A trip to Des Moines on the fast ferry begins much like a casual boat cruise. The pilot program — which runs four times per day Wednesday through Sunday from Aug. 10 to Oct. 9 — is run by Puget Sound Express, and departs Seattle from the Bell Harbor Marina, arriving at the Des Moines marina about a half-hour later.
As we rumbled out of Seattle on the 65-passenger catamaran Chilkat Express on a recent Thursday morning, a friendly crew member named EJ grabbed the mic and welcomed us aboard, telling us the history of the boat, information about the hydrofoil jets, location of the safety equipment and our cruising speed — a cool 32 knots, or around 40 mph. EJ is a naturalist, available for wildlife questions and he peppers in just the right amount of friendly jokes during his five-minute talk.
As the boat curled around Alki Point and settled into the straight-shot down the Salish Sea, it seemed as if everyone on board was holding their breath in the hope of an elusive whale sighting — but sadly there was none.
Des Moines City Manager Michael Matthias tells me when he took the first test ride last September before the project was definite, he was 10 minutes out of Des Moines when a pod of orcas started jumping just off the boat. I tell him not to rub it in, and he laughs.
Since the project launched, Matthias says he’s been “astonished by the response.”
“A lot of people would like us to expand this for commuter service. We would like to do that also,” Matthias says.
The program isn’t over yet — there’s still just under a month to go — but so far Matthias says fare box revenue has been significant, “more than we thought.” Fares are $10 one way, with discounts for seniors and military. Children 13 and younger ride for free.
After the program wraps in October, Matthias and his staff will present their findings to the Des Moines City Council for review and a decision on whether to continue the program. At this point, he’s optimistic in its continuation, saying, “Everything is about revitalizing the downtown and marina. The ferry fits in perfectly with that.”
Among the plans for the continued marina revitalization project — which kicked off with a $15 million renovation of the north sea wall — are a set of steps, modeled after Seattle’s Harbor Steps, which will create more access between downtown Des Moines and the marina.
For now, when the boat pulls into the slip at the marina, you’ve got two options to get downtown. The first is to head toward the conservation area to the left of the dock to link up with Cliff Avenue, walking uphill gradually for a half a block before taking a sharp left turn up the steep Fifth Avenue to Sound View Park. At the top of the hill, simply head down South 222nd Street four blocks to the main drag of Marine View Drive.
If you head this way, you’ll be close to Sweet D’Licias (22021 Seventh Ave. S.), a vibrant Mexican ice cream shop with lime-green walls. There’s fresh juices, passion fruit ice cream and, my absolute favorite, a mangoneada ($8.50). This refreshing 16-ounce drink combines the sweetness of pureed mango with the slightly spicy, sour tang of chamoy and Tajin. The brick-red chamoy is swirled throughout the drink, heaped on top and squirted in a row of three neat little dots atop a few slices of fresh mango that crown the drink (alongside a tamarind candy-coated straw). You know how sometimes you’ll eat a sour candy and it gives you that ache in the back of your jaw, but you love it? Be prepared for that to happen while guzzling this delectable drink. It’s infinitely refreshing — and with the two straws, it’s as if they are expecting you to share.
Also nearby is the petite white and pink Mini The Dough-nut Shop (21925 Marine View Drive S.; minithedough-nut.com), which was sadly closed due to unforeseen circumstances (according to the note on the door) the day I was there, but it’s on my list for next time.
If climbing hills isn’t your idea of fun, after disembarking the boat, take a leisurely stroll down the marina’s boardwalk toward South Marina Park. You’ll head out of the marina and onto South 227th Street and up the four blocks to Marine View Drive.
Here, you’ll run right into Cubanos on Wheels cafe (22341 Marine View Drive S., Suite E; 253-326-1244; cubanosonwheelsllc.com), which specializes in “Cuban fusion with a Southern flair.” I ordered a classic Cubano sandwich ($13.99), a side of yucca fries ($6) and a guava pastelito ($4). The sandwich’s crackly pressed exterior gave way to juicy roast pork and sliced ham topped with thin sliced pickles, oozy Swiss American cheese and a tangy mustard. The sandwich is delightfully messy — drips of pork fat are apt to run down your hand while you’re eating. The salty, starchy, pillowy yucca sticks are perfect on their own, but also nice dunked into the creamy garlic sauce that accompanies the sandwich. The cream cheese and guava pastelito was flaky and rich. (I should’ve saved it for the boat ride home.)
Just around the corner on Marine View Drive in the same building as Cubanos is Marina Mercantile (22341 Marine View Drive S., Suite A; 206-651-7526; marinamercantile.com), a quaint market stocked with anything you could want to put together a picnic: fancy cookies, meats, cheeses, pastries, soft drinks, wine, you name it. There are also gourmet-feeling items: tinned seafood, specialty salt, condiments and chocolates. I picked up a bottle of miso salad dressing for a mere $2.50 (double checking at the register it wasn’t mispriced!) and a mortadella sandwich ($9.95). If you’re in the mood to stay a while, there’s coffee, beer and wine by the glass plus meat and cheese platters for snacking.
Sadly, the Des Moines DogHouse and its legendary condiment bar was also closed, adding another spot to my list for next time.
I only had a little over two hours to explore Des Moines before hopping back on the 2 p.m. ferry ride to Seattle, but it was still plenty of time to casually stroll around and eat way too much food.
The ride back was bustling with nearly 40 passengers, and I recognized a few people from my earlier trip. We were doing what Matthias had hoped for when the program started — taking a few hours to check out his city. I know I’ll be back.
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