A Sleep up Ambien Production
(Readers note for old people and those who don't know how a computer works: If you want to enjoy this as I envisioned writing it, when you see an orange word hold down your control button and click on the word.) Now pat yourself on the back. You don't have time for this crap.
No, I'm not talking about the time it took for the Titanic to finally hit the iceberg (Just sink this acting already please) in the over hyped fantasy classic movie bearing the same name.
"I'll never let you go Jack."
I guess Brett Michaels was right; "Every rose has its thorn." (Which is worse?)
No.
I'm talking about driving from Redmond, Washington to Safeco Field. A thirteen mile journey became my half marathon time. (If I was in shape.) 200 feet in
That's right. Riddled with stop and go traffic, honking horns (something as rare and unseen in Seattle as direct confrontation) and what can only be described as asshole drivers, I wasted more gas then a Cleveland Cavaliers playoff run. (I couldn't resist a Cleveland joke.) Sorry Lebron
Now look I know it was rush hour. I know there were a few accidents on the various highways. I turned to the traffic reports on the radio and someone was most likely blinded by the bright orb in the sky, And there's a possibility a family of squirrels ran across the 520 and 405 receptively and being an animal friendly place first, naturally breaking and fender bender's emerged. (I'm just guessing.)
Traffic happens. This traffic however, is without Steve Winwood, and unnecessary.
But the burning question remains. When will Seattle set the stage for a state of the art 21 century light rail system that connects the east side to the greater Seattle area?
The parallels between this and Germany's wall history is to hard to pass up.
Currently, they do have a mini me version that is decent. Notice how it goes north and south! Wouldn't it be nice to have it though, going east and west? That might seem sound right?
To be able to go in each direction.
Sound transit, it does have it's great transportation from Seatac Airport to downtown Seattle. But I'm not talking about just a plane ride to get into the city. Also, considering that Seatac is roughly fifteen miles from Seattle, can you imagine if the sound transit system didn't exist?!
Well perhaps I should write a letter to the Department of Transportation and start it off with
Dear Mr. Fantasy,
Because this shit wouldn't happen.............
Not funny at all
Still not a good thing here......
Look, say what you will about the reality of a Hunger Games movie, at least everyone had access to a bullet train that could have you mining coal in District 13 one hour, then throwing up your lunch in District 1 the next.
Sure there was economic inequality and an oligarchy of plutocrats and greed, but even in that inhumane system people got where they were going without delay!
Well put my name in for the reaping, raise my taxes, create revenue. Because I will fight for such transportation. (For the record the higher taxes part yes, the dying to get it done? I'll leave that to the contractors of that project. ((Which brings me to one of my favorite comedic movie scenes.))
I digress. Or undress, my thoughts!
Since I've moved to the Seattle area roughly five years ago I've witnessed us legalize weed, gay marriage, and the ability to physically talk to someone and no longer have to just use your cellphone.
I've also heard the chatter about how a light rail would be beneficial to so many people. (As in like everyone!) North, South, East, West.
They've been talking about this issue for so long and not seeing any tangible progress I'm starting to consider the Light Rail for all sides of Seattle and the east side code word for the Cleveland Browns! (ok, two Cleveland jokes and I'm done. I promise.)
And of course it's a great debate to be had. How to get it done? How do we pay for it? How do we stall? How can we divert the attention long enough for people to just forget about it? Hey did we tell you it's almost football season 12s??!!
And Sound Transit seems to want to connect people to 'regional centers' but what about communities?
Huh? What about East to West? Over the Lake and through the woods?
When I say this would benefit everyone I'm not talking out of my ass.
Let's break it down in every stereotypical field of what a society consists of around Seattle.
Small business, big business people:Hey guess what, you want more customers who aren't wasting gas money have more money not to pay for overpriced parking? A light rail would increase business revenue by upwards of 1,000% (Adjusted for actual facts)
Hippies and Environmentalists: Ok, you may need to clear some trees but back to the whole not using a car bit. If we can convince the guy who climbed the tree in Seattle to come back down, we can ask all the John Lennon's to give peace a chance, destroy it's forestry a little, and bring more peace to commuters looking to reduce carbon emissions.
Check this insane stat out,
"According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the average auto commuter in the United States spends 42 hours per year in traffic. "
Say what now?
Now imagine you're Seattle. A growing economy with more nerds and athletes then a top tier parochial private all boys school.
Consider our recent population boom over the past couple of years. Seattle hasn't seen a rise of people this big since record executives were coming over to sign the next Nirvana.
Neil Young remembers the Gold Rush.
You don't think that with those numbers comes air pollution? Not everyone rides bikes around here no matter how much you think people have never known how a car operates in the area.
College kids/young kids with money: Ok East Siders! You know the kids that either live downtown Seattle or on the east side and say they're from Seattle. Yeah, and Nirvana was from Aberdeen but we all said Seattle sounded right. One thing I learned while moving here is that the East side (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and ok Mill Creek you can join us) have a little superiority complex when it comes to the Seattle neighborhoods. "We are fine where we are. We feel safe. We can do everything they do in Capital Hill, and not worry about conflicting ideas." The 'no need to visit Seattle' was exasterbated (love that word) when they started to toll the 520.
"No thanks. Not going to Seattle. We will stick to the 420."
Almost Live put it perfectly. The East Side!
Well guess what?
Chicken but..Know why?
I'm still your guy!
......., If we had a great light rail system that went from Redmond to Kirkland to Bellevue over into Seattle? The great invsible wall that exists between the suburban brat and the aging hipster would be bridged!
Imagine a world where a Queen Anne and a Bellevue Bro can join hands in getting upset that their Starbucks order was incorrect!
Tourists: Yeah, how would you like to get a rental car here and realize after you drop it off that you had a 500$ bill because your rental agreement didn't let you know they weren't adding the bill to the 520 you didn't know was tolled? I may be exagerating, but having just visisted Cleveland, my hometown still has people you pay in booths. (Note to Seattle readers: These are real people, who take your change and you go.) So enter midwest people, the south, and people from Maine who visit; What if they spread their money around?
Old people: They have a few years left. Give them a ride they can appreciate without breaking their pacemaker.
Children: Ah yes the children! What a politican loves to throw into our faces to remind us what the future is. Well I remember the early 90's them talking about 'the children'. Well guess what? We are grown ups now. So we are the future and we want a mother funking light rail system so we can show are kids now what an area looks like without shoveling out 100$ in a day.
Frankly, in an area where everyone complains about how inept and crass all the drivers, traffic, and crossing squirells are, I'm suprised every person (regardless of political affiliation) isn't investing all their time in this.
Of course I've spoken with friends and colleagues about this. And upon hearing many takes one I took away should be of note:
Not everyone who lives in certain neighborhoods wants certain elements with others.
Or to put it in meterologists terms:
"The snow doesn't want to mix with acid rain."Or if you're speaking as Sheldon from the big bang theory,
"Those acid dropping hippies and upscale white people make for interesting bed fellows!"
I think that as much as people hate traffic here, they also don't like people. I wouldn't say people are all out misanthropes, or ill natured. I'm just suggesting that if we suddenly open transportation to everyone around east side and Seattle, Bellevue might actually meet black people for the first time.
I find this to be ludacris.
But I also find that in the many districts and towns within the greater Seattle area, people for the most part are isolationists. Consider this article published earlier this year. University of Washington can get to Capital Hill? Not to be a cynic, but since when did college kids getting to Capital Hill become the problem that needed to be solved?
"Mike, I got a problem. I'm in my early 20's and I can't for the life of me get to where everything happens in Seattle because my electric uni-cycle bike ran out of power somehwere between Seattle Central and Udub."
I feel like this is the reverse of the band The Proclaimers. "And I can walk just 5, maybe 4 miles!"
And "When I wake up.. Well I know I'm going to be, I'm going to be the man who sits in the Light Rail there with you. When I go home, well I know I'm going to be, saving gas and evergreen trees right next to you! And when I come home (Call and response) WHEN I COME HOME! Well I know I'm going to be, an entitled ass who doesn't give a #%#@ for you!"
I thought America valued money? I mean we say Jesus, constitution and capitalism but aren't those all the same thing?
It's the holy trinity of lip service we tell people.
Oh there's also this thing called population explosion in the Seattle area. Yeah it turns out when you have huge succesful companies and an utterly breathtaking atmosphere and views, people tend to move here. Oh, and jobs. (They didn't look at the rent though! That's ok, they can afford it!)
What about happiness? Who isn't happy on a train? On the flip side who loves being stuck in traffic? Why not reduce the risk of car accidents in the area by allowing those who love to break more then a smoker at work, ride a train?
I'm going to try and do my part and write the mayor and my local legislature and people in power. (Not Whole Foods, but secrectly I think they run the show)
I suggest you do the same. Here are some ways you can considerably make an impact.
Seattle elected officials
Bellevue City Council
Redmond City Council
Find your state representatives.
(EDITORS NOTE) **I write the following text surrounded by these asterisks on 7/14/16 having just been in Seattle the night before**
**35$. It cost 35$ smack you in the face a-roos to finally, after circling one way streets and don't turn left signs to finally find a parking garage. Don't get me wrong. I was happy to drive into traffic leaving my Redmond home at 7:10pm to get to the Comedy Underground eventually at around 7:50. I sang on the way there. I felt good. When I got off on James St, that's when it happened. I realized my wife in my ear.
"Ugh Seattle. There's no where to fu**** park, the streets are small and it's just ugh"
I should have known better and listened. The city is fine, the parking is not!
Look, you're not going to attract the hanging on to the middle class class of people if you can't have reasonable parking or HINT HINT an F'ing light rail that I could catch from I don't know
REDMOND. KIRKLAND. BELLEVUE.**
Let your congressmen and women know that we need a new coffee order for the area.
Light on the traffic, heavy on the light rail.
Oh, and uh, if you can please hurry up, I'm late for work and traffic's bad.
Unlike the idea of a Light Rail for all!
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