Thursday, June 28, 2012

Pacific Northwest Trip July 2009 Day 10 Thursday July 30

UPDATED: February 5, 2022

This is the tenth 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 went to the Locks/Fish Ladder one more time and watched a few fish.  Then I walked to the Ballard branch of OfficeMax and got a few more of the memory cards that are on sale (photos), then walked to Fremont, buying a Slurpee from a 7-11/Jack in the Box combo along the way (hadn't realized they were affiliated).

In Fremont, took pics of the plant dinosaurs, the Fremont Rocket from a distance, the Waiting for the Interurban statue, the JP Patches & Gertrude: Late for the Interurban Statue, then the Fremont Troll statue, which was partly blocked by a truck until you got close.

I walked along Aurora, did a quick visit to Green Lake, then spent a little under 3 hours next door at Woodland Park Zoo.  The cats in particular were taking cat naps.  The grizzly bears used the water to stay cool.  Other animals I'm not sure how they dealt with the heat, though luckily there was a breeze today. 
 
[NOW:  I no longer visit there due to a dead cat skin being prominently displayed in one visit (they didn't kill it).

After the zoo I walked back down to Fremont proper, visiting Video Isle, Jive Time Records, Ophelia’s Books (got permission to take kitty pics), Fremont Book Center, the VI Lenin statue (which is considered a temporary exhibit and can be yours to own for $250,000; I imagine the shipping would need to be negotiated), and the Rocket. I had lunch at the Taco del Mar behind Lenin, visited Rain City Video, then walked to Gas Works Park.

[NOW: The Fremont Book Center, Video Isle, Rain City Video and that area’s Taco del Mar are now closed. Gas Works Park is in Wallingford, just east of Fremont.] 

I risked drinking the water from the water fountain there despite all the rusty pipes in the area, and watched Blue Angels (planes like the snow angels) flying around Lake Union (also float planes).

I walked up the Wallingford Steps and headed to a bus stop, where I took a bus a little south of downtown, the Pioneer District (I rode for free because the ORCA reader wasn't reading my card).  I visited Waterfall Garden Park, then walked to the International District, where I visited Hing Hay Park and Pink Godzilla (hopefully Toho won't find out about this place and sue for copyright infringement.

[NOW: The bus was King County Metro Transit; 26 I think.  Perhaps because of the legal matters, Pink Godzilla is now Pink Gorilla] 

To save a couple of minutes, I went down the transit tunnel in that district just in time to take a light rail one stop to the Pioneer District, where I visited Elliott Bay Book Company.

[NOW: That light rail is Sound Transit, probably starting in Tukwila International Blvd Station that year and now Angle Lake. Elliott Bay Book Company is now in Capitol Hill.]

Back downtown I went up the 73rd story of Columbia Center and got a few shots, visited Pike Place Market and Swerve, then walked to the Queen Anne District, where I visited Underdawg Records, then the book store that used to be Twice Sold Tales (still no sign of a cat), then Easy Street Records where I bought a couple of DVDs.

[NOW: Swerve, Underdawg Records, and Queen Anne's Easy Street Records are now closed. The former Mercer branch of Twice Sold Tales is Mercer Street Books.] 

I walked to Silver Platters and bought a DVD and a Jones drink, then walked to Seattle Center.  There I got another meal at the Orange Julius and took it to the International Fountain, where I found myself struggling to stay awake despite the breeze.  Guess it's just been a long trip. 
 
[Silver Platters moved to 1st Ave S. Orange Julius closed when Center House became Seattle Center Armory.]
 
I visited Abraxus Books and Metropolitan Grocery, then took a bus back to Ballard, got a couple of drinks at the 7-11, then walked back to the hostel a bit early to give myself time to pack (I have to get up at 4:30 am tomorrow if I want to play it safe and catch the first ferry tomorrow instead of the second.)

[NOW: Abraxus Books is now closed. The bus was King County Metro Transit.]

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