Riding the Wave, part 2

So while I'm in update blog mode, I'll keep going and discuss my ongoing relationship with Sound Transit. When we left off, I'd had my first ride, it was 1/2 good (ie good one way) and I had decided never to use the Lander street tunnel again. Well, these days I am all about the Lander street tunnel exit and entrance. See, it turns out that if you go from Lander street to downtown it's only $1.75 instead of $2.00 from the Mount Baker station - BARGAIN. In addition, there is the stress factor. As I walk to the Mount Baker station I can see/hear the train. So while I'm buying my ticket I might hear the train approach. And I usually don't have time to finish the ticket buying and make it up the escalator in time to get on the train. I usually do have time to make it inches from the top of the escalator in time to watch the train take off. At the Lander station though, the train is underground. I have no idea if it is coming or not, even while I am buying my ticket, so no stress!

And there is more good news. Since that first ride, I have only had one bad riding experience. It turns out that if a bus breaks down in the tunnel on the Sound Transit tracks, that's it. The entire system shuts down indefinitely. But, that only happened once. Otherwise my trips have been quick and uneventful. I have used it to go out downtown on a night when 5,000 carolers decided they needed to hit Westlake mall for 'Figgy Pudding Night'. It was a quick stress free trip. Imagine fighting caroler traffic and looking for parking on an extra busy downtown night!

And it has other bonuses. I can throw my bike right on the train. Last week it was 20 degrees in the morning. The two days I rode my fingers about froze off. But with sound transit I just ride to the station, hop on the train with my bike and I'm at work lickety split. Then I can ride home when it warms up. I could do this with the bus. But with the bus you can't take your bike off or on downtown. AND, the bus is slow! Much slower than riding. And much slower than Sound Transit - which has the right of way over traffic.

Then there are the days when you just need to rest. My legs are really sore from crossfit and today is cold and wet. So I just took Sound Transit home. It's easy and fast. It allows me to give myself a break when I need it. I'd would say I'm now 100% a fan of the wave.