Thursday, May 17, 2012

Pacific Northwest Trip July 2009 Day 2 Wednesday July 22

UPDATED: February 5, 2022

This is the second of a series of posts dealing my fifth trip to Seattle and second of two trips that year. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports. Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of three years later or to add further clarification.  I’ve decided to delete references to an outdated contest which probably wouldn’t be of too much interest to people who don’t know me.

Took a bit of time to get to sleep: there's a light directly above my bunk that only gets turned off just after 11 (bright and I can feel the heat from it), the sound of people talking travels, and while I'm used to car traffic, the sound of train traffic is a bit new to me.  But I shall persevere.

[NOW: As per my last post I was in Hostel Seattle, located at the time in Ballard]

Today: back to Everett and Lynnwood plus an eve parade which isn't the Torchlight parade.  

[NOW: The above was written in the morning; the rest I wrote in the evening.]

They do have a partial breakfast before 8 so I grabbed a bite before heading to the bus downtown; chatted a bit with a guy from Hong Kong heading to Vancouver BC.

[NOW:  Can’t recall exact bus number, but it was King County Metro Transit.]

Entered the downtown transit tunnel and put some more money on my ORCA (transit) card.  A guy was hovering over me to see if the machine was working, occasionally chiming in, so I finally politely told him i was uncomfortable and he left.

I then visited the Washington State Convention Center then Freeway Park, where I learned that there's renovations on the waterfalls there which is why they weren't on in May and still aren't on.

I visited Pike Place Market and bought a magazine from the newsstand.  I visited Borders but didn't buy anything.

[NOW: First and Pike News and Borders are now closed.] 

I took a bus to Everett Station and from there Everett Mall (visited Sam Goody's), Everett Mall Plaza (across the street from Everett Mall; bought a DVD at Half Price Books there), then back to the mall proper where I visited Borders (bought 2 DVDs and book), Comic Stop (no purchase), Sam Goody's again (bought DVD), then took a bus back to Everett Station.

[NOW: The bus to Everett was the 510/Sound Transit. There’s a few buses run by Everett Transit that go to/from Everett Mall. Sam Goody’s is closed, and both Comic Stop and Borders are defunct.]

In downtown Everett I bought a comic from Everett Comics for a buck then son after to a bus to Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood.  

[NOW: Everett Comics has moved. It was either a 201 or 202/Community Transit.]

There I visited Borders (no purchase), FYE (ditto), Charley's Grilled Subs (ate lunch outside and watched pigeons and another bird I didn't recognize fight over food).  I explored the fancy outdoor area then walked to a nearly Barnes & Noble (no purchase, though I was tempted by a hardcover).

[NOW:  Alderwood Mall has a nice outdoor section as you enter, including a horse statue. Once again, Borders is defunct.]

Between walking and a bus made it to Lynnwood’s Big Plus (bought Vanilla Coke) Half Price Books (bought a DVD), Re-Read Books, Blockbuster (no purchases latter two places), then Edmonds.

[NOW: the bus was Community Transit. Re-Read Books became Spangler Books in Edmonds before closing. Blockbuster is now closed. Edmonds is right by it. Given the next stop below, I’m sure I dipped into Edmonds there, returned to Lynnwood, and took a couple of buses to a different section of Edmonds.]
 
I visited World of Collections Comics (no purchase) plus a Blockbuster that was there in May but no longer.

I took a bus to a place in Aurora Ave, Shoreline, where another guy and I tried to connect to a 358 that took off on us.  Another arrived and  I took it to Aurora in Seattle.

[NOW: The 358 bus is King County Metro Transit.] 

There between walking and bus visited Blockbuster (the one I was going to visit in northeast Seattle last trip but caught a bus instead), K-Mart (bought a pop), Aurora Pawns, Pawn X-Change (no purchase either; in between I passed a cemetery and cooled down a bit due to a sprinkler).

[NOW: Blockbuster, KMart, and Aurora Pawns are now closed. if still around, the Pawn X-Change is now a Cash America.]

I visited the Elephant on Aurora which was still fenced off but no longer covered so the renovations must be almost finished. 
 
[NOW: The renovations are now complete.]

On 85th I tried to visit Book Wearhouse (I think the whole franchise is gone), then visited Squirrel Buy & Sell (supposed to be closed for the sale but was open), Dreamstrand Comics next door (supposed to be open but was closed for the day).  On Greenwood Ave walked/bussed to Balderdash Books (open this time but no purchase), Island Video (existed but closed), Santoro's Books (no purchase), Walgreen's (bought more vanilla Coke).

 [NOW: Squirrel Buy & Sell, Balderdash Books, Island Video, Santoro's Books, and that Walgreen's are now gone.]

Greenwood was having a parade so I watched that starting around 6.  Lots of candy thrown; didn't take any but could have gotten enough to feed me the rest of the trip.  Highlights: during the first lull a guy wandered along the route talking on a cell phone, looking like he was part of the parade; stunt police bikers; Pat Cashman (whom some of you may remember from the comedy series Almost Live!), clowns, dancing horses (real horses), a pirate ship that shot a cannon.

[NOW: I’ve since learned something interesting about the clowns at the Seafair parade, but I’ll save that for the summer 2010 and 2011 reports.]

Due to the parade the next bus I needed was delayed.  I found myself near a sketchy pub and finally decided to carry own, thus missing the bus.  As it turns out I may have caught the same connecting bus after all.

[NOW:  I took the 5 bus/King Count Metro Transit and then transferred to another in Ballard -45?; also King County Metro Transit]

I ate at a pizzeria before finally returning to the hostel.

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