Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel

Overall the tunnel isn’t that bad. It’s usually pretty clean and not too hectic. There are plenty of buses as well as the light link that run in the tunnel.
The 2 stars? It’s because this is 2016 and there’s no cell coverage down there. Seriously… what’s up with that?

This place is clean enough. I really like that there are security guys always down there. It makes me feel safe even when using the tunnel early in the morning or late at night. I only wish we had those guards at some bus stops!
Be warned that it can take 45 minutes to take the light link to the airport from downtown!

Overall, the tunnel isn’t all that bad. Somedays, I feel like going there will be no problem, and sometimes I feel like I’ll get herpes or hepatitis. All depends on who is there. You have your apathetic underpaid security guards, tourists trying to read the schedules, and the suburban family kids (who you can tell don’t use public transportation) groaning about having to take the light rail to the airport.
At least it doesnt smell too bad.

This tunnel gets you from one end of Downtown to the other in a jiffy. You can take any of the buses or the light rail and it’s convenient. Some of the buses go to the Eastside or up north or south also and cut thru the tunnel to make it faster. This tunnel will keep you out of the rain so dont be afraid to explore if you need to get to the other side of Downtown.

The bus tunnel closed the month that I moved to Seattle, and remained that way for three years. So when it finally opened again, I was ready to see what all these Seattlites had been going on about for those intervening years.
I was working downtown at the time, and actually thought that the traffic revision and bus only corridor on Third Ave worked pretty well. After I got over the confusion of taking a different route, I guess I have warmed up to the tunnel. No traffic, the stations are cleaner than those above ground, shiny new light rail and this just in! Now with more armed guards!
I still get surprised from time to time, being so used to detouring on Third Ave, and I continue to wonder: Why do the buses have to go SO SLOW down there? But overall, I think (as the star guide says) that the Bus Tunnel is A-​OK.

Today is Halloween.
Today, I am mulling over ghoulish and spectral delights conjured up by brisk winds and dreary skies.
Every time I enter the Downtown Transit Tunnel, I am reminded of this scene (
) from «28 Days Later». Fucking Zombies everywhere.

I used it on Christmas when I took a bus from Shoreline to SeaTac. Quite a long and annoying bus trip, but the tunnel is nice and clean. I didn’t see any homeless people smoking foul smelling substances and I did get a few laughs out of the following situation.
Signs everywhere near where the buses pull in and out reading Do Not Run Across! Take a guess as to what happens at least a couple times a minute. Some teenager sprints across, tempting fate.
Question: What is one of the few things worse than getting hit by a car?
Answer: Getting hit by a damn bus.
Stupid-​ass kids.

Dear Transit Tunnel:
I’m so, so sorry.
In the short time we’ve known each other I’ve begrudged you: for not liking my cigarrette smoke; for being crowded to the point that I fear falling onto the tracks; for allowing busses to whiz by as I’m halfway down the stairs in a rush to get home before the dog makes a mess of his kennel.
I never told you how much I appreciated you, Tranny T (you always liked that nickname). I never expressed how good it felt to come out of the rain into your warm, dry arms. I failed to comment on your calming colorscheme or your shiny floors, or how you made me feel important for having to take Seattle’s excuse for a mini-​subway. I never told you how much I cared, damn it, or that half the time I took the 77 because it got me closer to home… not because I didn’t want to see you.
Now I live down south, and there’s no reason for me to come see you: the 7 travels Third Avenue. You probably won’t read this — it’s not like you’ve called or written — but maybe one of our mutual friends on Unilocal will let you know how I feel. I’m not asking for us to get back together, Tranny T — just for you to know how much you meant to me.
I wish you all the best. Stay warm.
Jen

Get in, get out of the rain.
– Simple Minds, «Waterfront»

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the bus tunnel, but I have to give it…
Three stars for the time it saves me going to work in the morning; the tunnel shaves off about 10 minutes from my ride from the International District to the University District. This takes my ride from 30 minutes to 20… hooray for more sleep!!!
Minus two stars for the minimal advertisement (to me, anyway, who doesn’t watch tv or listen to the radio in Seattle) of the reopening, the inaccesibility of, «hey, I want to eat/​shop there! Ding!,» (especially for a Seattle newcomer, such as myself), the absolutivity of knowing where the closest tunnel stop is to your destination, the inaccesibility of 24 hour service (although, I suppose the closure at night is somewhat of a deterrant from people sleeping there), and the bird «spikes» which prevent birds from landing along the edges of the terminal by threat of impalation. I’m against bird s@*% as much as the next guy, but the ID station is COVERED with these spikes!
The bus tunnel. Good for Quani. Bad for birds.