With the South Bellevue Park & Ride closing soon, I have been looking at other work commute…read moreoptions. This includes utilizing the Evergreen Point Freeway Station from time to time. This station is the last Eastside stop before you head onto SR 520 so it is basically a transfer point. A lot of buses from places like Kirkland, Redmond and Woodinville make stops here before crossing over. On the return trip east, you can change between buses that originate from downtown Seattle and the U-District here. To quicken my commute, I have taken buses to this station and then transferred to a different bus to get to my final destination. While the station is covered, it is open air. Thus it can get chilly waiting here on winter days. Still your wait here is usually only going to be a few minutes, so it is bearable. So if your usual bus is delayed, I would recommend taking a bus to this stop as it gives you more options to choose from. It is helpful for those who need to change over from a U-District bus to a downtown Seattle bus and vice versa.

The new Evergreen Point Freeway bus stop is just about complete. There's now sufficient covered…read morewaiting area everyone can stay out of the rain. This is a great stop, because every bus headed westbound stops there, except the 271. That means you can catch a U District bus or a Seattle bus there very easily. The bad news is parking: there's not enough of it. They put a nice lawn in instead of supplying enough parking to meet demand. If you get there after 7:30 a.m. or so, there's no parking available. They have plenty of room on the deck for three times as much parking as they built.

My daughter and I took the Northbound direction of the RapidRide B Line, connecting downtown…read moreBellevue to downtown Redmond, connecting the two sister city's transit center. It runs every 10 minutes during daylight hours, and is one way to go to Microsoft's main campus. The cost is $2.75 each way with free transfers, most easily accessible via an Orca card (rechargable on-line, but not yet replaceable with a smartphone). We used the NE 24th St & Bellevue Redmon Rd stop, which was covered and had a display showing when to expect the next bus. It's a busy route, serviced by an articulated bus for both routes...definitely too long for streets (and corners) not equipped for it.

I like this RapidRide route. It is the only one servicing the Eastside. B Line travels between…read moreBellevue Transit Center and Redmond Transit Center. The bus services downtown Bellevue, Crossroads, Overlake, Microsoft and downtown Redmond neighborhoods. The route replaced two King County Metro routes, 230 and 253. Basically combining these services to offer more frequent service that were faster as they skipped bus stops that used to be serviced by the old routes. The RapidRide buses are new and have free Wi-Fi. You can also swipe your ORCA card to pay for your fare at the bus stop card reader before the bus arrives. This allows you to board the bus at one of the exit doors rather than having to pay at the driver side door upon entering. In general, buses run every 15 minutes for most of the day. During weekday rush hours, there is service every 10 minutes. While in the late evenings, there is a 30 minute wait. I don't use the bus often, but do when I am headed to the airport as I can take this bus to connect with the Sound Transit route 560 at Bellevue Transit Center. Though it takes longer to get to the airport, it saves me a bundle over parking at or taking a taxi/Uber to the airport. More often than not, it takes longer to get where you need to on public transportation. But I think this RapidRide line is great since it is convenient and is helping to minimize the delay. Particularly useful when I need to get to downtown Bellevue in a timely manner.

The 245 is one of the main bus routes I take to and from work. It is the route that takes me home…read moreafter my commute to work in Seattle. The route runs from the Kirkland Transit Center to Eastgate Park & Ride in Bellevue. It makes stops at numerous notable locations including Crossroads Mall, Microsoft HQ and Redmond Technology Center where you can take the 2 Line to Downtown Bellevue and Seattle. Have a love hate relationship with this bus. It is dependable for my morning commute. It might run a few minutes late, but not enough to make me late for work. But it can be pretty terrible during the afternoon commute due to Microsoft traffic. Sometimes 10-20 minutes late on the busier days of the week (Tuesday-Thursday). Usually the bus interiors are comfortable and clean, though it sometimes can be dirty due to trash left by some riders. The reliability in the afternoon could be better, but I will continue taking this bus since it is the best option for my work commute.

Our first ride on the Seattle Street Car was a treat! The driver super helpful and friendly,…read moreengaging the littlest passengers with enthusiasm and sincere interest. Orca cards are accepted, but bus transfers are not! Just so you know. The trip is relatively short from the north end of downtown to SLU, but comfortable, smooth and clean. It's not too crowded; at least not early on a Thursday afternoon while most are lunching. The trolley provides easy access to MOHAI and the Center for Wooden Boats without having to search for and pay for limited hours parking.

I hope they can salvage this somehow…read more As far as a people mover system, the South Lake Union Streetcar has as much appeal as the Seattle Monorail. It is a curiosity, but lacking in usefulness for most. The Streetcar runs from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the Eastlake area to a stop across the street from Westlake Center. There is a train every 15 minutes. The system seems to model itself like the Portland Streetcar, but the current streetcar system in Seattle is inferior in the same way that Seattle's Sound Transit Light Rail system is to the Portland MAX system. In its current state, I think the main use of it is in shuttling Amazon and Fred Hutchinson employees from Westlake to their respective offices. There is not a whole lot of Metro bus service in South Lake Union (SLU), so the Streetcar does alleviate that issue a bit. But seeing that Westlake is only several blocks south from SLU, I think most people including myself would prefer to walk the distance rather than wait for the Streetcar. I would only take it if there was a train leaving shortly that would save me a couple minutes. Work on a First Hill Streetcar is going on now and there has been talk of extending the SLU Streetcar further north which would be great if it happens. It would be a waste to not expand. Right now the value of this line is not there, but hopefully city planners can turn that around with some forward thinking expansion.

My review for Clyde Hill/Yarrow Point Station is pretty much the same as the one I wrote for…read moreEvergreen Point Freeway Station as both stations serve the same purpose. This station is the 2nd to last Eastside stop before you head onto SR 520 so it is basically a transfer point. A lot of buses from places like Kirkland, Redmond and Woodinville make stops here before crossing over. On the return trip east, you can change between buses that originate from downtown Seattle and the U-District here. To quicken my commute, I have taken buses to this station and then transferred to a different bus to get to my final destination. Clyde Hill/Yarrow Point Station is partially covered, but open air. It can get chilly waiting here on winter days. Still your wait here is usually only going to be a few minutes, so it is bearable. I do have a personal preference for the Evergreen Point stop over this one. Heading west, I want to spend the least amount of time potentially standing on the bus that I need to. If your usual bus is delayed, I would recommend taking a bus to this stop as it gives you more options to choose from. It is helpful for those who need to change over from a U-District bus to a downtown Seattle bus and vice versa.

The Clyde Hill/Yarrow Point Station is super convenient to get to for Eastsiders. I've only been…read moreto this station a few times, only when my normal route has been backed up, and it's nice to know that there is this stop which isn't too far from downtown Bellevue. The bus stop is along 520. Once you're dropped off, there is a flight of stairs that takes you to the roundabout area that makes pick-ups easy peasy. At this stop, it's also covered, which has been handy since the last time I visited here it was snowing! This stop is not very walkable to any of the eastside neighborhoods, so I would recommend making arrangements to be picked up; hence, the roundabout driveway for cars here.

3 new light rail stations just opened up in the South End…read more The Kent Des Moines light rail station is right off Pac Hwy and close to the I-5 ramps. It's up the hill from the Des Moines Marina and up the hill from the Kent Transit Center and ShoWare Center. It's 2 stops away from Sea-Tac Airport so it's a good place to drop off friends and family here as long as they can manage their luggage. Kent remains a car centric city though. It still lacks all-day express buses to and from Seattle and the Sounder train is super flaky. Sure, taking the Sounder is the quickest way to get into Seattle but commuters might opt for the light rail due to scheduling and reliability reasons. People still need to get to work, school, appointments, lectures, and meetings at all times of the day. Also, if this station keeps cars off I-5, it's a win for the environment. Cleaner air for the Puget Sound region? Yes, please. No transit fare gates here. Payment is on the honor system. Security is inconsistent. Sometimes they'll do something about sus characters & sleepers and sometimes they won't. If you notice sketch activity, have the Sound Transit security number saved on your phone or move to another car if you have to. Use your best judgement. Kind of weird they don't have a pedestrian overpass to Highline College. Seattle has overpasses on Aurora at 102nd and 130th. Bellevue has the NE 8th Street Pedestrian bridge at the Wilburton light rail station. Hopefully the traffic light cycle favors pedestrians at the crosswalk. I could see people running across lanes of traffic because they're late to class. If you're a student or faculty member, just be aware of erratic drivers on Pac Hwy. They also have public restrooms at this station.

Located in the heart of downtown Bellevue, this outdoor transit center (basically a series of…read moreberths where different bus numbers come and go) can be used to go to SeaTac airport in about 45 minutes. It also has local buses going throughout Bellevue, which can be used as connectors. The lightrail does not connect through Bellevue. There is a lot of construction next to the transit station (building some sort of high rise). I-405 is what connects Bellevue to the airport, and the bus takes it most of the way. It is just a standard bus, so doesn't have luggage racks nor empty spaces where bulky luggage can be placed. Works if you have one piece of luggage and the bus isn't too full. Bus driver was super friendly, and the fare one-way is $2.75 if using the mobile app that lets you buy the ticket on-line (you have 2 hours of unlimited uses once you activate it...so free transfers).

Bus nearly came at 11PM when it was suppose to come at 10:30PM. Then randomly on some days it will…read morecome 10 minutes early. If you go wait at the bus stop super early like 10-15 minutes to prepare for the buses that come too early but it's delayed, you will end up waiting 20-50 minutes in total just standing in the blazing sun or cold rain. But if you try to go on time with a few extra minutes early, there are days buses will be 8-10 minutes early so you will miss it and with my luck the next bus will be delayed. Today I went out at 1:10PM for a bus and it was super early so I waited for the next one and it was delayed. Now I will arrive somewhere around 2:30PM for a place that takes 10 minutes to drive to.

The 250 line is always late. I'd say it's a joke but I think they are trying to be so late ALL the…read moretime. And they don't seem to care

The Kirkland Transit Center is located in downtown Kirkland, close to the marina. It's location…read moreand easy accessibility make me a fan of this transit center. I've taken the bus a few times here, and it's always been an easy process. Compared to other transit centers, this one doesn't feel as populated. I've never had to wait in a line to get on the bus from here. Also, all of the posts are marked, to indicate where to wait at for a particular route/bus. It's an easy process. I just love that this transit center is downtown, with bus routes from Seattle and other Eastside suburbs. It's accessible, easy, and never busy. Plus, cars can also use the lanes that the buses use for pick-ups and whatnot.