Mar 25, 2007

RUNNING SEATTLE'S SPINE
Ballard-Columbia City, SEATTLE – A certain romantic entanglement has brought unto me a world of Seattle Metro woes.

No, you can't hear more about my sweetheart. Road Remedies is not that sort of blog. But check out the consolation prize: a primer on the comedy of errors that is public transport here in the Emerald City! Go on, you know you want to...

Recently voters slammed down two propositions with a "no and hell no". They nixed a new highway viaduct downtown – as well as a tunnel (those who learn from the disaster of Boston's Big Dig are not doomed to repeat it).

Various solutions often target my neighborhood, Ballard. Once a sleepy Scandinavian fishing quarter, it boomed with bohos, then condos. But the bloody buses still run every 30 minutes... until, say, 9.30pm on a Friday, when they begin running downtown once an hour.

'Cause we wouldn't want public transport to promote carefree evenings out or anything. No, no, nooooo. Why replace a fine tradition of drunk-driving and mortgage-expensive, slow-to-respond taxis?

Anyway, returning to lighter themes: I ride the bus for the best of reasons, book in hand, iPod in pocket. And I only complain a little.

"I've met a lovely man," I wrote my friend Lisa in London. "Except he lives 12 miles across town."

"Did you mean 120?" she asked.

"No, 12. But it takes me 70-95 minutes on Seattle Metro."

7 comments:

  1. Awww, I think it's very sweet that you ride the bus for 1.5 hours to go see your sugarbear. This could be the basis of a good screenplay.

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  2. Well, my honey's more the screenplay writer than me, but I'll pass the tip along.

    Imagine the scandalous movie that could result: old men lifting their kilts ... hijab infractions on the #7 ... the weird bus driver who kept miaowing (full disclosure: I largely missed this episode due to the iPod, but I'm sure events can be reconstructed via a few judicious Craigslist postings).

    One of my friends says I should not mess with a GU – Geographically Unsuitable – date. But I can't take his advice seriously, since he lives in Juneau and is flirting with an Anchorite...

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  3. Oh no, I think you're on safe grounds, as long as your honeybeet is living in the same time zone ... that's the rule: a date can only be GU if he/she lives in another timezone.

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  4. Honeybeet? Did you learn that one from Felicia's teddybear?

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  5. Amanda, I'll never tell.

    Now quit wasting so much time on your blog and get on that bus to go see your candycakes.

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  6. I might start grading, just so I can flunk you for that candycake comment, homeslice!

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  7. Are you threatening me?

    Your muffinplum wouldn't be impressed by that, Amanda.

    Hehehehe

    :-)

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