The First Hill Streetcar runs through the historical neighborhoods of Pioneer Square,…read moreChinatown-International District (C-ID), Little Saigon, First Hill and Capitol Hill. This includes 12th & Jackson. Lately I've been reflecting on this intersection. It wasn't always a bad part of town. I remember visiting this neighborhood as a kid. My family shopped for groceries at Viet-Wah. We ate at this one Filipino restaurant at a strip mall. I think it was called Tropical Hut? It was a welcoming, thriving business district of services, dining, and retail for multi-generations. Things took a turn in the late 2010s and hasn't recovered since. Jackson Street, the streetcar route from Pioneer Square up to Little Saigon, used to have a vibrant music scene. I read up on the Jackson Street Jazz Trail and the Seattle Self-Guided Green Book Tour. Seemed like it was the place to see and be seen between the 1920s-1960s. I'd love to see interpretive signs and markers celebrating those spaces and artists. If you still need a music fix you can hop on the streetcar and visit the Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, and Elvis statues on Capitol Hill. Some people catch the streetcar for work at Harborview or Swedish. Some might catch it up to school at Seattle U or Seattle Central. The streetcar shares the road with other vehicles, bikes and scooters. It's painfully slow compared to the light rail and buses. Transit enthusiasts and tourists might test out the streetcar this summer. Consider it a leisurely scenic route. The South Lake Union Trolley is empty and boring af (I honestly don't know why it's still operating) compared to the workhorse First Hill Streetcar. The First Hill streetcar carries a diverse crowd. It can get crowded if there are major events like the Capitol Hill Block Party, festivals in the C-ID, games at the stadiums, or art fairs in Pioneer Square.

It was my first time to take a RapidRide to transfer to First Hill streetcar. I paid when I got on…read morethe rapidride bus and got a transfer ticket. After I got off, it was only a few steps to get on the streetcar. At the streetcar station, there were a couple transit security people helping passengers. I used the transfer for the streetcar. The streetcar was clean. The transit security people politely checked our passes. I felt very comfortable the whole time.

The 245 is one of the main bus routes I take to and from work. It is the route that takes me home…read moreafter my commute to work in Seattle. The route runs from the Kirkland Transit Center to Eastgate Park & Ride in Bellevue. It makes stops at numerous notable locations including Crossroads Mall, Microsoft HQ and Redmond Technology Center where you can take the 2 Line to Downtown Bellevue and Seattle. Have a love hate relationship with this bus. It is dependable for my morning commute. It might run a few minutes late, but not enough to make me late for work. But it can be pretty terrible during the afternoon commute due to Microsoft traffic. Sometimes 10-20 minutes late on the busier days of the week (Tuesday-Thursday). Usually the bus interiors are comfortable and clean, though it sometimes can be dirty due to trash left by some riders. The reliability in the afternoon could be better, but I will continue taking this bus since it is the best option for my work commute.

My review for Clyde Hill/Yarrow Point Station is pretty much the same as the one I wrote for…read moreEvergreen Point Freeway Station as both stations serve the same purpose. This station is the 2nd to last Eastside stop before you head onto SR 520 so it is basically a transfer point. A lot of buses from places like Kirkland, Redmond and Woodinville make stops here before crossing over. On the return trip east, you can change between buses that originate from downtown Seattle and the U-District here. To quicken my commute, I have taken buses to this station and then transferred to a different bus to get to my final destination. Clyde Hill/Yarrow Point Station is partially covered, but open air. It can get chilly waiting here on winter days. Still your wait here is usually only going to be a few minutes, so it is bearable. I do have a personal preference for the Evergreen Point stop over this one. Heading west, I want to spend the least amount of time potentially standing on the bus that I need to. If your usual bus is delayed, I would recommend taking a bus to this stop as it gives you more options to choose from. It is helpful for those who need to change over from a U-District bus to a downtown Seattle bus and vice versa.

The Clyde Hill/Yarrow Point Station is super convenient to get to for Eastsiders. I've only been…read moreto this station a few times, only when my normal route has been backed up, and it's nice to know that there is this stop which isn't too far from downtown Bellevue. The bus stop is along 520. Once you're dropped off, there is a flight of stairs that takes you to the roundabout area that makes pick-ups easy peasy. At this stop, it's also covered, which has been handy since the last time I visited here it was snowing! This stop is not very walkable to any of the eastside neighborhoods, so I would recommend making arrangements to be picked up; hence, the roundabout driveway for cars here.

Our first ride on the Seattle Street Car was a treat! The driver super helpful and friendly,…read moreengaging the littlest passengers with enthusiasm and sincere interest. Orca cards are accepted, but bus transfers are not! Just so you know. The trip is relatively short from the north end of downtown to SLU, but comfortable, smooth and clean. It's not too crowded; at least not early on a Thursday afternoon while most are lunching. The trolley provides easy access to MOHAI and the Center for Wooden Boats without having to search for and pay for limited hours parking.

I hope they can salvage this somehow…read more As far as a people mover system, the South Lake Union Streetcar has as much appeal as the Seattle Monorail. It is a curiosity, but lacking in usefulness for most. The Streetcar runs from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the Eastlake area to a stop across the street from Westlake Center. There is a train every 15 minutes. The system seems to model itself like the Portland Streetcar, but the current streetcar system in Seattle is inferior in the same way that Seattle's Sound Transit Light Rail system is to the Portland MAX system. In its current state, I think the main use of it is in shuttling Amazon and Fred Hutchinson employees from Westlake to their respective offices. There is not a whole lot of Metro bus service in South Lake Union (SLU), so the Streetcar does alleviate that issue a bit. But seeing that Westlake is only several blocks south from SLU, I think most people including myself would prefer to walk the distance rather than wait for the Streetcar. I would only take it if there was a train leaving shortly that would save me a couple minutes. Work on a First Hill Streetcar is going on now and there has been talk of extending the SLU Streetcar further north which would be great if it happens. It would be a waste to not expand. Right now the value of this line is not there, but hopefully city planners can turn that around with some forward thinking expansion.

Located in the heart of downtown Bellevue, this outdoor transit center (basically a series of…read moreberths where different bus numbers come and go) can be used to go to SeaTac airport in about 45 minutes. It also has local buses going throughout Bellevue, which can be used as connectors. The lightrail does not connect through Bellevue. There is a lot of construction next to the transit station (building some sort of high rise). I-405 is what connects Bellevue to the airport, and the bus takes it most of the way. It is just a standard bus, so doesn't have luggage racks nor empty spaces where bulky luggage can be placed. Works if you have one piece of luggage and the bus isn't too full. Bus driver was super friendly, and the fare one-way is $2.75 if using the mobile app that lets you buy the ticket on-line (you have 2 hours of unlimited uses once you activate it...so free transfers).

Bus nearly came at 11PM when it was suppose to come at 10:30PM. Then randomly on some days it will…read morecome 10 minutes early. If you go wait at the bus stop super early like 10-15 minutes to prepare for the buses that come too early but it's delayed, you will end up waiting 20-50 minutes in total just standing in the blazing sun or cold rain. But if you try to go on time with a few extra minutes early, there are days buses will be 8-10 minutes early so you will miss it and with my luck the next bus will be delayed. Today I went out at 1:10PM for a bus and it was super early so I waited for the next one and it was delayed. Now I will arrive somewhere around 2:30PM for a place that takes 10 minutes to drive to.

Adding a star. Updating as there are bus stops closer to the station including one headed…read moresouthbound right outside. There are limited buses however that stop here, so not an ideal connection point unless your bus stops here.

New station (opening in April '24), part of the 2 Line Sound Transit light rail system, located in…read moreBellevue, WA. Currently in early 2025, it only goes as far as South Bellevue, which greatly limits the usefulness for most people. Once the connect to the 1 Line in downtown Seattle occurs in 2025, bel-red residents can use this station to take the train all the way to downtown Seattle and beyond to Sea-Tac international airport. The station is open air with a bit of covering. I took the train from downtown Bellevue on a Friday afternoon, and it was pretty empty. There were more security personnel on the train and platform than actual passengers during this time of day. But this should greatly increase once the connection should happen (when I took the 1 line, it was magnitudes greater usage than what I experienced here).

The former Overlake Transit Center has been renamed Redmond Technology Station to culminate with…read morethe upgrades made to this facility. This is the main public transit center for the Microsoft Redmond campus and the current terminus for the 2 Line which will extend further into Redmond later this year. With the upgrades made to this facility, there is now a coffee shop (Dote Coffee Bar) at the station and coverage from the weather if you are waiting for a bus at the station (except if you are taking a 245 or B Line bus). The parking garage has also been expanded, so it is easier to find a space here than previously. The only thing I don't like about the upgrade is that I still need to walk across the bridge most of the time to catch a bus westbound to Seattle.

The light rail has to be ine of the most corrupt or grossly mismanaged govt entity. How does one…read moreexplain frequent delays to service getting started, outages etc to a new service? Service to redmond tc delayed, link to seattle delayed, today service outage past overlake station.

" N GATE " aka North Terminal is the best of the best @ SeaTac Airport. Totally upgraded during…read moreCovid19 epidemic and now this Death Star is fully operational now. After a gritty over crowded underground train ride the doors open and a mad rush of human waist head for the escalators. I'm included in that afterbirth of people but I'm special. I skip the shops and head for "THE LOUNGE"! Alaska Airlines has their premium lounge for people who pay to be pampered and of coarse I pay for that privilege... I enjoy the spectacular view of planes taking off while having unlimited tasty beverage ( sometimes alcohol ) and typically morning goodies. This refuge allows me to hide out from the scourge of humanity waiting for a plane to somewhere... Ok, there are plenty of dining and beverage places to wet your whistle including a Wendy's can you believe it... In fact grabbing a chili for my flight is a wonderful idea. It will keep the travel people away from me as I'll donate some of myTreblinka fumes into the ozone layer... Moving onto the shopping well many opportunity's to purchase candy or clothing and maybe even a silly souvenir of our local sports team. Enjoy your experience and have a wonderful flight! And please folks one reminder DO NOT WHISTLE while you walk around, it's annoying!

Date of visit: July 22, 2025…read more The concept of the different "pods" of gates to help control traffic (likely both people and planes!) is a nice one, but the biggest issue I have with it is that you are unable to walk everywhere you need to go and have to rely on the trams to get you where you need to be if you have a connecting flight. I wish all airports would let you stretch your legs and strut from one end of the terminals to the other, like Atlanta does. All that being said, SEA and the North Satellite Terminal are in overall good condition and the letter/numbering system is straightforward and easy to follow. Like most airports, stairs are an after-thought yet all of the escalators and aforementioned trams were in good condition.