Skip to content

Food & Drink

How to Survive the Viaduct Closure

How to get by during the looming 'period of maximum constraint'

By Gwendolyn Elliott December 26, 2018

apps

This article originally appeared in the January 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the January 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

Think of it as Y2K for Seattle traffic: the imminent gridlock that’s predicted for the three-week period when the downtown slice of State Route 99 is shut down, starting on January 11, in preparation for the opening of the tunnel that will replace it. But worry not; we’ve devised a few smart strategies to keep you moving and minimize your personal impact on traffic.

1. Get your helicopter license and fly to work.
The view’s better up there anyway—and, hey, there’s a landing pad at Harborview Medical Center, just a few blocks from downtown.

2. Commute by kayak.
If you live by a navigatable body of water and aren’t doing this already, you’re part of the problem. Water averse? Try hoverboarding or segueing to work

3. Buy a drone to run your errands. 
Or train your pets to bring you those things you would normally retrieve by car.

4. Camp out at work. 
Take the work/life balance to the next level and just move into the office. Your boss will appreciate the commitment; besides, you practically live there already.

5. Brush up on your excuses to stay home from work. 
May we suggest: “I just googled my commute time, and it looks like I’ll be in at around 8 p.m.” Or, “I’ve joined Greenpeace to fight carbon emissions.” Or, “Uber says it’s about $250 to ride in.”

6. Quit your job and look for employment close to home. 
That way, you can walk to work. Problem solved.

Follow Us

The Pulse: Too Nice to Work

The Pulse: Too Nice to Work

An elk who knows he's hot and a vending machine that understands us

It’s been offensively nice outside this week. We’re all acting like the past six months of rain never happened and won’t happen again. I love it. I had a colleague once tell me, “No one works past 3 p.m. on Fridays in the Northwest when the weather’s nice.” I’ll be observing that sacred tradition today….

Restaurant Roundup: Take a Bite of the Latest Seattle Food News

Restaurant Roundup: Take a Bite of the Latest Seattle Food News

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City

At long last, the sun has returned and patio dining is once again palatable. Still, it’s hard to ignore the cloud of high-profile restaurant closures that has been dampening the mood on what seems like a weekly basis these days. Here’s what you need to know about the shuttered businesses, plus some more positive news…

A Disco-Inspired Love Story

A Disco-Inspired Love Story

A Bellevue wedding, 27 years in the making

A chance meeting. A long love story. One unforgettable night. Randy Gantenbein, who once managed Paul Allen’s properties and has spent decades in hospitality, and Ernie Vigil, a Navy veteran and longtime nurse, first met in a San Diego Starbucks on Easter Sunday. Randy was sipping coffee and flipping through his horoscope. “It said, ‘You’ll…

Why This Earth Day Is More Important Than Ever

Why This Earth Day Is More Important Than Ever

So many ways to get involved across the Seattle area

Earth Day 2025, which falls on April 22, seems more urgent than ever. During the first three months of this year, United States withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement for a second time, and severe budget cuts threaten the future of the National Park Service and the country’s beloved landscapes.   While some of these international-…