We left the park on Friday and made the drive back to Seattle. We stopped along the way in Tacoma to scoop up Amanda. The drive back took about three hours and I was pretty exhausted after doing a few tough hikes in the park.
The original plan was to find an AirBnB for the three of us. But it was Labor Day weekend and anything close to the city was kind of out of our price range. I was able to find a private room in one of the hostels and it worked out fine for us. Not the best hostel I ever stayed in but the location was good and it was clean.
When I went to check in the lady at the front desk told me that all guests would need to show proof of vaccination. Which concerned me because I wasn’t sure if Amanda and Matt had proof on them. It worked out thankfully. But I was surprised these measures are still in. I thought we were over this.
That evening was pretty chill. Amanda had a friend in Seattle she wanted to see and she went off and did her own thing. Matt and I got some laundry done and we went down the block to grab ramen. Matt’s treat. It was delicious. I needed the electrolytes and nutrition badly after a non-stop few days.
The next morning we got out early and headed towards Pikes Place Market. We moseyed around there for a bit and took in all the place had to offer. Saw the guys throwing the fish around, passed by (but didn’t stop in – the line was absurdly long) the original Starbucks, and paid a visit to the Gum Wall.
The gum wall is interesting in an absurdly disgusting kind of way. You walk into the alleyway and you’re just hit in the face with this smell of fruit and spearmint. Needless to say, we didn’t add anything to the wall.
From there we walked down to the ferry and took the short ride to Brainbridge Island. I hadn’t remembered coming to Brainbridge on my original trip to Seattle but as soon as I walked out of the ferry I remembered being there before. It was a nice spot to chill for the afternoon.
They have one main street there and we just cruised around and poked our heads into a few stores. We had lunch in one of the outdoor food areas afterward. And of course, I had to get some coffee ice cream. We took our treats down to the waterfront park and relaxed there until we took the ferry back. Just the prototypical PNW bay views.
That evening we decided to go out for a seafood dinner. We were on the ocean afterall. We went up towards Union Lake and found a low-key spot right on the water. The dinner was fairly good. I got the fish and chips (always a good way to judge a seafood restaurant in my opinion). They used rockfish instead of cod though. It was a bit less buttery than usual. I definitely prefer the cod.
In other news, the Seattle downtown seems to have fallen apart. On our way to dinner, we walked through the main downtown area called Pioneer Square. There weren’t any businesses in the area. Everything seemed to be either boarded up or there were “For Lease” signs in the windows. It’d be comparable to walking down 34th Street in Manhattan and all the stores being out of business.
But the real concern was the homeless issue. We walked past one corner with a small park and there must have been fifteen or twenty people hanging out, drinking and smoking and doing whatever else. Throughout our trip there we encountered quite a few people that were mentally ill and unable to take care of themselves.
I mean I’m from NYC so the homeless and mentally ill are not new to me. It’s an almost daily scene on the subway. But here you felt that you were outnumbered at times, depending on what side of the street you decided to walk down. I was a bit unnerved to be honest.
When I was in Seattle about five years ago I remember there being a bit of a homeless issue. But I don’t remember it being this bad. I’d like to look into why the situation has deteriorated and what the city is doing to combat it.
These people deserve to be helped and put in a better position to succeed and get something out of life. But at the same time, they can’t be allowed to take over certain areas of the city and create dangerous situations for others. It’s sad no matter which way you look at it.