Traffic Woes
The average daily traffic snarl could not beat what I went through late last night, trying to get from Bellevue to Seattle on 1-90. As I headed out onto the Mercer Island bridge at 9:30pm, I could not possibly have suspected the torture about to occur just minutes into my future. By the time I read the (futilely-placed) overhead readerboard at 9:30pm, I was already past the point where I could have exited the freeway and taken an alternate route. Indeed, 2 lanes were closed in the Mt. Baker tunnel, and I could almost hear the collective groan as thousands of drivers realized there was NO WAY OUT of the hourlong gridlock that awaited us. Most people can't stand bumper-to-bumper traffic, but I learned that it's especially claustrophobic, inching your way through not one, but two dark tunnels for nearly an hour. I desperately needed something to distract me from visions of fireballs.
Were it not for DJ Riz's sublime "Expansions" set on KEXP, I might have gone mad, parked my car by the side of the freeway, and biked the rest of the way home on the floating bridge. Who knew that KEXP's signal is so robust, it reaches the depths of the tunnels?
And when I finally reached the end, was there even the slightest evidence of an accident, construction site, or chemical spill? NO. I need reasons, people! It's not like I require bodies or anything. The police car that was inexplicably blocking two lanes would do well to at least construct a hand-written cardboard sign. It could say something as simple as "Accident was cleared," "Thanks!" or even "Up with Blimps". Just something.
Which reminds me, I've taken to carrying my bike around in the car with me these days, because I never know when I'll need it. No need for fancy top-racks though. I just fit the bike carefully into the trunk of my Civic sedan with the seats folded down. And guess what? Today's early morning commute had me so irate, I actually did what I've vowed to do many times in the past, only this time, I actually had the bike to keep me honest. Driving from West Seattle to Downtown on 99, and spying imminent gridlock, I made a quick exit at Spokane street and found the secret harbor of FREE DOWNTOWN PARKING SPOTS. Yes, as long as you're not scared of parking next to train tracks or scrap metal, there are plenty of these spots, free for the taking, provided you are early. So I slid into a spot, unloaded the bike, and rode the rest of the way to the office.
Enough road rage.
Were it not for DJ Riz's sublime "Expansions" set on KEXP, I might have gone mad, parked my car by the side of the freeway, and biked the rest of the way home on the floating bridge. Who knew that KEXP's signal is so robust, it reaches the depths of the tunnels?
And when I finally reached the end, was there even the slightest evidence of an accident, construction site, or chemical spill? NO. I need reasons, people! It's not like I require bodies or anything. The police car that was inexplicably blocking two lanes would do well to at least construct a hand-written cardboard sign. It could say something as simple as "Accident was cleared," "Thanks!" or even "Up with Blimps". Just something.
Which reminds me, I've taken to carrying my bike around in the car with me these days, because I never know when I'll need it. No need for fancy top-racks though. I just fit the bike carefully into the trunk of my Civic sedan with the seats folded down. And guess what? Today's early morning commute had me so irate, I actually did what I've vowed to do many times in the past, only this time, I actually had the bike to keep me honest. Driving from West Seattle to Downtown on 99, and spying imminent gridlock, I made a quick exit at Spokane street and found the secret harbor of FREE DOWNTOWN PARKING SPOTS. Yes, as long as you're not scared of parking next to train tracks or scrap metal, there are plenty of these spots, free for the taking, provided you are early. So I slid into a spot, unloaded the bike, and rode the rest of the way to the office.
Enough road rage.