I love the SLUT. I love the SLUT so much that I ride it at least once a week, and usually more often. The SLUT is so fun and satisfying, that I have a huge smile on my face each time I get off.
I also ride the South Lake Union Trolley on a frequent basis. South Lake Union Park, The Guitar Center, Scoot About, Whole Foods … it goes to a lot of places that I need to go, and at $0.00 for Orca cardholders, the price is more than right.
As a huge mass transit buff (perhaps “fanatic” is a more accurate adjective), I’ve always lamented the fact that The Trolley doesn’t go anywhere else. Don’t get me wrong, South Lake Union is a great neighborhood, but it’s not the most dense neighborhood in the city, and because of this, I always thought it an odd choice for a first trolley line.
Today, however, that concern has been formally adressed. Shortly after noon, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of Seattle’s newest trolly line … The First Hill Streetcar.
As you can see, the First Hill Streetcar will run from 1st & Jackson in Pioneer Square, through the I.D., over to the Central District, back down Yesler, and north on Broadway through First Hill, Pike/Pine, and it will terminate near Dick’s on Capitol Hill. This segment will open in 2014 … just two short years from now.
I walked over to Broadway & Boylston about an hour ago to check out the groundbreaking festivities, and also to grab a shot of the ceremonial turning of dirt.
Mayor Mike McGinn (a/k/a M3)
First Hill Trolley Groundbreaking
First Hill Trolley Groundbreaking
At somewhere between 50 and 100 people, the turnout for the groundbreaking was more than I expected, and as you can see from the photographs, M cubed himself was even in attendance.
Eventually, the First Hill Streetcar will (technically “may”, but I think it will happen) keep going up Broadway to Mercer/Roy. I’m personally stoked about all of this, because as one who is “Carless in Seattle”, I’ll be taking this thing all the time. Once this streetcar starts running, and once the Capitol Hill subway station opens up, the entire area around Cal Anderson Park is going to be one of the most transit-accessible areas of the city.
That’s a good thing. I think.
Anyway, ground has been broken, and the First Hill Trolley is now officially on its way. Start throwing those car ads up on Craiglist, because your motor vehicle is about to become even more obsolete than it is now.
