TRAVEL TIPS
Streetcar Travel
As if Seattle didn't have enough transit options, the city voted in 2005 to add a cute-as-a-button (if a bit superfluous) trolley to run a mere 11-stop, 2.6-mile route between South Lake Union and Downtown. Coined the "South Lake Union Trolley" by charmingly naive planners who didn't notice the less-than-appealing acronym, it was quickly changed to the South Lake Union Streetcar, but not before Seattleites started sporting "Ride the S.L.U.T." T-shirts. If you'd like to ride what’s now call the Streetcar, simply wait at any of the designated stops and pay the $2.50 (seniors, disabled 75¢; youth $1.25; children under 5 ride free) fare in cash on the trolley after the driver lets you on. If you’d prefer to pay with a credit card, pre-purchase your ticket at one of the SLUS ticket kiosks—Orca cards and Metro bus passes and transfers may be used as well—and a $5 day pass is available. The SLUS runs at 15-minute intervals throughout the day from 6 am to 9 pm, Monday through Thursday, from 6 am to 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 to 7 on Sundays and holidays. A First Hill Streetcar is slated to start running between Capitol Hill, First Hill, and the International District in 2014 and will connect riders to Link Light Rail.
Information
Seattle Streetcar. 866/205–5001; 206/553–3000; www.seattlestreetcar.org.
