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(41 posts)

STAYcation for the big shutdown....

Started 7 months ago by wundrgrrrl
Latest reply from CountingCoup

wundrgrrrl
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A little extra vaca time this year means I've decided the best way to deal with the shutdown is to take the week off! Woo Hoo!! I'm looking forward to quality time with my neighborhood... Extended coffee hours, find a local place to service my car, maybe a massage (envisioning I'm on an island will not be a stretch!), check out all the little shops along California that I've never gotten to, etc.

I heard the city hopes 1000 people will stay home - how 'bout you? Might be a good occasion for a "celebrate WS" coffee hour :-)

Posted 7 months ago #
2 Much Whine
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Sorry wundrgrrrl but what are you talking about? What shutdown?

Posted 7 months ago #
The Velvet Bulldog
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wg: As an unemployed person, staying in WS is going to be pretty easy, but I did go out of my way to schedule appointments around the week and not during. Love your "Celebrate WS" coffee hour idea. Name the place and time!

Posted 7 months ago #
Cait
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This is the best idea I have heard! If I had to commute, I would do the same!

2MW - I think she means the viaduct shut down.

Posted 7 months ago #
wundrgrrrl
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Yes yes, the viaduct... Traffics been bad enough this fall, so I'm ready to de-stress!

I have a list of java joints I'd like to try, starting with Freshy's in the Admiral Dist (btwn Safeway and PCC). Maybe Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.? Could be later of course since I "am" on staycation :-)

Posted 7 months ago #
hammerhead
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Already had to cancel a full days of work. Needless to say that SUCKS. Employees loose pay as do I.

Posted 7 months ago #
JoB
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wundrgrrrl

do yourself a favor and hit freshys late enough to be ready for a bowl of soup. incredible soup!

Posted 7 months ago #
JanS
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soup and sammie at Freshy's...yummmmm

Posted 7 months ago #
JoB
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ok..

now you are all making me feel guilty that i opted for getting out of dodge :(

do i get points for someone else's staycation at my house?

Posted 7 months ago #
TDe
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What a good idea. Consider the shutdown as a chance to take a WS staycation! There are a couple of parks I haven't explored yet. Think I'll dig out the leash and take the dog on walks, then refresh at local eateries. What other cool staycation ideas are out there?

Posted 7 months ago #
bettytheyeti
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Cause I travel for a living, I consider just being at home a Staycation. I use the blog and forum for inspiration and direction. Next on list: Zippy's new sweet potato fries and aioli mayo, a visit to the Shrine to the missing bench, Chemo's Mexican salsa along with provisions from McClenndon's, a stop at SuperDeli Mart for growler of something good and a walk or bike ride to Lincoln Park and the salmon creek. Finally throw in some lap swimming at SW Pool and a visit to my public library.

Now if I can do half of that in 4 days . . . it's all good!

Posted 7 months ago #
Gina
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I usually take vacation at the end of October, this year I lucked out with it overlapping closure week. I'll miss my usual trip to Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, and visiting Country Village in Bothell unless I do the really, really scenic route.

Posted 7 months ago #
saney
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i will be having the exact opposite "staycation". i work at a hotel downtown, and my boss has offered to let me stay there during the week if i want to.

considering i rarely come downtown when i am not working (opting instead to visit restaurants in west seattle near my home), i will be exploring downtown seattle in the evenings.

Posted 7 months ago #
2 Much Whine
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Really? Are people really altering their lives because 2 lanes of highway are closing? 520 was closed all weekend and the freeways (both I-5 and I-405) seemed fine when we drove through. The thought of doing anything differently never crossed my mind but I'm glad I'll get to deal with fewer people on the road. Thanks! I also think it's great that you'll be supporting our local businesses but ideally that should be all year long - not just during a road closure. So now do we have to call this "Roadpocalypse" or "Skywayageddon," maybe "Arterial Blockage" (my favorite) or perhaps "Total Viannihilation?"

Posted 7 months ago #
yeah-me
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Ah..2 Much Whine ... 99 is closing in both directions between the bridge and downtown for 9 days starting Friday at 7:30pm. Not just 2 lanes of a highway.

Posted 7 months ago #
odroku
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Well, for those who are going to hit Freshy's, check out today's Google Offer to save some dough on that.

Would post the link, but not sure how WSB feels about such things AND it's a really long URL.

Posted 7 months ago #
JoB
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2MuchWhine...

staycation ideas are coming from people who know about local businesses because they support them year-round...

just read the forum.
As a group, we eat, drink and shop locally:)

Posted 7 months ago #
carrieann
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Thanks for the heads up, odroku! I stop in at Freshy's a few times a week, since it's between both my kids' schools. Amber makes the best soups, sandwiches, stratas, coffee drinks, smoothies, hot cocoa... And the list goes on. Truly a place worth visiting. With the weather getting colder, you should also think about picking up one of the stylish Freshy's hoodies she has hanging by the front door. (I have my eye on a teal one...)

Posted 7 months ago #
Bostonman
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I am doing a partial staycation. I altered my work schedule so I won't come in until 10 and leave at 3. I will work from home the rest of the time. Considering I heard you should expect to double your commute time I am not really up for 2 hours of driving a day.

Posted 7 months ago #
Magpie
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I ended up being sick this week and missing the first two days of work. I don't know why I couldn't get sick next week instead. Tuesday is really good for an inexpensive visit to Avalon for Tapas Tuesdays. Really great food, really inexpensive and really fun. I of course, will probably leave one bus earlier in the morning, but I already leave before 7.

Posted 7 months ago #
datamuse
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I work in Tacoma.

Posted 7 months ago #
2 Much Whine
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I know JoB. I didn't mean to be snarky. I know the blog readers shop locally and support a ton of things on our "peninsula." I just find it a bit reactionary to alter our lives so drastically for a road closure. Taking a whole day or week off because it will take a few minutes longer to get to work just seems so strange to me. It currently takes me 20 minutes to get to work. If I worked in Everett it would take an hour or more but I wouldn't stay home because of it. I would go to work. The concept of not going to work because a road is closed is so very foreign to me. Granted, I don't have to drive the viaduct to get to work. I suppose if I worked in the Pike Place Market area or someplace like Ballard I would find considerable inconvenience from a normal viaduct route but can't imagine it would be any worse or longer than driving to Everett (which many people do daily). I want Bostonman's job. Come in at 10 and leave at 3? I'm currently leaving home about 4:40 am and going home about 5:00 PM. Traffic is never a problem before 5:00 AM. . . . .maybe I'm just cranky because I'm sleep deprived.

Posted 7 months ago #
SarahScoot
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I'm with 2MW; I prefer to use my vacation time for, you know, *vacations*. Granted, I love staying home, but can't imagine taking a full week off just because of a road closure. I plan to take a slightly earlier bus in and out of downtown, but otherwise, I'll get there (work and home, respectively) when I get there. All my coworkers know about the upcoming closure and expect that I and others coming from WS will likely be later than normal getting in in the mornings, and will want to duck out a bit early to avoid the homeward-bound crunch.
I have plenty of books loaded onto my Kindle and will just kick back on the bus and not worry about it.
This plan ensures I have plenty of PTO available for my December trip to Maui. :-)

Posted 7 months ago #
WSB
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If anybody really does organize a get-together ... or finds any closure-week specific offers/events (we haven't heard of any yet) ... let us know. Not just for our own coverage's sake, but we are working with two regional-media partners to maximize coverage and one of them already has asked us if we've heard of any such things. Meantime, if you can ride the bus, don't recycle the mailer with your two free bus tickets (should have arrived the other day) ...

Posted 7 months ago #
wundrgrrrl
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I too would prefer to be going somewhere exotic, don't get me wrong. This was an odd year at work that resulted in more banked time that will expire at the end of the year.

While I'd like to take 3 *real* vacations between now and then, it's simply not in the budget! So, tend to much needed chores and find some time to explore and unwind in the 'hood it is...

Also, you guys have convinced me that Freshy's for lunch is a
must! And yes, I'll propose it as an official get together, but I'd like to check with them first... Stay tuned!

Posted 7 months ago #
JayDee
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Not to gang tackle you 2 Much Whine, but were you commuting to work in 2001 after the earthquake? It happened on a Wednesday, and on Thursday the backups were hours long...I had a relative spend 3 hours on a bus and that was a 56 from Alki to downtown that only made it to the Chelan Cafe--I picked them up. It being a short week, I telecommuted to the degree available and I think the viaduct was reopened on the following Monday. I don't recall how bad the backup was on Friday but I probably didn't go in.
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Now this isn't a temblor, but the infrastructure hasn't changed much...and in some respects is worse: Now the 1st Ave on-ramp to the West Seattle Bridge is missing.
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Yes, the Water Taxi is an option, but the boat can only carry 149 passengers due to Coast Guard regulations, and if it is at capacity for several sailings, will all those folks take mass transit there? The Times says there are 120 on-street and 60 off-street parking spots. If Wundrgrrl wants entertainment she can always sit up the hill on California and watch the rodeo.
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I have generally observed for any transit solution that the evening rush is more congested. Given that, how long do you think the commute home from your work will take? 2X as long? 3X as long? More? Bikes are the only real congestion cutting option but unlike the advocates would have it, the commute from West Seattle to downtown is hostile, and the weather could be sucky in late October--maybe we'll get lucky. Me? I plan to paddleboard...

Posted 7 months ago #
2 Much Whine
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I agree that traffic can be a nightmare. The last time it snowed I left Costco at 3:00 PM for home. Got stuck in traffic getting to the lower bridge and finally abandoned my car at 11:00 PM not far from Starbuck's corporate. Got home at 1:00 AM. I've lived here all my life and dealt with snow, earthquakes and road closures. It's just what you do. I guess I have more of a "take it as it comes" attitude. I have no problem dealing with what the road throws at me so I guess that's why I never plan ahead for it. I'll just go back to my cave. . . . .

Posted 7 months ago #
JoB
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2 Much Whine

i wish the time difference in the commute was only going to be minutes...
the last time there was a backup on the viaduct it took hubby an hour and a half longer to get home from work.

Now, i could insist we use our vacation time to trip the light fantastic in Mexico or someplace equally warm and inviting and listen to him vent every morning and every night next week...

or i could bundle him and the pups in the car and head to the beach while we let someone else enjoy West Seattle from our home base.

for me it was a no-brainer.

Posted 7 months ago #
TDe
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If you want an adventure, leave home around 7:45am on the first day of the closure, don't gas up your car before you leave and let us know how it goes. I'd like to hear. Maybe with the word getting out it won't be so bad.

After the 2001 earthquake I had to get downtown to pick up my laptop at the office. Took me 3 hours. I was driving a stick shift small pickup and my left leg was numb by the time I got there. Lesson learned - I never left my computer at the office after that.

Posted 7 months ago #
Al
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The horrific traffic backups after the earthquake of 2001 is what made me start riding my bike to work. It was really bad and for the sake of people's sanity I hope it isn't as bad this time. Even though I ride my bike it's likely going to take me longer as well (but likely just by a few minutes).

Posted 7 months ago #
Halyn
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I love the assumption that those of us who have chosen to stay home next week are doing so because we can't hack the commute.*eyeroll*

We had some use it or lose it leave remaining for the year, and since travel wasn't in the budget this year, we figured this was as good a time as any to use that leave. If we had not had the leave available, we would be going to work. We were going to have to take time off before the end of the year anyway, might as well do it now when every car not on the road helps.

Plus, I work in Sand Point, my husband in Ballard. The Viaduct is our route (we carpool) and the commute from West Seattle to Ballard is about 35-45 minutes right now. We already get up at 4:50 a.m. so that we can work out before work. If the commute time increases for that week to over an hour, we will have to get up even earlier, which I am not down with. 4:50 already feels like the middle of the night. And, as someone above stated, the commute home is even longer. We already get home between 5:30 and 6:30, depending on volumes. I'm not interested in not getting home til 7 or later--I could and would do it if I had to, but I'm fortunate to have paid time off that I can use instead.

Posted 7 months ago #
skeeter
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2 Much Whine (post #14) -- Living in West Seattle with full-time work responsibilities in SODO and a spouse with full-time work responsibilities in a different part of SODO and an infant in daycare in SODO, YES, we most certainly do let traffic conditions change our lives. This is a really busy time at work for both my wife and I, so vacation is not an option. Neither of our work locations are accessible from a bus route from West Seattle. And we have an infant, so sitting in a car for three or four hours – while an option – is not a very good one. I’m worried that it will simply be impossible to get to either of our offices in the morning on either bridge anytime between 6AM and 10AM. Yeah, it’s a big problem.

Posted 7 months ago #
sydney
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Wundergrrl--love your avatar! Although maple bars and bacon are my favorite foods, I never thought to mix 'em up!

I work in the SODO area at 5 a.m. so no staycation necessary...but I am staycating starting the 30th. Oh well. Lots to do in house and yard (essentially, if you can think of it...it still needs doing! There is nothing--NOTHING--that doesn't still need doing at my place!!!)

I voted against the tunnel because I'm worried what a BIG earthquake would do, yet it's obvious being on the viaduct would probably be equally terrifying!

Posted 7 months ago #
2 Much Whine
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I see the light now. If you have use it or lose it vacation why not take it now? Makes sense. Margaritas in Mexico beats hanging around here any day. Staying at home is great as well. I still don't get Skeeter's point, however, sounds like you're doing the same thing I am doing (still going to work because you have to but perhaps leaving home a bit earlier). I'm just fortunate enough to not have to deal with spouse, kids or daycare during my commute - because of that it seems I'm not stressing out as much as some. I'm sure it will all work out. We thought that when they reduced the West Seattle Bridge to one lane for several weeks the world was going to end. It didn't. My cup is half full, some folks have a cup that is half empty - we still have the same amount of coffee.
--

Sydney, thanks for pointing out the maple bar and bacon thing. I, for the life of me, couldn't tell what that avatar was. Now it is crystal clear (and delicious).

Posted 7 months ago #
skeeter
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My point is that it could be really bad. And that's why people are trying to come up with solutions and alternate plans.

Posted 7 months ago #
Bostonman
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I can't even find the anyone in my department who wants my job lol. That being said I don't really have a predetermined work schedule so I can get away with that. If I didn't have an audit firm in Monday - Wednesday I would work from home the entire week. Not because I need to but only because I can.

I don't fear the traffic, I just want to maintain a nice stress level. Not dealing with that in the morning will help me have a nice stress level.

Posted 7 months ago #
Franci
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I'm planning on working from home next week too.

And I'm willing to bet the doughnut with the bacon is from VooDoo doughnuts in Portland.. ;) I've heard they are famous for the bacon maple bars.

Posted 7 months ago #
JoB
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franci...

i think it's from voodoo too
I think Frost and Top Pot(?) both use bacon crumbles on their versions

Posted 7 months ago #
Sue
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magpie, I totally hear you about the sick time - I had fallen on Friday and injured my leg, and have been out of work the past 3 days. I kept wishing I could've done it a week later. And only slightly disappointed that I didn't need surgery which would've kept me out another 2 weeks. Alas, it's back to work.

I don't plan on doing anything different in terms of my commute. I take the bus and will leave at the exact same time on Monday and see what happens. My firm is pretty understanding re: bus commutes in general, and I suspect next week won't be different. I'll get there when I get there.

Posted 7 months ago #
wundrgrrrl
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Indeed, VooDoo Donuts Maple Bacon bar... Delicious!

Posted 7 months ago #
CountingCoup
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Anyone who thinks its going to only a few more minutes may be in for a surprise. My 19 minute commute to Bellevue easily turns into an hour if I leave an hour later from home or coming home from work. I can only imagine spending 45 min getting over the bridge only to run into rush hour traffic afterwards or vice versa coming home. I will be working from home for a week, all planned and arranged although a staycation is a good idea.

Posted 7 months ago #