Don't go to Seattle

A friend told me last week that it took an hour to get from Queen Anne to I-5 and that was BEFORE the first planned shutdown of the 99 viaduct which begins this week. Travel in and around Seattle is already a nightmare but it only gets worse with the 99 issue and rolling shutdowns of the 520 floating bridge and near-future tolling implemented on the bridge. In addition, for those who still care to brave the traffic, parking is extremely expensive and mostly, unavailable. For those who think about using public transportation...good luck. It stinks. Rather than do the right thing and make much-needed repairs to the viaduct to prevent catastrophic results from an inevitable earthquake, it was decided to build a tunnel which will cost billions and disrupt traffic for years. In addition, the tunnel will be subject to even worse destruction from said earthquake. It all makes no sense. Seattle is heading for gridlock for many years to come. Imagine trying to do business in Seattle. Prospective shoppers are discouraged from going downtown and parking costs are out of sight. Imagine being a salesperson, attempting to make a few meaningful calls during the workweek. Seattle is off-limits. Imagine going to dinner in Seattle and paying through the nose for parking (if there is any available, then paying a fortune for the dinner. Stay away. Seattle is people-unfriendly.