Pacific Northwest Trip 2015 Day 13 Friday July 24: Seattle

UPDATED: February 11, 2021

This is the 13^th of a series of posts dealing with my 2015 trip to Portland, Seattle, and vicinity. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports (typos, bits I don’t feel like making public). Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of two years later or to add further clarification.  These are indicated by “NOW”.

Forgot to mention: yesterday they already had signs indicating no parking before and after tomorrow's parade. Speaking of which due to the late night nature of the parade, tomorrow's trip report will be a bit late (after 10 that eve or early the next morning).

I walked to the International District including Hing Hay Park. Walking back to the Pioneer Square District I crossed through the concrete Occidental Park before returning to the hostel. Before breakfast I checked the weather and noticed it was to be overcast today and rainy the next two days so I adjusted my plans accordingly.. Heading downtown I visited a Walgreen's that was under renovations and temporarily (?) on the floor above its usual floor.  At Pike Place Market I visited First & Pike News and Rachel the Pig. I walked up and down the Harbor Steps. Back in the Pioneer Square District I visited the enclosed/manmade Waterfall Garden Park, then the free museum Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

[NOW: The hostel I stayed at was City Hostel Seattle. First & Pike News has closed.]

Back downtown briefly I took the C Rapidride bus (all buses today King County Metro Transit) to Alaska Junction, where I got a DVD set from Easy Street Records. I also visited Pegasus Book Exchange but Merryweather Books wasn't yet open. I got on a late 50 bus.

 

[NOW: Merryweather Books has closed.]

I got off at Alki Beach, figuring today was the day of the remaining three where it would be least likely to rain, though seeing people sunbathing was out. I checked out the Birthplace of Seattle Marker and then it started to rain. I visited the Statue of Liberty and did a short walk along the beach, passing the Alki Bathhouse which isn't a bathhouse.  I had hoped to each lunch at my favourite diner in the area, Pepperdock Burgers but it was too rainy to linger. I took the 775 bus to the King County Water Taxi terminal, but it looked like there wasn't another trip back downtown using the water taxi for another 50 minutes, so I got back on the former 775, now 773 bus and took it to another West Seattle stop where I switched back to the C Rapidride bus, which became D Rapidride after passing downtown.

I got off the D bus in Ballard and had lunch at the same McDonald’s as Sunday. I visited the recently reopened formerly U District branch of Twice Sold Tales, but no cat. I also visited Anderson Books. On a whim I revisited Sonic Boom Records as last time a kid was in the way of the DVDs. Ended up getting a couple. I walked back to Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, spending most of my time there photographing salmon from the Fish Ladder.  I walked then took a 44 bus to Archie McPhee, a novelty shop in Wallingford just past Fremont. Some action figures were tempting at $3.99 (Beethoven, Annie Oakley, Moses, etc.) but I'd been overspending already so I passed. I walked down to the Wallingford Steps (there's a single with zodiac and other symbols) and then crossed the street to Gas Works Park.

[NOW: This branch of Twice Sold Tales now has a store cat. Anderson's Books & Art has closed.]

Gas Works Park is an industrial complex turned family park. It was a windy and one guy was doing some slight hang-gliding. More surprisingly some people had found their way into the fenced off area of the park. I saw a door open where they had gotten in but knew it was unsafe and illegal so stayed out.

I wandered to where two buses head south. I wanted the 30 (to Seattle Center) but the 26 bus came first). I saw the 30 bus behind too late to easily switch. To add insult to injury the 26 got stuck in traffic  for a stretch.  I did finally get off and made it to Seattle Center.  The line was too long at Mod Pizza in the Seattle Center Armory so I sat at the International Fountain a while, finally grabbed dinner at Mod Pizza (still a longish line), and returned to the fountain until it got too chilly/looked like it might rain again.

Heading back to the hostel along the parade route I saw some fencing, some Do Not Cross tape and even some chairs from people staking out their place.  So tomorrow: the Torchlight Parade. Seattle's biggest free event that I know of. It would be rude of my not to attend don't you think?