SounderBruce

I signed in for the first time in a year or two to compliment your work! As a native Seattleite, it's great to see this much attention given to the city I call home. The limited road crossings of the Ship Canal does hinder travel quite a bit, but we're slowly building bypasses deep underground: in the form of light rail tunnels. The University Link Extension to UW (from Downtown via Capitol Hill) is nearly a year old and has boosted ridership by 30,000 daily (to 69,000). Further extensions are expected to open in 2021 and 2023, with a new phase (Sound Transit 3) expected even further out into the 2040s after getting funding approved by voters last November. The chokepoints are arguably a great asset when it comes to transit ridership. And the last image came from my camera a few months ago! If you ever need some reference material, I'd be glad to go and fetch some for you.

Just got back from the design review board meeting for this one last night. Board was very receptive to the changes made, though now it's only 1,029 ft (not because of the FAA according to the architect, but because of the developer wanting to cut costs a bit). Moving onto the next phase in the design process, the Master Use Permit (MUP).

We only have a few toll roads (one HOT lane and two bridges...another HOT lane coming online this summer) and they have plenty of alternate (but much longer) routes. Here's the maximum rates: SR 520 (the one pictured): $3.80 with pass, $5.40 by mailSR 16/Tacoma Narrows Bridge (eastbound span only; assumed to be 2 axles): $5 with pass, $6 cash at toll booth (the only one in the state), $7 by mailSR 167 HOT Lane (free for carpools): $9I-405 HOT Lanes (opening this summer, free for carpools): $10 [pass required for all vehicles]

I got my first DSLR in April after a year of honing my skills with a point-and-shoot camera and I've taken plenty of shots. Lots more on my Flickr account and my SkyscraperCity thread, all licensed under Creative Commons for use by anyone (only requiring attribution and retaining the license when making derivatives). Enjoy the sights of Seattle's transportation infrastructure:

Nice job with the icons! Thanks! A few of them were hand-made by tracing silhouettes over logos, which explains why the sizes aren't consistent. Someday I'll get around to fixing that.

It's not much, but Seattle's King Street Station is quite nice. Its interior was restored in 2012 to bring out features dating back to its opening in 1906 that were covered during renovations.

High-speed rail really needs to be introduced here. It should replace medium-distance travel (where people opt to drive long distances instead of flying on a ridiculously short flight) between major cities on major and already well-traveled corridors. Locally, I'd love to see a high-speed line from Vancouver BC to Seattle and to Portland with a handful of stops in between.

My desktop is quite cluttered, but my W8.1 start screen is quite nice if I say so myself:

The responsive design looks very nice across all three of my screens (desktop, 7" tablet and 5" phone). Great work, guys!

The redesign has coaxed me into returning after yet another year-long hiatus. I also managed to get Cities: Skylines during the Steam Summer Sale, so I might start a journal with that game.

Good try at recreating Seattle.   One giant, glaring typo, though: Union Station is no longer a rail station. King Street Station is Seattle's railway station, while Union Station houses the offices of Sound Transit.   Also, Metro buses run inside the tunnel. Only one ST route is in the tunnel.

  It's not quite as grand as that. A skybridge over the drop-off area, then into a partially-covered walkway in the parking garage before getting to the platforms.

Good re-creation, but there's a small correction that needs to be made: Link Light Rail (not all caps) only goes to the Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle. The planned extensions to the University of Washington is scheduled to open in 2016. Also, the satellite terminals are connected by a people mover system (similar to a scaled-down automated subway), not an underground moving walkway (which you can, as the name implies, walk on).

Links to the apartment buildings in the lower left would be appreciated.

Hello! This is SounderBruce, the CJ'er formerly known as CG/ComputerGuy, and I've returned to the SimCity community for the fourth (or is it fifth?) time! I'm here with a new CJ that will have some ties to my Republic of Puget CJ, without affiliation with any unions or groups, centered on a megalopolis known as the Greater Whatcom Region. My goal for the Greater Whatcom Region, which will be centered around two urban centers surrounding a world-class city in a similar fashion to Seattle, will be to showcase what I've learned regarding city design over my last hiatus and to show that I am back, bigger and better than ever. The base map I will be using for the Whatcom region is a made by mpetryni and skippydam73 several years ago. Many of the names for nearby cities and natural features come from around Western Washington and southwestern British Columbia. Many of the names do not correspond with real-life features in order to not encourage prospective readers from thinking that this will be faithful re-creation of Bellingham. I repeat, this will not be a re-creation of Bellingham. Now, with the disclaimer out of the way, we can start looking into what I've started planning out for the series, beginning with the names of cities and major natural features. As you can see, most of the cities' names are borrowed from the names of other cities and areas around Western Washington as well as some generic names that make geographic sense. The principal cities of the Greater Whatcom Region are (in order of decreasing population and influence): Whatcom, Baker, and Tahoma, all of whom have distinct and separate metropolitan areas of their own that are linked by various forms of transportation. Whatcom will be the primary focus of the CJ once some outlying areas, mainly in the far-off Salish Sea and Baker Valley, are worked on. The city will be analogous to Seattle in many ways, but will have a single grid and better rapid transit (hint hint, Sound Transit). Baker is far away from the core of the region, so it grew fairly independent until the completion of railroads and high-capacity roads across the mountains. Tahoma will have only recently stepped out of Whatcom's shadow and growing its own dense urban core around an existing port and low-density homes. I hope everyone enjoys this city journal! Suggestions and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Tahoma is one of the three principal cities of the Whatcom Region. Boasting a population of 75,000 within the city proper and over 100,000 more in its outlying suburbs, the city has shed its exurban status with the advent of better connectivity to Whatcom, via high-speed rail service and a new, six-lane freeway. From its very founding, Tahoma has been planned on a series of grids, one for each of its somewhat distinct neighborhoods. Downtown, bounded on the west by Tahoma Bay and on the east by the steep Market Hillclimb, is home to most of the city's highrise buildings. The city has invested heavily into renovating its waterfront, building a new pier and Ferris wheel adjacent to its former skid row. Downtown Tahoma is served by two ferry docks, with regular service from its suburbs in Westpoint as well as the Port of Tahoma, to alleviate traffic on the few north-south streets during rush hour. Two new sports venues, BT Arena (left) and Tahoma Stadium (right), were built in the central boulevard of the city for its popular teams, part of the superclub Tahoma North Star (abbreviated as Tahoma NS), which fields teams in over 30 sports. (AN: Ignore the intersection error. It was not seen until the images were uploaded to Majhost.) Tahoma Central Station is served by trains coming approximately every 6 minutes at peak hours, arriving from destinations as far away as Newport/Baker and even Westgate Island. High-speed rail service to Whatcom, which runs through South Tahoma and Elliot Bay, operates on 15-minute frequencies during normal service, but is increased during special events and holidays. At the north end of Tahoma's downtown sits her tourist areas, home to the sprawling Downtown Mall and Tahoma Performing Arts Center on Plaza Street and the small Tahoma City Beach, often crowded with sunbathing tourists and locals, only differentiated by their choice in more generic towels. At Downtown's other end lies the new Tahoma City Pier, home to a museum dedicated to the local shipping industry as well as the popular combination arcade/aquarium. New hotels have sprung up in the two blocks adjacent to the pier's only entrance, filling the streets with tourists on any remotely nice day. Above the train station sits the Tahoma Public Market and the rest of Market Hill, including a 3-block park that reaches the Tahoma Viaduct. Market Hill is one of the densest neighborhoods in the region, with older brownstone apartments and modern condos sitting side-by-side, well served by frequent bus service to Downtown and other neighborhoods. The Tahoma Viaduct carries six lanes of freeway through the eastern neighborhoods of Tahoma. Various plans to replace the aging structure, which is at risk of collapse during the next megathrust earthquake, have ranged from deep-bore and cut-and-cover tunnels to replacing the freeway entirely with a boulevard. As of writing, no official plans have been announced by the Tahoma municipal government. Most of Tahoma's big box stores are only allowed on designated corridors that can handle increased traffic, such as arterial streets that connect Downtown to the Tahoma Viaduct. South of Tahoma's Downtown lies the Industrial District, home to the Port of Tahoma and plenty of heavy industry. The Port of Tahoma is the third largest in the Whatcom region, behind the ports of Whatcom and Baker. The ease of access between the port and various connections to other cities in the region give it a major advantage over its larger competitors. The Industrial District and the upscale southern neighborhoods of Tahoma are served by a newly-constructed rail station with frequent service to Downtown during peak hours in addition to regional rail service. The first diverging diamond interchange in the region was built in Tahoma to better serve port traffic without interfering with commuters from Tahoma's eastern suburbs. One final parting shot of Downtown Tahoma. Stay tuned for the next update, to come in a few more months! Schriefer: Thanks! CT14: Thanks! Almost all of my cities are based on real examples found around Washington and Oregon.

Tahoma is one of the three principal cities of the Whatcom Region. Boasting a population of 75,000 within the city proper and over 100,000 more in its outlying suburbs, the city has shed its exurban status with the advent of better connectivity to Whatcom, via high-speed rail service and a new, six-lane freeway. From its very founding, Tahoma has been planned on a series of grids, one for each of its somewhat distinct neighborhoods. Downtown, bounded on the west by Tahoma Bay and on the east by the steep Market Hillclimb, is home to most of the city's highrise buildings. The city has invested heavily into renovating its waterfront, building a new pier and Ferris wheel adjacent to its former skid row. Downtown Tahoma is served by two ferry docks, with regular service from its suburbs in Westpoint as well as the Port of Tahoma, to alleviate traffic on the few north-south streets during rush hour. Two new sports venues, BT Arena (left) and Tahoma Stadium (right), were built in the central boulevard of the city for its popular teams, part of the superclub Tahoma North Star (abbreviated as Tahoma NS), which fields teams in over 30 sports. (AN: Ignore the intersection error. It was not seen until the images were uploaded to Majhost.) Tahoma Central Station is served by trains coming approximately every 6 minutes at peak hours, arriving from destinations as far away as Newport/Baker and even Westgate Island. High-speed rail service to Whatcom, which runs through South Tahoma and Elliot Bay, operates on 15-minute frequencies during normal service, but is increased during special events and holidays. At the north end of Tahoma's downtown sits her tourist areas, home to the sprawling Downtown Mall and Tahoma Performing Arts Center on Plaza Street and the small Tahoma City Beach, often crowded with sunbathing tourists and locals, only differentiated by their choice in more generic towels. At Downtown's other end lies the new Tahoma City Pier, home to a museum dedicated to the local shipping industry as well as the popular combination arcade/aquarium. New hotels have sprung up in the two blocks adjacent to the pier's only entrance, filling the streets with tourists on any remotely nice day. Above the train station sits the Tahoma Public Market and the rest of Market Hill, including a 3-block park that reaches the Tahoma Viaduct. Market Hill is one of the densest neighborhoods in the region, with older brownstone apartments and modern condos sitting side-by-side, well served by frequent bus service to Downtown and other neighborhoods. The Tahoma Viaduct carries six lanes of freeway through the eastern neighborhoods of Tahoma. Various plans to replace the aging structure, which is at risk of collapse during the next megathrust earthquake, have ranged from deep-bore and cut-and-cover tunnels to replacing the freeway entirely with a boulevard. As of writing, no official plans have been announced by the Tahoma municipal government. Most of Tahoma's big box stores are only allowed on designated corridors that can handle increased traffic, such as arterial streets that connect Downtown to the Tahoma Viaduct. South of Tahoma's Downtown lies the Industrial District, home to the Port of Tahoma and plenty of heavy industry. The Port of Tahoma is the third largest in the Whatcom region, behind the ports of Whatcom and Baker. The ease of access between the port and various connections to other cities in the region give it a major advantage over its larger competitors. The Industrial District and the upscale southern neighborhoods of Tahoma are served by a newly-constructed rail station with frequent service to Downtown during peak hours in addition to regional rail service. The first diverging diamond interchange in the region was built in Tahoma to better serve port traffic without interfering with commuters from Tahoma's eastern suburbs. One final parting shot of Downtown Tahoma. Stay tuned for the next update, to come in a few more months!

Not even including the new development north of Downtown in the "South Lake Union" neighborhood. Amazon.com's new headquarters will occupy three new towers:

Gorillaz - Demon Days (the entire album)

A little update to this story: Only 2 remain "officially missing", 41 confirmed dead. (according to The Everett Herald)

The Cascadia subduction zone is the third most dangerous seismic hazard for the Puget Sound area, behind the Seattle Faults and the Cascade Volcanoes. Produced a 9.0-ish megathrust earhquake in 1700, but nothing since. Meanwhile, Mount Rainier could produce a lahar that could destroy everything in the Puyallup River valley (including the towns of Enumclaw and Orting, the city of Puyallup, and the Port of Tacoma). And most of the Seattle industrial district is built on landfill from the Denny Regrade, so an earthquake could trigger multiple landslides on the many hills of Seattle.

Seattle's TV stations (edited from the Media in Seattle Wikipedia article)

Went to Seattle yesterday for a Sounders match and I brought along my decent point-and-shooter. Absolutely gorgeous day too. (More on my Flickr account) For those who are interested, here's a list of highlight videos of the match (Seattle Sounders vs. Colorado Rapids): TV highlights, Clint Dempsey highlight reel

1/2 Korean, 1/4 Japanese, 1/4 German I don't really blend in anywhere. It's a bit unnerving at times.