Yes, actually moved to Seattle :)

[mcoyote]

Hi there!

And yes, I commuted yesterday (and Sunday -- had some hours to make up) with the Ural. Fun, fun, fun.

Not so hard to get from Seattle to Bellevue.

I like our neighborhood a lot -- it even has a nice shopping center. Good restaurants, especially.

[TalkingHead]

  Right on!!!! Glad you made it out and gladder still to hear you decided on the west side of the lake. White Center is cool and you can get some great Mexican food over that way. There's a serious greasy spoon diner over there too if you want old-school breakfast served by old-school chunky ladies.

[RexRider]

So where abouts in W. Seattle are you?  It sounds like we're pretty close to being neighbors.  Hell, if you go up Fauntleroy, you go past my house!
 
Welcome to the neighborhood!  

[MisterSmooth]

Hi there!
 
And yes, I commuted yesterday (and Sunday -- had some hours to make up) with the Ural. Fun, fun, fun.
 
Not so hard to get from W. Seattle to Bellevue, actually. 1st Ave -> I90 -> I405 -> 520 -> done. 40min, max. Ride home is usually a little slower, though.
 
I405 south of exit 10 (most of Bellevue) is nuts, though. Totally useless during rush hour.
 
I like our neighborhood a lot -- close to Lincoln Park, the Vashon/Southworth ferry, White Center (my kind of seedy, we like it) and even a nice shopping center Westlake. Good restaurants, especially.

 
 
Hey, I saw a guy on a Ural heading through the Battery Street tunnel last night at just about 5pm.  With a hack.  In the snow.  It was fan-freaking-tastic.
 
But it wasn't you unless you were lost!
 
Welcome to the Northwest.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I live next to Camp Long and the public golf course. Sounds like we need to have an STN Meet in West Seattle! There's a nice little brewery on California in the Junction....

[Nimh]

Hi there!

And yes, I commuted yesterday (and Sunday -- had some hours to make up) with the Ural. Fun, fun, fun.

Mcoyote!  I'm glad you made it up here.  I've been wondering how things went as I haven't seen you on other sites after ST.n crashed.  Welcome to the PNW!

[TalkingHead]

I live next to Camp Long and the public golf course. Sounds like we need to have an STN Meet in West Seattle! There's a nice little brewery on California in the Junction....

Hey, I might venture out and take a break from saving the world for that!

[RexRider]

I'm in!  

[mcoyote]

Hey, I saw a guy on a Ural heading through the Battery Street tunnel last night at just about 5pm.  With a hack.  In the snow.  It was fan-freaking-tastic.
 
But it wasn't you unless you were lost!
 
Welcome to the Northwest.

It could have been. The ride home was tricky -- couldn't do my normal route because the 4th street ramp off of I90 was backed up for a mile and I was either going to freeze or run out of gas in that time. I cut south on I5 and twitched through some surface roads to get back to 1st ave.

Big yellow aerostitch suit? That was me.

ED: Naw, don't think so. Doesn't look like I was up there -- went north from the 6th ave i5 exit about two blocks, then west to 1st ave. That means that there's another moron out there with the same ride .

[Gaolee]

Hmmm...  Now I really gotta convince the rest of my family that a Ural sidecar rig is a far better idea than keeping a second car for bad weather.  Two of them means there is a plurality, and that means it is a good idea.

[GypsyCat]

I live next to Camp Long and the public golf course. Sounds like we need to have an STN Meet in West Seattle! There's a nice little brewery on California in the Junction....

Sounds like a great idea.  Will we have to wait for the spring thaw?  
 
GypsyCat

[GypsyCat]

Hmmm... Now I really gotta convince the rest of my family that a Ural sidecar rig is a far better idea than keeping a second car for bad weather. Two of them means there is a plurality, and that means it is a good idea.

I've been wanting to get a Ural for a few years now.  But I'm running out of room in the garage.  If I got a Ural I'd have to get a dog.  I don't think I can convince my cats to ride in the sidecar, ears flapping in the wind.  
 
GypsyCat

[ol Rocket]

My dad grew up in West Seattle.  My Gramma had a dress shop there.  I wish I was there right now.


It's 18 degrees out.

[TalkingHead]

I don't think it's much warmer here. It was 28 at 2:30 and the sun was full-out. It's pretty much down now. Brrrrrrrrr!

[Gaolee]

Sounds like a great idea. Will we have to wait for the spring thaw?
 
GypsyCat

No, why would we do that?

[jerome_oneil]

Where at in Bellvue are you working?

Welcome!

[mcoyote]

Where at in Bellvue are you working?

Welcome!

24th ave

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Sounds like a great idea.  Will we have to wait for the spring thaw?  
 
GypsyCat

Hell no!

[Mrs. DantesDame]

My dad grew up in West Seattle.  My Gramma had a dress shop there.  I wish I was there right now.

Is it time for a new dress?

[mcoyote]

Hmmm... Now I really gotta convince the rest of my family that a Ural sidecar rig is a far better idea than keeping a second car for bad weather. Two of them means there is a plurality, and that means it is a good idea.

Heh. There were four of them (the '05 Patrols, specifically) in Colorado Springs, including mine, and that was a city of 600k people.

But then you consider that WA has a 3-wheeler endorsement that I almost certainly am going to have to test for in order to get my WA license....

[Captain Obvious]

But then you consider that WA has a 3-wheeler endorsement that I almost certainly am going to have to test for in order to get my WA license....

I'm pretty sure that if you take and pass the MSF 3 wheel course, then you can get the extra endorsment without having to take the state test. That's the case for the MC endorsment. I'm sure there will be a MSF instructor here shortly to correct me if I'm wrong.

[Mr Sunshine]

White Center (my kind of seedy, we like it)

Welcome to the land of lousy snow drivers!
 
Oh BTW: When you hear what sounds like a back fire in White Center...count yourself lucky for not getting shot.  White Center is our Compton.

[Mr Sunshine]

Hmmm... Now I really gotta convince the rest of my family that a Ural sidecar rig is a far better idea than keeping a second car for bad weather. Two of them means there is a plurality, and that means it is a good idea.

 
There's a Ural dealer jsut down the hill from me.

[mcoyote]

Welcome to the land of lousy snow drivers!
 
Oh BTW: When you hear what sounds like a back fire in White Center...count yourself lucky for not getting shot. White Center is our Compton.

That? Seattle's Compton (so says mcoyote, three years out from NE DC)? You're shitting me. Nary a crackhead or tweaker in sight. No hookers or gunships cruising 16th ave, neither. Not impressed .

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Hey, he did say it was Seattle's Compton. Haven't you figured out that we do everything nicer and more politely here?

[TalkingHead]

I think the correct term is passive-aggressively.  

[dinolee]

near 24th ave

Holy Coyote, I'm at 24th and 140th!  I'll try to think of some good eating places for ya nearby.

[jerome_oneil]

Holy Coyote, I'm at 24th and 140th at the Park 140 biz park for LexisNexis!  I'll try to think of some good eating places for ya nearby.

I live on 152nd just off of Bel-Red Road.  We all need to get together for lunch.

[Mookie]

Hey, he did say it was Seattle's Compton. Haven't you figured out that we do everything nicer and more politely here?

 
lol, Seattle's Compton!  SCAAAARRRRRYYYY!!!  
 
Oh, and welcome to Seattle.

[Gaolee]

lol, Seattle's Compton!  SCAAAARRRRRYYYY!!!  
 

I guess that means they don't wait for everyone else at a four way stop.

[MisterSmooth]

I guess that means they don't wait for everyone else at a four way stop.

 
And cross the street without waiting for the (gasp!) white "walk" sign.
 
Don't go to White Center after dark, bro.

[nwconk]

I'm pretty sure that if you take and pass the MSF 3 wheel course, then you can get the extra endorsement without having to take the state test. That's the case for the MC endorsement. I'm sure there will be a MSF instructor here shortly to correct me if I'm wrong.

Not an instructor, but I did take the msf 3 wheel course with my son and it does get you the endorsement.  If you are already experienced with a hack I would just take the test.  I think you can get the test booklet at licensing offices.  Not terrible difficult after the course, or with some experience.  It would be entertaining to watch someone with no side car experience take the test.  

For those who have not driven a side car setup it is really different.

--chris

[Nimh]

If you are already experienced with a hack I would just take the test.  I think you can get the test booklet at licensing offices.  
--chris

As I'm looking into this too - the state site
http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/triketesting.html

and the PDF operator manual-
http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/trikemanual.pdf

I'm interested to hear how it goes as compared to whatever testing you underwent before.  

[XLR8]

Welcome to the land of lousy snow drivers!
 

Wait a sec. It snowed there?

Anyone sitting at the bottom of Queen Anne with Olympic score cards and rating the crashes? I love it when they do that - as long as nobody is injured.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Its snowing right now in West Seattle.

Good idea on the rating cards!  I just stood out on my hill last night and watched people go by. Well, some of them went by. Some went half way up and then slid back down. Some of them had a bit more trouble staying on the road  

I left my car at the bottom of the hill just in case it snowed tonight. Way to think ahead!

[XLR8]

When I lived there, I slept under my desk at work two nights in a row after a snow. It was crazy crazy traffic because of the snow. What a mess. But I still miss Seattle.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

What a mess. But I still miss Seattle.

What you're feeling is the moss drying out from your back and the webbing between your toes shrinking.

[GetFuzzy]

What you're feeling is the moss drying out from your back and the webbing between your toes shrinking.

:lmao:That's the way I felt after leaving Tahsis (west coast Van.Island)

[mcoyote]

Went to Vashon island last Saturday. Nice, scenic -- kind of a wet version of VT. Wasn't quite as weird and backwards as I would have hoped, however. Can't *imagine* trying to commute from there, but I know some people commute to Seattle even from Bremerton.

Another snowy ride last night, but this time traffic moved a lot better. The cross-winds on the I90 bridge are non-trivial for the Ural with its high ground clearance -- the car felt quite a bit lifted when hit from the right side, but it really wasn't so I just had to grit my teeth.

Hopefully back on two wheels after another day or so above freezing -- it's always the stupid local roads that get icy and gross. The hills around Highland Park (where I live) were nasty but the remaining 90% of the commute was just fine.

I think I'll just schedule and take the hack test and see how it goes. I've seen the range diagram and some of the knowledge questions online and, as much as I value good training, I think I'll chance it. Probably take the class next year sometime, since it's convenient.

[Tritium]

Awesome, did you end up moving into that house about 1/2 mile away from where I live?

White Center isn't bad compared to other cities, but it gets pretty seedy after dark. At least that little strip of dive bars and porn shops gets seedy - cops are there continually arresting people till dawn once the sun sets.

[mcoyote]

Awesome, did you end up moving into that house about 1/2 mile away from where I live?...

Yup. Didn't get the chance to see your pics before ST.N went poof but I thought I'd risk it anyway. Nice neighborhood, cool neighbors.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Cool! Then you're about a mile from me. Not that I've ever been to Tritium's, but he's been to my place and says that its close.  We'll definately have to get together some night.
 
Would weeknights work or do you guys get home too late after the commute??

[Tritium]

Weeknights work for me, as long as I'm aware of it beforehand.

We should get some food at the Elliott Bay Brewery, I love that place.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

We should get some food at the Elliott Bay Brewery, I love that place.

Ok, how about next Wednesday?

[Tritium]

Works for me, how about you mcoyote? Or anyone else that doesn't mind the trek to West Seattle to hang out with some ST.Ners?

[mcoyote]

Works for me, how about you mcoyote? Or anyone else that doesn't mind the trek to West Seattle to hang out with some ST.Ners?

I'd love to, but I need to check with the social comittee (see: "babysitter / mother's helper?" thread, papa can't have too much fun without mama).

[ViffrKlr]

There's a nice little brewery on California in the Junction.... [/quote]
 
 
They must have Root Beer and fries...

[jimmystartup]

Welcome to Seattle mcoyote, I came ten years ago planning to stay for 12 months. Now look at me, I have moss on my north side. Believe it or not the commute on a super-jumbo ferry boat is pretty nice when compared to sitting in traffic for hours a day. From over here on the island the boat ride is 35 minutes with about ten on each side going to and from.

[mcoyote]

I'd love to, but I need to check with the social comittee (see: "babysitter / mother's helper?" thread, papa can't have too much fun without mama).

Ok, as it turns out I'm both free and "should be allowed to hang out with my own crowd" (  ). Wednesday would be fine for me.

[TalkingHead]

Where is this happening? What time? Wednesdays are usually bad for me but we have a gig Tuesday night so I doubt we'll be practicing on Wednesday.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Ok, let's make it official:
 
Wednesday, December 6th
Elliot Bay Brewery (http://elliottbaybrewing.com/map.shtml)
6pm???
 

[TalkingHead]

Ok, let's make it official:
 
Wednesday, December 6th
Elliot Bay Brewery (http://elliottbaybrewing.com/map.shtml)
6pm???
 

That works for me! Hopefully I'll be over this f**king cold that's been killing me since T-Day.

[nwconk]

Ok, let's make it official:
 
Wednesday, December 6th
Elliot Bay Brewery (http://elliottbaybrewing.com/map.shtml)
6pm???
 

love to attend but i should be passing through Redding about then.  Have a good time.  



--chris

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Official thread started here: http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/showthread.php?t=430