eigenwijs,
I recently joined ASF in my quest for triathlon glory. :) The price of $50/month is accurate and is even cheaper if you pre-pay for the full year as they give you an extra three months free… thus 15 months for $600.
I’ve had the chance to try 24HF a couple of times and much prefer ASF. I’m a big fan of the pool, the spin classes (Ed and Stacy are great instructors) and the weights/strength equipment although I think the cardio equipment is old and mostly crap… my tennis club has better cardio equipment.
Other than for spin classes I rarely use the club during peak hours so I can’t tell you how busy all the equipment is. However, parking is limited during these times so you can expect to park on the street.
Hope this helps. :)
Julie, I’m on the”rapid” ride advisory board, as are 24 other West Seattleites. From what we’ve learned so far, the California routing would go at the same speed the 54/22/128 go now and would basically stop all traffic when the bus stops because they would build bulb-outs from the curb to meet the bus in the travel lane. This makes for easier and faster ingress/egress but definitely will stop traffic on California because it has only one travel lane. On Fauntleroy it wouldn’t stop through traffic since that arterial has two travel lanes per direction. The time savings would be on the order of a few minutes to as many as 10, depending on time-of-day and day-of-week. The safety factor is one we have only previewed and is clearly one thing folks should bring up at the scheduled “rapid” ride meetings.
The California alignment would be better for me personally, but I’d support the Fauntleroy alignment for speed improvement, depending on how much speed. credmond, do you know the differential? One of my concerns about this “rapid” ride is safety of pedestrians, bikes, and cars sharing the road with these buses. (That grade-separation problem, again!) Seems to me this need for safety will surely slow the buses down. How would the safety compare California vs. Fauntleroy? I have a hunch California has fewer accidents, and if that hunch is correct, I’d guess it has to do with the lower speed on California. How would the “rapid” (I plan to keep quoting it to remind everybody that this is NOT a Rapid Transit solution) buses affect both streets? Would it make less difference on Fauntleroy because it’s already faster?
I’d be interested in hearing more about All Star Fitness. I belong to 24 Hour Fitness and am considering a switch. I currently pay about $21/month at 24HF and was quoted $50/month by ASF. There are way more options at ASF, which makes the extra $$ almost worth it – pool, women’s only workout area, climbing wall, etc. The 24HF facility is small, and at peak times (5 PM – 7 PM) is VERY crowded – members are asked to limit their time on the cardio equipment to 20 minutes when it’s busy. I’m sorry – but if I am going through the effort to get to the gym, I want to work out for how long I want to work out and 20 minutes just isn’t worth it!
Some other things I am not satisfied with are the temperature – it’s very warm at 24HF. Often I am sweaty before I even get on a machine! They also don’t seem to have any cell phone policy, and I have had to listen to someone’s lengthy conversation about what they did last night a few too many times. With the demand on equipment, you can’t really just pick up and move to another machine, so you are held hostage listening to the phone call.
So any input on ASF and whether making the switch is worth it would be appreciated!
I completed the Metro survey and filled in the comment box with my preference: routing on Fauntleroy, or using the existing east-west stop on Alaska, is preferred to stopping on California in the junction. Not sure if it’s a reliable way to get the feedback to them, but worth a shot.
I just received this..thought maybe someone out there might be interested:
Greetings graduates and students!
I am hoping you can assist me in locating 20-22 women to be models for an upcoming Introduction to Pregnancy Massage class. Models will receive a one-hour full body massage from a current Cortiva Institute – Seattle student under supervision of an instructor. Massage will take place in a classroom setting. Clients will be draped at all times for modesty.
The massage will take place on Sunday, January 13, 2008 from 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM at the school – 425 Pontius Ave N., Seattle WA 98109.
All models must be at least 14 weeks pregnant and in good health. Women who are carrying multiple pregnancies, under 18 years of age, over 35 years of age or experiencing gestational diabetes may be considered with physician/midwife release.
If this description fits you or someone you know, please ask them to contact me at 206-282-1233, ext. 102 or khollowood@cortiva.com.
Thanks for your help!
Kelly Hollowood . Continuing Education Coordinator
Cortiva Institute – Seattle
425 Pontius Avenue North, Suite 100
Seattle , WA 98109
t 206-282-1233 x102 f 206-282-9183
khollowood@cortiva.com http://www.cortiva.com/locations/seattle/conted/
We order from Luciano’s a couple times a month and only once had a problem (and that was with a teenage attitude taking the order). We’ve never been over-charged for anything there, ever. We’ve also always received a repeat word-for-word of our order and a price, with tax.
I used to live on Genesee Hill..54th near Charlestown…and we would periodically see Red Foxes running down our street in the wee hours of the morning. I assumed that they were going from the greenbelt above Me-Kwa-Mooks over to Schmitz park. They’ve been sighted at WS Golf Course, and Camp Long, too. They’ve been here a long time, and will probably be around for just as long…protect your pets…
Too bad Metro didn’t buy all the property intended for monorail stations. Then they could have had the route all aligned, and wouldn’t it be great if they built an elevated busway from Morgan to the Junction to 35th. I’m sure the schematics and designs could be found somewhere.
I am also looking for a contractor for a small job (heated flooring/framing/drywall). I’ve checked out most of the contractors mentioned in other threads but they won’t touch jobs under $15K. If anyone has any recommendations for individuals or companies that work on small jobs I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
About 18 months ago I had to have all of water service lines replaced – from the meter on forward. I ended up going with Collier Plumbing and have been very satisfied with their work. They installed all new PEX water service lines and installed an outdoor shut-off (which I didn’t have). I’ve since learned more about plumbing and have double-checked their work and am still impressed. Everything is to code (as it should be) and they pulled necessary permits. I recently called them for a blocked sewer line which they said they don’t do but they referred me to Rapid Rooter who were very prompt and reasonable. I was pleasantly surprised by their promptness and reasonable price.
I know this isn’t water heater related, but that’s my $0.02.
I know the option I mentioned is presently not on Metro’s list, that’s why a number of RapidRide advisory members are trying to get a sense of which would be better. Metro never did a route analysis, merely mirroring the existing route of the 54 (not the 54X). A strong showing from residents for the entire alignment being on Fauntleroy would go a long way toward convincing Metro to take another look.
Yesterday, on my walk around Lincoln Park I saw what at first I thought was a wolf. Right after the sighting I talked to a man with 2 dogs who said it was a fox. He said it was ‘the biggest fox I’ve ever seen’. I had seen a fox or two in Illinois and this one was different in that it was all brown and it looked like it was on steroids. (I had seen a red fox.) Has anyone else seen a fox at Lincoln Park? I saw him on the upper trail somewhere between where 2 nouthend trails start that take you down to the beach. I think it was around 2pm. It was the eeriest feeling. He moved very stealth-like, first he was there and then he was gone. Just had to share this. It was pretty cool!
credmond, the map on the Metro site shows both alternatives going up California and turning right at Alaska. The difference comes at Fauntleroy, where the bus could either take Fauntleroy to Avalon or continue down Alaska to 35th.
I agree with you, it probably would be much faster to travel up Fauntleroy the whole way, starting at the Morgan Junction (and keep the Alaska Junction free of a big new bus station) but from what I’m seeing your option is not on the table… unless I’m misinterpreting your comments.
Keith, that’s good to know about FT, doing the cardio on your own. I always thought it pointless to pay a trainer $70 an hour to hang out with their friends at the gym while I was on a cardio machine and periodically come over and say “how’s it going?” That’s what happened in another gym I used to go to.
If you have a package at FT for, lets say, 2 sessions a week, can you then go in another 4 days that week just to do cardio? And is that included in the package price you pay?
Maybe I’ll check them out after my never-ending stint in physical therapy.
Chas…being form the east coast, do you remember Tastykakes? just curious…there’s a palce where you can buy them in Seattle….and Scrapple, too – lol.
I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in March…I’m a sugar-holic…and I now read every label I pick up. HFCS is poison for a diabetic, as is sugar. I succumb to Splenda on occasion, but mostly I use Agave Nectar from PCC (raw, organic) as a sweetner. I don’t eat sweetened cereal at all, and yes, it’s boring. Shredded Wheat tastes to me like the box it comes in…so I have adopted organic steel cut oats as my favorite breakfast. I’m happy to boycott those products along with you. Keep up the label reading..you’ll be surprised at where you find HFCS. And sugar? Remember that there are 4grams of sugar in a teaspoon of sugar…when looking at the carb content, it’ll say how many grams of sugar. If you have an 8 ounce glass of juice with 26 grams of sugar…you’ve got yourself 6.5 tsp. of sugar…killer for a sugar-holic – lol. It’s definitely an education :)
I started working out at Fitness Together in October and I really like it. You do your cardio on your own, whenever you want — it’s not part of your session with a trainer. I’ve worked out with all the trainers at FT and they’re all great, very focused, encouraging and knowledgeable.
The prices do indeed vary depending on what sort of package you purchase and I think the range Sue mentioned (60-80) is about right. I was expecting a hard sell approach when I went in but it wasn’t like that at all.
I used to work out at All Star. Loved the pool/spa/steam room and some of the classes were good, but I’m getting much better results with FT.
WSB – how ’bout preview on the forums?
Heard about King Corn, but didn’t see it. This is a result of improving my skills at reading the NY Times science section and reading food labels. Think about it. Since I was a kid, in the ’60s, I’ve been eating Hostess cupcakes. Since that same time I’d been reading the label and two-thirds of the ingredients were things I didn’t recognize as real food. Over the years, as studies into these strange chemicals have come out, I’ve reduced my consumption of items containing them. Much as I loved that gooey white stuffing in the middle of a chemically-tasting chocolate cake covered with two different kinds of frosting which you could peel off, I just can no longer eat them. Many of us baby boomers grew up drinking Strontium-90-laced milk (Northeast US from atmospheric tests and rain on then farm fields used by cows), it’s no wonder our body systems are in such disarray.
I’ve read reports about HFCS inhibiting (something – an enzyme(?) a brain signal(?)) that tells your body you’re full, so as a result you continue to eat beyond necessity – hence the connection to obesity. I’ve pretty much stopped drinking any sodas/juices with HFCS – I don’t need help gaining weight!
I was somewhat shocked recently to learn that nearly all products with a Nabisco label and all products with a Kellogg label contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. This has been implicated in a number of health-negative effects (obesity being one, possible liver damage being another). By contrast, General Foods (Chex, Cheerios) and Post (Kraft) cereals and most Keebler products contain sugar, invert sugar or brown sugar. None of these has been implicated in negative effects other than being empty calories.
As a consequence, my family decided we would not buy Rice Krispies, Oreos, Fig Newtons, or Corn Flakes until such time as these manufacturers get on the ball and drop their use of High Fructose Corn Syrup. In this forum, I’m calling for the rest of us to do the same. Express our concern over this unhealthy but cheap food additive by boycotting Kellogg and Nabisco products. Yeah, nothing’s better than Corn Flakes with banana or Rice Krispies with raisins, but Corn Chex and Rice Chex taste pretty close even if their texture is different and Shredded Wheat contains only wheat – nothing else (well, BHT in the packaging material).
Our son has been at the Intergeneration Learning Center at Providence, Mt. St. Vincent (aka the nursing home on 35th) since he was an infant. We love it, very competent and caring staff, but there is a wait list as with any good day care.
you can find the prices for the YMCAs in West Seattle online here:
http://www.seattleymca.org/files/22/Membershipbroch907.pdf
Jan, I have a cat, and I’ve been told by landlords that cats are generally more destructive than dogs. I was surprised, but I guess if that was their experience, then they’d know better than me. :) My pet peeve about “pet deposits” though is that they’re not really a “deposit” if you don’t get it back. I’ve lived in 3 rentals with this cat and have paid a total of about $1,000 in “deposits.”
Gingersnap, we haven’t been to BOW in a while but can certainly vouch for the folks there – before they moved around the corner a couple years back, my son and I had a regular walking route for a while that took us past the old location, and we would stop in to have a drink and see the fish (he was in a fish-fan phase back then) – proprietress Heidi always fielded his fish questions with her trademark dry wit. These days, we tend to walk more in the opposite direction, down to, and through, Morgan Junction. But while we’re on the subject of coffeehouses, and sort of apropos to a theme that Chas R keeps sounding, WE WANT A 24-HOUR COFFEEHOUSE! Or at least one that’s open as late as the bars.
