The Boston of the North West....

This time I was able to drive into the South Seattle area without consulting the map too often and located Hwy99. My plan was to sightsee up Hwy99 from South to North. It goes the length of the city. I passed the Sea Tac airport area and then came to a busy truck/train/ship industrial area before downtown.

I wanted to write, shower and make breakfast in the RV and I knew I could find plenty of room to park in this kind of area.

Downtown areas of large cities are a real challenge for the RV traveler because parking space is at such a premium. I made breakfast, cleaned up while Pokey watched the hyper-activity of trucks, trains and ships going by the windows. He was fascinated.

After breakfast we drove the rest of the way to the downtown area. I located the ball park. It was about 1 mile from the center of the downtown area I wanted to walk around in.

I found a parking lot that could handle the RV and I was willing to walk to save money. It was right across from the ballpark and I paid $6 for the entire day.

Pokey and I set off for our walking tour of Seattle. From the ball park to Pioneer Historic area was a very funky area. Artist studios, old loft type businesses and apartments, and lots of outdoor drinking areas ready for when there is a ball game on.

There were a lot of homeless people in the downtown area. Pokey, and I sat in the park and watched the pigeons, the homeless, (mainly mentally ill), and the office workers eating their lunch in Pioneer square.

We then walked down by the water front. This was the ferry terminal areas and there wasn’t much to see. It was busy with ferry commuters coming or going to Bainbridge Island, Victoria, or Bremerton and points west.

The buses in the downtown area are free and Pokey was allowed on. So we jumped on a city bus and did some sightseeing that way. We got off at the last stop in the free zone and walked through another funky area and made our way toward Pike Place market.

I heard a “whole lot of barking” and so we investigated and found a little doggie daycare. It is a store front with a large picture window. You can watch the dogs play. Rather then leave your pet at home alone, you drop him off to play with others while you are at work.

Pokey and I looked for awhile through the window while that old song “How much is that doggie…… went through my head. Pokey and a white cocker spaniel each put there paws on the windows from different sides trying to connect. We went in for a while and met a few of the dogs and then continued our walk. Within a couple of blocks there was a little dog park. Talk about a dog friendly city! They can ride the buses for free, go to daycare and even own their own park.

This was my first visit to downtown Seattle. In the sunshine, I loved it. To me it looks like “Boston in the Northwest.” I have never heard anybody make that comparison, but the downtown area I saw looks similar to me.

We found Pikes Market where they “throw the fish” and entertain the customers with their banter. There were visual treats and many exotic smells for both Pokey and I to enjoy. After Pikes Market, we caught another bus until the area looked familiar and we headed back toward the ballpark.

I stopped at an historic tavern and had a local brew and a falafel that I bought from next door. We chatted with a shoeshine guy between his customers while I read the paper. The guy at the next table bought the shoeshine guy a beer and then we all chatted. What a great day.

By the time we got back to the RV Pokey and I were both exhausted. I started to type a little and within minutes Pokey was asleep. That looked like a good idea so I joined him.

We were awakened about an hour later by a truck noise and a whoosing sound. Pokey was at the window barking and barking. There was a fire truck that had pulled up about 20 feet away and had attached their hose to a hydrant and were testing their “water cannon” and testing all their hoses. I watched for a few minutes and then went back to my writing. Pokey made sure he watched them the entire time they were there.

It was about 5 p.m. and gotten overcast, so I thought we better get going. I planned on finding a casino on Hwy 99 and playing and maybe spending the night there.

Traffic was a little heavy with people leaving downtown, so as soon, as I saw, a waterfront park we pulled over to walk and wait another walk for traffic to diminish. I had a cigar and looked at the water and mountains on one side and the Space Needle and downtown buildings on the other.

We left the park as it started getting dark and we set out to find the casino I was going to play in tonight.