Pacific Northwest Trip July 2009 Day 6 Sunday July 26

UPDATED: January 27, 2021

This is the sixth of a series of posts dealing my fifth trip to Seattle and second of two trips that year. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports. Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of three years later or to add further clarification. 

I was going to go downtown and back to see the remaining parade clean-up but decided instead to save myself a couple bus trips since I knew I'd be exploring Ballard and nearby today anyway.

So I walked through the Hiram M. Chittendem Locks (aka Ballard Locks), visited the Fish Ladder (very little fish activity), and then walked to my next scheduled destination, Discovery Park. I mentioned in my May reports that I didn't really do the park justice that visit and I think I also mentioned I'd give it more time if I made a July trip.  So this visit I spent about 2-3 hours there.  Discovery Park has lots of hiking trails and some beach area.  It's also a nature preserve.

[NOW: Discovery Park is in the  Magnolia district.]

I walked back to the Fish Ladder (still not a lot of fish) and then crossed the Locks and walked to the Seafair Seafoodfest, which takes up a few blocks and today at least connected to the Sunday Market.  I also visited Epilogue Books.  Sadly since it's closing down I didn't see anything I wanted.

I walked to 15th Ave and walked north to Blockbuster, passing by a gas station roped off by the police.  I bought a DVD there for $4 then walked down a block to the Ballard branch of Arcane Comics and found the same comics Golden Age Collectibles wanted for $6 each, only Arcane wanted $3 and $3.20.  Someone was being interviewed there.  I just missed a bus so grabbed lunch to go at Wendy's; eating lunch at the nearby bus stop I looked across the street and saw that Hollywood Video was apparently gone from that area.  I took a bus downtown and right after caught the Water Taxi to Seacrest Marina, West Seattle.  I walked up a steep hill to SW California Ave, though by walking up a steep hill, the direction I was now going along that avenue was downhill.  I visited West Seattle's Blockbuster, West Seattle's Arcane Comics (got a comic for $1), Leisure books, Pegasus Books, West Seattle's Easy Street Records, Rubato Video, and the Safeway with the mystery button.  50c later I got a cream soda.

[NOW: The Ballard and West Seattle Blockbuster are now closed, as is the West Seattle branch of Arcane Comics, Leisure Books (which closed as Merryweather Books and Rubato Video].   The bus downtown was King County Metro Transit as is the King County Water Taxi. The water taxi has been replaced with a newer model at a different downtown dock. The Safeway no longer has the pop machine with the mystery button.]

I took a bus then walked to Alki Beach.  This time I didn't want to linger long, just do a quick walk-around.  There was a KIRO 7 van there for some reason, and the Art Fair was on the second of its two days.  As before I saw the Statue of Liberty and Birthplace of Seattle.

[NOW: Thus bus was 56? King County Metro Transit.]

 I took a shuttle back to the Water Taxi, took that downtown, grabbed a couple bottles of ice tea at a shop in Pike Place Market, then walked to 7-11 by Seattle Center.  Got a drink there and then walked to the International Fountain.  I actually went into the fountain's spray zone, in part because I found out that the nearest Laundromat is many blocks from the hostel and wanted to get myself and my shirt cleaned.  Luckily I had already brought extra shirts so I might be able to make my clothes last.

[NOW: I managed to work it out. The new location has laundry facilities.]

This day the dog from before wasn't there but there was another dog, a hyper German shepherd that kept leaping at the water.  I actually got some shots of the dog in mid-air.  After a couple hours there I walked to the Mercer St. branch of Easy Street Records and bought a $3 DVD. I took a bus back to Ballard; there was a delay because a bridge the bus crosses was letting a large ship through apparently.

[NOW: The bus was King County Metro Transit. Mercer St.'s Easy Street Records is now closed.] 

Walking back towards the hostel I took pics of Seafoodfest being dismantled for 2009, grabbed a meal at Taco Time to go, ate the food by the water, then walked the rest of the way to the hostel.