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If you wanted to go to the Rapid Ride Open House last Tuesday at Whittier Elementary School, but had other plans that night, here are some interesting tidbits I came across while there.

Currently the #15 bus has both an Express and a Local service.  Rapid Ride will actually add onto the distance of the former ‘express’ now ‘rapid’ service by having it travel through Queen Anne!  Currently,  this extra leg is what makes the Local slower than the Express service.  When I questioned a Metro official about the rationale as to why a Ballard bus has to service Queen Anne, when Queen Anne is already served by multiple other routes, the response I received was, “It’s because the council passed the ordinance.”   Finding that answer unsatisfactory, I asked why the ordinance was passed and received this response, “Because someone wanted it.”  I compared this to how annoying it is to be told by a parent, “Because I said so” except in this case as a Ballard citizen I don’t feel like my transportation choices should be dictated by such a vague illogical response.    I pointed out to several Metro officials that only getting public input on what happens with Rapid Ride once it reaches Ballard is not really due public process, Ballardites should have had a say in this extra jog to the route.   How many of us riders have not been denied boarding on an overcrowded #15 Local bus downtown to try to get home in Ballard, because many non regular riders or tourists jumped on the #15 just to go to an event at Seattle Center?  With the so called “Express” bus now traveling through Queen Anne every time, how much more often will those of us who want to get home be turned away?

The only public input Metro seemed interested in letting Ballardites have an opinion on was whether the Rapid Ride should travel up 15th Ave. NW or 24th Ave. NW.  In the brochure that Rapid Ride sent to my house, this wording appeared right on their literature, “Buses traveling on 15th Ave. NW carry more passengers than those on 24th Avenue NW, and the City of Seattle has designated 15th Ave. NW a transit priority corridor.”  So what is the supposed ‘debate’ about which route Rapid Ride should take upon entering Ballard?  When I questioned another Metro staffer about the fact that their brochure already indicated a decision, I was met with another blank stare.  I agree that the 15th Ave. NW corridor is in dire need of more service, but why if Metro’s own brochure states that is the 24th Ave. NW route even being considered?  Is this Metro’s way of acting as if they are giving Ballard due process in making decisions for the new service?  If that was the case, we would have been allowed to give our opinion about the Queen Anne leg.

The people I met on the Citizen Advisory Committee expressed a lot of the same concerns and questions I had, I was left with the impression that Metro was not listening closely to them or providing satisfactory answers to their concerns.

Poster boards around the cafeteria showed idyllic bus stops, stations and vehicles.  One made me outright chuckle with its bullet point promising ‘additional Metro Police patrols.’   When have we ever seen any police presence as is with the buses.  I have personally experienced many scary incidences on the bus with no one to control drunk or high riders – in one instance the bus driver pulled over and refused to move until the police that she had called arrived – this took 40 minutes.   Think about it, if the number of police increase to 50-75, considering the number of routes all over the region, will we feel that extra security at all?

The most interesting part of the evening were comments by Metro staffers that they were worried that they didn’t have the money to actually implement most of the changes illustrated on the colorful poster boards. If that is the case, why are we paying the increase in sales tax?

If you haven’t already turned it in, make sure to fill out and pop your questionnaire in the mail by Wednesday, February 25th.  Or email barbara.demichele@kingcounty.gov or leave a recorded comment at 206-684-1955.

Where can you vote for your favorite facial hair while helping raise money for charity? Beard and Stache Fest 2009 !

Several of the events this year are taking place in Ballard, including:

Moustache Monday at Tigertail Bar, 8-11pm on Monday, February 9.

The Beard & Stache Ball at Ross Park, 1pm on Sunday, February 15.

Moustache Monday at King’s Hardware, 8-11pm on Monday, February 16

Moustache Monday at Moshi Moshi, 8-11pm on Monday, February 23.

Check the Calendar for more details about these and other events.

When you vote for your favorite furry contestant you also donate money to Treehouse, an organization for kids that helps “fill the gaps in foster care.” You can donate online at the Contestants page, or in person at one of the events. Contributions are tax deductible.

Oh no!  Valentine’s Day is just around the corner again – what’s a single to do?  Sometimes it seems as if every single person I know has tried online dating, but if you are single and have not yet explored this option and are wondering about this twenty first century dating technique, the Ballard Library is offering a workshop to get you started this evening.  The workshop is free, open to anyone and covers the following:

• how to find online dating sites that are right for you
• how to create your profile and search for matches
• how to chat and e-mail safely

Who knows?  You may find that special someone sitting next to you in the class – after all, you know the room will be filled with other singles due to the focus of the workshop.   Even if you don’t find someone there, you will learn enough to get online and start the hunt for the special someone of your dreams.   With all the romantic restaurants, bars and walks located in Ballard, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to share these places with?

Online Dating Workshop at the Ballard Branch Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Call to reserve your spot 206-684-4089

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I have started my annual search for a romantic restaurant: something close by, and not too expensive; a place that serves food that both my husband and I will eat (he doesn’t like Asian food, and I’m not a big fan of pizza).

This year my search yielded an interesting find: A list of “Seattle’s Most Romantic Restaurants.”  Most of the restaurants were downtown, but Volterra in Ballard is number 10. As of this writing, 13 people had voted Volterra as one of Seattle’s most romantic restaurants.

Vote for your favorite romantic restaurant by going to the restaurant’s page on Urbanspoon and clicking on the Red heart or the Blue heart to vote Most Romantic (or not).

Here are some other Ballard places that were billed as Romantic:

Carnegie’s

Caffe Fiore

La Isla

Le Gourmand Restaurant

Tigertail

Walter’s Cafe

Agree or disagree?

If you missed the Tiger Tail’s Iron Bartender contest, never fear. You’ll have another chance to offer up your liver to the spirit of competition on Thursday, February 12 at the Hi-Life.

The’ll have a menu of specialty cocktails, one concocted by each bartender, and a panel of judges, who will start sipping and hand down their judgment beginning at 9 p.m. The mixologist responsible for the winning drink will get a paid day off work (which they’ll probably spend unofficially judging other bartenders’ concoctions). There will also be a People’s Choice Award to the winner of the most-ordered drink of the night.

Here is the charming Kathleen Manley, who has dreamed up a lively combination of gin, sake, cucumber, Thai basil and lime:

And just to get one more plug in (I admit it, I used to work here), don’t forget about the Closing Bell Blues special they’ve been running at dinner Sunday through Thursday, where the price of that night’s Blue Plate Special corresponds to the day’s closing numbers on Wall Street at the end of trading. That means that if the Dow closes at 8650, dinner costs $8.65. The worse the economy, the cheaper your pork roast!