Ian Pierce

Tag: transit

  • CHOO CHOO MOTHERLOVERS

    It was a huge day for transit nerds in Seattle this Saturday! Well, not in Seattle specifically, but the wild border country between the airport and Tacoma. Yes, as an early Christmas present, the Federal Way Link Light Rail extension opened, and since I had the day off, I spent the afternoon riding it!

    I began at the light rail station near my home, U District Station. Immediately upon entering, something was different. Instead of saying “Angle Lake” as the terminus for the southbound line, the transit signage said “Federal Way”.

    Even knowing that the signs would change, it was kind of a shock to see. I’ve lived in Seattle for nearly a decade, and seeing anything other than “Angle Lake” was a little startling, in a pleasant way.

    After passing through downtown Seattle, Rainier Valley, and the airport, I got to see the new section of track and the new stations for the first time!

    Speeding past cars on I-5.
    Kent De Moines Station.
    Star Lake Station.

    Then, after a scenic trip past interstate highways, RV parks, and patches of bog surrounded by damp hemlock trees, I arrived at the terminus of my journey in the exotic southern climes of distant Federal Way!

    Since I had come all this way, I spent a pleasant time shopping at Federal Way’s premier bookstore, a combination bookstore/cafe called Barnes and… something? Barnes and Mobile? Not sure what mobile phones have to do with books, but it had a pretty good selection!

    After shopping and getting a li’l soupçon of writing done, it was 4:30, well past nightfall, and time to head home. Overall, an excellent excursion! If ever you are forced to be in Federal Way, the Link is an excellent way of getting there. And I’ll be able to take it all the way to Tacoma someday! Hopefully before I’m 50, but you never know in this town…

    Goodnight, Federal Way and all of South King County! I probably won’t ever visit you again for years, but it was nice while I did!

    ~ Ian (listening to Strega by SubRosa)

  • i like to be here when i can

    I was just down in California last week, visiting family and friends for the traditional autumnal bird consumption ritual festival. It’s always a little weird going to California for me. I spent years being miserable there, trying to get out. I’m surprised how much I enjoy it, although that’s probably just because that’s where my family lives, as well as most of my friends.

    The story of my moving to Seattle basically boils down to “I wanted to move here, so I did”. What I didn’t know is how quickly it would become my home. Seattle felt like home to me within six months, something that never entirely happened in my hometown. I feel a kinship with this place, despite its flaws, and whenever I return here, no matter how fun the trip was, I always feel a sense of unclenching, of being in a place where I belong.

    This begins as soon as I get off the plane for one reason: fonts.

    This was the view as I left my plane from San Jose at SeaTac Airport. The font on the sign up there is called Humnst 777. All the signage in the airport is in that font, which isn’t unusual, since all airports have some manner of unified typography. But the use of this font continues once you leave the airport and get onto the Link light rail. All the station signage is in this same font. So are the signs in bus stations across King County. In fact, I’d argue that this font is as much a symbol of Seattle and the larger Puget Sound as the Space Needle, Starbucks, and annoying tourists who refuse to drink any beer that doesn’t have enough hops in it to turn it green.

    It’s funny how we create these signifiers of home within our minds. Maybe someone who doesn’t ride the Link every day like I do wouldn’t have such associations with this font. But for me, it’s just a reminder of the human element of good design.

    ~ Ian (listening to I Heard It’s A Mess There Too by Aesop Rock)