So I was reminded on Facebook of this photo of my Cutlass from 2 years ago today... just to show how far It really has come in those 2 years... to give you an idea, I was standing in almost the same spot in the 2nd photo I added to the initial post.
Take some relief in knowing that if you had the LQ1 engine in there to get at the heater hose fittings one has to pull up the upper plenum assembly to allow one to get access to them.
The *upper* weatherstripping being referred to is that length of rubber that seals the hood when it is down.
The secondary cowl cover is that plastic shield that you see which is full of leaves. Remove both of them to get at the fastener that is below the cover.
Aside from releasing the heater core hoses everything else is done inside the passenger compartment.