UPDATED: February 4, 2022
Okay, really big day. It was pretty overcast most of the day until just
after 7pm. At one point I had to resist
the temptation to burst into the theme from Annie ("The sun will come
out... tomorrow.)
I started the day around 7:30, visiting Freeway Park, taking photos and vids
of the waterfalls there.
For reasons
explained yesterday I was a little short on cash and expected a need throughout
the trip so I tried an ATM at the Bainbridge/Bremerton Ferry Terminal but it
wouldn't accept my card. Found another
ATM nearby and first tried a balance inquiry.
The ATM didn't like that and removed my card. I tried withdrawing money there. It accepted that and when it returned my
card... it gave me my new balance.
I walked to the fully paved Occidental Park.
Unfortunately hard to get photos in the morning there without the
homeless in them. A store I visited had
a cute puppy. Also wandered past the
Kingdome Deli. The Kingdome may be long
gone but its memory lingers on.
Visited Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, a small but free
museum. Worth a look. Bought a ticket for the Underground Tour,
visited Elliott Bay Book Co and bought Seattle Then and Now, then returned in
time for the tour. I realized they have
some stock gags because at least one joke told to an out-of-towner was a
variant of one told two years ago maybe by the same woman, who this time proved
to be my tour guide. The first two
sections were in reverse order of last time (I think the 3rd section is always
last because it leads to a gift shop).
[NOW: The name notwithstanding, Klondike is entirely an indoor museum. the full name of the tour is the Bill Speidel Underground Tour. Elliott Bay Book Company has since moved from the Pioneer Square District
to Capital Hill. Seattle Then and Now is a photo book]
I bought a CityPass book (discounted price on five attractions) at Argosy
Tours and used one ticket to book a later Argosy Harbor tour. In the meantime I visited Smith Tower but it
wasn't open yet. I then visited a movie
poster shop called Rialto which I'd been trying to get to since my first trip
but they have limited hours. I wasn't
sure if you were allowed to take photos and didn't want them to say no so I
sneaked in a few photos of the superhero/James Bond section.
[NOW: Rialto closed shortly thereafter]
I visited the same Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum I went to last year to
get some digital photos and vids. There
was some noisy kids there but they finally left. I then visited the site of the Russian Cobra
sub, which I only just learned about this year, but the lady there curtly
said "It's no longer here. Thank
you." I went to McDonald's at the Washington State Ferry Terminal to relax a bit before the Harbor tour.
The Argosy Harbor tour was a pleasant enough diversion, though the highlight
wasn't an official part of the tour: there was a bald Eagle perched on a ship
surveying the area.
[NOW: The Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum and the above McDonald's have closed.]
I returned to the Smith Tower, getting $1 off because I visited the
Underground Tour earlier on that day.
Much to my pleasant surprise I wasn't as scared as last year, perhaps
due in part to having been up the Columbia Tower on Monday. Thanks to zoom, while some photos have bars
on them, not all do (for those new to these reports since last year, Smith
Tower's observation deck is open air, contained by metal bars). Both directions
I shot video from the old fashion video, which lets you see the floors you're
passing.
Next I visited the Seattle Aquarium using a second CityPass ticket. Unfortunately since two years ago, while
renovations were in progress, the shark and seahorses seemed to have been moved
out, However there was some cute birds
(I got a puffin squawking on video) and there were sea otters play fighting,
I next went to the Pike Place Market complex. I took a pic of one store and then noticed
the No Photography sign so moved away in a hurry. At Holy Cow Records I bought a collection of
shorts made by a Seattle filmmaker.
There's also a large shoe "museum" (you put in coins and a
curtain opens peep show style. Then I
visited the actual main fish market and shot videos of the fish being toss
(plus a gag rubber fish). Given that I'm
staying half a block away, I probably couldn't show my face in Victoria again
if I didn't get some vids of this now that I have a digital camera.
[NOW: The above “museum” is called the Giant Shoe Museum]
I passed by some sheep themed place en route to the Seattle Center, where
the International Fountain is now roped up for cleaning. Hope it runs again before I leave. Grabbed a bite at McDonald's by Seattle
Center but ate in front of the Space Needle, right across from KOMO 4 News
headquarters. Visited Easy Street
Records and bought some more DVDs, including a couple of screeners and
documentaries. Went back downtown, where
I caught some footage of the Monorail.
Discovered an underground supermarket near my hostel.
[NOW: The Fountain did open up eventually. The above Easy Street Records has closed. The above supermarket, also now closed, was Kress.]
Beyond that I didn't really do anything important today.
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