Rant & Rave: Seattle-area bus driver cares about more than just passengers

RAVE to the King County Metro employee who walked into the street at the Kirkland Transit Center to protect ducks that were crossing the street from motorists.

RANT to Seattle Parks and Recreation. How do you justify opening the only two outdoor pools in the city so late? They usually open the first week of May. This year, they’re scheduled to open near the end of June and close Sept. 5. We’re in our 80s and have been attending water aerobics classes at the Magnolia Pool for years and can hardly believe the dates on the website.

RAVE to the volunteers who help with taxes for free at Jubilee REACH in Bellevue. The head of the volunteers was fabulous. Thank you so much!

RANT to Washington State Ferries for needlessly requiring vehicles to queue on Edmonds Way for more than two hours April 6 instead of filling the terminal parking lot while the train gate was stuck during yet another one-boat day. Doesn’t anyone at WSF realize people need to stretch their legs, get refreshments and use the bathroom?

RAVE to Karla in the meat department at the grocery store in University Village. She helped secure fresh kosher chickens for my wife’s amazing chicken soup ahead of the busy Passover holiday when other stores were apparently too busy to bother.

RANT to all the martial arts schools in the area. I would love the ability to take your classes, but those of us that have to work evenings are out of luck everywhere. How about some morning classes for those of us without the luxury of a 9 to 5, please?

RAVE to the very honest person who found my wallet in the shopping cart on the upper deck of a West Seattle grocery store parking lot. Your honesty is beyond words. Thank you!

RANT to all the Seattle banks who put up signs that there is a coin shortage and that they need coins. I brought in a huge jug to several banks and they won’t accept them unless they are rolled. Really?

RAVE to the young man who helped an older woman who was blind safely cross Rainier Avenue South when the light changed. I noticed her crossing the street and she was one-third of the way across when the light changed. A kind young man walked up to her, they spoke, he took her arm and gently guided her across the street and to the bus stop. While there’s so much negativity and violence in the news, it is easy to forget all the acts of kindness that happens daily.

RANT to King County Metro for allowing wrapped advertisements that cover windows on their buses. No, the small dotted holes are not enough to see out of. What is more important: advertising dollars or the well-being of your passengers? No one wants to ride in a dark tube.

RANT AND RAVE Rave to the city of Mercer Island for adding red and white reflective sleeves to stop-sign posts. It makes them much more visible. Rant to the city of Mercer Island for wasting resources by putting stop signs and street signs on separate posts, sometimes only a few feet apart. 

RANT to the coronavirus testing place on Franklin Place Northeast that I went to recently. I have a cochlear implant in one ear and a powerful hearing aid in the other ear. I had no idea what to do because I couldn’t hear a word that the women behind the desk said with their masks on. It would have been so easy to accommodate hard-of-hearing people by having a list of questions, such as, “What is your birthdate?” I finally just told them everything I could think of that they might need to know.