9 posts tagged “capitol hill”
QotW: How do you travel to and from work - personal vehicle, bus, subway/train, pedal power? What does it cost you per week in gas or fares?
Submitted by Jan.
Warning: In this post I will no doubt come across as the smug self-righteous anti-automobile pro-pedestrian transit advocate that I am. If this will irk you, please stop reading right now (but don't whine to me about the price of gas or parking, unpleasant traffic conditions, or global warming).
My commute? I usually walk. To work it's almost all downhill; from work it's the opposite. It's a steep hill, and it feels great to hike to the top after sitting at a desk all day. Both up and downhill, I love to be able to window-shop and take in all the wacky sticker art that encrusts the Pike/Pine corridor or Olive Way.
When I'm running really late in the morning, I'll catch the bus, which cuts my commute time from 30 to 15 minutes. This happens about twice a week. (The rest of the mornings I'm only a little late for work. I am a terribly non-punctual person.) Being late means avoiding the peak-hour fare, so the trip costs a mere $1.50.
Heavy rain also prompts me to take the bus. Although it rains frequently in Seattle for about six months out of the year, it rarely rains very heavily, and walking in the rain is usually more comfortable than a steamy bus full of dripping people.
That works out to a commuting cost of about $3.00 a week when the weather is fine, perhaps twice that in the winter.
I'm a firm believer in public transportation, even when it takes longer to get there. I believe in riding the bus, and am a bus geek in my professional life, but my second favorite commuting mode after walking is taking the train. I loved riding Metrorail from Silver Spring, Maryland to downtown Washington, D.C. for the 15 months preceding the last move west. Occasional use of commuter rail from Baltimore to Washington was even more thrilling. I love the view of the world out of the window of a train (though not as much as the view from on foot). I love stepping out of the train feeling relatively relaxed, perhaps having read a really delicious couple of chapters in my book or listened to most of an album. I love the feeling of bustle in a train station, of all those paths crossing. Standing still, I love the sense of looking through a sliver of so many intersecting trips and lives.
I love not having to look for parking. I love stepping off the train or bus with my backpack and a sense of freedom in not having to return to retrieve a parked car later on. I enjoy being carried by my strong feet, supported by healthy shoes (I really should include the cost of the shoes in my commuting cost), and I love that my commute involves moving my body. I don't love carrying heavy loads, but as long as I am not actually injuring myself, I believe the load-carrying is helpful in maintaining a bit of strength and endurance and bone density. I enjoy being out under the sky, at least when it's not cold, without the boundaries of a vehicle window limiting my vision.
I was an automobile commuter for about 17 years. My longest commutes were an hour each way of highway driving, for two years between Baltimore and Bethesda, Maryland and then six months between Issaquah and Tacoma, Washington. Even worse, I just remembered the three-month spell commuting an hour and 15 minutes between College Park and Frederick, Maryland. I spent more time with my Honda Civic than any particular person during those months and years.
I hope to never have to drive to work again. This means I will probably always have to live in a city. It's a trade-off, but it means I will also always live close to the places I need to reach to keep living well even after I stop traveling to a job. When my vision and mobility have deteriorated with age, I will still be able to get to the doctor, grocery store, cinema, record stores, library, etc., either stooped over my own shuffling feet or by riding a public transportation vehicle. I find that thought even more reassuring then saving money for retirement.
Having said all of this, before I pontificate any further, I should confess that having this point of view doesn't stop me from lusting over a Vespa, a MINI Cooper, or even a certain Volkswagen.
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On a related note, this seems like a good opportunity to plug National Park(ing) Day (September 19 of this year). This is an event that seeks to raise awareness of how much space is dedicated to the almighty car which could instead be used as enjoyable public space by people. If you happen to be in Seattle this Sunday, stop by the Feet First table at Imagine Capitol Hill to say hello and learn more.
On Sunday afternoon we had a brief respite from the rain, so I took a stroll up to Volunteer Park for the first time in months.
In the south end of the park is a water tower with a view:
North of the tower is a pond with waterlilies and koi. The koi were looking ghostly in the late afternoon shadow beneath the surface reflection:
The clouds were spectacular that afternoon:
The art museum was closed for the day, but the camels were receiving:
I only noticed one bit of evidence of what this park is (in)famous for:
Five weeks ago:
Today:
Since today's photo is a crummy phone photo, here are some details via crummy phone photo:
Changes are happening in my neighborhood since I moved here only ten months ago that make me sad. Capitol Hill was already well into the process of becoming condo-ified before I even thought about becoming a first-time home-buyer. Knowing the light rail station was planned, it was incredibly naïve of me to think things would stay at all the same, for even a little while. I settled on into a newer building, so I am at least secondarily guilty of supporting these changes.
Efforts are now underway to establish an “improvement district” organization, intended to make the neighborhood feel safer for the residents (now that stabber guy is in custody it feels safe enough, thank you) and shoppers at the new upscale shopping that is making its way here. Part of this organization’s mission will be removal of graffiti and no doubt other things which give this neighborhood its appealing scruffiness.
Saddest for me personally so far is the sale of the Oddfellows Building. For over a decade, this historic building has housed a good number of the arts organizations that contribute to Capitol Hill’s vibrancy, including Velocity. I moved here to be within walking distance to their studios. Velocity can no longer afford the rent, like most of the other long-time tenants of the building, because the developer which bought it doubled the rent. By the end of the summer, Velocity plans to move to an as-yet-undetermined temporary space and hopes to make a permanent home (in a building which will require several years to renovate) in an adjacent neighborhood that is as yet not quite so appealing to developers, but surely can’t be far behind.
On a happier (and equally self-interested) note, I was relieved to learn yesterday that Everyday Music (which is being displaced by the light rail station) has lined up a new location just a few blocks away (conveniently along my walk to work). Tonight, if it has opened yet, I’m gonna check out the new location of Twice Sold Tales. Its new store is also just a few blocks from the old one, but smaller, and won’t be open till the wee hours of the morning. At least Marco can still be counted on to be there, which is reassuring.
Sometimes I forget how very urban my neighborhood is.
A sunny Saturday morning around a few blocks of Capitol Hill looks a bit like this:
