Thoughts About Seattle

The first time I ever went to Seattle was in May 1989. I was really thrilled with the Metro bus system, then called the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, now called King County Metro Transit due to a court case.

At the time, I thought the bus system there was better than that of the Twin Cities, especially since Seattle had Night Owl buses, which made the service about 23.5 hours a day (there was a small gap around 4 AM, IIRC). Essentially, each county in Washington State has its own transit system. Snohomish County has Community Transit, though the City of Everett, which is in Snohomish County, has its own Everett Transit. Pierce County has Pierce Transit, Kitsap County has Kitsap Transit, Thurston County has Intercity Transit, and there are others. It is possible technically to go as far south as Astoria, Oregon on local city buses, though IIRC you would be stuck overnight in Grays Harbor, Washington. (No, thanks!)

So, why do I bring this up? Because I had a dream about riding the bus in Seattle two nights ago and it brought back memories. I remember being a Debbie Gibson fanatic n 1989 when Electric Youth was the #1 hit song. Why Debbie Gibson? Because I have a habit of thinking symbolically and I had a girlfriend named Debbie. Unfortunately, that relationship, like most others I’ve had, was a disaster.

In 1991, I was in Washington with another girl who shall remain nameless, the relationship was that bad. I returned by myself in 1995-1996 and again in 2002-2003, being homeless each time except for 1991. In 1991, we lived on a civilian strip of land 1/4 mile wide between Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. the population of the apartment complex was approximately and figuratively “49% military, 49% gangs, and 2% people who couldn’t afford anything better”. Me and my “girlenemy” or “domestic opponent” were in the last 2%. A very interesting scenario.

I remember the malls as well as the transit. Lakewood Mall in Pierce County, Alderwood Mall in Snohomish County, Sea-Tac and Southcenter Malls in King County, and Kitsap Mall in Kitsap County, all have a place in my memories. I also remember hating going out in public because people made fun of me all the time because I smelled bad and didn’t comb my hair. (I’ve never been much for hygiene or grooming, but nowadays I use workarounds to partially mitigate the situation.)

Well anyway, enough about my past in the Emerald City.