Old Navy, new glitz converge at the water

I've always had a special place in my heart for Bremerton, partly because of strong family ties as far back as I can remember. My uncle retired from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (The Yard, as it was affectionately called) quite a few years ago. My cousin (his son) retired several years ago as The Yard fire chief, though his wife still works there.

Port Orchard, on the other hand, has always been that smaller Kitsap County town across Sinclair Inlet from Bremerton. A second cousin, if you will. It's possible to see Port Orchard from the Bremerton waterfront, but there just never seemed to be any reason to go there. So I didn't.

But during a recent visit, I found out the two towns are almost joined at the hip, largely because of the shipyard's presence on Sinclair Inlet. Still, regardless of economic ties and geographical connections, the two towns have maintained individual identities.

The shipyard is by far the largest employer in Kitsap County. It has been in the same location since 1891 and has serviced ships and submarines for the Navy almost continuously since then.

Along with the adjacent Naval Station Bremerton, which in 2004 was combined with the submarine base at nearby Bangor and called Naval Station Kitsap, the shipyard is the Pacific Northwest's largest naval shore facility. An interesting historical footnote is that during World War II, because of its ocean accessibility, the shipyard's main mission was to repair battle-damaged naval vessels.

More to the point, the two waterfronts -- only 10 minutes apart by foot ferry across the inlet, or a 10-minute drive around it -- have matured over the years and, for economic and tourism reasons, are more closely allied now than ever.

Population growth in Kitsap County now is almost staggering and both cities and rural Kitsap County are beginning to feel the crunch. Completion of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge/state Route 16 project in 2007 should bolster population growth as well as tourism.

By the way, am I the only one who noticed that the first part of the bridge project to be completed is the tollbooths? The pricey $3 toll for eastbound motorists on the new bridge coupled with outrageous gas prices are key ingredients to what is expected to be a scenic but expensive commute. Don't even try to guess how many years of tolls it will take to pay off the $849 million cost.

After I rode the Washington State ferry from Seattle to Bremerton two years ago, I wrote about some of Bremerton's waterfront improvements under way at the time. The multimillion-dollar waterfront upgrade and modernization project has been spearheaded by Mayor Cary Bozeman. Back then, construction cranes were in place but there still wasn't any shape or form to the project. Most of the construction was centered on the relatively new Bremerton Transportation Center (ferry terminal and bus stop) and waterfront promenade, both adjacent to the shipyard.

Not long after my visit, Washington State Ferries nixed its passenger-only service between Seattle and Bremerton. To facilitate Bremerton-based commuters and visitors from Seattle, Kitsap Ferry Co. started weekday passenger-only service shortly thereafter.

On my more recent visit, I drove from Seattle around through Tacoma to get a close look at the Narrows Bridge/state Route 16 project, which is critical to continued Kitsap County growth. The scope and cost of the project is mind-boggling. So are the traffic tie-ups.

Jeff Larsen / P-I

The new Hampton Inn & Suites is part of the upscale Bremerton Harborside waterfront complex.

My destination this trip was Port Orchard, and I had no trouble finding free parking in a two-hour zone on the main drag downtown. From there, I moseyed around town along the covered sidewalks for a short while, then walked to the foot-ferry dock and hopped the bargain $1 ferry that chugs across Sinclair Inlet to the Bremerton waterfront.

Operated by Kitsap Transit, the foot ferry every 30 minutes (at 15 and 45 minutes after the hour), seven days a week, services shipyard commuters and tourists alike. From the Bremerton Transportation Center docking point, visitors can connect with a state ferry to Seattle or a bus to other Kitsap County locations. Longer-duration, free parking is available near the foot-ferry pier in Port Orchard.

I don't think "changed" adequately describes the Bremerton waterfront's new look. Futuristic is more like it. The modernization anchor of the waterfront renewal is called Bremerton Harborside, which officially opened late summer 2004. Flanked by state-of-the-art, computerized water fountains, the shiny new Kitsap Conference Center is one of the project's centerpieces. At 10,000 square feet, the facility can host everything from a small trade show to an intimate wedding.

Jeff Larsen / P-I

Lawrence La Cross, 19, plays his saxophone at a Port Orchard waterfront park with a view of the Bremerton Naval Shipyard.

Bremerton Harborside is linked to the waterfront by a series of modern, fountain-lined concrete steps that provide convenient access to the waterfront promenade, the transportation center and the USS Turner Joy, the historical destroyer backed up against a pier and on permanent display at the end of the blocklong promenade. The ship is open to the public.

The other Bremerton Harborside centerpiece is the new Hampton Inn & Suites. For conferences, or just a weekend getaway, the hotel/Bremerton Harborside combination is a cozy way to spend a night close to Puget Sound. Near Bremerton Harborside are several new pricey waterfront condominium projects that are gaining popularity as home prices continue to rise. The developments are part of the waterfront revitalization.

To get the true flavor of what's really new, I bought a coffee and a scone at the first downtown Bremerton Starbucks and people-watched for a while from the outside dining area. The contrast of the old and the new was apparent from my vantage point. All I had to do was glance across the street to see Bremerton's older Navy-town side. Other Bremerton Harborside tenants include Subway, Cold Stone Creamery, Puget Sound Box and Package, and Taco Del Mar. Anthony's plans to open a restaurant there this fall.

After an hour and a half or so on the Bremerton waterfront, I spent another dollar and returned by foot ferry to the Port Orchard waterfront just as the weather cleared and the Olympic Mountains burst onto the scene behind a row of aircraft carriers at the shipyard.

Jeff Larsen / P-I

A group enjoys lunch outside the Kitsap Conference Center while a computer-controlled fountain does its tricks.

The entire length of downtown Port Orchard is only a block or so from the waterfront, which is anchored by a huge public marina. The rustic-looking, dark-blue supports for the covered sidewalks add a nautical feel to the downtown corridor that tie it in with the nearby waterfront.

Formerly called Sidney, Port Orchard was Kitsap County's first incorporated town. Originally a booming lumber community, today Port Orchard is the county seat for Kitsap County.

The downtown corridor is lined with small specialty shops, restaurants and clubs. I browsed the crowded Central Antique Mall, which reminded me of what an eBay setting might be like if you could actually touch the merchandise. The Olympic Bike and Skate shop -- jammed from floor to ceiling with bicycles -- was closed so the owner could attend a bicycle show. According to a newspaper clipping on the door, the owner restores beat-up bicycles for the needy.

I couldn't resist a tavern/restaurant called Moon Dog Bar & Grill, so I popped in and talked to Boeing retiree and owner Bill Parkinson over a beer. He bragged about his $5.95 New York strip steak dinner, his blues entertainment and, of course, his dog, Zeke -- you guessed it, the Moon Dog. The establishment is smoky, noisy, slightly funky and of some historical significance, since it's been a Port Orchard tavern for 104 years. Not that I didn't trust the $5.95 steak, but a little later I had a great Chicken Marsala at the much more upscale Tweten's Lighthouse restaurant overlooking Sinclair Inlet.

Jeff Larsen / P-I

The Washington State Ferry Kitsap pulls into the busy Bremerton dock.

Fledgling actor, saxophone player and Port Orchard resident, 19-year-old Lawrence La Cross, picked a delightful evening to practice his instrument in one of the small parks that line the Port Orchard waterfront near the Washington Center for the Arts building -- a quiet, peaceful spot where he wouldn't bother anyone. Next month through December, he noted, he's acting in "Beauty and the Beast" at the arts center. I may decide to catch the ferry over next month and check it out.

If you go

• Kitsap Peninsula Visitor & Convention Bureau -- 32220 Rainier Ave. N.E., Port Gamble; 800-416-5615; www.visitkitsap.com

• Kitsap Transit -- 60 Washington Ave., Suite 200, Bremerton; 800-501-7433; www.kitsaptransit.org

• Kitsap Ferry Co. -- Schedule and information: 360-377-7279; www.kitsapferryco.com

• Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce -- 1014 Bay St., No. 8, Port Orchard; www.portorchard.com

• Tweten's Lighthouse restaurant -- 429 Bay St., Port Orchard; 360-876-8464

• Bremerton Harborside, City of Bremerton -- 345 Sixth St., Suite 600, Bremerton; www.ci.bremerton.wa.us

• Kitsap Conference Center -- 100 Washington Ave., Bremerton; 360-377-3785; www.kitsapconferencecenter.com

• Hampton Inn & Suites -- 150 Washington Ave., Bremerton; 360-405-0200; reservations, 800-426-7866; hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=PWTWAHX

• Moon Dog Bar & Grill -- 714 Bay St., Port Orchard; 360-895-3683

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