Pacific Northwest Trip 2015 Day 9 Monday July 20: Seattle, Lynnwood, Everett, Marysville

UPDATED: February 11, 2021

This is the 9^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”.

I "slept in" until after 6 am this morning. I walked to Pike Place Market with Rachel the Pig (giant piggy bank). Around this time I realized I had overlooked one store in Ballard but that's okay: I want to do the Fish Ladder again one more time so I'll fit it in somehow. I walked to Washington State Convention Center. One escalator set that used to be for everyone is now only for event people but the other is still available to the public. I crossed over from the center to Freeway Park, which is, yes, a park built over a freeway. The fountain that's usually off was actually working this time.

[NOW: The Hostel I stayed at was City Hostel Seattle.]

I wanted to see if money I put into my ORCA card before the trip had successfully transferred so I went to a machine at Westlake Station, Downtown Transit tunnel, but it didn't give a balance. After a quick second visit to Pike Place Market, I returned to the hostel for breakfast.

I took an E Rapidride bus (Metro Transit) to Aurora Village Transit Center in Shoreline. It arrived late at the Center partly due to construction and a connecting bus left slightly early, but soon after I was able to get a Swift bus (Community transit) to Heron Station in Lynnwood. I got some DVDs from Half Price Books in James Village and then took a 196 bus (Community Transit) east to the new location of Silver Platters (this branch used to be in the north end of Seattle). I walked to Alderwood Mall and took photos of fountains and the horse statue outside before getting DVDs at f.y.e. I took another 196 bus back to near Heron Village and then took another Swift bus to 4th Station in Everett. I hiked to the Half Price Books across from Everett Mall, not seeing any bus along the way. After visiting that I hiked some more before catching a 7 bus (Everett Transit) to downtown Everett.

[NOW: Alderwood Mall’s f.y.e. is now closed.]

Everett Comics was gone and a bridge on Broadway was being heavily renovated. I ate lunch at KFC. I walked to Bargain CDs, which has been having a half off sale as long as I've been going there.  I didn't get those DVDs but did get some 99c ones. I also got DVDs at Buy & Sell Video. After getting a Slurpee from a 7-11, I took a 202 bus (Community transit) to Big Kmart in Marysville. I bought some DVD sets; some sets were packaged together. In fact I changed my mind about one when I realized I could get it in a package with two others for the same price. I took a 201 bus (Community Transit) to Everett Station in, yes, Everett, and then took a 512 bus (Sound Transit) to Denny Way in Seattle.  I hiked to Seattle Center.

[NOW: Everett Comics proved to just be moved, not closed. However, Buy & Sell Video and the Big Kmart in Marysville is now closed.]

At the Seattle Center Armory I learned that the police were just because there were two separate events re: Take a Bite Out of Seattle (day and night) and at the transition the International Fountain closed for cleaning which continued today. I had dinner at the McDonald’s across from Seattle Center (it has four poles with balls: baseballs, basketballs, footballs, soccer balls). I returned to the hostel to store my purchase (at least what I could still fit in my locker) and started laundry. I  went to the looked out at Bell Street Pier, briefly returned to the hostel, visited the off-leash Regrade Park and Dan's Belltown Grocery, returned to the hostel to switch clothes into the dryer, and walked to Olympic Sculpture Park.

At the entrance is a fountain with statues that is called Father and Son but since the man and boy are facing each other nude, I tend to think of the statues as NAMBLA fodder; I don't think anyone’s being fooled. Also there is a new giant head called Echo and a giant ampersand on a pole called Love and Loss, among other art pieces. Part of it was closed for construction but you could still see all the art pieces. I then returned to the hostel to retrieve my laundry.