I’m not sure when we first saw this brilliant green thing motoring around the city, but the Bean’s eyes lit up and he couldn’t believe what it was. “WE HAVE A TROLLEY!!!!!” We totally do. There is a trolley in Seattle and the other day we met up with our lovely friends to take a ride on the Emerald City Trolly and see what it’s all about.
It is definitely kitschy and a little pricey for us locals, but it is fun to see the city without having to drive through it and I love how the trolley goes through actual neighborhoods and talks about real-life things that we Seattlites do and not just the touristy stuff that we would need Cliffs notes to catch up on.
Our trolley picked us up at the zoo and took us on a tour that stopped at the Ballard locks, Kerry Park and the Experience Music Project. At the EMP we could hop on a different trolley that would either take us to the Museum of Flight or a downtown scenic loop. I liked how this tour had a driver and someone to do the tour, and not just a frantic driver narrating, providing entertainment and trying not to hit cyclists. (I’m serious about the cyclists. The hubby cycles nearly every day and I want him safe on the streets!)
The boys loved the tour on the Emerald City Trolley and our friends had fun too. The only hard part was getting on and finding enough seats. This is the trolley’s first year, so I think things will get better with time, but I don’t know what happens when too many people are waiting at a stop at the same time because they only come every hour and a half or so. We got to the stop very early and waited. We were the first ones there, but when the trolley arrived a bunch of people behind us rushed to another door and got on the trolley and by the time we herded our little ones on it there was only one seat left so my friend and I stood for a while with all the kids squished together on one seat. Thank goodness we live in this city and can ride this trolley again!
Regardless, it was a really fantastic ride and as the trolley toured the city people got on and off, so we ended up getting a whole bench together in the end. If I was touring Seattle, I think this would make it so easy to get to places with kids, especially if I was here by myself. There are so many stops and an hour and half in between trolleys would give enough time to see each one.
We didn’t really stop because we just wanted to ride, but I love the pictures we got at Kerry Park when the trolley paused for a few minutes to let us out. Riding the trolley through the city made for such a fun and relaxing way to spend a hot afternoon, especially after we spent some of the morning running after the kids at the zoo. The guys are already talking about doing this one again. Maybe next time we’ll visit the Museum of Flight. We haven’t been there in ages!
(PS. we received a complimentary ride on the Emerald City Trolley, but the opinions here are definitely my own.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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