Side Trip to Bellingham
Public transit, mass murders, old friends, exciting travel news, The Phoenician Scheme and a great dinner.
More adventures in using public transit in the USA. I have to say that despite its reputation for being a car-centric country, I’m a little blown away by the transit systems here. Sure, I would have liked a later bus out of Olympia, but it’s a free service, so I can’t expect it to be gold-plated. I understand that it is almost possible to get up the entire west coast from Mexico to Canada using public transit (not Amtrak or long distance buses like Greyhound). Certainly, I find it no problem to go the 90 miles from Seattle to Bellingham - the light rail left from outside the hostel and took me to Lynwood, where I caught the Sound Transit 512 bus to Everett. Then it was two Skagit Transit buses, the 90X to Mount Vernon and the 80X to straight across the freeway (I5) from my Motel 6. These buses even had comfortable seats! Thanks to user error I paid more than I should have - it is only $5 for the whole trip (I paid $7). It takes maybe half an hour longer than long distance buses - because the local buses use the freeways wherever possible and the light rail gets out of Seattle quickly - but gets me closer to my destination. Oh, and there are more frequent services. Win win.
Bellingham is the home of the Western Washington University, nestled among a veritable forest of lush green trees. It is the beginning of the Alaska Marine Highway ferry service. It is just 21 miles south of Canada mainland (but north of Victoria on Vancouver Island). It is newer than most New Zealand towns, incorporating in 1903. It is sort of coastal, with access to the Salish Sea. Here’s how the New York Times described it two decades ago:
Bellingham is a jumping-off place to the Alaskan tundra and the Canadian wilds. The area is home to hippies, yuppies, militiamen, fishermen, American Indians and tramps.
It has an interesting vibe, with plenty of breweries and coffee - I may well have visited here anyway, but a friend (Katie) lives here. I spend two nights here, and catch up with her, her partner and Goose both evenings for good times.
I arrive too early to check in (another user error) so wander the area around my motel - there are plenty of choices of fast food, but coffee leaves me despairing. There are stalls doing coffee but have nowhere for me to sit. I go into Mochinut (donuts made with rice flour) - they only have flavoured coffee and can’t do one without milk. Of course I have a couple of donuts - they have an almost creamy texture. The Slice of Heaven bakery sells me a bucket of coffee, which tastes of milk. At least by now, I can check in. There’s another guest, a woman of about my age and, let’s be fair, a little wild looking who, when she sees me, asks where they’d dragged me up from. But when she hears I am from New Zealand, she’s all “Peter Jackson” and things are sweet.
One thing I do see as I wander is an old fashioned drive in burger bar, Boomers, complete with waitresses out in the car park (but no roller skates): I have to try it. The special is bacon and Tillamook - thanks to my drive around Oregon, I know that’s cheese. The staff are very friendly and the burger is very good, just not very photogenic.
I still have a bit of time up my sleeve, so head down town to Kulshan Brewery’s Trackside Garden Bar - nice beer, several trains but very cold - before going to the appointed meeting place, Structures Brewing.
As is common, when I am with people, I forget to take photos. It’s great to catch up, and as the evening moves on, we go to a fantastic bakery, Pure Bliss Desserts. I actually go back by myself the second night for some key lime pie - the place is packed: closing time is 10 p.m. and there’s still a queue out the door when I leave.
There’s an old pub built over the water on pilings, the Waterfront Tavern, which has something of a history. It was definitely a hang out of Ted Bundy, who confessed to killing 20 women, and of Kenneth Bianchi, who killed his roommates and became one of the two Hillside Stranglers (10 victims). There are a couple of other lesser known murderers who drank here. I do poke my head in - it doesn’t look too bad, but I doubt it has a good craft beer line up: two reasons for it being popular to a certain type of clientele were that it opened early (6 a.m.) and had $2 buds. Sorry about the peeking belly.
I had read that Fairhaven was Bellingham’s quaint cousin, so catch the bus there, armed with a coffee recommendation. I walk in to find that their washroom is out of order - by the time I get back from the next building, they are closed, a busted water main. Going back the next day, the place is packed with people on laptops - not a good vibe. But I do find a couple of other places. Avenue Bread is very popular when I get there, but I find a space and enjoy my coffee.
Colophon café is actually to the rear of this building - it is celebrating its 40th year. I have some toast and coffee - the server is very welcoming and quick to bring my stuff, but when it’s time to pay, there’s no sign of her. I ask another if I can pay her - she says she’ll get my server, but nope. So I leave a bit more cash than needed to cover the bill and go next door, to the truly magnificent Village Books.
Fairhaven has a Carnegie library, but it doesn’t open until mid afternoon - I don’t hang around. Heading to Bellingham, I check my mail - Cunard is definitely off, as I have a 2 berth motorhome to relocate, all the way from Vancouver to Montreal over the course of two weeks! Total cost $13 plus fuel, although they will give me back $500. Score.
The suggestion is made I check out the independent Pickford Film Center - Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme is certainly an interesting film, and very hard to summarise in a few words, but involves a plan for locking up all the “mining transportation and fishing ventures” of a particular country, and trying to convince his investors to pay. It’s Wes Anderson, so this is only the frame for weirdness. Afterwards, it’s dinner at Redlight - they specialise in cocktails and Chinese food (they have hand made dumplings and hand pulled noodles). I’m not really a cocktail guy, but I try their Geezer Old Fashioned, alongside my chicken and vegetable dumplings and pork belly noodles. This is a cracking meal - the pork in particular is outstanding - with attentive staff in a great space.
That’s the former City Hall, now museum - it sits up high, so can be seen from most parts of Bellingham. I don’t actually get to go in.
I’m only 55 miles from Vancouver, but decide to take an indirect route to get there, which involves backtracking to Seattle. Now that I know what I am doing, I don’t over pay for the bus and don’t get back too early to check in. Instead, I stop for lunch at the Skagit River Brewery, which just happens to be on the corner of the Skagit transport terminal. Despite it being Friday the 13th, everything goes to plan.
Cheers!