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The other week we enthused about the new passenger-only ferry to Port Townsend, read the post about the beer in Port Townsend, and put two and two together. The ferry is temporary, until January 6 last we heard, though you can sign a petition to keep the Seattle-to-Port Townsend run around. Here are the departure times.
If you're tempted to make a dash for it, here are a few tips. It turns out the Seattle Times wasn't kidding about the ferry selling out. It does, they don't take reservations, and they're very serious about that 149-person limit. They're not as serious about coming up with the right count. They kept us from buying a ticket for about 10 minutes because the three people counting had three different totals -- one minute we were allowed to go, the next we weren't, the next we were again.
It's a little frustrating to board after all that and find you're on a ferry that holds 350. The Times has the line on who's selling this brand of stupid:
The fast ferry Snohomish, which makes four round trips a day, could carry 350 passengers, but it is limited to 149 without the time-consuming preparation of a safety and security plan.Time consuming for whom? The people turned away who have to wait four hours until the next boat?
The trip, one-way, takes 90 minutes, and it can get choppy on the high seas. A few people got seasick and puked. We bought Dramamine for the way back, which you can get at Don's Pharmacy, right next to the terminal on the Port Townsend side. Bring a water bottle at least. You don't want to dehydrate. More on taking the beach at Port Townsend after the jump.
Once you exit the ferry terminal on the Port Townsend side, the historic downtown area is just a 5-minute walk to your right. Though we waxed giddy about our last trip to the Water Street Brewing pub (on the other side of downtown a few minutes stroll down Water Street), this time it took us two hours to get some sandwiches and beers. All delicious, but if you only have a few hours until the boat back, it might be worth mentioning the time constraint -- and tell Javier thanks for the beers he comped us for the delay.
We're also told that Water Street Pizza is good for a visit. Other food options are listed here. Midtown, there is a flight of stone stairs heading up the hill to apparently nowhere, but our sources now tell us there's a "new town" up there somewhere. Maybe on our next trip we'll test that theory out. We didn't have time, but to the left of the ferry terminal as you exit is Fort Worden State Park, where you can [UPDATE: cannot] rent a yurt.
You'll be wondering what that large, imposing building on the bluff overlooking town is, and we'll tell you: it's the Post Office, formerly a U.S. Customs house, built in 1893. We mention it because we hear the Post Office might be interested in selling, and you might want to take an onsite look before you make your bid.
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I followed the link to Fort Warden State Park and there are not any yurts to rent there. Yurts are available at many other state parks, but not Fort Worden. I think I'll make the trip anyway and just bring my tent.
Sorry, Ryan, my bad. I'll fix that. I clicked on the "Yurt" tab on what I thought was the Ft. Worden site, but that refers to yurts in the whole state park system.
How disappointing. But I applaud your taking the trip anyway!