This is the 12th of a series of posts dealing
with my 2015 trip to Portland, 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”.
Today I walked to Seattle Center and noticed the fencing
was being removed from around the International Fountain, so I knew it would be
back on today. I walked along Queen Anne and noticed a Thai place called
Phuket. "Don't know where to eat? Phuket!" I returned to Seattle
Center by way of Key Arena. In one area a theatre group had the same show as
"Now Showing" and "Coming Soon". Maybe it's a time travel
place?
[NOW: Key Arena has been replaced with Climate Pledge Arena.]
Lots of construction in Portland and Seattle by the way. One
difference between construction in Seattle and Victoria BC construction is that
in Seattle, if you see cones around the construction area they're a path for
construction workers and not intended as a temporary pedestrian walkway.
I waked down to Washington State Convention Center before
returning to the hostel for breakfast. At the bus stop by Cinerama which is
showing Ant-Man, etc. I took a 554 bus (Sound Transit) to Mercer Island (the
name of both the island and municipality), specifically Mercer Island Park
& Ride. I took photos of the I-90 Art Corridor and wandering the north end
of the island a little more before returning to the Park & Ride. I took
another 554 to Issaquah Transit Center in Issaquah. I walked to a little shopping area in the
north end, crossing through a park to Barnes & Noble. Crossing back I
learned the park was called Pickering Park. I returned to Issaquah Transit Center, I got there just in time to take another
554 bus east to I-90/142nd Station, where I crossed a bridge over the highway
and down the stairs at Eastgate Park & Ride. On the ground a 245 bus (King
County Metro Transit) was just arriving. I was going to take a 271 bus to
Crossroads but this one was also going there so I took it instead.
[NOW: The hostel I stayed at was City Hostel Seattle. The I-90 Art Corridor is now Greta Hackett Outdoor Sculpture Gallery.]
At Crossroads I visited Half Price Books and Barnes &
Noble but that Silver Platters had closed down. I took a 271 but to Redmond,
getting some DVDs at Half Price Books and visiting Redmond Town Center before
taking a 248 bus (Metro Transit) to Kirkland Transit Center in Kirkland.
[NOW: Contrary to what someone told me, Bellevue’s Silver
Platters hasn’t closed; it only moved out of Crossroads. That Barnes & Noble however has closed.]
This was my first real visit to Kirkland, though I had been
stuck at a park and ride on the south end if I recall correctly during my second
Seattle trip as an adult. So this was intended to give me better memories. Kirkland
I actually found a bit dull. I did have lunch at Wendy's I asked for a Coke no
ice and he punched it in before giving me ice. I later got a refill to compensate.
I visited Parkplace Books and wandered downtown a little. I got some okay art
photos but the sculptures were a bit to scattered and my interest too low to do
a scavenger hunt for them.
[NOW: The park and ride I mostly likely got stuck at years
ago was South Kirkland Park & Ride. Parkplace Books has closed down.]
I decided to skip the last item on my itinerary for today,
a revisit to Gas Works Park which I might do later. Instead I took a 255 bus (King
County Metro Transit) to Westlake Station in Seattle's Downtown Transit Tunnel.
There I switched to a Central Link (Sound Transit) light rail train to Othello
Station and a 50 bus (Metro Transit) to Seward Park to commence finishing off
my Friday itinerary, already mostly covered on Tuesday. I swam there (Lake
Washington) and did a circle around the park, going the opposite direction than
I'd done before, getting nice shots of Lake Washington and, in the background,
Mercer Island. I took another 50 bus to the SoDo district where I visited the
Silver Platters that used to be near Seattle Center. I got some DVDs. I took a
21-becoming-5 bus (King County Metro Transit) to near Seattle Center, grabbing
dinner to go at the McDonald’s with the sports balls in the cylinders.
[NOW: The sports balls were removed from that McDonald's during a renovation.]
I relaxed at the International Fountain at Seattle Center.
A seagull found boxes with discarded pizza. I got some nice shots and video of
the fountain shooting blasts of water straight up with a cannon sound. Some bikers
circled around the fountain a few times (read: bicycles not motorcycles). When
it started getting cool I returned to the hostel. Other than the trip home the
rest of the trip will be in Seattle unless I change my mind.
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