UPDATED: February 12, 2021
This is the 12th of a series of posts
dealing with my 2017 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 haven't been checking emails in the morning
(this is the first time) but had to send an urgent email so just this once thought
I'd do a morning report. Last night I discovered something I'd already
suspected: a book I bought at Powell's is missing. I also noticed an empty DVD
wrapper so am a bit concerned it was stolen, further sending my thumb downward
for this trip.
[NOW: The book did turn up later.]
It's drizzling this morning. I limped to Seattle
Center; en route a squirrel was eating food within touching distance. Right foot
sore but so far not as bad as yesterday. Some numbing started yesterday so
that's helped every so often. I got a replacement
$20 from a Bank of America ATM at the Center. International Fountain still barricaded
but if things go as per usual schedule should be open later today. A seagull
and some crows were fighting over a bag of food; it got nasty for a moment. Was
going to go up Kerry Park for the view again but want to wait until it clears.
Returned to the hostel where I sent the Portland hostel messages by email and
on Facebook. Also checked and weather is supposed to improve.
Hopefully trip will get better for next few days.
Definitely been giving some thought to cutting it short.
[NOW: The above was written in the morning. The
rest was written in the evening.]
I walked along 2nd Ave to Target which turned out
to be a good thing because I realized that a bus stop I planned to go to after
breakfast was out of commission. After Target and the usual Rachel the Pig at
Pike Place Market, I located where I needed to get on and returned to the
hostel for breakfast.
After breakfast I took an E Rapidride bus (King
County Metro Transit) one stop (up a hill); the tap machine wasn't working but
the driver didn't seem concerned. I walked to the stop I found earlier and took
a 590 bus (Sound Transit) to the University of Washington, Tacoma. After a
brief stop in the University Bookstore I walked along the Bridge of Glass (the
bridge itself isn't made of glass but there are glass displays of art, a teaser
for the nearby Museum of Glass).
Around this time I noticed that my camera was
overexposing to the right. I did notice that a bit yesterday but had attributed
it to sundown. Unfortunately I left my backup camera at City Hostel Seattle, so
it would have been a long excursion to retrieve it and come back.
[NOW: This problem got worse as the trip
progressed. The camera, fortunately under extended warranty, proved damaged
beyond repair. I suspect a delayed reaction to that Sunday drop at Gas Works
Park.]
I took a 3 bus (all *buses* before leaving Tacoma
for Seattle Pierce Transit) to Tacoma Mall Transit Center. It was harder than
usual to find Half Price Books in a complex near the mall; probably in part due
to being in a bad headspace. I did get a DVD then, returning to Tacoma Mall,
got another DVD at f.y.e. | ran out of time to catch the 3 bus at the Transit
Center but the driver let me on anyway nearby.
I got off downtown and walked to Destiny Comics.
There was a doorway inside to King’s Books next door and after a minute of
looking around the comic shop the bookstore's cat demanded I acknowledge him. I
petted him and looked around the bookstore. I left the bookstore and looked at
my itinerary to plan my next move. The cat went outside demanding more loves. I
wish I had sat down outside which I think the cat wanted but was concerned out
the time. I did pet the cat some more however.
I got on the 1 bus and took it to Spanaway. The
bus only announced some stops again so I overshot my stop. I doubled-back and
got a couple DVDs from Home Video Express. I was going to have lunch at McDonald’s
but noticed a Godfather Pizza. I decided to go there for two reasons: one was I
hadn't been to one in over a decade and missed it. The other reason was self-preservation:
if my friend Diana found out I could have had lunch at Godfather Pizza and opted
for McDonald’s instead I would have been in trouble.
[NOW: Home Video Express has closed.]
I took a later 1 bus back to Tacoma than intended
but it ended up barely connecting to the 13 bus I wanted anyway. A group of
Asian girls (I'm using the term properly here: not adults) got off the stop
before mine and I noticed one left their hand held device so I gave it to the
driver upon exiting. I visited Backstage Video. Since there was time before the
next bus I ended up doing a long downhill hike and then eventually catching a 1
bus back to the University of Washington where I bought a Vanilla Coke. At the nearby Union Station I took the Tacoma
Link light rail (Sound Transit; free for a few more years) one stop and got
another DVD at Tacoma Transit Center.
[NOW: Backstage Video has closed.]
During my Sound Transit bus rides and my 1 bus
rides my mind kept wandering as I was taking photos, largely due to the latest
camera issues but I was also sleepy. On the bus back I kept having to jerk
myself back awake every few seconds or so. In Seattle I hit a period of slow
traffic. I finally got off and took an E Rapidride bus back to the hostel.
There my trip nearly came to a premature end. I
switched cameras but my backup camera kept giving me a lens error. The thought
of dealing with both the bloody foot issues and the camera overexposure for a
few more days was unappealing. Finally after a few tries it did turn on, so I
do now have a camera with no overexposure. I walked to the International
Fountain at Seattle Center; as predicted it was now on. I had dinner at
McDonald's; this McDonald's had a sign rating: its food safety as Excellent; in
contrast a few days ago I passed a dinner with only a Good ratting. I returned
to the fountain for a bit and then returned to the hostel. Other than a
placeholder response on Facebook, no word yet from the Portland hostel.
[NOW: Northwest Portland Hostel did reply to me
later, but by then I had found the book.]
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