This is the 2nd 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.
Had insomnia for part of the night. During that period my cell fell to a hard to reach place and I thought my padlock key did too. Managed to get both, though the latter might not have been where I thought it was; got help with that one. I got a bit more sleep but still woke up pretty early. I walked to Seattle Convention Center, formerly Washington State Convention Center; maybe they changed their name due to other centres such as in Tacoma. I grabbed some bus schedules there but I suspect that Sound Transit and Pierce Transit no longer do print schedules. I exited at Freeway Park which is a park built over a freeway. It has a fountain that you can walk around that looks like surreal art.
I passed through the centre again and then visited Rachel the Pig/gybank at Pike Place Market. I also visited another such piggyback whose name I can't recall. It's decent but it's no Rachel.
[NOW: The other piggybank is Billie.]
I returned to Green Tortoise Hostel for breakfast. I think I just missed one bus by a couple minutes but eventually I took a 594 bus (Sound Transit) to 10th and Commerce Transit Station in Tacoma. I walked to another bus stop. There was one of those hard to describe sculptures across the street (kind of like concrete boxes stacked randomly) so I did a quick look at those. A woman also waiting for the bus was complaining on phone but luckily didn't travel too far.
I took a 28 bus that became 53 at Tacoma Community College (TTC) Transit Center (until I say otherwise, next buses all Pierce Transit). The driver seemed surprised that I stayed on when it switched numbers.I took it to a stop in University Place, a municipality I hadn't been to before. To my knowledge there are no universities at or near it.
I walked to Chambers Creek Park. You can't go in too far due to golf course, but you can get some amazing views of the hilly field and sea from above. I gave myself extra time to get to the bus stop across from the previous one as it was a ways away and up and down hills. I think it was the same driver and he seemed surprised to see me. I took this 53 bus to Tacoma where I transferred to a 2 bus (after a bit of a wait) to Lakewood Transit Center in Lakewood. I asked directions to the Barnes and Noble. Would have been hard to find otherwise. I returned to the transit centre and after a wait to a 3 bus to Tacoma Transit Center. I visited fye (four your entertainment) inside the mall, but the music was loud and distracting ("Wow that's Hot" over and over I think). I left the mall and visited Atomic Comics, then bought some DVDs at Half Price Books. I cut through the mall back to Tacoma Mall Transit Center and took a 52 bus back to TCC Transit Center.
[NOW: The song was Let it Go and it was actually “Damn that’s hot”.]
There there were technical issues with the card reader on the trolley-looking 100 bus to Gig Harbor, so the driver let everyone on free (though I had a daypass). The reason for going to Gig Harbor was that last time I tapped the ORCA time on the way back to Tacoma. The first ORCA tap didn't work but the second did, so I had to tap a third time. I lost my seat and thus couldn't get photos of the sea on the way back to Tacoma. So this time I was able to get the lost shots. I overshot my destination a number of stops but that might have helped: Only transit hubs gave timings and I accidentally left out the return time on my itinerary so I was able to get off at Kendall Transit Center and estimate it. I doubled back to my destination, a McDonald's but only the drive through was open and there were too many cars. No sandwiches at 76 or Bartell Drugs. At GameStop the guy suggested going over the nearby overpass over the highway. Giving up my previous plan to wander to the shoreline (didn't want to be stuck a full hour I grabbed lunch to go at KFC. I saw a 100 driver going the other direction. He confirmed I was at the right stop (it loops).
It took awhile so I started to worry but finally the 100 driver from before returned. I had finished the lunch except the mashed potatoes, which I decided to wait on. I took the bus back to Tacoma and ate the potatoes. I waited for a 1 bus but checking my maps noticed it might be going the opposite way so I switched at the last minute. Driver confirmed I had it right; good thing because other bus came at the same time. I got off downtown. Destiny Comics is closed on Mondays. Didn't see any sign of the cat at King's Books. I walked to the Bridge of Glass, which has some glass displays to entice people to the Museum of Glass. Most of it is concrete though. I crossed it both ways faster than usual but got the shots I needed. I crossed the street to Tacoma branch of University of Washington where I visited University Book Store and walked up the stairs to the next block and back.
I took the T Line (formerly TacomaLink) light rail (Sound Transit) to Tacoma Dome Station. I visited Tacoma Book Center but didn't linger because I have a touch sensitivity and masks are mandatory. Returning to Tacoma Dome Station I took a 594 Sound Transit bus back to Seattle.
People who read past trip reports know I have long refused to ride the Seattle Center Monorail so might be surprised that I did take it this time for the first time, from Westlake Station to its only other stop, Seattle Center. The difference it before it seemed a but much for a very short ride but now it finally accepts ORCA cards so the ride didn't cost me any extra, thus clearing the main hurdle for me taking it. I had planned to get dinner at the Subway at Seattle Center Armory but it wasn't open. Sio I briefly left Seattle Center and grabbed dinner at the nearby 7-11. I ate at the International Fountain, Seattle Center. The food (chicken) was spicier than expected so I downed some water. I walked to where Silver Platters used to be before it moved south then to where Queen Anne's Easy Street Records used to be. The free newspapers don't seem to be around anymore. Some bins now have notices of the Jesus Saves variety. I visited Mercer Street Books and then returned to the fountain. I got some shots facing the sun because I was trying to keep kids out of the shots or at least hard to see and also because I like feeling the sun , but it was affecting my eyes, so I moved to the shade and shot around the kids as much as I could given some were circling the fountain.
[NOW: The former Queen Anne location of Easy Street Records is now a Chase Bank.]
I took the Monorail back to Westlake Center. I visited Pacific Place but it's not the same without the scrap metal penguin or Barnes & Noble (this closed branch had two floors). I visited Rachel at Pike Place Market before returning to the hostel.
The transportation timings beyond minor fluctuations pretty much kept to the itinerary this day, which is unusual.
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