UPDATED: February 12, 2021
This is the 10th of a series of posts dealing with my 2018
trip to Olympia, 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”.
Cut my early morning walk a little short because today
might be the most challenging day of the trip and I want to be rested for it.
Got up and visited Seattle Center, with the International
Fountain as expected closed for cleaning. Walked to the nearly Bartell Drugs
and Metropolitan Market, then briefly returned to Seattle Center. Worked my way
downtown to Pike Place Market and got a particularly nice shot of Rachel the
Pig(gy bank). Passed the gum wall (blech) to the former location of the hostel
I stayed at the first year, the now-closed Youth Hostel International hostel on
Union St; years later YHI opened a new hostel in the International District.
Returned to Pike Place Market before returning to City Hostel Seattle.
[NOW: The International District Hostel, which I’ve never
stayed at, is American Hotel.]
Other updates: Kept forgetting to mention: in Olympia they
disable the street lights in the morning, presumably to allow faster travel
during low traffic periods. Still suffering from PTSD from events outside the
trip this year; this will likely continue but I don't want to bog the reports
down mentioning each instance. Camera still working okay since fixing itself.
One shoe is falling apart, but only on the side, so feet comfortable more or
less. Physically largely feeling okay from my spill, though I bumped my bad elbow
yesterday. Back section of backpack with the bad zipper still splitting open
from time to time. I can always correct this but sometimes it takes a few
tries, which is partly why I'm risking leaving my backup camera at the hostel
today.
[NOW: The above was written in the morning. The rest was
written in the evening. The backpack and shoes have since been replaced.]
After breakfast at City Hostel Seattle I took a 5x bus
(King County Metro Transit) downtown, where I transferred to a 512 bus (Sound
Transit) to Everett Station in Everett. It was a doubledecker bus, my first
such ride in the Seattle area, and I snagged a front seat.
In Everett Station I got on a 90x bus (Skagit Transit). The
driver couldn't figure out how to set the bus for a Skagit-Whatcom daypass, so
he let me ride for free, hoping the next bus would solve it. I got off at
Skagit Station in Mt. Vernon, and switched to an 80x bus. I accidentally left
my camera case with phone, credit card, ORCA card and backup Visa card on the
90x bus but another passenger noticed and brought it over. I bought the above
daypass.
I took the 80x bus to Lincoln Park & Ride to
Bellingham, where I switched to a 5 bus (Whatcom Transit) to the Fairhaven
area. A crazy lady and her partner got on and instead of sitting in one of the
many empty seating areas on the bus she opted to sit where she partly blocked
my exit. Still managed to get off. Moondance Comics is closed Monday-Wednesday
but I did visit Village Books and Eclipse Books.
I took a 1 bus (Whatcom Transit) to Bellingham Station
(downtown) and briefly left downtown for lunch at McDonald's. I'm not sure where downtown actually begins
but I worked my way there via Cosmic Games, Henderson Books (probably downtown
at this point), and Aladdin's Antiques (on a lower level of a different antique
store whose name escapes me). Comics Place looked familiar so I suspect that it
was a comic shop I visited in the 1980s; the woman working there said it opened
thirty years ago so the timing sounds right.
[NOW: Cosmic Games has moved. The other store in the same building as Aladdin’s
Antiques is Penny Lane Antique Mall.]
Great Northern Books claimed at the entrance to be an adult
shop. Here is where my autism did something interesting: I looked in and
couldn't spot any actual books so I left, but I couldn't tell you what was
actually there, be it adult toys or other things; it wasn't anything that I was
looking for so I didn't take in what was there. I did consider reentering but
decided I didn't want to know. I visited Avalon Music, then after a brief visit
to Bellingham Station, bought a few DVDs at Everyday Music (part of the same
chain found in Greater Portland and in Seattle). I walked to a Public Market
and bought a DVD at Mt. Baker Books. I exited the market and reentered through
a different entrance to another store a bit separate from the rest, which is about
to move: Film is Truth 24 Times a Second. Bought some DVDs there; I don't think
I've ever visited a video store with that long a name before.
[NOW: Avalon Music has closed. The market, Bellingham Public Market is now closed
with Mt. Baker Books along with it. However, Film is Truth 24 Times a Second
has relocated.]
I did some random wandering around and then returned to
Bellingham Station, where I got on an 80x bus (this time Whatcom Transit, but same routing as the earlier Skagit
Transit bus; throughout the day Whatcom buses had trouble with my pass, but
still managed to get on. After getting on I noticed my passport was missing.
Returning to Skagit Station, I checked there for the
passport but it wasn't there. I then had to wait to explore Mt. Vernon due to a
long train passing by. I got a map at
Visitor Info and then visited Easton books.
I ended up skipping Edgewater Park for time (also Kmart in Bellingham).
I walked a ways and took a 205 bus (Skagit Transit; no pass issues) north a
ways; a 208 bus would have been better but the timing didn't work. I walked the
rest of the way to comic shop Docking Bay 93. I then crossed a bridge over
Skagit River to Burlington, where I bought dinner at McDonald's before
returning to Mt. Vernon. It was a while before the next 208 bus came so I
walked a ways and caught the 205 again instead to Skagit Station. I transferred
to the 90x bus (Skagit Transit) where the driver explained that the bus
wasn't good on buses to and from
Everett. I paid $2 more and got off in Everett Station.
[NOW: The Kmart that I didn’t get to has since closed.]
I got on another 512 bus (Sound Transit) and again got the
front seat, though mid way I needed to move over to the side for another
passenger. I got off at Westlake Station and rummaged through my luggage for my
passport. No luck there or in my locker, but I lifted the mattress at the wall
side of the bed and found it much to my relief. The other people in the dorms
had been curious but when I showed them the passport they understood why I had
been frantically rummaging around. I had two bottles in the fridge filled with
water and drank them both, a bit dehydrated.
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