I don't remember if I told this story how I got to Seattle, but here goes...
I came to Seattle (From Minnesota) age 18 on a one way Amtrak train ticket in 1979 with a little over $100 and a suit case full of clothes. A high school buddy (Same graduation year) came with me and we were homeless the 3 weeks after we arrived in Feb 1979. Kevin returned home and pursued his career closer to home... and I kept applying at Boeing, find warm comfortable places to bed down for the night. We both heard that Boeing was hiring, and I LOVED aerospace since a little kid.
By April 4th 1979, I had a job at the Boeing Company. I was down to $20 or so and eating Snicker bars, one in the morning, one in the evening, that was breakfast, lunch and dinner...before I got my first pay check which took essentially 3 weeks because of the twice- monthly pay checks.
One night while on lunch break (2nd shift) this old Marine Corp Guadacanal-experienced lead man looked at me at my bench, eating a Snickers bar. He said "NELSON! GET UP HERE" (everyone shook when Ernie called your name, he was close to retirement and intimidating even in old age!)
I walk up to Marine Corp Ernie and he says "Where's your lunch? I haven't seen you bring in a lunch for 2 weeks!" I explained to Ernie that I had very little money left and was trying to make it last. Snicker Bars really do kill the craving pains!
Ernie whips out $50 out of his wallet, slaps it on his podium over looking the shop floor and says 'Here, pay me back on payday godd*mmit'.
That night I went out to a restaurant that was on East Marginal Way near Boeing Field called "Denny's". I ordered two steaks, two pieces of pie, two baked potatoes....you get the idea...
Well, at 12:45am I walked out of that restaurant fat, happy and the fullest I'd been in a month....and puked it up all on the sidewalk! I was like an Auschwitz survivor! My stomach was in shock! LOL! I'll never forget that Guadacanal Marine Corp sergeant and I'm always thankful for his $50 which I *DID* pay back on pay day! If I didn't, he would of kicked my bellybutton even at his ripe old age of 64!
Just thought I'd share that being homeless once meant "Pursuing greener pastures".
