Speaking of ferries after dark, as we did in the previous post, how about telling us how often you’re on it by voting to the right.
For myself, I probably would do the 6-10 entry, figuring in a few Mariners games, visits to family over there and other reasons to cross the pond.
My biggest complaint, since moving somewhere that the Bremerton boat was the best option, was the 10:30 p.m. return time from Seattle, followed by the 12:50 a.m. I don’t like leaving baseball games early. I don’t like leaving most things early, especially if I have bothered to go over to Seattle to participate.
One time Chris Dunagan and I went to a banquet over in Seattle. I was new to Bremerton, having lived in Poulsbo for three years and frequenting the Bainbridge Island trip. I had no idea 10:30 p.m. was my last chance to get back to Bremerton at a decent hour. Chris forgot, until it was too late. We boarded the 10:50 for Bainbridge and his wife was kind enough to drive to Bainbridge to come get us. I learned my lesson, but almost missed the boat back after a Mariners game ran long, back at a time when the Mariners mattered.
Vote in the poll on the right and weigh in here if you like.
I think this would have a significant impact on commuters for swing and graveyard shift at PSNS. Has anyone inquired of our county’s largest employer (the Navy) as to the impact on their employees?
The ferry system is one of the main reasons I no longer commute to Seattle to work. When I did work in Seattle, though, the first three years of my four year commute got me home after 11 three nights a week. But I will add this: I can’t blame the ferry system for all the problems in commuting. Because the aggravation brought on by the ferries was merely supplemented by the aggravation of having to park in a Bremerton lot which was expensive and closed after midnight, meaning that if the ferries were late (as in waiting for the Mariner’s fans to board in Seattle), I would be stuck without a car when I finally did get to Bremerton. On top of that, I was living in Belfair at the time and that meant a 30 hour a week commute for a 40 hour a week job and it was just too much.
Even when I was out of work, just going over to Seattle for job interviews (yes, I actually considered working in Seattle again) became cost prohibitive. If people complain about how much unemployment Kitsap residents drew in this last year, I can attest that it may not have been as much if it hadn’t been for the exorbitant ferry fares. Going over and back for testing and several job interviews was close to $100 – I threw in the towel at about that time and continued to collect my unemployment in Kitsap County because I simply couldn’t afford to go to interviews any longer in Seattle area. End of rant.