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Last night we had sushi at Wabi-Sabi and peeked in the window at the new Thai place next door - Spice Room 4909 Rainier Ave. S. Noticing us outside, the owner invited us in after hours. While I haven't yet had the food, the decor is well designed and comfortable feeling. On one side... (more)

Emerald City Improv is organizing a "No Pants Day" on the Seattle Link Light Rail. It happens this Sunday, January 10th between 12-3.  You can RSVP and learn more on their Facebook page .  The "No Pants" concept started with Improv Everywhere , an organization with the goal of creating scenes of chaos and joy. 

Here's a video from the New York No Pants Day of last year...

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Yesterday was a big day for Link Light Rail, as the train finally reaches all the way to airport.  Previously, the rail ended at Tukwila, where travelers had to board a shuttle bus to get to the terminal. This last leg brings travelers next to the airport, where they will take a walkway... (more)

After breakfast at Geraldine's Counter we checked in on the renovation process at 4909 Rainer, which will be home to live/work lofts and two new restaurants. Wabi-Sabi, a sushi bar, and Spice Room, which will be a Thai place. These are two things I love to see coming.

Seafair, Seattle's annual summer celebration is underway and with it, parking headaches in neighborhoods along the lake, especially ones like our neighborhood of Mount Baker.  Each year, Mount Baker gets flooded with Seafair families all looking for a place to park for the day. 

While familes come from all around, I imagine at least some of the traffic could be handled by light rail.  It's actually a short walk from the Mount Baker Station to the north entrance of Seafair.  I created a walking map... (more)

King 5 News did a recent story on Columbia City's efforts to cater to light rail riders with the "Light Rail Sale." It's great to see the Columbia City community make efforts to turn the light rail stop into a valuable asset.  Columbia City has a lot going for it these days: a historic downtown community feel, a diverse and eclectic population and a growing number of businesses offering food, entertainment and services.  A couple of my favorites for food are Columbia City Ale House, now offering "Light Rail Golden Ale" and Geraldine's Counter for breakfast.  ... (more)

I'm excited to learn about station-adjacent restaurants for all of the other stations, but King St. station has been well covered.  This is of course the International District, and a group of dedicated lunchers have been working on reviewing every restaurant near this station.  They've reviewed 85 restaurants so far, and each review is filled with pictures and example dishes. It's called the MSG150, and is well worth checking out.

David Brewster at Crosscut.com has written a list of 13 reasons why the light rail decision took forever.

The first efforts to build modern rail transit in the Seattle area began about 50 years ago. A comprehensive plan was defeated by voters three times (1968, 70, 95), and then a shortened, "starter" system was passed in 1996. That's the one, shortened even further to just 14 miles, that opened this past weekend to general civic jubilation and maybe just in time to elect Mayor Greg Nickels to a third term....

I just couldn't get enough of the light rail this weekend and it appears I wasn't alone. 92,000 people rode the rail on opening weekend according to Sound Transit. For now, here are a few more photos:

TRAIN SHOWING A LONG WEEKEND

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By nearly all accounts, the opening weekend was a success.  Every train I saw was full, people were excited and the system worked well, for the most part.

However, yesterday couldn't help but wonder about this weekend being a missed opportunity for businesses that stand to benefit from the light rail.  At nearly every stop, there was space made near the station that usually involved a volunteer tent and a large parking lot of some sort.  These could be overflow areas for crowds, but I don't think so.... (more)

The process was pretty user friendly, but I didn't really know what an
"e-purse" is. I put $10 on it with a credit card, so I'm hoping that
I'll essentially have a $10 credit for busses, trains and ferries.

Overall, we were really impressed. We boarded at the Mount Baker stop and rode south to Tukwila and then north to Westlake over a few hours. 

MOUNT BAKER STOP

We never waited more than 20 minutes and the trains seemed to operate smoothly the whole time.  Every stop had multiple... (more)

Not the Light Rail... Monorail

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I'm sure a lot of nerds will be checking out the light rail on this opening weekend.  Let's get together, ride the rail and geek out a little.

Here's the plan: Meet at the Mount Baker Stop at 1pm on Sunday July 19th, in the tunnel by the escalators (see photo below). From there, we'll get on board and maybe ride down to Tukwila and back. I'm hoping Sunday will be less crowded. Bring a camera, etc.  

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It's really happening.  The Link Light Rail opens tomorrow with a free ride weekend.  What a big day for Seattle.  I plan to be riding the rail and taking photos like so many others. 

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I'm sure my neighbors encounter the same thing, but sometimes I tell Seattle locals I live in the Mount Baker neighborhood and they think I live near the actual mountain in Whatcom County. Here's a quick guide:

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