This is for those of you not living in Seattle, but who travel there. I was fortunate enough to get a wonderful sunny warm day to visit the city. I needed to get to a doctor appointment on Capital Hill, a Shiatsu massage following that near Yesler Way in the old Japanese district, and then back to the Ferry terminal.
I could have taken the bus, but the timing didn’t work out. There is a direct bus from the Port Townsend Haynes Park & Ride to Poulsbo, and from that drop off there are direct buses to and from the ferry terminal on Bainbridge. They cost less than $10 in total. I would have had to have left at 6AM though for an 11:30 appointment. I decided to drive and see friends while there in Bainbridge.
Since I cut it close with the ferry and the appointment, I took my first Lyft ride. After downloading the app and linking it to Paypal it was easy to book a ride. I could have done a taxi after seeing the long line in front of the ferry terminal, and felt a bit guilty, but I had booked it on the ferry coming in. Cost $7.00. My parking in Bainbridge was $13.
After the appointment, I walked to Whole Foods for lunch and then to my Yesler Way massage. Distance, approx. 2 miles.I could have hopped on a trolley but the timing didn’t work and the weather was great. The area from Broadway to Yesler is undergoing massive urban changes with many new low rise apartments going in. The city is rapidly becoming changed from the days when I lived there, up to 2005.
Following the massage, I walked to Yesler and found a Lime bike sitting there. I had never used one, followed the instructions, downloaded the app and ended up riding the Ebike over Yesler’s hill, past the old Yesler Terrace (which is being/has been torn down for more modern low income housing), and down to the ferry terminal. Cost? $3.75. Taken from my Paypal account. But better than that was that it was fun! Not riding with a helmet was wonderful, though I know some might balk at it. By the way, Yesler has a separate well marked bike lane on it, so you are not competing with cars very much. The Lime bike had plenty of power and good brakes when stopping and starting on a hill. It punches in to get you going then backs off once you are peddling.
What I learned is that while I love to walk Seattle, and usually do, if needing to get around quickly, beyond the usual bus transit, there are a wide variety of easy low cost ways to move around the city without bringing your car, especially if the weather is good.
Filed under: Around the Sound, Puget Sound | Tagged: Puget Sound |
