Friday, May 5, 2017

Pacific Northwest Trip 2015 Day 15 Sunday July 26: Seattle

UPDATED: February 11, 2021

This is the 15th 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”.

Less than a day now before I leave Seattle and a day and a quarter from now I'll be on the ferry back to Victoria. Of course tomorrow has the most physically challenging part of the trip: lugging all my purchases back home, and one of the most mentally challenging parts of the trip: getting said purchases through Customs & Immigration.

I walked along the former Torchlight Parade route, getting photos of what was left along the route: the litter, the remaining Honey Buckets, fencing, police tape, etc. I stopped off briefly at Seattle Center. A couple of seagulls were on top of the International Fountain. Resuming the parade aftermath walk, I was surprise to find more litter still out than usual in the downtown area. Usually it's mainly around Seattle Center that I see litter after the parade. I didn't walk too far south this time before turning back.

I left the parade route to visit Pike Place Market including Rachel the Pig, the Victor Steinbrueck Park, then Pike again, then I visited Target again to see if they had the memory card container I wanted. No luck. I walked along the parade route some more back to the hostel. Sore throat. Hope it's just the rainy weather bringing stuff up and not a cold.

[NOW: The hostel I stayed at was City Hostel Seattle. The above was written in the morning. The rest was written in the evening.]

After breakfast I walked to Olympic Sculpture Park (see last Monday for more on that), then the Olympic Sculpture Park Pocket Beach, then Myrtle Edwards park next door, then back to Olympic Sculpture Park. I walked along the waterfront a long ways south and then visited the outside of CenturyLink and Safeco Fields. Passing the former again, I crossed over King Street Station to the International District where I saw the two metal things I think look like Daleks from Dr Who. I also visited Kinokuniya book store before leaving the International District and passing the deli that can't let go of the past, Kingdome Deli. I passed the former Lusty Lady which still has the seeking relationship sign though it seems to be falling apart.

At Pike Place Market I visited First & Pike News, Rachel the Pig at Pike Place Fish, Lionheart Books, BLMF Books, Holy Cow Records, Orange Dracula (novelty shop that wasn't open before I left), Old Seattle Paperworks. Beside and owned by the latter is a Giant Show Museum, actually a peep show machine on the wall. There is one freebie that is always open (clown shoes) two you have to pay 25c for and one 50c. The 50s shows a lot more (shoes) and I recall it being the best when I tried it years ago so I did the 50c option. Before leaving Pike Place Market I visited Lamplight Books.

[NOW: Rachel is a giant piggybank. First & Pike News has closed.]

I visited Westlake Center then Pacific Place, in the latter visiting the penguin made of scrap metal and Barnes & Noble.  I headed north, passing a glass shop that used to have glass around a live tree. It was gone from the tree but there was still a nice display outside. I ate lunch at the sport motif McDonald's across from Seattle Center and then walked to a 32 bus stop (both buses today King County Metro Transit). I used the free pass from the Torchlight parade to take it to the Fremont Troll. I asked for a transfer and it was for four hours.  I visited the Troll and then crossed Aurora Bridge south and then north, this time getting zoomed-in shots of Gas Works park; since I was doing that and since I wanted to spend a lot of the day relaxing I decided not to actually go to that park. I visited the Fremont Troll one last time and headed west.
 
[NOW: That Barnes & Noble is closed. The penguin is gone. That McDonald's no longer has the sports balls due to a renovation.]

A tour group was by the JP Patches statue so in the meantime time I revisited Waiting for the Interurban and crossed Fremont Bridge and back (including gets pics of Rapunzel) before returning to JP. I passed the Sunday Market to and from the plant dinosaurs, then the Fremont Rocket, then the Lenin statue, then Jive Time Records, then Ophelia Books (more photos of the cat and rabbits) and Fremont Antique Mall.

I took a 26 bus south to near Seattle Center where I relaxed at the International Fountain a couple hours until it started raining. I visited Mercer Street Books, Metropolitan Market, and Bartell Drugs partly to stay dry, then revisited Kerry Park for views from its Viewpoint. Nice free way to see the city. I visited a Safeway and then since it was close to 5 pm, Dick's Drive In. At first I couldn't recall the main thing that turned me off before and wanted to visit because it's a Seattle institution. Well, it turns out that what I had forgotten was all the burgers have mustard or chopped pickles and are pre-made so they won’t cook the burgers without the mustard or pickles.  Probably not the freshest anyway if all the condiments are pre-added.

I returned to Seattle Center, passing the International Fountain in the rain, eating dinner at Mod Pizza, then more rainy photos of International Fountain. Thinking I was leaving for the day I walked towards the exit of the center, passing an Hispanic music festival sponsored by McDonald’s. I packed at the hostel, meeting a couple from Edmonton. I showered and packed some more and then it was nice out again so I returned to the fountain... where the couple from Edmonton was there. I relaxed there a while after they left (the woman took a couple photos of me in front of the fountain with my camera) and leaving the Seattle Center for this trip, on a whim visited 7-11... where I found a blu-ray. So my last movie purchase this trip is apparently from a 7-11. I then returned to the hostel. Tomorrow: the trip home! Victoria area residents: If you want to meet let me know your schedule.

[NOW: I ended up getting more movies in Port Angeles the next day.]

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