Remaining Seattle Pay phones

[Westrex]

Here are the locations and picture(s) of public telephones left in Seattle that still work (As of May 2023).

1. Woodland Park Zoo: Near Bear Parking Lot exit, attached to bathrooms.

2. University of Washington: Across from Lewis Hall, booth is graffitied, but phone still works.

3. Camp Long: Parking Lot, Qwest booth and Qwest phone, but operated by Wimactel.

(Attached is a picture of the phone in the University District and the Camp Long phone)

[Westrex]

There are also 2 booths w/ phones and 1 open pay phone at Kalaloch Lodge in Olympic National Park, but when I was last there on a camping trip, I believe the 2 booths were out of service or disconnected, and the open phone was temporarily out of service.

[Kellogg Kitt]

I notice the zero key does not say "OPER."  Do local operators still exist?  What happens if you dial zero?

Curiosity got me, so I did it myself, from my AT&T POTS line in Atlanta, GA.  I reached a robot that started by saying in an urgent tone of voice, if this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911 *now*.  Then it announced the current date and time.  Then it offered a few more options: To place a call, customer service, repair, etc.  Finally, it said, if you have a disability and need assistance placing a call, remain on the line.

I did not stay on the line to speak with the operator, but apparently, they do still exist.

[Westrex]

I notice the zero key does not say "OPER."  Do local operators still exist?  What happens if you dial zero?

Curiosity got me, so I did it myself, from my AT&T POTS line in Atlanta, GA.  I reached a robot that started by saying in an urgent tone of voice, if this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911 *now*.  Then it announced the current date and time.  Then it offered a few more options: To place a call, customer service, repair, etc.  Finally, it said, if you have a disability and need assistance placing a call, remain on the line.

I did not stay on the line to speak with the operator, but apparently, they do still exist.

If you look at the bottom of the Wimactel branded phone, you'll see a button that says directory assistance on the left hand side. And I know that Ziply landline service still has operators if you dial 0 (at least in the Seattle area).

[poplar1]

I did not stay on the line to speak with the operator, but apparently, they do still exist.

AT&T has announced that they are discontinuing both operators (0) and Directory Assistance (411).
Not all places at the same time.

Already, they stopped printed directories except for yellow pages and for white pages for business listings only.

[MMikeJBenN27]

That's a shame, no more 411 Information, but it has been pretty lame for a few years now, no operator, just a stupid computer.  Government listings are not available, as it only asks "Business or Residence"?

Mike

[Westrex]

Found another pay phone. This time, it is at a Shell gas station on Holman Road, not sure if it has a receiver, I will try to test it later. You can see it here: https://www.google.com/maps/@47.7014935,-122.3623942,3a,15y,123.33h,90.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2T_rclQWvg5wNux6FZN8tA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[TelePlay]

Don't know about the handset but it seems to have power a power drop into its top from the power pole on the corner.

Or is that the TelCo feed and the power was from the post sticking up out of the concrete below the enclosure?

[TelePlay]

One of the problems with Google maps is the time difference. Here is a shot of the back taken from another street apparently after the above images showing the standpipe broken off. Probably Teleco feed.

[Westrex]

One of the problems with Google maps is the time difference. Here is a shot of the back taken from another street apparently after the above images showing the standpipe broken off. Probably Teleco feed.

Could be a temporary outage. I'm still going to test it either later this weekend or at a later date.

[FABphones]

Nice screenshots teleplay, very informative. 

...not sure if it has a receiver...

The handset appears to be lying off hook in front of the phone.

[Westrex]

Just checked the phone on Holman Rd. The phone is complete dilapidated, the cable is cut, and is now just used for ads I guess.

Pictures will be posted soon.

[Westrex]

Here are photos of the phone (as of May 22nd, 2023):

[FABphones]

Poor old thing.
 

[Westrex]

Found another pay phone, this time it's at the REI Boathouse in Bellvue. The booth is from between 1960-1964 and was operated by Pacific Northwest Bell,because of the label above the phone, and the phone is from around 2000 or so. Also, pay phone users beware: apparently if you dial *89 for collect calls, Wimactel will ask the person on the other end to accept or decline the charge of $15 for calling collect, so it's cheaper to just spend 50 cents or a dollar to call someone, instead of calling collect.