E-bikes have been around for more than just the last 10 years. This is a picture of one of the earlier incarnations, from 1947. This bike, created in Great Britain, had a regenerative electric power system (aka dynamo). Coast down hill and the dynamo is charged. Then confront an up hill ride and you can drawn electricity from the dynamo to help you up the hill.

A few other history snippets: Pedaled bikes and gas powered automobiles were invented at the same time (1885). But, electric motor autos were invented first (1835) though practical battery power wasn't invented and then improved until later (1862 and 1881). On Earth, more people ride bikes than drive. There is a direct correspondence between riding a bike regularly and being a healthy weight.

Sadly, virtually all e-bikes today do not include regenerative power like the one in the picture (hybrid cars do though). When I coast downhill it doesn't help recharge my bike battery. But the technology exists. Currently, it's expensive - mostly because it just hasn't hit high enough production levels to bring the costs down. Hopefully in the next couple years this old technology will be included in a new generation of e-bikes, bringing us "Back to the Future" - without the DeLorean.

E-bikes (like mine) are gaining ground in the US bicycle market - but especially so internationally. Because US cities are paying more attention to cyclists, especially commuters, I predict we shall see the American e-bike market take off in the next five years. US sales last year were around 100,000.

The New York Times recently included an overview of e-bike history and sales expansion concentrating on China. But also, according to the Times, some municipalities in the good 'ole USA are starting to offer tax incentives for the purchase and use of e-bikes in order to encourage alternate forms of commuting.

One of my favorite blogs, BikeHugger.com,  picked up on the growing popularity of e-bikes and has commited to include more e-bike in their blog content. As BikeHugger points out, e-bikes are great for hilly cities like Seattle. They bring more people into the pool of commuter bikers and lessen the impact of commuting on our environment. I will also point out, they can be purchased for a price not significantly more than a good quality road bike.

Unfortunately, the Times article uses sales statistics that include electric scooters. Let's be clear - an e-bike is different from an electric scooter. First of all, e-bikes cost a lot less. Secondly, in the US the e-bike motors can drive you no faster than 20mph. If you want to exceed that speed you must do it completely under your own power. Furthermore, e-bike are legally considered to be bicycles and therefore can use bike lanes and trails while electric scooters are banned from those facilities. Finally, an e-bike can be pedaled. In fact, that's one of the advantages of e-bikes over scooters. If your battery dies on the scooter, you have to call a friend or walk it home. With an e-bike, you just continue to pedal along your way. It may require a little more effort, but you won't be stranded. E-bikes help you exercise,  but are flexible enough that you can arrive at your destination hardly having broken a sweat. That's a great advantage for millions of commuters like me that don't have shower facilities at work.

MSNBC also picked up an AP article about e-bikes and electric scooters. That article points out the problems of recycling lead acid batteries in China. However, it's good to know that in the US, the vast majority of e-bikes are being sold with the newer, lighter, and more environmentally friendly lithium ion batteries.

So with the growing number of stories in the media about e-bikes, I'm starting to wonder....for the first time in my life, am I at the forefront of a  trend? Could I be a a harbinger of change here in the United States? Perhaps I am.

I received a note recently from MeetUp.com. The first e-bike interesting group/fan club has planned a ride and social event in Kirkland during August. Unfortunately I will be in NYC for work at the time, but it gives me hope I will be able to participate in future meet-ups. Meet John Carroll - trendsetter!

  
In the last couple years a lot has been written comparing the quality of life in Seattle with that of her sister city to the south, Portland. And, in the last year I have spent a lot of time comparing the two largest cities in the Northwest because I'm dating someone from Portland. If you follow recent transit, urban development and biking issues - there have been an overwhelming number of comparisons in the media. Of late, Seattle has been coming out on the short end of the stick in those comparisons - and to some extent unfairly so.

Prompting the recent comparisons is a greater national focus on clean mass transit, sustainable development and their effects on the quality of life in both cities and suburbs. The United States is continuing along the path toward urban life rather than rural. By some measures, the cores of Seattle and Portland are growing faster than those in adjacent suburban cities. Therefore, since the topic of comparing the two largest urban areas in the Northwest has been hot - it's time for me to add my thoughts.

I'm going to further the debate in the next few blog postings. I will offer a brief history of Seattle and Portland development policy and government. Then I will set about to actually compare the quality of life for both metropolitan areas.

Seattle and Portland have a long history of comparing themselves to each other. Portland was established first in 1843 compared to Seattle in 1851. But, after the Klondike gold rush Seattle grew faster from the 1890s onward, soon surpassing Portland in size and economic power. World War II and the presence of Boeing guaranteed the Seattle area a long run in first place. Seattle lost it's focus on timber first, concentrating instead on industrial development, manufacturing, fishing and transpacific shipping. For the first 100 years of life in either city, seldom would you have heard the term "quality of life." Both cities worried about progress and economic development. Jobs meant money, and that's what made people happy - the growth of the middle class and expanding economic power. A new car and a house in a quiet neighborhood were the markers of a high quality life. But, citizens also started to notice governments in the region weren't managing urban systems well. Problems with sewage treatment led to the creation of Metropolitan Seattle government in 1957.

It was in the 1970s that change and dissatisfaction grew rapidly. The Boeing bust in the later half of that decade knocked Seattle off it's economic pedestal giving the Puget Sound region a much needed dose of humility. Portland residents watched and felt a little proud of themselves for not relying too much on any one industry. It was during this period that the roots of a new Portland started to grow.

Running parallel to city development at the time was a growing awareness of and appreciation for the natural environment. This movement was not unique to Portland, but perhaps it had more political power there. The independent minded Oregonians saw that economic power was not the be all and end all of life. They also saw Seattle and other major cities deal with urban pollution and environmental degradation directly connected with heavy industry. Metro Seattle government added responsibility for city and county transit in to the Metro Seattle government in 1973. Portland saw that event and soon started to move in the same direction.

The creation of Tri-Met in 1969, took transportation out of the hands of private business (Rose City Transit was close to bankruptcy) and put it into the hands of a three county regional government. Up in Seattle, two attempt to build a metro rail system like the new BART agency was doing in San Francisco failed at the ballot box. Seattle wouldn't try again for two decades. Federal money targeted to Seattle was moved to Atlanta instead.

In 1973, the Metro Portland council was created. This event was key to the future of Portland and it's departure from the limited Metro Seattle model. Transit and utilities for the region were brought under one roof along with a new and innovative responsibility - that of regional planning and development. Though some tried to add planning and development code enforcement to the powers of Metro Seattle, their efforts failed. Seattle and Portland were now on differing paths.

In 1978, Metro Portland established an Urban Growth Boundary, and restricted residential and commercial development - thus limiting sprawl. It was a move virtually unheard of in the United States. Though highly controversial, somehow Portland had the political will to do it. Attempts to reverse the decision failed.  Seattle didn't follow suit for almost 25 years.

Part of restricting growth in the Portland area by reigning it inside the urban growth boundary included looking to develop new modes of transportation. Severl Portland neighborhoods were facing a drive by business leaders to build a new cross town freeway that would cut a wide swatch through southeast neighborhoods. As an alternative, Portland took notice as San Diego built a light rail transit system based on a model used in most European cities. Portlanders liked what they saw and Metro Portland government moved quickly to do the same. They also had the good fortune of timing things right since a former Oregon governor, Neil Goldschmidt, was now secretary of transportation in the Carter administration. He made sure light rail from his home turf received federal dollars. MAX was born.

The first light rail line between downtown Portland and the eastern suburb of Gresham opened in 1986. For the commuters of Portland, it was love at first sight. The affair has been ongoing ever since. The first line was 15 miles. Portland now has about 65 miles of rail transit - 5 lines of light rail and a streetcar plus a low capacity commuter rail line. Increasing urban density due to the restrictions imposed by the urban growth boundary has fed residential development and consequently ridership onto these lines, assuring their success. During those 20 years, Seattle mostly just argued with itself. Little was accomplished. Seattle metro inhabitants were happy with their bus system, and they held on for a long time to the dream of a home in the sprawling suburbs and unrestricted access to cars and freeways.

Soon, Seattle would find itself choking on its own success, and looking south for a way to extract the region from growing urban problems.

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In Seattle an education campaign is a flyer in the mail. One flyer....and that's all. Yup - education is junk mail!

I'm referring to my frustration with our city government and the creation of our first bike boulevard, which runs a  half block from my house. Heck, I'm frustrated with the implementation of the entire Bike Master Plan.

There are about 50,000 people that live along the Dayton/Fremont Ave North bike boulevard from Phinney Ridge to Northgate and nobody even knows it exists!

The issue of cyclist and motorist education is of growing importance for me. I've been commuting and riding a bike regularly for only eight weeks now, and I've had close calls requiring the slamming of brakes and screaming (on my part) three times already. In each case I and a car ended up stopped only 5-8 feet from each other. And in every case, I had the right of way but the motorist "didn't see" me. Yeah, that's right - 6 feet tall dressed in glaring fluorescent yellow jacket or vest in the middle of a sunny summer day on a big silver bike - often with my lights on. They didn't see me!

All three of these close calls happened on East Greenlake Way - one of the most heavily trafficked bike streets in the city with a wide bike lane in each direction. Cyclists are constantly in the area, along with pedestrians and skaters - and yet so many drivers have no awareness of those around them that aren't wrapped in a jacket of steel.

Their frustrating ignorance and inattentiveness became especially troublesome when Derek, my boyfriend of the last 10 months, was hit by a driver in downtown Portland last week. He's fine, because it was a low speed impact. But the shock of suddenly finding himself sprawled on the hood of a car that cut in front of him was overwhelming enough that it took him virtually the entire day to calm down, and the following day he was sore from the impact. Sadly, these are not isolated incidents. Bikers are getting hit all the time! The police and government don't know about these incidents because many of the crashes are handled outside the legal realm. A simple exchange of information, maybe a check for a couple hundred dollars to fix a bent wheel - and no accident report filed. The situation simply cannot continue.

Cycling in urban settings is seeing record growth. Seattle and Portland are responding by adding bike lanes, extending bike paths, adding route signs and more. But, the problem is, they aren't doing enough to educate the public. The situation is especially bad here in Seattle. We have a national reputation as a center of recreation biking and biking for urban transportation. But all this new infrastructure to support biking is appearing on the roads and drivers don't know what it all means. There are all sorts of new symbols and signs and colors, but nobody is explaining them. Hell, a lot of bikers don't understand it all.

I have sent two letters to the Seattle City Council membership, the mayor, and the Seattle Department of Transportation. But of course the political wheels of the city move slowly.

I think the biggest road block to better bike/car interaction and road sharing is ignorance - plain and simple. But secondly, there is an undeserved cyclist profile in the minds of many motorists. They think bike riders are scofflaws. They think all or most riders break traffic laws at every turn: running red lights, weaving through traffic and generally running roughshod over vehicle regulations.  Partly that's true - for some cyclists. But it's also true that thousands...no millions of motorists run red lights, roll through stop signs and speed down residential streets. Furthermore, millions of pedestrians jaywalk, cross against red lights or stand in the street obstructing vehicles trying to turn right.

The key to changing this negative reputation isn't forcing all cyclists to obey the law in every circumstance - as though they are the only ones refusing to follow the law. The key is to educate everyone - cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists, that we all must share the road. There is no one kind of cyclist profile that can be applied to everyone on two wheels, just like there is no one kind of driver. Seattle has a share the road campaign, but it doesn't do much to humanize cyclists - and I think that is even more important.

To find such a campaign we must once again look south, to Portland, Oregon, which seems to be doing so much right these days when it comes to building a livable and sustainable urban lifestyle.

The picture above is part of the "I Ride..." campaign - organized by the Community Cycling Center. This is a cool poster campaign. The posters are going up all over town in places where people congregate and can absorb the information while drinking coffee, chatting with friends, having a bite to eat, or looking through a bookstore with their kids. The posters aren't going on the back of a bus chugging along a boulevard in traffic where no one has the time or opportunity to absorb the message.

Why aren't we doing this in Seattle? Why don't we have a media campaign like Portland? It's time to make riders took like regular people - young and old, fat and slim, male and female, serious and fun, hip and....well...not so much. That is what cyclists are.

Change is good - even if we fear it. Change phobic Seattle is now learning to deal with something big, the rise of Link rail transit.

92,000 people rode the rails over the two day weekend. The system handled it's first massive soccer event too (Seattle vs. Chelsea). All went well. There were only small problems here and there. More importantly, Sound Transit showed its flexibility by adding 2 trains at the stadium and Chinatown stations at the last minute when crowds overwhelmed the platforms.

Now that opening weekend is over, the critics will start commenting on how light passenger use is. We must remember, all new things start slowly and build. Ridership on Link will build slowly. People need time to adapt and work new transit modes into their lives.  When summer vacation ends, ridership will take a jump. When the annual bus changes take affect in September, ridership will again jump. When rains return and biking declines, ridership will grow. And by December when the Seatac Airport station opens I predict we will see a big leap in terms of ridership.

Change takes time to absorb - for people and for regions. We need to take a deep breath and deal with it.

 

I rode Link Light Rail today. It was opening day for the system, and it was terrific. Sound Transit has done well after a very rocky start.

I believe Seattle has the best and most beautiful light rail systems in the United States. There was entertainment, food, and drinks at every station. All the art projects were on display, and man are there a lot of them! Murals, sculptures, glowing creatures hanging from ceilings, etched granite walkways. Even electronic art displays in the Beacon Hill tunnel. There is so much to see and enjoy.

Our system is a big winner for public art, but it also wins on capacity, comfort and speed. In fact, Seattle's system is  unique in the nation. It's very possibly the most complex system out there. It's a hybrid of light rail and metro rail (aka subway). And no agency has done more to make their system smooth and beautiful than Seattle. That aesthetic quality opens the Link system to criticism from some. After all, Seattle's light rail project has one of the most expensive per mile cost structures in the US. But I think that cost is rational and therefore reasonable and here's why.

TOPOGRAPHY - Seattle is in a unique geographic setting and this, more than any other element, contributes to the high cost of our system. You would have a hard time finding a more challenging topography for rapid transit than Seattle's. It's only true peer in the western US is San Francisco.

Our hills, ridge lines, lakes, canals and sea make construction of rail systems difficult and requires tunneling - which is massively expensive. Using my home and workplace as an example: The Greenwood neighborhood is located along a 450' high ridge in central north Seattle. I work in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on a different ridge at 640' high. Ask any bike rider in Seattle - these hills are big! In between, the topography drops to about 20' above sea level. These are big changes of elevation for a little six mile commute. Then, when you consider Lake Washington (20 miles long 200' deep) as well as Lake Union, and the canal that links them all to Puget Sound and you can imagine the engineering challenges of either going under, over, or around all this water while still maintaining ship traffic. Did I mention the Duwamish river too? Therefore, no rail system can be built in Seattle without using tunnels and bridges. It just isn't possible. Tunnels and bridges cost lots of money.

HISTORY - Old neighborhoods don't take kindly to elevated or at grade rail systems plowing through their narrow streets through block after block of brick apartments and Craftsman or Victorian style homes. Though the Seattle/Tacoma area suffers from sprawl, our urban area isn't nearly as spread out as places like Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, and San Diego. Our urban core is fairly dense around downtown, making demolition to clear a grade level system out of the question. Thus our history forces us in the same direction as our topography.

The greater the density of an urban area, the higher the real estate costs for surface routes. Plus, Seattle has a long history of public transparency and neighborhood activism. Despite what many locals think, it is very hard to get any major project done around here - especially outside the commercial core. That's one reason Seattle is behind the curve on light rail. We've been fighting about it for more than 30 years. Some cities have gotten around these neighborhood challenges by using abandoned freight rail lines (i.e. Portland, Salt Lake, San Diego). But, Seattle has long been and continues to be a major rail transportation hub because of our shipping port - which means we have not seen the same degree of rail abandonment. If anything, in the last 30 years we have seen an increase in freight rail use. We simply don't have the open corridors connecting urban and suburban areas.

CAPACITY - This is where choice has dramatically affected the construction budget. Sound Transit and area voters have chosen to build a system with a higher than average capacity. There are so many variations in rapid transit construction that there is no one definition of light rail vs heavy rail vs metro rail. But the one thing that is consistent along the spectrum of rail transit style is increasing capacity and speed. Light rail is of moderate capacity, which is why so many cities use it for their first dive into rail transit. What the Seattle area has chosen to do is build a light rail system but incorporate some major characteristics of a metro rail line (like BART) which has raised the cost.

We currently have 5 subway stations within two tunnels and three elevated stations. We just started constructing a subway extension with two more underground stations and we recently passed funding for a second extension with two more subway stations as well as at least 2 more elevated stations, if not more. Furthermore, there are even some politicians and planners  researching the option of putting light rail in a subway underneath downtown Bellevue - which would mean one more elevated and one more subway station. These choices again make us more like San Francisco and its Market Street subway than like Portland, Oregon.

St. Louis, Minneapolis, San Diego and Portland have 1 subway station each. None of them have elevated stations. Phoenix, Salt Lake, San Jose, Sacramento, and Los Angeles have no underground light rail stations (though LA does have a metro rail line which is a full fledged subway). Rail platforms in Seattle are being built to accommodate four car trains (Portland can only use 2 car trains, San Diego 3). Our train equipment is also larger than average, carrying more passengers per car. The philosophy behind building big and doing it early is that in the long term it will save money, but the upfront costs will be higher than other systems that start with a basic line of lower capacity.

AESTHETICS - I believe this part of Seattle's systems is semi-unique. We have chosen to do more than most systems with incorporation of public art and high end materials, though it has actually had very little impact on the costs of our system partly a big legacy structure (the downtown tranist tunnel) has been utilized in our new system.

First of all, no subway in the US is a beautiful as our 4 downtown tunnel stations. They are filled with granite, marble, glass, murals, sculptures, tiled patterns, special lighting, and architectural detailing. They are bright and open. Aesthetic and design costs, while significant, were not included in the cost of our new light rail system because they were already in place back in 1991. That was the year Seattle built it's downtown transit tunnel for electric hybrid buses - the only one of it's kind in the US. Our light rail system has leveraged that tunnel by routing light rail through those 18 year old underground stations. The real added cost of art has been in the new stations outside of downtown.

Seattle has a long history of dedicating 1% of all public construction costs to the integration of art projects. Every light rail station in this city has multiple art pieces. Some criticize the expense of this program, but in the big picture it only adds 1% to the cost structure and Seattle voters believe the quality of life that it fosters is worth the expense. There are already big plans for art in the two new subway stations under Capitol Hill and the University of Washington. In Seattle, public art is a given.

TIMING - This is the last element that has contributed to the high cost of Seattle rail transit. We waited too long. By the time our region agreed to build, we were deep in the go-go 90s, when land and construction costs were rapidly escalating. Waiting so long was a mistake, and now we are suffering the economic consequences.

The global economy has put financial and supply pressure on regional governments as they compete with the emerging economic engines of China, India, Brazil and others. Greater demand for things like steel and concrete has combined with greater demand on those few companies that build modern tunnels and bridges. Greater demand has also been met by a supply system that cannot keep up. Those two conditions mean rising costs. However, the more recent economic downturn means the second and third phases of light rail construction may be somewhat less expensive, but only a little. Demand for construction materials outside the US is still high.

Thus, Seattle has entered a new age - finally. But we have done so at a very high price. Our geography, history, capacity planning and timing have put us in a tight financial spot. Some of the reasons for the high expense of our system are dictated by nature, some by circumstance and some by choice. Ultimately, I think Seattle is doing the right thing. In it's entirely, our transit system is well balanced between light rail, streetcar, bus, bikes, ferries and commuter rail. Quality of life issues have been incorporated into the planning with an eye on future needs. Other than waiting so long to get started, we have nothing to be ashamed of. Well done Seattle! We are headed in the right direction.
1.                      2.                                    3.                             4.                      5.


1. Talk radio host Dave Ross with the head of the Link art program/
2. The two mayors from both end of the line arrive and shake hands.
3. Head of Sound Transit and Politicians stand by the ribbon.
4. My congressman, Jim McDermott had some words for the crowd.
5. Cutting the ribbon.
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A.                          B.               C.                D.


A. Mt Baker Station, site of the ribbon cutting
B. Exterior of elevated Mt. Baker station
C. Interior art of Beacon Hill Sation
D. Sound Transit and Link logos
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1.                          2.                         3.                          4.


1. Chinatown Station entrance
2. Union Station - headquarters for Sound Transit
3. Map of the central line above every door.
4. Light Rail yard in SODO (South Downtown)
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A.                           B.                   C.                          D.



A. Happy faces on happy train riders.
B. I swear this kid was grinning for all 15 miles.
C. People lining up to ride at Westlake Station
D. Waiting on the platform of Westlake Station.
 

This coming Saturday, July 18th,  marks the opening weekend for Seattle's new Link Light Rail system. It has been in the works for 20 years, and all that effort and planning is finally coming to fruition - making Seattle one of the last major metro areas in the western US to build and operate a light rail system.

The initial route for Link is 15 miles long and connects downtown Seattle with Seatac Airport via the Rainier Valley residential neighborhood.  An additional 3 mile subway extension from downtown under Capitol Hill to the University of Washington is currently under construction.

When the ribbon is cut and the trains enter service on Saturday, I will be there. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to receive one of 200 initial ride tickets. The ceremony takes place at the Mt Baker station in Rainier Valley. Soon after, local mayors, senators and other political heavyweights, along with those of us who have the silver tickets, climb aboard two trains going in opposite directions. We tour the full route before being dropped back at our starting point. Then the doors open to the general public for two days of free rides. More than 100,000 people are expected to ride Link on Saturday and Sunday.

The history of the project goes back 21 years - almost as long as I have been living in the region. I moved to Seattle in 1987. In 1988, an advisory ballot measure asked voters if light rail should be planned and opened by 2000. The answer was 70% yes. Thus, planning and political maneuvering started. Then, in 1992 the legislature created a regional transit entity, today known as Sound Transit. They charged the organization with planning and building a regional transit system that crossed county lines. They gave Sound Transit the ability to collect taxes with voter approval.

Sound Transit put the first plan for light rail, commuter rail and express bus transit (and taxes to fund it) on the ballot in 1995. It failed - barely. In 1996, a scaled back version was placed on the ballot and it passed with 65% of the vote. Soon long range express bus services with the Sound Transit logo were complimenting the service of county bus agencies. Commuter rail was up and running next, linking the suburbs of Tacoma and later Everett with downtown Seattle. Then, the light rail plans ran up against a wall of financial reality.

Everything was becoming more expensive than expected. Rapidly rising real estate and construction costs far outstripped Sound Transit's light rail budget. The process ground to a halt. Construction was delayed for three years until Sound Transit, under new leadership, got it's financial house in order - scaling back the initial light rail segment by 3 miles and foregoing 2 planned stations. Once construction began, the budget was out of wack by milllions of dollars. The new leadership had to rebuild public confidence and transparency. Though costs were up, so were revenues. Seattle's bustling economy meant more taxes flowing into Sound Transit coffers. Work on HOV lanes, transit centers and commuter rail continued, and over time the public trust was re-earned. Joni Earl, the second CEO of Sound Transit deserves full credit for getting the agency back on course.

When Link opens this Saturday, it will mark the final step in fulfillment of Sound Transit's promise to Puget Sound voters. The last mode of transit planned in the original proposal will be in place. Seattle now has 7 freeway bus transit centers connected to 225 miles of HOV lanes (the largest HOV network outside of LA). There are 73 miles of commuter heavy rail with 7 major transit center stations and massive park and ride facilities at each, plus three additional stations with smaller parking facilities. There are 26 Express Bus routes connecting downtown Seattle and Tacoma, Seatac Airport,  and the University of Washington with surrounding suburbs. Tacoma also has a 1.6 mile streetcar through downtown connecting to the commuter rail station. Link Light Rail is 15 miles long with 13 stations including 5 tunnel stations below downtown and Beacon Hill. There are 3 elevated stations and 5 stations at ground level.

I'm glad the Seattle area finally has another transportation choice. Other western cities with light or metro rail service include: San Diego, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake, Denver, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and most recently Phoenix.

We are behind the curve but catching up rapidly. The promised section of Link that was delayed due to cost overruns is now under construction. That will add three miles to the central line. Then, in November of 2008, Sound Transit voters authorized a huge expansion of the system - especially light rail. Link will add a total of 36 miles and 19 stations - plus more express bus service and an extension of commuter rail to Lakewood, south of Tacoma. The central Line line will expand to the north through Northgate, Shoreline, and Lynnwood. To the east, Link will cross Lake Washington on its way to Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond's massive Microsoft campus. To the south, Des Moines and Federal Way will see new Link trackway and stations. Finally, streetcar service will be added with the new First Hill street car set to open as early as 2012 and an extension of the the Tacoma street car.

Yes, Seattle is finally growing up and acting like the 3.3 million population center it is. It's about time.

Okay, maybe I'm not rich. I suppose it depends on your point of view.

I'm home from vacation and I spent today playing catch-up. I paid eleven bills, went through all my outstanding mail, filed some paperwork, and got caught up on my budget worksheets. Yes, I keep a budget of everything I spend in the way of household expenses, entertainment, etc.

As I was completing the budget for June, I grew more and more sad because I'm running a deficit. That's right! I'm just like the Federal Government. All the travel I have been doing in the last six months has been coming out of savings, and my monthly paycheck has not been enough to cover all the expenses at both my current home and the old one that I'm renting out. I have savings to cover the extra costs, but I'm not happy about taking money out of savings every month to cover costs.

In the last couple months I've managed to watch my spending more carefully and reduce my expense so now the monthly operating deficit for my householdis is relatively small. I decided one of the ways I would cover the July deficit was to take all my coins to the Coin Star machine and use that money for groceries. I found $105 in coins today! Cool! Then I made another discovery.

As a teacher, I often get gift cards from parents as a token of appreciation. Sometimes, a group of parents will give me an especially big gift during teacher appreciation week. Most recently, I was the beneficiary of a $350 cash honorarium (I like cash). I spent that on bike equipment and plants for the pots on my deck. Today while searching for coins, I found a stash of unused gift cards I have received over the last couple years. The most ridiculous part of this stash is I have $75 worth of coffee cards from Tully's and Starbucks. I don't know how I will ever use those up. But even better, I found I have a bunch of cards for REI, City People's Garden Store, Barnes and Noble, Whole Foods and a few other small establishments.

Excluding the coffee cards, I have a little more than $650 in unused gift cards!!! OMG! I had totally forgotten about this stash of loot. Guess who's going shopping tomorrow? I already have a list started of books, plants, and bike equipment. Next time I have a party, I'll use the Whole Foods card. It's the biggest of all.

I feel dumb for letting all this money just sit in a box above my desk. I really like the fact that the parent's in my class honor me with such gifts, but truly, it's hard to find the right time and the right thing to buy. I don't like buying just to buy. I only want to spend money on things I will use and enjoy. I've used a lot of gift cards from parents over the last several years, but I guess I just haven't been able to spend it all.

These cards do not make me rich, but they do make me feel richly appreciated. With some careful thought, I should be able to wipe out my operating deficit for the next couple months.

I'm on the road - so to speak. I hung around in my hotel room until checkout time at noon. Then I took the Metro to Washington National Airport. My flight to St. Louis left on time, and currently it's 5:45 CDT at Lambert St. Louis Airport. Whenever I fly through here I always have a long wait for my connecting flight home. Today is no exception. I arrived at 4:30pm and my next flight departs at 7:35pm.

My trip is complete. Overall, it went well and I enjoyed it. There were few disappointments. The hotel was big, comfortable, and very reasonably priced. All my transportation went well, from flights to the rental car and the Metro - though I must say the Metro is still recovering from the recent deadly accident. DuPont circle is on the Red Line, which was running slower because of the accident investigation and trains were often packed to the gills!

I took the picture of me while waiting in a quiet corner of the St. Louis airport. I think I look tired. I will be happy to get home tonight, and relieved to pick up my puppies at the kennel tomorrow.

   

Since I was still enduring my rhino virus infection, I decided to keep things simple on my last day. Thankfully, that meant I would spend more time in the DuPont and Kalorama neighborhoods rather than fighting my way through museum crowds in the tourist core of the District.

Again I walked along Embassy Row, but this time I passed Sheridan Circle and turned on S street to the Woodrow Wilson house. This is the building President Wilson lived in after he left the White House.

During the final four years of his life, he was virtually an invalid - unable to walk without assistance. The funds for purchasing the house were mostly donated by friends. The same people would give him a monthly stipend to live on since he was unable to earn a living, and the use of his second wife's money for living expenses was unseemly for a man. It seems strange that living on charity from others was seen as more masculine than living on his wife's money, but Wilson was known as stubborn in the extreme, so that's how he finished his life.

The house is beautiful and the docent said 85% of the contents are exactly as they were when Wilson died. His widow lived in the house until her death in 1961. She gave the house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Wilson home is the only presidential home inside the District, and he is the only President to be burried in Washington DC at the Episcopal National Cathedral.

     

After the Wilson home, I browsed through one of the finest private collections of modern art I have ever seen. Just two blocks from my hotel is the Phillips Collection. It's a moderately sized collection, but of the highest quality. From the romantic impressionists like Monet to the abstractionists such as Picaso, Pollock and Mondrian. It's all there in an old DuPont Circle mansion. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting DC. In fact, if you've been to DC before, it's far more enjoyable to get away from the Mall and enjoy the neighborhoods of the District and all they have to offer in the way of cafes, architecture, historic homes, churches and little museums. I'm glad I had the opportunity to diversify the sites and attractions I saw in DC.

     

Monday July 6th marked the day of my scheduled tour at the US Capitol. I woke up with a scratchy throat and severe nasal congestion, but that wasn't going to stop my plans. The new Capitol Visitor's Center opened in 2008. During my last visit in 2007 it was still under construction. With a pocket full of Kleenex and some hand sanitizer, I hopped onto the Metro, transferred at the Chinatown station and climbed back to the surface at the South Capitol station. Quickly I located my congressman's office in the Longworth House Office Building. Geez! Their offices are tiny and dark! His is in the basement - even though he's been in congress for 20 years!

Capitol tours are separate from viewing the congressional chambers, and only tours can be scheduled online. The tour starts in the huge new Capitol Visitor Center's Emancipation Hall with a movie, and then a walking tour commenced taking one through the crypt, the rotunda, and into statuary hall. In the past, you had to listen carefully to your tour guide as they tried to narrate the tour above the din of hundreds of voices. Now, they are trying to use individual listening systems wirelessly connected to each miked tour guide. Mine worked well, but the device wasn't successful for other visitors. Some old ladies were really pissed. The guides are so rushed, they have no time to pay attention to the needs of the guests.

The Capitol tour is disappointingly short if you take the public tour - only 22 minutes. I have heard it's better when you get a personal tour from the staff of your representative, and you get to see more rooms. But, as a single person, they don't really want to accommodate me. They prefer giving tours to groups of four or more,  so I have to use the public tour guides.

Though no house members were present, the house chamber was open because the body had officially returned from the July 4th recess. The same was not true of the Senate Chamber - it was closed.

After I finished the tour and viewing the House Chamber, I spent about an hour in the new and wonderful exhibit hall that covers both the history of the capitol building and the operations of both congressional houses.

       

My tour started at 10am. I left the Capitol at 1pm and headed through the new underground tunnel that connects the Capitol to the Library of Congress.

I've never been to the library before - and the old domed Jefferson Building is stunningly beautiful. Speaking as a book worm, I found it to be as impressive as the Capitol and far more accessible. I wandered through an exhibit about the library's collection, including a display of President Jefferson's personal library which was the seed of the library's recovery after British forces burned the Capitol and all the books in 1814.

Then, at 1:30 I enjoyed a full one hour tour of the building by a fantastic docent who was able to describe all the symbolism of the interior decoration. By 2:30 I was able to quickly walk through the second exhibit hall which documented the discovery of the Americas by Europeans, including the original map which first used the word America to describe the newly discovered continents.

       

From the Library I walked four blocks north to DC's landmark train station. On the way I passed the Supreme Court.

The large and historic Union Station is beautiful. It is still the home for Amtrak, including the southern end of the NE corridor's high speed Acela train. It's also home to a shopping mall, food court, and a Metro Rail station. After eating a quick sandwich I was happy to return to my hotel room for a nap. I was very tired of walking and fatigued by my sneezing, coughing, and congestion. I had a light dinner and  some Nyquil capsules helped clear my congestion so I could breath. I was asleep by 9pm.

     

I planned for Sunday the 5th to be a day off. That meant no museums or monuments or crowds.

Originally, my plan had been to visit the 7th Ave Market on Capitol Hill, but I dropped that in favor of sleeping in. Then I attended Eucharist at St. John's Episcopal Church. This small but beautiful parish is known as Church of the Presidents because so many Presidents from the past have used it as their parish. It's only one block north of the White House. The church was nearly full, but the service was simple since the choir is on summer vacation. A cantor and organist led the music.

 

Once I returned to the hotel, I changed into shorts and headed out for a walk along embassy row, from DuPont Circle to Sheridan Circle and R Street. The houses and buildings along this stretch of Massachusetts Avenue are large and ornate, though interestingly I found many of the embassies to be somewhat run down. Consistently those buildings in a state of disrepair housed representatives from poorer countries - especially those from the continent of Africa. I also walked along several side streets enjoying the tree lined thoroughfares and the beautiful town homes.

     

In the middle of my walk, I detoured to Five Guys on Connecticut Avenue - a local burger joint with a national reputation. I first head about Five Guys from Sarah. Then I saw it again on NBC when they filmed Obama in the White House. At one point he took an impromptu trip to buy burgers for his staff. Of course, I had to try out this DC institution.

My conclusion? It was loud. It was greasy. It was cheap. It was delicious. I took my grease soaked bag to the park in DuPont Circle, sat down in the shade, and enjoyed watching people go by as well as the sound of falling water in the central fountain.

 

After finishing my lunch I did some additional walking, including an unexpected walk past the Iraqi embassy which with covered with security bars and surrounded by security cameras. Soon, it was 3pm and I went back to the hotel for a grease induced nap.

From past experience, I knew DC would be a madhouse on Independence Day. Therefore I rented a car and drove north into Pennsylvania to visit the Gettysburg National Military Park. Unfortunately, I got a late start because I assumed I would awaken at a reasonable hour like 7am. Nope! I slept in until 8:00am. Oops! Once I got to the airport and picked up my car, I wasn't on my way north until about 10am.

Getting to Gettysburg is easy, as long as you don't follow the rental car GPS system. It directed me to the old visitor's center which is nothing but a parking lot now. There is a new visitor center in the Gettysburg park about a mile away with a large museum and an interesting movie. Also, they have restored a 100 year old giant cyclorama painting, adding lights sound and narration. I easily spent 2 hours just in the visitor center.

   

After completing my tour of the visitor center, I took my rental car on a driving tour through this massive park that is covered with a plethora of monuments, both large and small. The Pennsylvania monument is especially large and ornate.

       

The park is larger than I knew, requireing more time than I expected. Add that fact to my late wake up time and I reluctantly concluded I would be unable to make a stop at Lincoln's Summer Cottage in north DC. Instead I drove the car back to the airport and rode Metro back to my hotel.

Already, at 4pm the Metro was packed. I arrived back in DuPont Circle, quickly stopped at the nearby grocery store, and then hunkered down for the night to watch fireworks on TV rather than fight with more than half a million people trying to get down to the National Mall.

My first destination this morning was the National Archive. It was on my list of sites yesterday as well, but I didn't go. And, this morning, I didn't enter the National Archives for the same reason as yesterday: crowds. The line to enter was very long - even at 10:20 this morning. Therefore, I've decided to skip the National Archives this year. 

 

I set my direction toward the National Mall and the National Air and Space Museum. The last time I was in the most popular museum on the mall, was in 1991. It hasn't changed much. I wandered through the exhibits skipping any displays with big lines of people. I spent about two hours reading about and looking at displays about WWI and II aircraft, civil aviation, but concentrated most of my attention on the space exploration displays. I have to remark, that after seeing the new, spectacular and gigantic Udvar-Hazy Wing at Dulles Airport - the old museum on the mall is looking worn, crowded and somewhat disappointing.

         


Next: The Hirshhorn Gallery of Modern Art. This was a great museum, I my opinion better than even the modern art wing of the National Art Gallery. I found the Strange Bodies exhibit to be particularly compelling.

       

In mid-afternoon, I stopped by the Smithsonian Visitor Center and Garden - otherwise known as the Castle. Though the central hall was a madhouse, the western wing was quiet and interesting. I especially enjoyed the the wide variety of small displays in the Western Commons hall. There was a little bit of everything: Chinese artifacts, American wildlife, minerals, space ship models, Presidential memorabilia, icons of popular culture and so much more. It's hard to imagine the entire Smithsonian collection started in this one Victorian era building.

     


Finally, after enjoying some relaxation time in my room, I rode Metro Rail to the Foggy Bottom station and then walked the six blocks to the Kennedy Center so I could experience the musical version of The Color Purple. It was a wonderful show, produced by Oprah Winfrey's company. I love the story, the music was good and the acting was fantastic. I had a seat in box 6 - just twenty feet away from the Presidential Box. It was a terrific way to end the day. By the time I got home at 11pm, I was very tired but well entertained.

     

I had a busy and enjoyable day, but man alive was it busy. Sometimes I felt like a cow on the way to the slaughter house.

My alarm buzzed me awake at 8:15am. I was up soon after, showered, and went downstairs for my free hot breakfast. I relaxed and read the paper, went to Starbucks, and finally left the hotel at 10:30am.

My first stop was the National Museum of American History. I haven't been to this particular museum since 1991. If was in the midst of a full renovation last time I was in DC.

       

I saw all sorts of displays, from the evolution of electrical power and railroads, to pop icons like Kermit and the Ruby Slippers, and finally ended with one of the top hats warn by President Lincoln. The museum was crowded, especially the exhibit on First Ladies - which I skipped. Still, I managed to spend four enjoyable hours, and from there I moved on to the Newseum.

       

Newseum is a private institution and dedicated to the history of print and broadcast journalism. It's an impressive addition to the lineup of DC museums which lie outside the Smithsonian. I only had 90 minutes to explore. Believe me, any news junky could spend a lot more time. The displays were fascinating - covering the time line of media from the 19th to the 2st centuries. I plan on going back when I return to the District and have more time someday in the future.

Following my tour of DC's newest museum, I walked through a sculpture garden and the Naval Monument. A block later, I unexpectedly walked through a farmer's market. It was a great variation and made me feel, just for a moment, like I could be a local.

         


Finally, to end my day I toured the National Portrait Gallery. Wow! What a hidden gem that museum is! It has some of the most wonderful and famous portraits and busts in the country. Yet, it wasn't nearly as busy as the other two museums. The gallery is larger than I expected. It includes many beautiful works that are focused on American artists - both modern and classical. Portraits and busts make up about half the collection. The rest is dedicated to American Art.

         

By 6:30pm I was on my way home riding the Metro from Chinatown back to DuPont Circle. That concluded my day - a full and yet relaxed one, even though I sometimes felt like a cow being herded through the varied yet consistently cramped Smithsonian museums.

       

  

I have set off on my summer vacation in Washington, D.C.

I left early this morning, dropping my dogs at their usual puppy resort before arriving at SeaTac Airport. My American Airlines flight went flawlessly. In fact, we arrived 10 minutes early in St. Louis, and then 5 minutes early at National Airport. I carried my luggage on board, so once we deplaned, it was an easy walk through the terminal to the Metro Rail station. 30 minutes later I arrived at my hotel.

I am resting comfortably at the Marriott Residence Inn DuPont Circle. It's the perfect place for me - a one bedroom suite with a small kitchen. I got this room at an insanely inexpensive price. After checking in and changing my clothes, I walked next door to the neighborhood grocery store. When traveling alone I always stay in hotels with kitchens so meals are easy to fix and I can avoid eating dinner alone in a restaurant.

The weather in DC is warm, humid and cloudy - par for the course at this time of year. Thunderstorms are a possibility. This week's weather looks to remain the same as today. Though I have been in far hotter and more humid weather (summer 2003 in Charleston, SC) it doesn't take much humidity for me to move from feeling comfortable into uncomfortable. As for now, I'm enjoying my air conditioned room.

Tomorrow I will visit the Smithsonian - specifically the Museum of American History. My last visit there was in 1991. This is the perfect time for a visit since the museum recently went through an extensive remodel, reopening last year. Other sites on my list include The Building Museum, Newseum, and a tour of the US Capitol and Visitor Center. I also obtained passes to view both the Senate and House chambers. Of course, there will also be 4th of July festivities and I have a ticket to see a musical: The Color Purple at the Kennedy Center.

There's a lot of fun ahead of me.