I chickened out

[susandennis]

Yesterday afternoon, my financial adviser, Tyler, sent me an email saying that it was sounding like the Seahawks parade might screw up my ability to get home and did I want to reschedule.  I thanked him but said that I had it all figured out with shopping planned after.

And then the news started talking about 200,000 people coming down here for the parade.  Then the number went to 500,000 and I called Tyler and said uncle.  I'm going on Friday.

By the time I was going to bed they were saying that the morning commute was expected to be tough and the evening commute won't be much better.  The parade is to start at the far end of town (by the Space Needle) at 11:30 and proceed  through downtown and get down here by about 1:30.

Last night they put up two giant TV screens in the parking lot.  This morning, on my way to swim (6 am), there were some people - a lot more than usual at that hour :) - and chairs laid out to reserve spots.  By 8 am when I was coming home, I really did think for a few minutes when my car was surrounded by people, that I'd never get home.  But I did and I am NOT leaving!

I just heard on the news that if you aren't downtown now (9 am - remember the parade starts two miles away at 11:30), fugettaboutit. The highways are clogged, the buses are packed, the light rail cars are stuffed, the commuter trains are turning people away left and right and the lines for the ferry boats coming into town are long with standing room only on the boats and they have added extra boats.

Last night I wondered more than once how in the hell do they know how many would be coming to the parade?? I still don't know but it sure looks like their predictions of a royal crap shitload are right on the money.

And... all those people won't have trouble cooling their heels while they wait, it's not expected to get much about 30 degrees today.

I am on my bed in my bedroom.  Between me and the parking lot is my kitchen, my living room, closed doors and windows, my terrace and a street...  and right now - 9 am I can hear SEEE HAWKS  SEEE HAWKS and what sounds like vuvuzelas.

It's going to be a long and eventful day. I'm grateful for my warm, dry, relatively calm perch with which I can see it all and not have to be in any of it!!

Comments

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

"royal crap shitload"?

I'm not sure it would be that hard to meet that expectation.

[susandennis]

:) it's a lot, I promise!

[badrobot68.livejournal.com]

AJ had to stay home from school because the buses aren't running on any schedule at all. Bah.

[susandennis]

There ain't nobody running in my end of town. The only place right now that isn't wall to wall people is the Century Link Parking lot where, for some reason I don't get, they aren't letting anyone in.

[badrobot68.livejournal.com]

There's a rally there later, I think you have to have a ticket for it?

[susandennis]

Oh yeah - there's a rally after the parade - both stadiums (they are using the baseball stadium for overflow) sold out for it. But it's not until 1:30.

But, turns out, according to Twitter, you are on the money. The parking lot is open for those with tickets. Apparently the 40 million people in the streets around here do NOT have tickets.

I can't see how the people with tickets are going to even get near the place.

[howeird]

I hear people are coming all the way from Federal Way for this shindig.

[susandennis]

Police are now saying 700,000 peops. Since generous estimate of Seattle population is 650,000 and I'm not there (and there must be one or two others), the overage has to come from somewhere!

[shutterbug.livejournal.com]

I would have chickened out from the get-go. I can't even believe you went out to swim!