car doesn’t mean you can fit a wheelchair.

Uber

We took an Uber only once in Seattle and it was terrible. I usually have very good experiences with Uber, but with a wheelchair it was just a bad experience.

The first problem with Uber is that there is no option to request for an accessible vehicle. We requested for a 6-person Uber, hoping that would mean it would be a van large enough to fit all of us + a wheelchair. We were wrong.

Our first Uber came and left without us, which was kinda shitty but I feel like it was my fault. We ordered the Uber but then I had to go to the washroom. Lining up for an accessible washroom (and lining up for the washroom in general) took longer than 2 minutes so our Uber charged us and we didn’t even get a ride.

Our second Uber arrived and it was a 8-seater Lexus SUV of some sort. The driver felt awkward and confused when he saw me in a wheelchair because he didn’t think it would fit and he was right. My wheelchair did not fit in the trunk unless all 3 backseats were pushed down. This meant only me and three other people could sit in the Uber – my other 2 friends had to walk to our destination.

My wheelchair experience with Uber just reminded me of the news I read about accessible taxis. The issue with accessible taxis in Vancouver is that they take hours to show up or they don’t show up at all. This is pretty terrible for anyone in a wheelchair, especially an elderly, who may be waiting outside somewhere for the taxi to take them home.

I feel like even if Uber did have an accessibility option, there wouldn’t be any drivers who would take the job unless there was an incentive. Sad.

Accommodations

The Westin Seattle

One of my friends work at a casino so he gets hotel discounts for Westin. Our room for 4 people costed $90 CAD a night without tax or additional fees.

My friend requested for an accessible room for me so I was curious to see what the difference would be compared to the normal room my other four friends were staying in.

Both of our rooms were on the 40th floor, which was a pleasant surprise. I thought perhaps they would give us a room on the ground floor.

The biggest difference between our rooms was the washroom. The accessible washroom was much larger – large enough for me to wheel my wheelchair in completely. There were bars everywhere – on the sink table, around the toilet and shower area. This made it very easy and safe to get up from the wheelchair and not slip.

There was no tub – the shower was in one side of the bathroom with the floor slightly slanted so water would drain. Granted, the floor could still get flooded if you angle your shower head towards the rest of the washroom. There were actually two shower heads – one next to a bench/seat that you can push down, and one facing the seat a bit farther away. This allows two people to shower at once or for another person (such as a caretaker) to help.

The washroom was a godsend for me. I didn’t need help getting in and out of a tub and everything was within arms reach for me if I sat on the shower bench.

Things to do

Salty’s on Alki Beach

One of our splurges on the trip was our expensive-ass brunch buffet at Salty’s. You need to make a reservation and on Saturdays it costs $57.99 USD for one adult.

We got a large table with a giant view of the beach and Seattle city line. This table was right next to their accessibility ramp.

The brunch buffet was amazing – anything you can imagine from the classic eggs benny to delicious looking mac’n’cheese (I don’t even like mac’n’cheese) to roast beef to a whole seafood feast.

We headed straight to the seafood corner where there was unlimited snow crab legs, oysters, clams and mussels and more.

They had a giant caesar table for all you alcoholics and long dessert tables with chocolate fountains for all of you with a sweet tooth.

Staff were welcoming and looked like they were genuinely happy to be working there, especially the lady handing out plates to you at the entrance of the buffet. There is complimentary valet parking and the restaurant is accessible with elevators and ramps. The buffet area can be a bit cramped with a wheelchair but staff is always happy to help put items on your plate for you if you can’t reach.

Round1

Round1 is an entertainment complex connected to Westfield Southcenter with arcade games, billiards and a bowling alley.

In a wheelchair, I was still able to play different arcade games (not DDR but still). My boyfriend was impressed that they had Japanese UFOs (not spaceships, he means the claw games) with actual Japanese prizes. In other words, the stuffed animals you can win are actually cute.

I was also allowed to go bowling with either help from my friends pushing me to the lane, or using the alligator slide to push the bowling ball. Two bowling games costed $12 USD per adult. Billiards was $16 USD for one hour.

Beer and select wines were only $2 USD so we played most of our games with bets to buy each other beer.

The Cheesecake Factory

We decided to eat dinner at the popular Cheesecake Factory but I was mostly disappointed. We left our hotel at 8:30 pm and walked to the Cheesecake Factory for a late dinner. It was only a 10 minute walk and we waited around 30-45 minutes for a table, which was what we expected because we knew there is always a wait.

Our server was very nice, but I have zero idea why it took so freaking long to get our food and to pay the bill. I wasn’t able to actually put food in my mouth until after 10:30 pm, which is a long time to be hungry for considering we didn’t eat anything for lunch after Salty’s.

My boyfriend recommended the fettucine alfredo ($22 USD with chicken) as something he ordered before and was delicious, but the one we got was dry and not very good. It looked and tasted like they ran out of alfredo sauce while making it. By this time we were so hungry, we just ate it but I was not impressed because I believe a good restaurant should serve the same standard of dishes every time.

The cheesecake was perhaps the only highlight of my meal here. We ordered the strawberry new york cheesecake and it was delicious! Thick and well put-together (it doesn’t fall apart when you stick your fork in it).

This being my first time at the Cheesecake Factory, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Maybe just get takeout cheesecake after 10 pm.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

I’ve been to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery before, but going again has made me realize that this is always a fun stop in Seattle even if you’re not a big coffee fan.

Even though the reserve was crowded with people bustling around, it was still accessible-friendly. They don’t have an elevator, but there is a lift to the bottom floor where you can watch the coffee beans mix in the machines and see the packaging on the conveyer belt.

The washrooms were also accessible. Every stall had bars in them regardless of if they had the wheelchair symbol on the door or not.

Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant famous for their xiao long baos (pork dumplings). I heard from a couple of friends that the Seattle Din Tai Fung is not very good, but we decided to try it out anyways because it was a quick walk from our hotel.

Our wait time was around 20 minutes and we got there shortly after they opened at 10 am. We ordered 2 batches of pork xiao long baos (10 per batch), 1 batch of the crab and pork xiao long bao, 1 batch of the shrimp and pork siu mai, 2 fried rices, the sauteed green beans, spicy wontons and a minced pork sauce noodle. Our bill for 6 people came down to $25 USD per person after tips.

Our server was Caucasian but he was very professional. I think he knew more about xiao long baos than us and we’re all Chinese. He mixed our sauces for us and was talking about a special ratio of soy sauce to vinegar and he poured anything (sauce, water) with a flourish.

We enjoyed the xiao long baos – they were juicy and very aesthetic. We didn’t find it too salty. Price wasn’t as cheap as the xiao long bao places we know back in Vancouver, but it wasn’t anything outrageous.

Pike Market

I guess no trip to Seattle is complete with a visit to Pike Place Market, a cliche as it may seem.

We strolled around the busy market and found that with me being pushed in the front, it was like parting the red sea. People would always make way for you if you’re in a wheelchair and no one is going to be an asshole about it.

This doesn’t mean you get to skip lines though. We still waited in lines to get some fancy cheese curds and deep fried seafood. We were mostly full from Din Tai Fung so we didn’t visit too many shops.

The cobblestone streets outside of Pike Market were not the best feeling while sitting on a wheelchair, but the inside market was very accessible friendly with numerous rams and elevators.

Gum Wall

The gum wall was very busy with people taking photos. We watched in horror of too many hair-almost-touching-gum incidents.

The gum wall is on a steep street of cobblestone, and I actually almost wheeled to my death because of how steep the road was. I had my brakes locked in but my wheelchair still turned and I almost fell to the side. Because of this, we didn’t stay too long at the gum wall. We used our gum to stick our Din Tai Fung pen onto the wall.

The Pike Brewing Company

We rested at the Pike brewing Company, a brewery that is almost sensory overload with retro decorations.

We ordered the sample flight for $13 USD. Every beer on the flight sampler is brewed in-house. We all liked the last one with 9% alcohol because we are alcoholics!

Just like the rest of Pike Market, the brewery had lots of ramps for easy access. We did need to wait for a low table (not bar stools).

Seattle Pier

We took a stroll down by the pier to take a look at the ferris wheel and soak in some sun. We went into a random Ye Old Curiosity shop full of strange items. We actually spent a lot of time just being silly and trying to peep at people in the ferris wheel.

Final thoughts

This trip has really changed my thoughts on traveling because it was an experience I’ve never had before. Traveling with a wheelchair made me anxious. I was constantly worried about whether the places we go to would have elevators or ramps. I was worried about using the washrooms alone. Even the amount of foot exploring was tough on my friends because pushing someone uphill can be tiring.

Because of all these concerns and struggles, I began to notice and appreciate all the ways a city, hotel, or a building can make themselves accessible-friendly and what a big difference that makes. It’s not about just adding in a ramp or letting someone use a bigger room. Real thought goes into decisions like where to place a handle bar on the wall, where shampoos should be placed, what kind of a view would someone be staring at while they are sitting there. A push or revolving door vs. a doorknob could be the difference between going in by yourself or having to wait for someone to open the door for you. I feel like Seattle is actually a very accessible-friendly city, more so than Vancouver.

Another thing that I felt during this trip was that a lot of people looked at me. Yes they will look at me to make sure they are out of my way, but their eyes will linger for just one more second than they have to. Children mostly stare and adults either give me this pity smile or they look at me with eyes of pity, as if to say “Such a shame, so young.”

My friends joke that it’s nice to always be sitting in a chair so I’m not tired and how nice people are to me. Honestly, being in a wheelchair sucked and as weird as it sounded, people being nice actually helped. It wasn’t just about having a stranger hold a door for you, but the fact that it actually does make things a little easier for not just me but whoever is with you.

I will never fully understand what it’s like to be permanently in a wheelchair and how it would feel if this was my everyday. But I do know that it was hard work to go on this trip for my friends and I can see so many reasons on why it’s just better and easier to stay at home.

I am lucky and thankful to have friends who were patient and helpful throughout this trip. There were still moments where I felt like I was an inconvenience (ex. Uber incident) and I just felt bad for not being an able-person, even though I wasn’t at any fault at all.

It’s important for everyone to be able to go out and enjoy life and spend time with people. The thought of someone not being able to do that or feeling like they are too much of a burden to deserve that makes me immensely sad.

Sincerely, Loewe