With the South Bellevue Park & Ride closing soon, I have been looking at other work commute…read moreoptions. This includes utilizing the Evergreen Point Freeway Station from time to time. This station is the 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. While the station is covered, it is open air. Thus 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. So 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 new Evergreen Point Freeway bus stop is just about complete. There's now sufficient covered…read morewaiting area everyone can stay out of the rain. This is a great stop, because every bus headed westbound stops there, except the 271. That means you can catch a U District bus or a Seattle bus there very easily. The bad news is parking: there's not enough of it. They put a nice lawn in instead of supplying enough parking to meet demand. If you get there after 7:30 a.m. or so, there's no parking available. They have plenty of room on the deck for three times as much parking as they built.

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.

The highway could use upgrades - some of which are underway - but gets you from point A to point B…read moreand often quite undisrupted. One lane usage on weekends throughout the summer of 2019 make for long north/south-bound trips when construction and upgrades are being made, but the end result is better. Fewer potholes, better conditions all around. The highway itself is quite long, making its way from south of SeaTac Airport and up north beyond Shoreline/Edmonds. It's a great thoroughfare that allows one to see the city while traversing through it - including the vibrant and shady aspects of a big city not unlike others.

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.

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.

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.

Absolutely love the new SR - 99 tunnel under the city of Seattle…read more The use of the tunnel saves time on driving and saving time means saving money. Sure I pay a toll but who cares, I can afford it ! With several entry points I merge onto by the stadiums or come off West Seattle bridge to go north bound. Only a slight complaint for getting on after a Kraken game but I'm sure it will be addressed in the future.. Inside the tunnel is well lite so no reason harsh transition for daylight to tunnel like the old days... Now if you option to grab a Good To Go pass which ill recommend you'll get a nice discount on the toll. And should not have one you'll get a bill in the mail for your laziness. Anyways that's how I feel about the new tunnel and I'm sticking to it!

In what can only be described as a project of epic scope and proportions, the much-anticipated new…read moreSR-99 Tunnel is finally open for business. First envisioned after the deadly 2001 Nisqually Earthquake, the tunnel's purpose was to replace the condemned 2-level concrete monstrosity known as the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Luckily for the drivers of Seattle, engineers were able to hold the Viaduct together with duct tape and chewing gum so that traffic could keep flowing during the ensuing 18-year path to construction that included, among many delays, a multi-year struggle to repair Bertha (a drill bit so huge it needed its own name). While the arrival of the tunnel was much anticipated, as construction dragged on it also created a lot of anxiety in the Seattle driving community. How would we get into the tunnel? How would we get out of it? How would we get downtown when the Viaduct's crumbling-but-effective off-ramps to that area were not going to be replaced by tunnel exits? And, of course, the big question was: would the city survive three weeks of the viaduct being closed so that the tunnel could be finished and opened? Well, my transportation-loving friends, I am pleased to report that the tunnel is finally open for business. And it's really quite lovely. The lights are bright, and the walls are white and clean. On this particular morning, traffic was flowing freely through it at 7 am. And while it's true that you're in trouble if you need to get into downtown, it's really quite a nice fast route *through* the city. As long as you don't need to stop in the *actual* city. So while we drivers will miss the beautiful views from the (former) Viaduct, we will not miss the ugly views *of* the Viaduct. Yes, plans are in the works to replace the ancient structure with a park. And in another 10 years (or maybe closer to 18) people walking through that park might not even realize that there's a tunnel underneath - or the arduous process it took to complete it. And yes, I'll update this review when they start charging us to use the new tunnel sometime later this year.

It is the last station on the 2 Line and is centrally located in Downtown Redmond across from…read moreRedmond Town Center along with a lot of new apartment complexes with new shops and restaurants. Redmond has become more of a hot spot because of this station. There are also buses that have stops under the station making it a good transfer point. Of the stations on the 2 Line that are on the Eastside, this station is the best example of area development built around transit.Taking light rail to this station is my preferred way to get to and from Downtown Redmond as train service is frequent and quicker than taking a bus.

Opening along with its sister Marymoore Redmond station in May 2025, the Downtown Redmond…read more(elevated) Station is the northmost terminus of the 2 Line light rail in the Seattle metro area. It opened almost 1 year after the initial opening of the 2 Line, and provides easy access to downtown Redmond. Our family took a Sunday afternoon train ride ($3 per person) from the current southernmost station (South Bellevue) to here, a ride taking under 30 minutes. It is within easy walking distance of many restaurants, and the large H-Mart as well. Definitely doable to take the train from Bellevue to here, to do a little Korean grocery shopping.