This is the 8th 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”.
I woke up just after 2 and couldn't get back to sleep.
Someone was in the bathroom and when I went in after my socks became damp.
Probably water but just in case I changed out of the socks and found a
different bathroom.
[NOW: The hostel I stayed at in Portland was Northwest
Portland Hostel.]
I checked out of the hostel a little after 4:30 and walked
to McDonald's. The main entrance wasn't yet open (opened at 5) but there was a
walkthrough entrance so I got breakfast to go that way. I walked downtown,
getting away from more people who were threatening me due to my photography
even though they were in a distance. I think it's good that I left Portland
today. I think some damage to me or my camera or both would have happened had I
stayed much longer and no I'm not joking. It was no longer safe for me to
remain in Portland due to my habit of photographing my trip route.
I took final photos of Mill Ends Park before arriving at
the Bolt bus stop an hour ahead of time. When the Boltbus arrived because there
were no A ticket people (members; B is non-member prepaid and C is paid on the
day) I managed to snag the front seat. An older woman sat beside me and we
chatted during the trip to Seattle. I found I had no trouble holding a
conversation while taking photos so that passed the time nicely. Unlike
Greyhound, Boltbus, despite being owned by Greyhound typically arrives at its
destination early so I got off 20 minutes ahead of time and took a 36 bus then
a C bus (all non-Boltbus buses this day King County Metro Transit) to the
hostel. I checked in and put the bags in storage and then visited the
international Fountain.
[NOW: BoltBus now stops in a different location in Seattle. The Seattle hostel I stayed at was City Hostel
Seattle.]
I was reconsidering my plan to go to Discovery Park but a Pakistani
man, while nice, started talking to me so much I couldn't switch bus stops
easily. Luckily he let me cut things off when a D bus (like C a Rapidride bus)
showed up he let me cut things off so I could run after the bus. I couldn't make
it but there was another right behind that I took to Ballard (Ballard and other
areas this day are part of Seattle). Passing Ballard's Sunday Market, I worked
my way to my favourite part of Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the Fish Ladder,
where through windows you can see salmon returning to Lake Union to spawn. Not
long before I likely would have left anyway, a tour guide showed up and since
it was already crowded with kids I left the Fish Ladder then the Locks at this
point.
I walked north to the only branch of Rain City Video I
hadn't been to before, and the only one left. I bought some DVDs. There were a
few more that looked interesting but no price sticker. The woman wanted to send
the receipt by text or email but I pressed for a physical one due to Customs. She
seemed annoyed but also seemed to understand the situation and worked something
out.
[NOW: Rain City Video has now closed.]
I walked to Sonic Boom Records then Arcane Comics. I wanted
to have lunch at Ballard’s Burger King but it had closed down so I ate at
McDonald's instead. I walked to Fremont and saw the plant dinosaurs. Passing Fremont's Sunday Market i saw the Fremont
Rocket which now needs repainting, as well as the way larger than life statue
of VI Lenin. I visited Jive Time Records and then Ophelia's Books, looking for
the cat there. I found a cardboard box in the downstairs level and knew that I
had found the kitty. I visited the Center of the Universe signpost (arrows
pointing to real and fictional places with distance) and then Waiting for the
Interurban statue, which had been dressed up with a sign that said something
like "Don't just wait there, dance!" I zoomed in on Rapunzel on the
Fremont Bridge. At JP Patches Pl, the section of 34th Ave named after the
character popularized by the late Chris Wedes, I saw the JP Patches &
Gertrude: late for the Interurban statue.
[NOW: Arcane Comics has since moved to Shoreline.]
I visited the Fremont Troll statue on Troll Ave under Aurora
Bridge before crossing over to Wallingford and visiting Gas Works Park, a
converted industrial complex on the north end of Lake Union, now a popular
park.
I then did something I've been wanted to brave for years;
returning to Fremont, I crossed Aurora Bridge, which is very high up, to south
of Fremont, getting some great Fremont photos in the process. I walked along
Queen Anne Drive and then Queen Anne uphill and then walked down an
increasingly steep downhill. I visited Video Isle and Queen Anne Books. I went
to a vending machine at Safeway and got what from the photo looked like a Gatorade
drink but which proved to be bottled water and in fact tasted a lot like
slightly cooled tap water.
[NOW: The above branch of Video Isle has now closed.]
I walked south to Kerry Park Viewpoint for a great aerial
view of the Space Needle etc. I then spent some time back at the International
Fountain at Seattle Center.
I returned to the hostel and finished checking in now that
the room was ready. I found that the hostel had been renovated. No more
computer terminals, so all these typos are the result of me continuing to use
this piece of fecal matter mini-notebook with its piece of fecal matter tiny
keys. At the Seattle Center Armory I had dinner at Mod Pizza and then returned
to the International Fountain until 8, when the police told everyone that the
park was now closed. There were a lot more people there today including lots of
food stands due to Take a Bite Out of Seattle so maybe something got out of hand
somewhere. I got some drinks at the QFC nearest Seattle Center before returning
to the hostel.
[NOW: Typos all hopefully corrected for this blog post. The
police shutdown was due to some evening event at Seattle Center being about to
start.]
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