On Saturday I figured I’d break in my bus pass* and head to Kent Cornucopia Days, which is a local street fair/carnival/etc with a decent-size parade AND dragon boat races on Lake Meridian. Before I left, I decided to check the bus schedule to see how late I could be out if I decided I wanted to get schnockered in the beer garden. As it turns out, the last bus runs at 7pm. 7. I couldn’t believe it. On weekdays, it’s the same. There are some awful days at work where I could conceivably miss the last bus home, the only bus that runs to my area. It makes it really hard to embrace public transit with a 7pm curfew–what am I, eight years old?
It’s only a four mile walk to Kent station, but considerably longer to Lake Meridian, so I decided to pass on the boat races. The street fair was pretty typical, nothing all that special. The food vendors were the exact same ones from Bellevue’s 4th of July, and I was hot, hungry, and a little crabby, but still could not bring myself to support the inappropriately named ‘Margarita Village’ and its deceitful non-alcoholic beverages. I actually lucked out, as I wandered past a brand-spanking new martini bar called ‘Shindig’ and immediately fell in love. Downtown Kent is tying very hard to revitalize and with the addition of Kent Station, more upscale independent businesses like Shindig, and potentially even the new Thunderbirds arena, it looks like things are falling into place. At the very least, I’ll proclaim their revitalizing efforts more successful than Kenosha’s, which added a trolley to nowhere and that’s about it.
A little buzzed, I decided to walk and check out the midway. It was more than a little disconcerting to have a battallion of police officers checking bags, patting people down, and demanding that youths pull up their pants–this last one in particular is a movement I could get behind (pardon the pun) if not for my steadfast belief that people should be able to wear their clothes in whatever manner they’d like, regardless of how stupid I might think it looks. Also, I’m not quite certain when our police force became preoccupied with the waistlines of pants, but I’m pretty sure their time could be better spent.
My life is one of contradictions–I love carnivals, but I hate clowns. I love sideshow art, but I hate degrading people**. I love fly-by-night thrill rides, but I hate dying in fiery explosions*** and betting my life on the scientific weight-calculations of the drunk.
Speaking of carnival art:
I love that they painted in ‘KAZAM’. I expect Batman to show up shortly with a ‘POW’ and a ‘WHAM’ and a ‘BAM’ and a ‘THANK YOU MA’AM’.
I feel like they went above and beyond with the art on this one. Look at the drinky chicken!
This was painted on the side of the ‘Ghost Pirate’ ride–I, for one, appreciate the extra effort it took for them to paint in the blood from the hearty face-kicking that the pirate delivered.
Then, as it was getting darker and I’d neglected to bring a flashlight, I started the long walk home. Talk about anticlimactic! Goddamned bus system. (There, it’s full circle!)
*I have since realized that showing my card to bus drivers on buses without swiper mechanisms makes me feel stupid. Like, really stupid. Like the world’s lamest FBI agent, trying to commandeer a bus. **Well, based off of physical conditions that are beyond their control. Other people, I have no problem degrading, and maybe even enjoy it. A lot. ***Ok, to be fair, I only think I would hate this. As an atheist, it’s in my best interests to live as long as possible, because if there’s no god, I lose. And if there is a god, I *so* lose. So fiery explosions = bad.
