Pacific Northwest Trip Summer 2011 Day 11 Thursday August 4

UPDATED: February 1, 2021

This is the eleventh of a series of posts dealing my eighth trip to Seattle as an adult. 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. 

Got woken up by a woman in the room because I was snoring.  She was apologetic about doing so but that didn't stop her from waking me.  Had trouble getting back to sleep so went to the computers and became intrigued about returning home via the 8:25 am Anacortes ferry, which would get me home sooner.  A bus from March's Point connects on time, but the only bus I found *to* there arrives only 5 min earlier, which is a bit close. There's also a Seattle-Anacortes shuttle, but the first one arrives in Anacortes 15 min after the ferry takes off.  I e-mailed Skagit Transit (which handles the transit in that area) for advice.  If they have an answer I like, I'll do it.  Otherwise, usual route home.  Returned to my room answered a couple hours searching and had trouble getting back to sleep because someone else was snoring.  She didn't wake him up.
 

[NOW: The above was written in the morning; the rest I wrote in the evening. Unfortunately the Anacortes route didn’t prove practical this time around. The hostel was City Hostel Seattle.]

I walked to Pike Place Market around 7, then Victor Steinbreuk Park overlooking the waterfront near the market, then walked north to Olympic Sculpture Park one more time.  Figured out the connected between the ampersand and Love & Loss; other parts of the art display spell out the words love and loss, sharing the first two letters.  Returned to the hostel, had breakfast, and again visited Freeway Park by way of the Conference Center. Walking northeast to Capitol Hill, visited the Jimi Hendrix statue, bought a Troma DVD at Everyday Music (Elliott Bay Book Co right beside it wasn't yet open), went to the 15th street shopping area, bought a drink at 7-11 (and lost the change :( ), would have visited On 15th Video but it wasn't yet open, then doublebacked to Broadway.

[NOW: Everyday Music has since moved across the street from its 2011 location. On 15th Video has now closed.]

Gruv had closed down.  Bought a bunch of DVDs (at least one Troma) at Broadway Market Video (on Republican just off Broadway), then went to the pop machine on John just off Broadway with the Mystery buttons.  Another @#$%ing cherry drink (cherry lemonade).  Finally visited Elliott Bay Book Company.  Walked to the now only branch of Twice Sold Tales; the two cats were opposites: the orange one was a bit aloof but liked posing for photos; the black one was very affectionate but didn't like cameras.  Visited Capitol Loans, then Third Man Video (formerly Pioneer Video when it was in the Pioneer Square District).  Visited the First Hill branch of Half Price Books and bought DVDs and a comic.

[NOW: Broadway Market Video later moved to Broadway as Broadway Video before closing.  Third Man Video and that Half Price Books have also closed. The pop machine is missing.]

I walked west along Denny to Seattle Center.  Went to Orange Julius and bought a strawberry Julius and a hot dog.  I couldn't get a straight answer on price difference with and without fries.  May have actually paid more to have it without fries but not sure.  Spending a couple hours at the International Fountain, then had to leave as I was finding myself nodding off.

[NOW: Sadly given that, that proved to be my last visit to that Orange Julius. Around the time that Center House became Seattle Center Armory, they evicted Orange Julius.]

Heading downtown, visited Pacific Place (the penguin made of scrap metal and Barnes & Noble again), then visited Westlake Center mainly for the window views.  Bought a heavy but cheap book on vampires during my final visit ever to Borders.  Visited Arundel Books as I headed further south.  In the Pioneer Square district, visited Waterfall Garden Park and Klondike Gold Rush National Park (actually a free museum; not sure why it's called a park).  Visited the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum at 3:45; it closed at 4 so I was let in for free.  Surprisingly for the first time this trip, I visited the exteriors of Qwest (football) and Safeco (baseball) Fields (did see a bit of them on the bus previously but not on foot).  I went to the International District's Downtown Transit Tunnel. Being in the ride free area, rode a bus to Westlake Center.  Visited Pike Place Market again.  Checked a couple places for memory cards.  Office Depot had had 32 GTB cards on sale for $50 but now they were back up to $100!
 

[NOW: The penguin is now gone. That Barnes & Noble, Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, and that Office Deput have closed. Arundel Books has since moved.  Qwest Field has changed its name to CenturyLink Field; the locals now call it the CLink for short.]

Bought a pop in a store at Pike Place Market.  Took a bus north a little but had to get off quickly because it turned east almost right away.  Returned to the hostel and dropped off the heavy stuff.  Headed north.

Was going to have dinner at Dicks's but they're cash only and most of my cash was in my locker.  Ate dinner at Pagliacci, which I had originally planned to anyway.  Visited Mercer Street Books (the now kitty-less former Queen Anne branch of Twice Sold Tales), then Easy Street Records, then back to the International Fountain at Seattle Center for an hour or so.  Make one final DVD purchase at Silver Platters (some documentaries) then returned to the hostel.  Packed everything up.  I'd lost the keys to my padlock so had to have my lock broken.  Wrote the totals of my receipts.  After I send this will hunt down an outline calculator and add up my figures and then calculate the exchange.

 

[NOW: Pagliacci Pizza and that Easy Street Records have closed.  That silver Platters has moved to 1st Ave S.]