I’m a nerd.
A few weekends ago my husband agreed to take me to Emerald City Comicon for a date night.
While I’m only an ensign on the geek status, I get a kick out of watching the captains of comic show off their costume designs. I also wasn’t going to give up the chance to meet Christopher Judge, the man who “indeed” played Teal’c on Stargate SG-1.
The drawback on my jaunt to the Washington Convention Center wasn’t the long lines of people with bad gas (or maybe it was just bad hygiene), it was the hour of circling around downtown Seattle trying to find parking.
Before criticizing me for refusing to embark on a bus, let me fill you in on the bus systems on the Eastside.
I have to walk a mile from my condo to even reach a stop. Once I get there, buses that may or may not connect me to where I want to go fly by maybe every 30 minutes.
No, I don’t live on Titan, I live in West Bellevue.
You may call me a “stuck up half-witted, scruffy looking nerfherder” for discounting the Park and Ride option, but consider that while the parking may be free – assuming you can find a spot – the round-trip bus fare for two people hits $10. We paid that for the private parking spot we eventually found.
Although we added our car to downtown Seattle’s traffic for an hour, we moved at warp speed compared to poorly timed bus routes.
Our contribution to the hole in the Ozone might have been cut short, had there been an open parking garage within a mile radius of downtown.
After idling a loop around the Convention Center, we decided to give street parking on Capitol Hill a try. It seemed a practical idea, until we realized we would have to refill the meter twice and shell out $24 for public parking.
What is wrong with you, Seattle?
Not only is the Convention Center as poorly placed on I-5 as NBC’s The Event was on primetime, but it doesn’t even have enough parking to host a nerd expo.
Apparently, the city’s transportation policies are as cold to outsiders as Mr. Freeze’s cryogenic suit. While Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn touts about his new spandex bike shorts as a solution to his offensive parking rates, his Utopian dreams ignore the reality that most bound for Seattle have little choice.
It’s like the Eastside is full of Romulans, and he’s trying to ward off an invasion.
He’s also forgotten that traffic that flows and parking lots that always have a few extra spots are good for business. There isn’t a social service agency that can replace a real job.
If Seattle wants to keep Eastsiders coming to its performing arts venues, eating at its delectable restaurants and hanging out at its convention center, it needs to address its attitude toward the suburbs.
Otherwise someday we’ll be fist bumping George Takei on the Eastside of the galaxy.
Celeste Gracey is a staff writer with the Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter. She can be contacted at cgracey@issaquah-reporter.com or 425-391-0363, ext. 5052.
