F I E L D T R I P S

 

Anyone who ever knew me, or wants to, is invited to anything and everything on this page. If something sounds like fun, simply send a text or email, and we'll work out the details.

Click here for the latest biweekly update.

If nobody wants to go with me, I'll go alone and have a fine time — I like me, and enjoy spending time with me.

  HAVE A BETTER IDEA?  

If you have a suggestion or invitation for something enjoyable, please let me know.

 

  THE BASICS: 

Please RSVP by the day before, so I know you're coming. All events are 'Dutch treat'. Never forget that I'm a weirdo.

Bellevue Botanical Garden
12001 Main Street, Bellevue

Lovely flowers, without an admission price.

 

Bergen Place Park
5420 22nd Avenue NW, Ballard

This is a small city park filled with Scandinavian art, including a mural honoring King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway. Ballard is very Scandinavian, donchaknow.

There are no restrooms at this park.

 

Board games
at your place

If it's just you and me, let's play chess. For three or more, let's play Monopoly, Parcheesi, Rummikub, Scrabble, or whatever.

I'll bring diet soda and maybe snacks, but you gotta provide the game.

Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
4303 Memorial Way NE, U-District

I went to the Burke with a pretty girl once, a lifetime ago when I was young. Enjoyed it, and might go again, but it's unlikely she'll be with me this time, since she's married and a grandmother and all.

Admission is FREE and the museum is open until 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. Backpacks are verboten.

 

Cal Anderson Park
1635 11th Avenue, Capitol Hill

Formerly called Broadway Playfield, this is an odd park, one block wide and three blocks long, where there's a reservoir, some ball fields I umpired in the 1980s and '90s, and a glow-in-the-dark AIDS memorial. Walking around the place will probably take an hour or so.

Fun fact: Cal Anderson Park is where the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) popped up, during the protests against police brutality in 2020.

 

Camp Long
5200 35th Avenue SW, West Seattle

You can camp at Camp Long, but you can't camp long — there's a two-night maximum.

Imagine if you will, two days and nights without television, computers, telephones, light bulbs, or any modern amenities. "Like Robinson Crusoe, as primitive as can be."

Cabin rentals are $50 p/night, and each cabin sleeps 6-12 people. Can't imagine half a dozen people willing to share a cabin with me, so there'll be plenty of elbow and breathing room.

Communal restrooms and showers are outside the cabins. Camp Long is fully booked for 2024, so this would be a 2025 event.

 

Canoe & kayak rentals at U-Dub
3800 Montlake Blvd NE, behind Husky Stadium

Reasonable rates and weight limits. A more severe limit will be my energy and exhaustion, but I'm game to try it. Sunscreen recommended. Summer months only.

Closed Mondays & Tuesdays & game days.

Chihuly Garden and Glass
305 Harrison Street, Seattle Center

Never been to this place, and you'd have to talk me into it. It's full of glass art that looks cool, but their website gives vibes of pretentiousness, and $30 for a ticket seems excessive.

They also brag of having a bar on the premises, which makes me wonder whether it's a museum with a tavern, or a tavern with a museum.

Backpacks aren't allowed.

 

Chittenden Locks
3015 NW 54th Street, Ballard
(visitors center is closed on Mondays & Tuesdays)

It's our own little Panama Canal, and it's free to look at the locks, and watch as the salmon climb their fishy ladders.

 

Connections Museum
7000 East Marginal Way, Georgetown
(open on Sundays only, 10 AM-2:30 PM)

This place is about the history of phones (the old-fashioned, hard-wired kind). I hate phones but love old tech, and they have antique phones and radios, switchboards, etc.

Drunken Owl Theater, at Jules Maes Saloon
5919 Airport Way South, Georgetown

"Original works performed live without a net" in Seattle's oldest bar. Expect comedy, drama, music, and poetry. 21+ only. 

Excursion adventures
on Metro and Sound Transit

Oh, the places you'll go, to the end of the line and back.

There's no better way to explore the city than simply riding public transit, looking out the window, with no particular destination.

If something looks cool, we'll hop off and take a closer look, then hop onto the next bus or train.

 

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 South Vale Street, Georgetown

Fantagraphics is America's premier publisher of non-superhero comic books, often underground or counterculture, potentially even offensive (oh, my!). Their greatest hits include Ghost World, Love and Rockets, Naughty Bits, and also, unexpectedly, The Complete Peanuts, by Charles Schulz — all of which (except the Peanuts) I've read and recommend.

They're headquartered in Seattle, and I am triple-intrigued to visit the Fantagraphics bookstore, especially the "Damaged Room," where damaged, discontinued, and out-of-print titles are sold, hopefully at a discounted price.

The bookstore shares space with a used record shop, so if you like vinyl music this could be an expensive day.

 

Festál
305 Harrison Street, Uptown

Assorted ethnic and cultural events — Brazilian, Chinese, Irish, Mexican, Turkish, etc — are held year-round at Seattle Center.

We're all ethnic, and it sounds like fun — a brave new world of foods, dance, colorful costumes, etc.

 

Freeway Park
700 Seneca Street, Downtown

This concrete park was a favorite of mine when I lived downtown. Nice spot for a picnic, or simply reading a good book in the summertime sunshine.

Expect street characters, sure, but that's a plus, not a minus. In my experience, the street people are sometimes ... memorable, but almost never dangerous.

 

Frisbee hockey

 Some call it 'disc golf', but it'll always be frisbee hockey to me. There are free frisbee fields all over the area, and I'll provide the frisbee.

Be advised that I'm not particularly good at frisbee-play, so eventually I'll toss it wrong and we'll never see it again. You should bring a backup frisbee.

 

Frye Art Museum
704 Terry Avenue, Capitol Hill
(closed Mondays & Tuesdays)

As you might guess from this list, I like museums, but The Frye is my favorite, because I'm a tightwad and it's free.

It's not a big place, and we can be in and out in an hour and a half. The Frye usually showcases one or a few specific artists, so it's a good idea to visit their website first, to make sure we're not there when half the building is dedicated to an artist who bores you.

  

Gas Works Park
2101 N Northlake Way, Fremont

This place was once industrial, but they've wiped away all the toxic waste, leaving a marvelous park of iron and pipes, grass, concrete, picnics, art, and swings.

Some say it's romantic, but please don't hold my hand.

 

Georgetown Steam Plant
6605 13th Avenue South, Georgetown
(open to the public only on
the second Saturday of every month) 

This is an old steam-powered facility for generating electricity. It's a National Historic Landmark, and it's literally steampunk.

Backpacks are not allowed.

 

Golden Gardens Park
8498 Seaview Place NW, Ballard

Big ol' park with trails, wetlands, views, volleyball, fishing, and a boat launch so don't forget to bring your boat. 

Green Lake Park
7201 E Green Lake Drive North, Green Lake

This is one of my favorite city parks. I've been known to rent a bike or walk around the lake, and there are also activities I'm not interested in, like swimming, sailing, softball, roller skating, etc.

Spud's is right across the street, for fine but expensive fish'n'chips.

 

Hat & Boots
6430 Corson Avenue South, Georgetown

The hat and boots have left the gas station, been restored, and moved to this tiny park.

Rolling past on the bus, it seems to be a bum haven, but I don't care, and it's probably a quick visit, anyway.

Henry Art Gallery
15th Avenue @ 41st Street NE, on the UW campus
(closed Mondays — Wednesdays)

There's enough on display for at least two hours wandering, maybe longer, and there's a 'Sky Space' exhibit that turns a small view of the open air above into a permanent art exhibit.

Admission is free on the first Thursday of every month, so guess which day I'll be going?

 

Highline Heritage Museum
819 SW 152nd Street, Burien

I live just north of Burien, and find myself in Burien several times weekly. From what I've seen, it's mostly strip malls and the bus station, but there must be more to it than that.

So yup, I'm headed to the museum to do me some larning about Burien.

Jack Block Park
2130 Harbor Avenue SW, Alki

Here's a lovely park on a former Superfund site that's been scrubbed clean by our pals at the Environmental Protection Agency.

There's a shoreside walk, and an observation tower with views of the downtown skyline and Mount Rainier on a clear day. It's Alki without the huge crowds, so keep it a secret, please.

Kent Senior Center
600 East Smith Street, Kent

The Kent Senior Center has a workout room ($2), Mahjong Mondays (free) and pickleball daily, reasonably priced day trips, and a good lunch ($9) from 11:45-1PM weekdays.

All small towns should have a senior center like Kent's but most don't, and it's open to everyone 50+, not just Kentonians.

Kerry Park
211 W Highland Dr, Queen Anne

This is a city park with fantabulous views, daytime or after dark. It can be a little too windy, so check the forecast, but if the weather cooperates there's no better place for a picnic.

Bring a book of verses underneath the bough, a jug of wine, a loaf of bread — and thou (says Omar Khayaam).

 

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
319 2nd Avenue South, Pioneer Square
(closed Mondays & Tuesdays)

How did I grow up here without knowing there's a national park downtown? It's a museum of the Alaska gold rush, completely free, and with hour-long walking tours on Wednesdays-Sundays during the summer.

 

Kubota Garden
9817 55th Avenue South, Rainier Beach

These Japanese gardens and grounds were a gift from Fujitaro Kubota to his wife, and after their death, they were gifted again from the family to the City of Seattle.

So it's basically a second-hand park.

I've been there, but only once. It's beautiful, tranquil, and free.

 

Lake Union Park
860 Terry Ave. N, South Lake Union

This park is where several historic ships dock, including the Virginia V, one of the original ferries that sailed Puget Sound a century ago, now available for walking tours and occasional sailings.

Also docked here are the retired fireship Duwamish, the 1889 tugboat Arthur Foss, and the 1911 fishing schooner Tordenskjold.

Bring a piss-pot, as the only public restroom is inside the Museum of History and Industry, which is at the same address, but I'm not at all confident they'll let you in to pee.

 

Maple Leaf Reservoir Park
1020 NE 82nd Street, Maple Leaf

Features a small but charming art circle, a butterfly garden, easy walking paths, and views of Mount Rainier and Lake Washington.

Rumor has it there's a yummy bakery adjacent.

Maritime Heritage Center
703 R Avenue, Anacortes

This is a museum that has tours of an old steam-powered 'snagboat', used long ago for clearing debris from shipping channels.

I'll be going on Amtrak and Skagit County Transit, and I'll be amazed if anyone wants to go with me.

Moore Theater
1932 Second Avenue, Downtown

Building and backstage tours of the Moore are free on the second Saturday of every month. It takes an hour and a half to two hours, and we'll learn the theater's history, see the green room, the dressing rooms, possibly even the restrooms. 

Movies 

Nothing at the multiplex interests me, but I love old or odd movies. Try something different — you might like it, too.

• The Beacon
4405 Rainier Avenue South, Columbia City

• Grand Illusion
1403 NE 50th Street, University District

• Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Avenue, Capitol Hill

Cinema as it should be — no ads on the screen, no superhero movies, real butter on the popcorn, and no obnoxious jerks talking all through the movie.

Museum of Flight
9404 East Marginal Way South, Georgetown

Up, up, and away! With airplanes everywhere, this is where I go to remember Dad.

Free admission on the first Thursday of every month.

 

National Nordic Museum
2655 NW Market Street, Ballard
(closed Mondays)

I had to look up 'Nordic', and it means, "relating to northern Europe, especially Scandinavia."

Had to look up 'Scandinavia', too, and it's the region where you'll find Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

So this is a museum of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish stuff, and that might be fun.

Admission is free on the first Thursday of every month.

 

Northwest African American Museum
2300 South Massachusetts Street, Beacon Hill
(closed Mondays — Wednesdays)

Current exhibits include the story of Emmett Till and his mother Mamie-Till Mobley, and "dynamic cubism" painter Jacob Lawrence (I'd never heard of him either, but I like the pix of his work, on the museum's website).

I'm hoping there's an exhibit on the history of the museum itself — the city had dithered and blithered for years on the idea of an African-American museum, so activists seized the building in 1985, and now they own it.

Olympic Sculpture Park
2901 Western Avenue, Belltown

Art in an open-air park, run by Seattle Art Museum, so you know it's genuine art.

It's free, and directly adjacent to the city's Myrtle Edwards Park, and the Port of Seattle's Centennial Park, so it's three parks in one. Which means wear comfy shoes, it's a walking day. Bring sammiches and we can have a picnic, surrounded by a bunch of art in an open-air park!

 

Open Mic Comedy
Mostly amateur, but affordable. Almost always in a bar, so it's 21+.

Pacific Science Center
200 2nd Avenue North, Seattle Center

I went to Pacific Science Center at least half a dozen times as a kid, always enjoyed it, but the exhibits never changed. You remember it, right? Pick up the old-style phone and listen to how phone calls sounded in the 1920s. Stand and stare at the metal balls tumbling down to demonstrate the concept of 'random'. I hope those exhibits are still there!

 

Paramount Theater
911 Pine Street, Downtown

I saw George Carlin at the Paramount, and (on a different night) Casablanca!

The theater offers free building and backstage tours on the first Saturday of every month, so we can count each of the three-million crystal beads in the theater's 218 chandeliers!

Here's the dance version of the tour, but if we show up in person dancing is not required.

Piano Bar with the old folks
Center for Active Living
4217 SW Oregon Street, West Seattle
First Thursdays (except July and August)

Unsure what time — the website doesn't say.

$10 admission. Drinks and snacks à la carte.

Pike Place Market
85 Pike Street, Downtown

The Market isn't only for tourists, you know. It's seriously cool.

On my next visit I'd like to see the Giant Shoe Museum, Golden Age Collectibles, Pike Place Nuts (may contain nuts), and maybe get some fresh-baked crumpets to bring home.

One thing I've never done at the Market is eat a meal — it's a bit pricey — but you only live once so maybe we'll eat at the Albini Room, or Jack's Seafood Bar, or Three Girls Bakery.

 

Powell Barnett Park
352 MLK Way, Central District

This park has a playground that looks weird but cool, and I might actually kick any kids off and play there myself. There are also picnic tables, a frisbee field, and restrooms in a castle. 

Have you ever peed in a castle?

Renton History Museum
235 Mill Avenue South, Renton

Did you know that Renton was named after Captain William Renton (1818-1891), who ran a sawmill and owned a ship?

That's everything I know about the history of Renton, and I grew up there so I ought to know a little more.

The city's official museum is open Wednesdays-Fridays only. "Due to a shortage of staff, we recommend calling ahead before your visit to confirm that the Museum is open."

Schmitz Preserve Park
5551 SW Admiral Way, Alki

Schmitz is a walking park in an old growth forest.

There are no restrooms here, but there's a convenient forest.

Seahurst Park
1600 SW Seahurst Park Road, Burien

Forests, streams, wetlands, trails, and a stretch of Puget Sound shoreline. It's just another park, sure, but I like parks, and shortish walks, and a view of the water.

If I'm alone I'll bring a book and a sandwich; if you're with me I'll leave the book at home.

Seattle Aquarium
1483 Alaskan Way, on the Waterfront

Fishies fishies everywhere, but I'll probably wait to see the Aquarium until after its new 'Ocean Pavilion' opens, which is supposed to be sometime in 2024.

Be forewarned, the Aquarium is stingy with discounts, and pushy for donations.

 

Seattle Art Museum
1300 1st Avenue, Downtown
(closed Mondays & Tuesdays)

Say hello to Hammering Man outside, and inside there are displays of Calder (the mobile guy) and Rembrant, during the summer of 2024. 

Free admission on the first Thursday of every month, and $5 admission for seniors on the first Friday of every month. Backpacks are not allowed.

 

Seattle Asian Art Museum
1400 East Prospect Street, Capitol Hill
(closed Mondays & Tuesdays)

This museum is inside Volunteer Park, and right now they're featuring performance artist Anida Yoeu Ali, and Korean art called 'Meot', which I don't know squat about, but I'll learn.

Free admission on the first Thursday of every month. Backpacks are not allowed.

 

Seattle Center
305 Harrison Street, Uptown

Everyone loves the Seattle Center — home of the Fun Forest, Food Circus, Bubbleator, SkyRide, and of course, the SuperSonics!

Seattle neighborhoods

Pardon my snootiness, but in suburbia, one street full of houses is a lot like other streets full of houses, even miles away. Renton is pretty much the same as Auburn, Lynnwood is a lot like Lake Forest Park, etc.

In the city proper, there's more of a hyper-local vibe — Ballard is quite different from Queen Anne or Rainier Valley or the U-District or West Seattle.

I'm hoping to hike a lot of Seattle's neighborhoods, starting with areas where I once lived — Capitol Hill, Downtown, Lake City, Queen Anne, and Uptown. Eventually I want to see and walk all over the city, for as long and as far as my feet will go. You're welcome to walk with me.

 

Seattle Pinball Museum
508 Maynard Avenue South,
International District
(closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays)

Here's a museum of vintage but working pinball machines — basically an old-fashioned pinball arcade, with machines dating back to the 1960s.

Admission includes unlimited pinball play, at no additional charge.

 

Seward Park
5900 Lake Washington Boulevard South, Rainier Beach

All I remember about Seward Park is swimming in the lake, and I'm done swimming. But there's also walking and hiking trails, and an amphitheater with lots of free Shakespeare whether thou wanteth it or noteth. 

Spark Museum of Electrical Invention 
1312 Bay Street, Bellingham
(closed Mondays & Tuesdays)

This place is all about high-tech and 'historical high-tech', and also offers the The MegaZapper Tesla Coils, "where visitors can interact with millions volts of electricity and take the selfie of a lifetime." 

Sounds funky and fine, but honestly, riding Amtrak to Bellingham might be the best part.

Underground Seattle
614 1st Avenue, Pioneer Square

This is the famous tour of Seattle's ground floor, under the streets (as seen in the fine 1973 made-for-TV movie The Night Strangler, starring Darren McGavin).

There's also a competitor, Beneath the Streets, which brags of better historical accuracy and offers several different tours, but charges a slightly higher price.

I've never taken any of the tours from either company, but if you have, please let me know whether it's worth the time and money.

 

Unity Museum
4341 University Way NE, U-District
(closed Mondays, Thursdays, & Fridays)

I'm hoping this place is what the website promises — a homey, almost homemade museum dedicated to human rights. Being human myself, I like human rights.

They're linked to the Baha'i Faith, though, a religion I know nothing about and have no interest in. If they start proselytizing I'll be gone lickety-split, but it's free so no money is at stake, and it's in the heart of the University District, so there are blocks and blocks of cool 'back-up plans' available.

 

Volunteer Park
1247 15th Avenue East, Capitol Hill

This is a ginormous park I remember going to and enjoying in the 1980s, so I want to stop by and say hello. Maybe we'll have a picnic, or toss a frisbee. Maybe I'll have enough strength in my old legs to climb the water tower again. (Probably not.)

The greenhouse (ooh, let's get fancy and call it "the conservatory") is free on the first Thursday of every month.

 

Washington State Fair
110 9th Avenue SW, Puyallup

I want two of those hamburgers buried under onions, and two hot dogs with sauerkraut, and a snow cone and kettle corn, and I want to see the horsies, and I want to ride on the spinning whirligig, and then I'm gonna puke so watch out.

That's how I do the Puyallup. 

Washington State Ferries
Colman Dock: 801 Alaskan Way, Waterfront
Fauntleroy Dock: 4829 SW Barton Street, West Seattle

Eventually the ferries' destinations might interest me, but for now I'm mostly interested in the rides crisscrossing Puget Sound — beautiful views, with the wind in your face, and mermaids to flirt with.

Walk-on tickets are affordable, and I'm walking on.

 

Water Taxi
Colman Dock: 801 Alaskan Way, Downtown
Seacrest Dock: 1660 Harbor Avenue SW, West Seattle

"Water taxi" is a weird and wrong name for this, because it's not at all a taxi. It's a boat ride, crossing the Sound between downtown Seattle and an obscure corner of West Seattle, about hourly.

No cars, walk-ons only. The trip takes fifteen minutes or so, and it's scenic and groovy.

 

White River Valley Museum
918 H Street SE, Auburn
(closed Mondays & Tuesdays)

At any small town's local history museum, there'll be an old volunteer at the front desk. He or she will be enthusiastic about local history, and even if you're new in town or only visiting, you'll catch the enthusiasm like COVID.

Wing Luke Museum
719 South King Street,
International District
(closed Sundays — Wednesdays) 

An art museum with a focus on works by Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. There's a section dedicated to Bruce Lee.

Admission includes in-and-out privileges, so we can slip out and have lunch, then come back for more museuming.

Woodland Park Zoo
5500 Phinney Avenue North, Seattle

I haven't been to Woodland Park since the 1980s. Wonder if they still have the little plastic "zoo keys"? 

"The monkeys stand for honesty. Giraffes are insincere, and the elephants are kindly but they're dumb. Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages, and the zookeeper is very fond of rum."
            —Simon & Garfunkel 

With a senior citizens' gold card, admission is 75% off, which works out to just $6 or $7, depending on the day.

 

To make arrangements for any of the above, simply send a text or email.

• BREAKFAST • CHEAP EATS • FIELD TRIPS •
• MAIN PAGE • MOVIES • EVERYTHING •