Phaysis – Page 35 – A Frozen State of Change

Seattle Travelog Fri 10/28

Part of a series from the travelog of my trip to Seattle in October 2022.

Up early. Heavy rains, gray windows. Creaking & popping of floor registers. Surprisingly, 8 hours of sleep. This time zone is weird. Granola and shower.

Having breakfast and coffee at Argento Cafe on 12th. It’s passable — espresso drinks, and (microwaved) eggs on bagels. Tasty, but tiny coffeeshop fare. Seattle’s full of these little places.

Joe and I are going to the Museum of Pop Culture today, hopefully by monorail. Hopefully we’ll be in the Space Needle by sunset. I need to drop Willie’s marble at the base somewhere. Tee-hee. Hopefully Joe feels OK after his COVID and Flu shot yesterday. Says he’s moving slow. Today may be interesting.

Also, the rain stopped. Overcast with pops of sunlight.

It can’t rain all the time.

Pike Place Fish Market, where they throw the fish

Milled about until Joe met me at 12th and John, then we went downtown to take a tour around. Walked through Pike Place Fish Market and saw the original Starbuck’s Coffee. Neat.

Remember when the Starbuck’s logo had nipples?

Then we continued on to the #1 line to take the shortest monorail in the world to MoPop and the Space Needle.

MoPop is actually kinda cool. Collections in the Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy sections, then Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Jimi Hendrix, guitars, rap photography. Good place to spend some time. Chris Cornell statue out front. Kinda looks like him. Building façade designed by Frank Gerry. Monorail runs right through it. Tickets $32 each.

Next door across the plaza to the Space Needle. Jehovah’s Witnesses stalking the plaza. Needle reopened after remodels. Restaurant level still rotates, but floor is part glass, and no restaurant, replaced with a smaller reservation-only cocktail bar. Still spins.

Observation deck metal meshes are replaced with glass — 4 inches thick, leans out, crystal clear; glass benches. Amazing what we’re doing with such a fragile material.

The clouds parted for a short bit and we got to see Mount Rainier to the south — majestic. Saw some of the Olympic mountains across the Sound too. Sunset occluded by ocean-effect clouds. Still gorgeous.

I forgot to place Willie’s marble at the base. So, so very tired. Feet hurt. We bused back to Joe’s house to decide next moves. His friends were throwing a Halloween get-together. I opted out. Out of spoons, especially after two tours and a day out.

Went home, dazed, then passed out. You run me ragged, Seattle.

Seattle Travelog Thu 10/27

Part of a series from the travelog of my trip to Seattle in October 2022.

Up and at-em at 8:30, spontaneously. I think my body clock is adjusting. Rather, it didn’t. Pulled a late one — sobering up from going to sleep at 1:30. Oops.

Granola bar and uncomfortable shower in a dim bathroom. I’ve had worse. Really good dump. Rare this week.

Put my thermal leggings back on — 50’s today, but 15 MPH winds. Life in the Sound. Walked down and am having breakfast at Oddfellows Cafe on Joe’s recommendation. Eggs benny is pretty good. Good Americano. Sitting at the bar. Barista kicking ass.

The bar is the best place to sit in any cafe. Come for the food, stay for the floor show.

Plan today is walking up to see the Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee graves, then the “Black Sun” statue, the Asian conservatory, then the apartment house from “Singles”. Lord knows what else. Seattle.

Did all that. Volunteer park is actually very lovely and peaceful, despite the stiff wind. Maybe because of it. Up on a hill, high enough for a water reservoir and a brick and steel water tower. And lots of horizontal space.

What surprises me is how Seattle parks just work — their bathrooms are open, functional, bright, not clean, but also not sketchy. Tax dollars at work for everyone. The homeless problem has cities all over cutting back on public services and public spaces. There’s less of that here. Austin has all but closed its park bathrooms in exchange for building big high-tech, automatic-locking, camera-monitored lavatories. So expensive. People just need a sanitary place to piss.

“Black Sun”, by Isamu Noguchi (1969), inspiration for Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”

The “Black Sun” statue is impressive. Built in 1969 by Isamu Noguchi. Twelve feet tall, five feet thick, cut black granite, with lobes, bulges, cuts. From the right angle, you can see the Space Needle through the center.

The graves of Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee in Lake View Cemetery

Lots of Japan-US representation in Volunteer Park. Same with Lake View Cemetery next door. Bruce & Brandon Lee’s graves are joyful and somber. Saw people taking selfies and striking poses — just seems too gauche, to gawdy, too disrespectful. Memento Mori, not Memento Selfi.

I actually got a little superstitious. Saw my reflection in the grave marble, moved out of it quickly. Just felt like bad luck. Even took a selfie in the apartment later with my eyes closed, pretending to sleep, but with the angle in the easy chair, it looked like a grave viewing. My time is short – don’t remind me. Not unless I ask to be reminded. [shudders]

The apartment building from the movie “Singles”

Ate a granola bar to recover lost sugar. Bused down to the “Singles” apartment house and walked around on the back side of Cap Hill. Had coffee. Called mom. Walked home and rested. Rest is important.

Hunger arose, so Joe and I ate at Dick’s Burgers on Broadway (Posse UP!). I’ve finally eaten a bag of Dick’s.

Walked to both ends of Broadway proper. Saw the Jimi Hendrix statue in front of the art store, across the street from Seattle Central College. Found the UPS store where I’ll ship out my knives and souvenirs on Sunday before my flight.

Had drinks at the Yeti Bar, then stumbled uphill to our respective homes just before the rains hit. Sleepy night.

Dance steps embedded in the sidewalk along Broadway

Just another rainy night, without you. Seattle.

Seattle Travelog Weds 10/26

Part of a series from the travelog of my trip to Seattle in October 2022.

Got up, pulled myself together, final pack, then check out of AirBnB #1 by 9:30am. I’d never be this early in my own time zone.

Walked down 62nd one last time on 24th to some breakfast joint called Sugar & Salt. It was OK, but mediocre. I think the breakfast stuff was tacked onto the original concept (Lebanese fare), and they just phoned it in. You go for the atmosphere and a place to sit. Anyway, ate, scrolled, and planned my way south to rendezvous with Joe, because I still have 5 hours before check-in of AirBnB #2.

Took the 40 downtown, then the 8 up. Saw wild things, like a homeless guy get up from his brick exhaust vent bed behind a Whole Foods, walk over to a rental E-bike, and just start pedaling it across and down the street while it chirped away without pay. A man who does not care just does not fucking care.

Seattle, y’all.

Rooftop. View. Olympic Mountains are visible across the Sound.

Hung out with Joe. Did a load of laundry at his house, thankfully. Toured around Cap Hill for place setting. Went to Ada’s Bookstore and Cafe, had brunch. Back to his place for rooftop views, then off to walk around Cap Hill and Broadway for getting a feel for the built landscape. Life in the gayborhood. Cal Anderson Park, where CHAZ happened. The BLM street mural. The police station that was evacuated during the protests.

We waited in line for 40 minutes for some really, really good ramen at Danbo. Walked uphill to Bites of Bangkok to sit at the bar for drinks and laughs with the bartender. Sloshed home.

Super good ramen. Super good. Worth the wait.

AirBnB #2 is interesting and modernized, but has old-building problems: cold, drafty, leaning and creaking floors, traffic noise through the single-hung windows. Figured out how to turn on the floorboard radiators for heat, put on the leggings I haven’t needed until now, prepped for bed. Sheets get clammy when it’s cold.

Brrr, Seattle.

Seattle Travelog Tues 10/25

Part of a series from the travelog of my trip to Seattle in October 2022.

Took my time getting up. 7+ hours of sleep is something magical.

Got up, coffee and travel cashews, shower, out. Ham & Swiss croissant at Besalu with Americano. Go time.

Walked down Ballard below Leary toward Fremont. Goal, Gasworks Park. Saw the back side of Leary; industry and ships. Boat ramps. Homeless camps. Missed a few buses, but found a pocket knife at a sporting goods store. Better than my Rite-Aid boxcutter.

Kept walking down Leary due to missing buses. Dying 7-Eleven with empty shelves. No bathroom. Burger joint, drive-thru only. Block probably slated for redevelopment. Ballard.

In my soggy ambles, I walked into a Fred Meyer. It was at once ghetto and uppity. It’s like a Walmart but also a hardware store, bank, health clinic, phone store, and grocery. Even before walking in the door, there was a homeless couple arguing, and what can be best described as a desperate addict casually walking down the sidewalk with a stack of beeping shoeboxes. Concerned onlookers with quizzical faces. I just needed to piss.

After masking up, because the hallway to the johns was way foul, I could finally do the biz. Doubled back and found some granola bars I’d need to finish out the week.

Made my way out, walked through some sketch shit until the next 40 bus. 40 saved me?

Pivot and survive. Seattle, y’all trippin’.

Finally, Fremont. Rain. Slow, light, incessant rain. You get used to it. Decided to rent a scooter for the last mile to Gasworks.

What a great park. It’s minimal on perks and facilities, but it’s got a great view of Union Lake north of downtown. Despite the rain and wind, I got some great pix.

Rain. You just get used to it.

The sundial up on Kite Hill was missing its gnomon — I hope that’s just seasonal.

Geese everywhere. Also, goose shit. So much goose shit.

Scooted back to Fremont, walked across the Fremont drawbridge. Too cool.

After some missed buses, back to Ballard, now I’m cooling my heels at this bar called Lock & Keel. Maritime themed. One of the last local bars of this type. A few beers, some snack chips, a friendly bartender that reminded me so much of my ex-roomate Pat. Walk home.

Who knows what tonight brings. Drinking, walking, packing? Tomorrow — migrate to my next AirBnB in Cap Hill.

Change and flux. Seattle.

After reheating yakisoba and watching Episode 4 of “The Sandman”, I knew I shouldn’t bitch out and stay in the rest of the night. Despite the cold and rain, I left at 8:30 back to Ballard Ave to find a dive for drinks, pix, & scrolling. Found the Sunset Tavern, because the clientele was mixed, and it didn’t feel too uppity or brotherhoodish (both very real problems here). Live bands in the back room; I stayed in the front. Two Jack & Cokes, $20. Happy, I slogged uphill to 7-Eleven for snacks. Now home, once again, before the rain really let loose…once again.

Fucking Seattle.

Seattle Travelog Mon 10/24

Part of a series from the travelog of my trip to Seattle in October 2022.

My AirBnB booking for 26th-30th cancelled on me. “Sorry, we lost our license!” Gave me a full refund. Found another place on my own near to the lost rental for $300 less.

AirBnB support reached out and gave me a $111 coupon on my next rental. I asked if they could apply it to the one I just placed; they couldn’t. Asked if they could extend the offer for a year, because this is my yearly vacation. They couldn’t. So they asked me to create a merchant account so they could deposit the money. Fine. Yay.

Pivot and adapt.

Shredded pastrami breakfast sandwich, salad, and Americano at Sabine

Having brunch and writing this at Sabine Cafe on Ballard Ave. This place is Very Good. High end fare for a sandwich restaurant. Great coffee and staff. Went here on recommendation.

Not sure of my plans today. Maybe Fremont Troll, Black Sun sculpture, Bruce and Brandon Lee graves. Who knows?

Fremont Troll, menacing all passers-by on Aurora bridge

Took the 40 bus to Fremont and trudged up the hill to see the Fremont Troll under the Aurora bridge. Big, concrete, grasping a VW Bug, looking ominous as it exacts a toll. Menacing, but cute.

Moss Turtle, water sprinkler, and makeshift shelter

Around the corner, up the hill, is the Moss Turtle. Sprinkle water on it and make a wish.

Lake Union, middle of the Seattle isthmus

Hopped the stone railing and started walking across the Aurora bridge. It commands a great view of the dockhouses of Lake Union. Didn’t realize how long the bridge was until 1/3 of the way across, so I had to keep going — to ADVENTURE!

Graffiti sticker on a suicide hotline sign on the Aurora bridge

Every estimate on the Transit app for getting to Volunteer Park from there was too long, so I opted to find the next bus downtown to rendezvous with Joe, who was getting out to check his PO Box. Had to take a pedestrian underpass to cross Aurora and wait for the express. Hung out at a Starbucks for an OJ and wifi. We met up, had drinks downtown, walked around, and went up to Ballard for dinner. Miso, sushi, and seafood yakisoba. Happy Birthday, Joe!

We walked to my place to drop off leftovers, then on to Jane’s for a social call. Was nice.

When Seattlites get together, they talk about transit and rent. Full stop.