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On the list of legendary railroad events, like Driving the Golden Spike, Wrecking the Old 97, and Hopping the Trolley to the Neighborhood of Make Believe, the rollout of the Seattle Streetcar wasn't much. Perhaps a great moment will come Dec. 14, when the three immaculate new streetcars (red, orange, and purple) begin taking passengers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at Fairview Avenue North and Ward Street, around half of the South Lake Union neighborhood, up Westlake Avenue to Westlake Center (and down Terry on the return), with 11 stops along the way. Some 330,000 passengers are predicted to take that journey in the first year, at $1.50 a head.
Monday, Oct. 29, Passenger No. 1 and Driver No. 1 was Seattle's No. 1, Mayor Greg Nickels, who pointed with pride at the streetcar line he first proposed four years, $50.5 million, and 15 months of construction ago. Then he hopped aboard the appropriately labeled Seattle Number One, took his place at the controls, and rolled her down the tracks a hundred yards past the television cameras, reporters, and others. Then he trotted to the other end of the car and drove her back at us, waving like Sir Topham Hatt, without the hat. I suspect from his beaming grin that once little Greg had a whole Lionel setup in his basement, with an engine that puffed real smoke. Seattle Streetcars don't puff smoke (and if they start to, it's time to get off real fast) but they do have an actual bell, not the digitally recorded clanger you might expect these days. The mayor ding-ding-dinged that bell, and obviously zing zing zing went his heartstrings.
After his photo op as a train op, we boarded for our ride, breathing in deeply that wonderful new streetcar smell. (Which was actually kind of a relief. They recently deposited dirt with high manure content around the tracks, so the off-streetcar aroma was distinctly fecal.) In our first-ride group were the 11 Metro transit drivers, chosen from 53 applicants, who will actually operate the train. Or as one of them told me, "You've just seen the last non-union driver you're going to see up there." These drivers have been training in a classroom for two weeks and are eager for hands-on experience. For the next six weeks they'll be training on the real thing, and working with the streetcars' Czechoslovakian designers and engineers on a series of tests, including the "walking speed clearance test" – making sure the streetcar doesn't wipe out traffic signs and foliage along the route – and "dynamic testing," which they say is done to "verify each streetcar's ability to accelerate ... and stop." I'd start with that one.
During and after this testing period, the streetcar folks would like us to: be alert to quiet streetcars approaching; don't walk, play, or park on the tracks; and check for streetcars before opening vehicle car doors. And though they don't say it outright, they beg us to do one more thing. We must call it the Seattle Streetcar, South Lake Union Line, and not the South Lake Union Trolley. First, it's not a trolley, which doesn't have enough gravitas for a system that may eventually stretch all over the city. (If Tennessee Williams had titled his play A Trolley Named Desire, even Brando couldn't have saved it.) Second, and most important, $50.5 million is a lot to pay for a SLUT.
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Comments:
Posted Mon, Oct 29, 1:48 p.m. Inappropriate
SLUT vs. LINK: Not that I am betting man, but...
The SLUT is going to be one heck of a lot more 'popular' than Sound Transit's LINK.
:-)
-DT
Posted Mon, Oct 29, 2:37 p.m. Inappropriate
NAME THEM CARS: If the whole line is going to end up being called SLUT--whether its sponsors want that or not--then it makes sense that each of the three cars should be named for appropriate figures in our local history. The red car, for instance, should certainly be called the MADAME DAMNABLE, for the "innkeeper" and legendary harridan who made life hell for the first white citizens of Seattle, and especially terrorized the sailors from the warships in the bay, even though they helped immeasurably in the Battle of Seattle.
The second car, the orange one, should be called the LOU GRAHAM. She was, according to the late Bill Speidel (who loved her as if he had actually met her) the city's first great madam, with a house on First Avenue that saw a lot more city business transacted than took place a few blocks up the street at City Hall. According to Bill, when she died she left the bulk of her estate to the Seattle Public Schools, at a time when they desperately needed the dough.
And the purple car should perhaps be named for GRACIE HANSON, not a SLUT by any means but the person solely responsible for bringing a little sin to the Seattle World's Fair (at least, officially) with her girlie show. And of all these ladies, Gracie is the one who would have most appreciated the honor of being a car in the SLUT parade.
Although I must admit, I'd be tempted to name that third car just GABY. Many years ago the Rivoli Burlesque downtown had an artiste by that name, and permanently displayed outside the theater was a sign that read: COME SEE GABY AND HER TWIN 44's, with a picture of the lass shooting two very large guns. (It was right next to the sign that said TUESDAY IS CAMERA DAY!) For us young teens hanging around downtown, Gaby and her flashing pistols was the personification of sin and degradation. That kind of educational opportunity should be acknowledged.
Posted Mon, Oct 29, 7:24 p.m. Inappropriate
Pointing the way: I have no idea whether Prop 1 will pass but in any case we will soon have one bit of mass transit to praise. I predict that SLUT will be a rousing success and, should Prop 1 fail, will point the way.
Posted Mon, Oct 29, 7:52 p.m. Inappropriate
The Piper
Posted Mon, Oct 29, 8:56 p.m. Inappropriate
FAKE ID?: Fake ID to get into the Rivoli? I suspect a toddler could have teetered into the Rivoli, as long as he had the 5 or 6 bucks, and was chewing on a cigar. I, however, never entered, but certainly would have had I had the courage, and the cigar. And those who know me will know that I would have been there to see the comics--the burlesque comic, an art form alas gone forever with the deaths of Lou Costello--good riddance--and Joey Faye, who was a wonderful guy. In an interview I did with him in 1992, he referred to a former female colleague who worked, not in tights but loose shorts, and "allowed those in the first rows a lot of visits with Abraham Lincoln." It took me two minutes before I figured out what the hell he meant.
Posted Mon, Oct 29, 10:55 p.m. Inappropriate
In those days, a junior high school student ID card worked to not only get into most naughty nudie reviews, but also was sufficient to qualifiy a patron to order a round for the house.
The Piper
Posted Tue, Oct 30, 3:06 p.m. Inappropriate
I wish SOMEONE would have asked Hizzoner about: ...when the BENSON trolley may again see the light of day. It took Councilman Benson more than a decade to jump hurdles to get us six trolleys and a line that really worked, only to have it pulled out of service for gosh knows how long...
Initially, the Port was going to save the bell, by extending the tracks north to piers 86 or so. It would have been even better if they were extended to piers 90/91, maybe with the trolley barn on port property under or near the Magnolia Bridge.
This would have been damn smart, especially now that the port is planning to move the cruise ships there, and built and rented all that great office space... But they built the sculpture park overpass too narrow to allow it to pass... Not to mention the Port suddenly decided that 47 million dollars was too much to spend on something so logical. (You know... All those trapped in those new offic buildings one can only drive to, and soon, the thousands of Cruise Passengers who could take a trolley along the waterfront, and get to the market and the ID without using a car, cab or bus.
Maybe because it was not expensive enough... Better than serving as year round transportation alternatives for those who rent newly developed port office space that would not impact Elliott Ave traffic, and have no carbon footprint, etc. But never let logic get in the way of Seattle when it comes to transportation ideas....
So last I read, the CITY was going to pony up 18 million or so to build a new trolly barn for maintainence in the Pioneer Square area. Currently the south end of the track ends at Jackson Street. IF they just followed 5th Avenue FIVE blocks, then jogged around the old US Immigration Building on Airport Way, the Benson trolley would end at, gosh, A METRO MAINTAINENCE YARD. One that serves ELECTRIC TROLLEYS...
BUT I guess it is more expensive and takes longer to build a NEW barn to Historic spec (it IS in the Historic District) then to add track... and goodness, we would not want to begin to serve the International District better...
Anyone else see the obvious? Before the city looses track of the Benson trolleys he worked so hard to get for us, SOMEONE PLEASE ASK the transportation folks when THAT line will return, and if we could get some service to the ID? (and if feeling really assertive, why we build anew when we already have 7 plus acres of mainainence yard just 8 blocks down the line?)
Sigh. I wonder how Mr Benson would feel knowing his Trolleys are out of service, and the city just paid 50 million for SLUTs, and his trolley may never get to Pier 90/91, let along maybe circle a billion dollars of Stadiums.
It is all too logical for us to do. Why succeed with small ideas, when expensive solutions and illogical choices abound?
Posted Wed, Oct 31, 4:12 p.m. Inappropriate
RE: NAME THEM CARS: It seemed strange that the one's to pay the piper for the Colacurcio's corruption efforts were Wills and NiCastro.
Now they might be a bit gullible(and too young for the office) and I might be a bit of a sucker for a pretty girl who flirts shamelessly, but standing back, they ain't corrupt and they certainly aren't prostitutes. The architects of that deal are certainly still around. Something ain't working down at the Courthouse.
BTW, I like Lake City.
-DT
Posted Wed, Oct 31, 4:19 p.m. Inappropriate
RE: I wish SOMEONE would have asked Hizzoner about: Good points.
Perhaps if our electeds, like Jane Hague and Julia Patterson, weren't quite so quick to take offense at anyone who testifies to the TRUTH and defame their constituents we might have a government that worked for everyone, not just these losers and their 'friends'.
-DT