NE Seattle's Best Routes - Route 30

My daughters and I take the Route 30 at least three days per week to get them to preschool, but this route is so much more. If you happen to live close to NE 55th St, this is a great family route. Here's a sample of some places we have gone:

Magnuson Park - within a short walk you can get to the playground, the kids garden, Arena Sports (jumpy things) and Thistle Theater. If you are hardy, you can get to the water and kite hill. This is a great place to spend the day.

UDistrict - two words: Farmers Market - and it is right on the 30 route, so no walking is involved with those heavy bags. We also love to visit the Burke Museum, several shops on the Ave and a ton of inexpensive local restaurants.

Fremont - we spent one day climbing the troll, touring Theo chocolate, looking at the dinosaurs, eating awesome Thai food and then window shopping while waiting for the bus. This is only just the beginning of all Fremont offers.

Seattle Center - how cool is it to get to the Space Needle, Childrens Museum, Science Center, that huge fountain and a ton of festivals without needing to transfer.

I'm sure I missed a lot, but these are our favorites along the Route 30. We haven't tried much in Wallingford because of that enormous hill between the Route 30 and 45th St, but I think it would work. UVillage is within walking distance of our home, but if you are elsewhere along the Route 30, it would work great to get to all the attractions there too. Enjoy!

First Seattle Kidical Mass

Although I am a transitmama, I am married to a bikedaddy. This means that our kids not only travel quite a bit on the bus, but they also travel quite a bit by bike. Our primary means of transportation in summer is not King County Metro, but is our Xtracycle. Well, a group of like-minded biking individuals met last night in Ballard to travel to Gas Works park. The official event was called "Kidical Mass", a play on the name of the sometimes controversial bike group Critical Mass. Due to personal time constraints, we met them at Gas Works after riding the Burke Gilman Trail from the northeast side of town.

What an event! I was amazed to see over 100 parents and kids on bikes. We saw several xtracycle users and the more traditional bike trailers and trailer bikes (AKA afterburners). But we used the opportunity to check out some Bakfiets and Madsens. These folks were definately proof that a large family is no need to give up cycling and buy a minivan. All in all, a great time was had and we were glad to be a part of the first ever Seattle Kidical Mass.

Train to Portland

I attended a conference this week on Tuesday to Wednesday and took Amtrak to Portland for the first time. It was a wonderful experience! In the past, I have always been traveling with several people to Portland (group of students or my whole family), so I have always driven. I don't think I ever will again, even with a group. I was able to make an easy connection from home by bus. I got a ton of work done on the train (which had a plug for my laptop). The train was on time in both directions. And the connection in Portland via light rail to the Lloyd Center was not bad at all. And in September, the new green line will go right to the Amtrak station in Portland. Kudos to Amtrak for a great service for only $23 each way. Why anyone would ever fly to Portland is absolutely beyond my comprehension!

It's alive!

Brian Ferris posted the beta version of the original One Bus Away on the onebusaway website this weekend. It is truly thrilling to be able to see my idea come to life thanks to such a talented programmer. This version is much better than the version Evan Siroky, Karl Langford and I came up with for our transportation database management course at UW.

Check it out and send us comments!

New blog

I figure it's about time I try this blogging thing. As a mother-of-two and full time grad student, I have limited time. However, creating a pro-transit blog has been a dream of mine for years now. It's a chance to share tips and tricks about being a transit rider, especially one with little kids in tow.