UPDATED: February 5, 2022
This is the sixth of a
series of posts dealing my sixth trip to Seattle as an adult and first of two
trips that year. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports. Also, I’ve added
additional thoughts with the hindsight of two years later or to add further
clarification.
It's the last full day
of the trip. I can't find my itinerary
(might be in my locker and I don't want to wake the other people) but only one
bus trip previously planned so it should be easy enough to recreate. Comparatively speaking this is going to be a
pretty laid back day. One 3-step bus
trip for sure, a second one only if it doesn't rain, which seems unlikely at
this point. Rest of the time in the greater downtown area.
People in the room
working on their computers with the lights on again. Think I actually fell
asleep before the lights got turned out.
Woke up around 5:30 and then only half slept the rest of the
morning. Looking forward to a still
packed but comparatively relaxed final day.
[NOW: The above was
written in the morning; the rest I wrote in the evening.]
Today, while busy by
most people's standards was pretty laid back by mine. After breakfast I went to the waterfront,
starting with one final quick look at Olympic Sculpture Park. NAMBLA folks would be disappointed to learn
that the boy in the statue was covered by fountain water this time, though the
boy was still visible. I strolled along until I reached the ferry terminal that
I normally take a ferry to Bainbridge from; I grabbed a bus schedule or two
there, then crossed over to 1st St., where I strolled long until catching a bus
to West Seattle.
[Now: The man and boy
statue described above is called Father & Son. The bus to West Seattle was
probably one of the 50s, maybe 56. All buses this day King County Metro Transit.]
My first stop was Alki
Beach. No sunbathers this time both due
to time of year and the clouds overhead.
I did see the Birthplace of Seattle marker, the miniature Statue of
Liberty, and the Bathhouse, which is actually a place for art and not actually
a place where people take baths. I also
saw some birds I'd never seem before; not sure if they were ducks or
geese. It was a while before the bus to
SW California Ave so I ended up walking there and even finding a shortcut that
I'll make use of in my next trip.
Heading south I visited Arcane Comics (bought a few comics), Leisure
Books, Pegasus Book Exchange, and the West Seattle branch of Easy Street
Records, where I got a couple DVD sets.
[NOW: West Seattle’s
Arcane Comics is now closed. Leisure Books became Merryweather Bopoks before closing.]
Still in that general
area I visited Square One Books and then outside a Safeway that also had a pop
machine with a Mystery button. I'd always
gotten someone good before but this time I got something called, I think, Dr.
Pizzle, basically Dr. Pepper. Rubato
Records wasn't yet open when it was supposed to be so I took a bus back to
downtown Seattle.
[NOW: Square One Books
and Rubato Records are now closed. The Safeway no longer has that pop machine.]
I walked south to the
Pioneer District, and, sadly, visited Elliot Bay Book Company in its
traditional location for the last time.
I wish them well in their new location and will try to make it over each
trip, but there's just something about its traditional location that's
irreplaceable. Also their new location
is I believe more out of the way, so I won't be able to visit them at night
whenever the mood strikes me. Again,
though it's mainly that the location and not just the store itself is what made
it a Seattle landmark.
I walked further south
to Qwest and Safeco Fields, then, passing the Kingdome Deli (have to give them
marks top holding on to their convictions years after the Kingdome was
demolished), went over to the International District, the south end of which
has two structures that look like Daleks from Doctor Who.
[NOW: Qwest Field was renamed CenturyLink (the CLink for
short) and is now Lumen Field. Safeco Field is now T-Mobile Park. There are actually at least two sets of the “Daleks” structures.]
I ate lunch as
Uwajimaya, then visited Pink Gorilla, which recently opened up a new branch in
the University District, only the latter was closed when I went by a couple
days ago. People who've read my previous
trip reports might think I've made a typo, but Pink Godzilla is indeed now Pink
Gorilla. My guess is that Toho, the film
company that makes the Gojira/Godzilla films caught wind of this toy store and
were not amused.
I went into the
underground Downtown Transit Tunnel and, being in the free zone, rode the
Sounder light rail train to the Pioneer District, then visited Waterfall Garden
Park. Speaking of light rail, because my
bus transfer on my Orca card would have expired just after I left West Seattle,
and since it would have thus meant a separate bus fare, I didn't get around to
riding the, uh, South Lake Union trolley this time. Sorry folks.
[NOW: I believe that the actual name for the Sound
Transit light rail train that I took was probably not a Sounder train, which
only goes to King Station. The actual name for the train is the Central Link.]
I then walked to downtown proper and Columbia
Center, where I went to the 73rd story observation deck. Curiously which I had gone there many times
and was fine, this time my acrophobia kicked in and I decided to listen to my
inner voice that said to stay a little clear of the glass. Actually not resting again the glass of the
73rd floor of a building is probably good advice regardless.
[NOW: That observation deck is now called Sky View Observatory.]
Leaving Columbia
Center I soon after found that the Hammering Man had decided to take a sabbatical
by getting his arm amputated (in other words, the statue's moving arm was being
repaired). I then went down the Harbor
Steps. The lion statues at the bottom were gone. I then went up a different flight of stairs
passing where the Youth Hostel International hostel used to be; after many
years' absence it finally reopened in the International District in the
American Hotel, but I'm happy to stick with City Hostel Seattle.
I visited Pike Place
Market one last time, visiting the fish mongers, Rachel the Pig, and Holy Cow
Records, which was closed this time.
Heading north I
briefly stopped in at the downtown branch of Zanadu Comics, then, headed to
Seattle Center. En route to Seattle
Center I passed a fountain in an alley way.
I think it's part of a hotel but still seemed incongruous. At Seattle Center I rested for over an hour
and a half at the International Fountain.
This was the first time this trip I'd really just slowed down and
relaxed for over an hour. A dog (terrier
puppy I think) played there a bit. I
then walked to the KCTS 9 Store, Silver Platters (bought a final DVD, keeping
mindful of the $400 Can limit at Customs), then went to Center House at Seattle
Center and treated myself to a burger meal at Orange Julius, with strawberry Julius
being my drink. I took it outside and
ate at the Fountain.
[Now: Zanadu Comics and KCTS 9 Store are now closed. This Silver Platters moved to 1st Ave S. The limit at Customs for this period of time is now
$800. Center House is now the Seattle Center Armory; they kicked Orange Julius
out.]
I began to feel like
there was one more thing I should do this trip.
I visited the Space Needle, but admission was $17 unless you go the
two-trips option, and the latter was no longer an option. I decided to walk up to Kerry Anne Viewpoint
and watch the sun set. This process to
longer than expect, it got cold, my hands were shaking, I got some really bad
shots after it got dark, and...I also got some of the best shots I'd ever taken. Some very lovely shots of the buildings lit
up in the distance. And before that I
got a nice shot of a helicopter passing Mount Rainier.
Returning south after
ignoring a street person who seemed annoyed that I was taking a photo of the
Space Needle (I reminded him of his wife who apparently took photos he thought
were stupid), I went to Easy Street Records (the usual Queen Anne branch this
time) and a couple grocery stores before returning to the hostel.
[NOW: This Easy Street Records is now closed.]
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