Sis and I rode the rails for her work and I gotta say, this was quite a charming way to discover…read moredowntown Tacoma. I stopped at the Thriftway just because there was a stop there and got to buy some nice little snackies. As we rode around, I saw businesses I want to try. I had no idea there was a Melting Pot nearby, so I'm gonna take Mom to the station near the Tacoma Dome, take the train there and have our fondue, then have a little adventure riding the rails. Why not? It's cheap and it's fun.

Everyone knows you head down to Federal Way for Korean food. It's pretty obvious once you start…read moreseeing business signs in Hangul off Pac Hwy. Now you can get here by taking the light rail. The light rail connection from Federal Way to Sea-Tac Airport and Downtown Seattle is a big win for the South End. It's pretty convenient since it's close to the I-5 ramps. I know it'll be a drop off point for folks heading to the airport, work and school. The best thing about the 1 line is that it takes you right into downtown Seattle and UW without having to transfer to other lines. Plus, if you get on at the Federal Way station you'll get first dibs on prime seats. Hi-Five, right? Just like the named art piece at the station. The track feels like the Canada Line SkyTrain from Richmond to Vancouver, BC. No fare gates so fare evasion happens all the time. No platform screen doors like Sea-Tac Airport's underground trains so pay attention and don't fall on the tracks. As for tourism, some people may opt to stay in hotels in Federal Way rather than downtown Seattle or SeaTac. With this new light rail station, it's only a couple stops away from Sea-Tac Airport and less than an hour to Westlake Station/Downtown Seattle. I'm sure hotel shuttles will be a common sight at this station too. I always saw shuttles at the Angle Lake station whenever I dropped fam and friends off. They have public restrooms at this station. Hopefully during Summer 2026 they'll have enough Honey Buckets for stations that don't have restrooms. With all the games, concerts, and special events at the stadiums plus heatwaves there's going to be a lot of beverage consumption. Federal Way doesn't have free on-demand shuttle service like Bellevue. People will still have to use their car to navigate around the business district. As Federal Way grows, I'm curious how the city will shift from being car-centric to pedestrian-friendly. They don't have to reinvent the wheel. They just have to study the growth blueprint of Lynnwood and Redmond, ask them about their successes and failures, then apply whatever fits the needs of this South End community. I just hope Federal Way finds passionate, experienced urban planners who have the best interest for this area. I'm ok if the city takes their time strategically planning growth as long as they're thoughtful about the PNW environment and the people they serve. Anyway, the Federal Way Link Extension grand opening was a fun celebration. Lots of people showed up. Not everyone was able to get on the first NB train though. They had food trucks, activities, and pop-up tents with freebies and swag bags plus they had ST Merch. It was a successful party. Next up? The 2 Line Crosslake Connection.

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.

Volunteers are friendly. The station is clean and well kept. The recorded message on the intercom…read morereflected the wrong info and so the volunteer at the ticket counter had to remind us that the info was wrong.

It's small but charming. A comfortable place to sit with amenities like restrooms, vending…read moremachines, a lending library, scales for your bags, puzzles and magazines so you won't be bored. The place is so charming that I put my name in to volunteer because it's a lovely way to serve your community.

Great place to catch the bus or go shopping close by. But some of the people are just rude and mean…read moreand they will accuse you of anything and will pick fights. Security does a good job and all but they don't even understand half the time how to deal with an emergency.

Public transit center for the Lacey area. 11 routes serve this center, including local service and…read moreExpress service to/from Lakewood and Tacoma.

I have used the Tacoma Dome Station a fair amount of times to use the bus routes going to downtown…read moreSeattle and Sea-Tac airport. Over all I got no complaints. The bus arrival times are usually punctual but not always but it's safe to say that they are fairly reliable. For downtown I kind of plan it out prior to see what Seattle neighborhoods I will be going to and if the Seattle light rail will cover those areas. If so, then this is a super efficient way to get around to where you want to go. And if I wanted to go somewhere where the light rail doesn't cover there definitely would be a bus but usually I am simply trying to make the travel route as simple as possible. As far as going to the airport? Super smooth practically every time. We get off at the Skybridge stop... I believe International Blvd. stop and once you are across the skybridge. Boom! There you are. Since it is Tacoma we are dealing with over the various times we have used this stop some minor security concerns arise with some people that loiter there and have no intention of using transit but we personally had no unfortunate experiences but I am sure plenty of unfortunate experiences do go down here.

I've had to pick my sister up from this station and although the parking is terrible and there is…read moreno waiting area other than the curb and all the rideshare drivers fight with normies to pick up passenders so there's barely any street space, the station itself is pretty cool. There are some legit restaurants at this station. Nothing fancy, just food mall type places, all independent. My favorite is the Indian food place because that food is amazing. There's also some cool places nearby, like the afternoon tea place around the corner and the Filipino restaurant up the hill. It's kind of a food ghetto over there and I'm all about that.

I've taken the light rail to and from SeaTac many times, and I'm a fan. There are connections to…read morelocal buses when you need to transfer. The trains and the stations are clean and well maintained. There's a good security presence, so I always feel safe when I'm riding. The wait time at the platforms isn't very long because the trains run so often. The cost isn't very much, for a trip that takes me about an hour. The trains get a little crowded during certain legs, but I can usually find a seat. There are even spots where you can store your luggage. It's a well though out, well managed system.

First interaction with the city, and it was a good one. My biggest concern when coming here was…read more'how was I going to get from the airport to my hotel.' I'm glad I did a little research before getting here. After a long walk from the terminal you find yourself at the platform. Not having an Orca card before getting here, I just did tap to pay. It's great to be able to do this as I was not in the mood to purchase a card right then. Being able to connect downtown from the airport is always going to be a plus. Public transit is an essential for any city, and Seattle did it right. If you don't have the Citymapper app, download it. You'll never look like a lost tourist in any city. With the information I needed on what stop to get off on, I was on my way. That is until the train got there. Until then, I was able to observe the platform. Plenty of space, especially at peak times when passengers are getting off of flights. Signage is aplenty. My biggest gripe with this is the frequency of trains. It felt like even though the schedule is on the board, they weren't directly following it. But back to the station. It is an easy station to use. Easy to navigate. Wide open spaces so you don't feel boxed in. Also, not bad views.

Boy does this airport need upgrading. Try and find a restroom without a long line anytime. The…read moreairport is small and crowded. The restrooms are so small, only 5 stalls for the whole baggage claim area! The airport has good signage tho and lots of helpers to ask for jnfo

Water leaking on most of the toilet in terminal N woman's restroom. Overall clean. Watch out when…read moreyou wash your had the faucet water spits out

This is the main transit location in downtown Tacoma for bus connections. The 594 to and from…read moreSeattle has a stop here. The T Line runs through the area, but does not have a stop here though, so you would need to walk a couple blocks to the nearest stop. The area itself is pretty clean and the bus stops are labeled well.There are some sketchy folks that loiter nearby at times, but I like that there is a safety officer presence here to make you feel safe when connecting.