This is the 12th in a series of posts covering my trip to the US Pacific Northwest in 2022, adapting emails originally sent to friends. I use NOW to refer to any updates since I did the trip.
While there are still more days left in the trip, today is where I feel I started to enter the trip's endgame, for reasons that should soon become clear.
I walked to Seattle Convention Center again in the morning and then visited Freeway Park. I didn't take many photos of the fountain because a street woman had her stuff there and I didn't want to bother her. I walked down to the waterfront. I realized that a lower level by Seattle Great Wheel (so almost touching the water) was no longer there. I revisited Pike Place Market/Rachel the Pig before having breakfast at the Green Tortoise Hostel.
I took a 550 bus (Sound Transit) to Mercer Island Park & Ride, Mercer Island. Construction is happening there on a new light rail station (also happening in Lynnwood). Lynnwood will be part of the 1 Line but the eastern communities will be part of a separate line. I visited the nearby I-90 Sculpture Park as well as Island Books (prior to opening for the day, and a park where a yoga class(?) was happening. I took another 550 bus to Downtown Park in Bellevue. I visited the outside of Barnes & Noble. Another place I didn't I'm buy anything at so was happy to just photograph the outside. Last Barnes & Noble for this trip, Construction of the same line as Mercer Island was happening at Bellevue Transit Center.
[NOW: This line, which is still being constructed, is currently called the East Link.]
My next destination I did want to visit but still had a lot of time, so hiked the 50 or so blocks instead of busing it, visiting an AM/PM and Bartell Drugs along the way. I visited Crossroads shopping Center including Half Price Books, where I bought some movies. I took a B Rapidride bus (King County Metro Transit) to Redmond Transit Center in Redmond. I had to resist nodding off especially after a 10 or so minute construction delay. I got a Slurpee at 7-11 and walked to McDonald’s Book Exchange (no relation to the restaurant franchise) but was a bit flustered because I didn't want my half finished Slurpee to tip in my backpack and there was a mask requirement and the mask was partly damaged. The woman there kept trying to talk to me so I got unfocused and soon left. At my final Half Price Books visit I bought a Mystery Science Theater 3000 set. I wanted to have lunch at McDonald's but light rail construction there as well made it hard to reach and I didn't have an address, so I was going from memory with my trip planning.
[NOW: McDonald’S Book Exchange is now closed. I have a touch sensitivity where masks are concerned.]
Back at Redmond Transit Center, after a wait, I took a 552 bus (Sound Transit) to a Freeway Station where Clyde Hill and Yarrow point. I tried to use a shortcut in Clyde Hill but it didn't work. I walked a ways back to Bellevue and did a probable final visit this trip to a Silver Platters. I got a couple of muffin sandwiches and a pop. Sandwich muffin a bit dry. My itinerary info didn't seem to entirely match bus stop info so instead I returned to the freeway Station where a 552 immediately showed up.
At University of Washington Station, Seattle, there was a guy on the 1 Line light rail (Sound Transit) with a clown nose playing rude music too loud. Transit Police got on and thought it was a kid's cell. Lots of thumbs including mine pointed to the real culprit, who had to be told twice. I got off at Columbia City Station and unfortunately he went to the same stop as me. Since it would be a whole before the bus arrived, I decided instead to walk. I briefly visited TT Mart before arriving at Seward Park. The washrooms used previously were closed (spider webs on the entrance to the men's room so it's been a while) so I went to another washroom nearby to change what into I want going to wear swimming. After a swim in Lake Washington, I had more of that lunch then circled the park. You could see Mercer Island in the background. After another swim I finished circling the park. I went to a bus stop but kept my eye on the other side because both were okay for my purposes.
A bus going the other way arrived first so I took that 50 bus (King County Metro Transit) to Othello Station, took another 1 light rail to Westlake Station, then took the Seattle Center Monorail to Seattle Center. I left there just long enough to get a Slurpee from 7-11. I finished my lunch (now dinner) at the International Fountain and spent a few hours photographing the fountain, keeping kids out of the photos or at least making them hard to spot where possible. I was so relaxed I decided to stay there and skip ice cream at the hostel. I moved after youth played rap music with swearing too loud. I started to leave the fountain but found a nice area for sunset photos. I should have just left entirely as a woman started falsely accusing me of taking photos of children. Hope she's not there the next few days because the fountain is one of the few places where I can relax a few hours with my autism so it would be a shame if I couldn't due to false accusations. I really need to find a travelling companion to help me run interference when false accusations arise.
[NOW: There were no further problems with false accusations this trip. The water jets are tall and dramatic so it’s pretty normal to take photos of the fountain for completely innocent reasons.]
I took the Seattle Center Monorail back to Westlake Center. Back at the hostel, one side of the privacy screen got detached but it's probably fixed by now.
[NOW: The hostel was the Green Tortoise Hostel.]
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