Light Rail Tourism

RantWoman was only there for the air conditioning. Well, no. RantWoman quite appreciated the air conditioning but she figured it was darn well time she rode the whole Light Rail line.

And the verdict?

Much to like. A few things not so much.

For the first time in RantWoman's many rides, she met a human who asked for proof of payment. One of these days RantWoman will get herself a "Who would Jesus Bomb?" lanyard or some other way of dangling her card for all to see. Meanwhile, RantWoman had to mark her own ORCA card with something tactile so she can find it in her pouch when needed but out it came. End of questions.

RantWoman likes the airy slightly retro feel of the elevated stations. This is the 21st century. Link could have come with gleam and chrome and platinum and holograms everywhere. Both Mount Baker and International Boulevard have a little more the feel of what the 1962 World's Fair must have felt like: lots of structure visible. Wonderful open feel from the windows. Functional but not flashy elements in the elevators. RantWoman would not mind if the elevators beeped a little more loudly upon arriving and opening. RantWoman almost missed one elevator because her mind was wandering and she noticed the elevator had showed up just in time to keep it from running away.

RantWoman has hitherto experienced Tukwila mainly in the form of freeways, shopping malls, and industrial areas, with the only high point being the solar collector atop what RantWoman thinks might be Metro's South Base. It was striking to see how much lovely woods there is along the Light Rail Route. RantWoman definitely hopes the woods hang in there, hopes that the forces of development don't grind them all or even a very large percentage of them into industrial facilities or tract housing. RantWoman would especially be charmed to see more new and retrofitted buildings adopt green building / rooftop garden / natural thermal management principles such as the ones used in Seattle's First Station 10 downtown.

Except for the architecture, RantWoman found the whole International Boulevard station, well, disappointing. First of all, there is this mezzanine thingie. The mezzanine had long lines of people buying tickets from machines. RantWoman was very glad just to have her ORCA card., but RantWoman finds having to zigzag among people standing in lines tiresome under the best circumstances. RantWoman was also fatigued from the long ride (ha!) and the heat. If someone had been dispensing caffeine in any of several forms, RantWoman would happily have partaken.

One does not seem to have a reliable way of predicting which side one should ascend to get the departing train. RantWoman supposes this will be clearer when the route to the airport opens and trains are running both directions through Tukwila, but right now it feels like a dice roll.

Meanwhile, the Tukwila station is in the middle of a gynormous humungoid gigantic PARKING LOT. There is literally NOTHING RantWoman could see that she could walk to wthout getting on some other form of conveyance. RantWoman thinks this is SILLY, especially since the thing she is most likely to care about visiting in Tukwila is all the shopping around Southcenter Mall. RantWoman has no idea what arrangements there may eventually be to facilitate shopping, but having to make the transfer is a big minus in RantWoman's choice of shopping destinations.

Then there is the airport. Like as not, if RantWoman were arriving at the airport and had a choice between shuttle bus + Link or the 194 bus, chances are RantWoman would opt for the single seat ride on the 194 bus. So the jury is still out on the airport option at least until that end of Link opens.

Coming back, RantWoman also noticed blocks of quite similar housing and, er, UGLY townhomes along some stretches of the routes. RantWoman wishes the residents every happiness and convenient commeute; RantWoman also encourages everyone to do anything they can to promote more green and less uniformity. Stay tuned on that front as well.

Will RantWoman be back? Of course!