Pacific Northwest Trip Summer 2010 Day 11 Thursday August 5

UPDATED: January 28, 2021

This is the eleventh of a series of posts dealing my seventh trip to Seattle as an adult 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 two years later or to add further clarification.  Unless I have a serious case of insomnia tomorrow, this will be the last of the morning editions, though there will be an evening edition tonight and probably a mid-afternoon finale tomorrow.

[NOW: I actually did end up doing a morning report which will be included in the final part of this trip series.]

Nothing really significant to report from last night. Today should be a relatively quiet day, the goal being for the day to be transit free, though that depends on if I opt to go to West Seattle again.  Most likely though after breakfast I'll just walk to Capitol Hill and back and then wander downtown and vicinity.

[NOW: The above was written in the morning; the rest I wrote in the evening.]

First off I forgot to mention, in my room last night someone complained to someone else about having to get up at *8*! Wonder how they'd feel about my getting up at 5 tomorrow?

In the morning I walked to Pike Place Market inc. the newsstand, got batteries at Walgreen's, returned to the hostel, then back downtown.

[NOW: First and Pike News is now closed.]

I visited the general area that I was in at the Convention Center during the Emerald City ComiCon, well, at least the area open to the public. I walked to Freeway Park (water fountains still not turned on), then walked to Capitol Hill. I tried the mystery pop machine, pressing the top mystery button. It was Dr. Pepper, with an Iron Man design. Iron Man looked sad, probably because his face was on a can of Dr. Pepper.

[NOW: That pop machine has disappeared.]

There were a couple periods where I had to walk around randomly a bit because neither camera was working and walking around sometimes help. Broadway News became online only as of July 31 but I bought some DVDs at Broadway Market Video after a visit to Rite Aid. The radio had a man singing about how he loved some woman, which was ironic thing to be playing in the gay district. I then visited Gruv. I passed the Jimi Hendrix state en route to the new location of Everyday Music, which was right beside the new location of Elliott Bay Book Company. Everyday Music still has a decent selection of things though I didn't buy anything. Elliot Bay is very spacious, but I miss the used section that the old heritage site had.
 

[NOW: Broadway Market Video moved nearby to Broadway and dropped the “Market” from the name before closing. Everyday Music has since moved yet again, across the street from the above location.]

I walked to the Capitol Hill version of Twice Sold Tales (found 2 of the 3 cats) and bought some comics and DVDs at Half Price Books. I walked back downtown, visiting Barnes & Noble, passed the fountain across from Borders (also still not on any time I visited), then visited Zanadu Comics, Swerve, and Pike Place Market (Lionheart Books, Holy Cow Records). I walked to Macy’s and took some pics from the 6th story Skybridge connecting the store to the parking lot across the street

[NOW: The First Hill Half Price Books, Pacific Place's Barnes & Noble, Swerve, and Macy's have closed. Borders is now defunct.]

I walked to the sports motif McDonald's Across from Seattle Center, walked to the International Fountain, and, surprise!, more or less switched off as of 1:30. I relaxed there for a couple hours. n The only reason I walked away at all during the first couple of hours is my favourite camera called it quits (it may still turn on tomorrow but hasn't since worked) and my main backup camera was giving me trouble, so I twice walked to the air conditioned Center House to get the camera to turn on. During this time and later times I actually cooled off in the fountain (I dressed in a t-shirt for this eventuality). A lot of people wore swim suits one but I'm pretty sure one lady used her bra has makeshift swimsuit top. Sometimes the camera would only take pics after long pauses and sometimes there would be a blue tint in the upper right corner. Usually the two went hand in hand, but there was a period where I had the tint but it was taking pics reasonably punctually.

[NOW: That McDonald's no longer has the sports balls. Center House is now the Seattle Armory. Both cameras called it a day in August 2010.]

I walked to Silver Platters and when I left the tint problem was gone. I spent more time at the fountain, grabbed a dinner from Orange Julius, then still more time relaxing at the fountain. I finally left the fountain a little after 6, feeling a bit sad that it will be a long time possibly before I get to see my favourite place again. I visited, in the Queen Anne area, Abraxus Books, Easy Street Records, Mercer St Books, and Underdawg Records (this time no dogs present), then walked to Olympic Sculpture Park, taking a pic of a sculpture I'd overlooked a few days earlier, the tire with blue hair.

[NOW: That Silver Platters has moved to 1st Ave S. Orange Julius has been evicted from the Seattle Center Armory. Abraxus Books, Queen Anne's Easy Street Records, and Underdawg Records are also now gone. The above sculpture is actually Typewriter Eraser: Scale X.]

The controversial man boy statue was the reverse of last visit: the man was visible, but the boy was not due to fountain water. The ampersand is still missing sadly. Hope it's being repaired and not stolen. I then returned early because I have to get up earlier tomorrow and also want some last minute pics of the hostel, plus, sigh, I guess I better find out how much I have to declare tomorrow.

[NOW: The man boy statue is Father & Son. The sculpture with the ampersand (which is back) is Lock & Loss.]

Just tried the nicer old camera one more time. Still has the zoom error.

[NOW: Again, both cameras called it a day in August 2010.]