From April 24-27, 12 members of Hays High School’s Quill and Scroll chapter took a trip to Seattle, Wash., to attend the spring National High School Journalism Convention. This is a summary of the eventful trip the 12 students and journalism teacher Jessica Augustine took.
Day 1:
The group woke up very early in the morning because the flight out of Hays was supposed to leave at 6:34 in the morning. However, the flight was delayed until 10:15 a.m. due to the weather, and no one was notified until they were already en route to the airport.
With three hours to spare, some students went home to get more sleep, some went to IHOP and others watched “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
Eventually, the flight out of Hays took off around 10:30 a.m.
Because of the delay, what was supposed to be only one connecting flight from Denver
to Seattle turned into two. The altered path caused the group to go from Hays to Denver, from Denver to San Francisco and finally from San Francisco to Seattle.
The group touched down in Seattle at about 7:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (or 9:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time). They then took a light rail train to a station and walked to their hotel from there.
The hotel was a beautiful sight for the 13 hungry and tired passengers.
Day 2:
Bright and early, the group met at 7:30 a.m. to prepare for attending the convention sess
ions (and also getting some free stuff!).
From 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., the group attended different sessions. The sessions were on different topics related to journalism. The students from Hays attended four sessions and took notes during each (although some notebooks became a little more unhinged and full of drawings than comprehensible and filled with writing).
After the sessions, the group took off for some tourist attractions!
They ate lunch at the Seattle Center Armory (food was very expensive for this whole trip).
Then, the group attended the Chihuly Glass Gardens. The museum/garden showcased the amazing glasswork of renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly.
After that, they spent some time in the Museum of Pop Culture. The museum had many exhibits in it. There was a section on sci-fi, another on horror, another about fantasy and many others. Of course, it wouldn’t be a pop culture museum without features about music. There was a Nirvana section, a Jimi Hendrix section and even a giant guitar tornado.
After finishing with that, the group went up the Space Needle and got a view of the whole city and the bay. The view was incredible, but definitely a little nerve-wracking for those who have a fear of heights.
After the Space Needle, the group walked to a restaurant for dinner.
Once they were filled up, the group went back to the hotel to get some shut-eye.
Day 3:
Another early day, the group met just before 8 a.m. to discuss the day’s plans and attend a few sessions. They attended sessions at the convention from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
After going to the sessions, the group walked to Pike Place Market and had a glorious time.
Pike Place Market is essentially a massive flea market space. People set up their little shop spaces early every morning and clear them out at the end of the day. At Pike Place, there was just about everything: smelly fish throwing, gorgeous flowers, delicious food, cute clothes, incredible art and so much more. Many of the little shops showed off hand-crafted items local artists were selling.
The market had five levels, but it was nearly impossible to get around the whole thing because of how massive and windy it was. On other levels, other than the main one, were sit-down restaurants and walk-in shops (including a dangerously tempting record shop).
The large group split up into small groups to spend time in the market. They all went off to different spaces for lunch and shopping. One notably delicious spot was the crepe restaurant (there is definitely no bias there).
Once done at the market, the group went to the Seattle Aquarium. They got to see otters, seals, fish (of course) and so much more.
After the aquarium, they went on a ferry tour (‘twas a bit rocky) and saw the city from the water.
After that, they ate supper (which was very hit and miss, but the fish and chips was reportedly fire).
Before making the trek back to the hotel, the crew stopped and walked past the then-empty Pike Place Market to get in line at the first-ever Starbucks. Money was spent. Lots of it. Drinks were better than anywhere else.
After drinks and merch was acquired, they went off to the hotel for the final night’s rest.
Day 4:
Homeward Bound.
Ready to roll at 5:30 a.m., the crew went to the train station and waited for their ride to the airport.
From there the group flew from Seattle to Denver. Only two flights this time (yayyyyyyy).
There was a bit of a layover in Denver (but games were played, Starbucks was consumed and physics was completed).
The flight from Denver to Hays was short and sweet, and they made it home before 8 p.m.
Ultimately, the trip was an absolute delight (although some bank accounts might be begging for mercy), and it was a neat experience that is once in a lifetime.
