Seattle, Baby!

Day 1

After making the daily coffee rounds, I decide to take a nap afterwards, and rise at the more reasonable hour of 9 am. After breakfast, I set out to find the location of a cellphone provider in downtown Seattle that costs me less than an arm and a leg.

Plunged headlong into the thick of the shopping district downtown, I pay $7 for an hour of parking with tears in my eyes. The shopping malls are thick and of epic, expansive proportions, fancy urban storefront dispays abound. I make my way to the provider of choice and pay ONLY about $40 for the phone AND my first month of service, with no contract. The day is off to a good start. After giving a disparaging glance through the graphic novel section at the neighboring Barnes & Nobles (though, Judge Death? It looked sort of awesome?) I scramble back to make it out of the steel jaw of the parking garage before I have to pay $14 for an hour and 5 minutes.

Driving out, I decide hell with calling for directions, I can wrangle this Army Surplus store route myself, through sheer navigational prowess. And I do! Passing the Pike Place Market on one side of the street, I find $3 an hour parking, pay for two hours, and half an arm in "parking tax", and head to the army surplus place. I didn't find the perfect peacoat, but I did restock on colored bandannas, and found the MOST amazing swiss-made alpine/motorcycle goggles. When my current steampunk goggles break, I am going there for a restock.

Then, onto Pike Place. First stop, delicious bbq pork steam bun. Second stop, adorable felt-crafted owl lumps (did not partake, but they were cute). Third stop, a eccentric used book store and it's owner, who was in the middle of telling a young flamingly gay photographer boy (James) the clandestine whereabouts of the hard-to-find Seattle Insect Zoo, off to the right, in the middle of a stairway down towards the Aquarium on the waterfront. I, obviously, was immediately engrossed. A short conversation later, in which I learned of James' adventure earlier in the day in which he had actually managed to snap a picture of a man throwing a sandwich straight at his face (I can only imagine) and also of James' dislike for the artist Chihuli, I decided that alas, I had not enough time for the insect zoo today, and went back to my parking space. On the way, though, I happened by an old asian man selling the most adorable plushes, and I fell in love with one that Rivka would also love, and bought it for her.

When I arrived, I realized I was closer than I thought, and had an hour. I payed so much damn money to park, I figured it'd be a shame not to spend at least the amount of time I paid for wandering around Seattle. So I walked several blocks, until I came to "Damaged Goods" a off-beat indie record store, which seemed to sell only everything I liked, and nothing I didn't. There I scored myself (finally!) a real leather used motorcycle jacket, just my size, and at a 30% discount. He proceeded to give me the two CDs in my hand at $5 each (Iggy Pop and T.Rex) and I explained that I was "giving glam rock another chance". He had Edward Gorey prints at the register, and after confirming we were both big fans, he told me about the gallery next door. The gallery next door had a beautiful illustration show up, which I perused.

I asked a bicycle cop for directions back to the highway, and made off with my goods. The directions went off without a hitch, concluding my first and very succesful solo trip to Seattle proper.