Public Transportation

I took the Express bus to downtown Seattle on Thursday. It was an Adventure. I needed to pick up some earrings at a downtown jeweler and didn’t want to hassle with the parking on a weekday, so the bus seemed like a good idea. And it was.

Of course the bus stop wasn’t really at the big transit station where I thought it was. Instead, it was across the freeway, over the bridge, and down onto the ‘on-ramp’ for west-bound traffic. I got there on instinct alone, because there sure wasn’t any signage to help! And the drop off point wasn’t actually at 5th and Pine, as stated on the schedule. And when I looked for the return stop, at 4th and Pike, it turned out I wasn’t at the right one, but instead was supposed to be further down on 5th, more in the middle of the block, but certainly closer to Pine than Pike… Hmmmmmm.

And the fare was supposed to be $1.50 but was $2.50 instead, exact change required. And when I got on the return bus, we were “in a free ride zone” and I had to hold on to my money until the end of the ride and pay as I got OFF instead. Who knew?

I guess the people who produce the information never actually ride the busses themselves.

Anyway, downtown Seattle is a shopper’s paradise! Every big name store is there in huge square footage. I will have to steel my nerve to try it again. Sure wish I had company!