Take the bus to your favorite holiday destinations.

The winter holidays are supposed to be a season of sharing and caring with family and friends - good times that are filled with peace and joy. But, it's hard to be joyful when you're stuck in traffic looking for an elusive mall parking spot, or circling Woodland Park Zoo with kids who want to be watching the jaguar rather than driving in one.

Getting to your favorite holiday destinations via Metro bus could be a good alternative during the next two weeks. But, be sure and check schedules first, since the holidays will alter service on most routes (See Next Article). And, an armful of packages is probably okay, but don't try to board the bus with the plasma TV you just bought for Dad.

Just where can Metro take you? Why not go to...

Holiday shopping
Metro serves more than two dozen malls and shopping districts, including the retail cores in Seattle, Bellevue, and other local cities. Most of the bus stops are just a short walking distance to the shops, restaurants and movie theaters.

Winterfest at the Seattle Center (external link)
Winterfest is the annual holiday celebration at the Seattle Center that features dozens of things to see and do - even an ice skating rink. There are many Metro routes that stop at all four corners of the Center. You can also ride the Monorail between the Seattle Center and Westlake Center in downtown Seattle, where you can hook up with dozens of Metro bus routes.

Wintertime at the Woodland Park Zoo (external link)
Winter can be a great time to visit Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo. The animals are often more active during cool weather, and the zoo staff has put together a two-week celebration to coincide with school vacation. Plus, the new Sumatran tiger cubs will be on display for a few hours each day for the first time since their birth in September.

Museums
If the weather turns bad, head indoors to one of the fabulous museums in the region. Nostalgic for the holidays of your childhood? Head to the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) near the University of Washington campus. The art of Spain is on display at the Seattle Art Museum through Jan. 2. And, at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard, the special holiday display is titled: "Lutefisk - A primer for the uninitiated."

The great outdoors
If the weather is nice, then be sure to make time to get outside for one of our rare days of winter sunshine. Take a walk, ride a bike, roller skate - there's a bunch of outdoor destinations that are easy to get to by bus.

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Metro Transit will operate on a Sunday schedule on the following four days: Friday, Dec. 24; Saturday, Dec. 25; Friday, Dec. 31; and Saturday, Jan. 1.

The downtown bus tunnel will be closed on each of those days, and the George Benson Waterfront Streetcar will not operate on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Most Metro customer service offices will be closed on those days.

Several routes will not operate on any of those holidays. And, there is reduced service on many routes serving the University District during the University of Washington's winter break from Dec. 20-31.

For all the details on holiday transit service, visit Metro Online, or call the Rider Information Office at (206) 553-3000. Metro's Rider Information Office will be closed on Friday, Dec. 24, and on Friday, Dec. 31, but will be open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

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Recently, the King County Roads Services Division's maintenance staff responded to a routine pothole call in the Skyway area. But, what they found was not routine at all.

At first, it just looked like a drainage problem on Cornell Avenue South. Upon further investigation, the crew found an abandoned 15-inch wooden water main that was badly deteriorated. Staff believes the old main is approximately 100 years old, but was unable to find out who the original owner was. The deterioration in the line was causing water to percolate up through the roadway pavement and causing it to flow across the road. With icy weather predicted in the forecast, crews were quickly mobilized to do an emergency drainage repair to avoid a potentially unsafe condition. The repair was completed in one day.

The division's archaeologist will be following up to make sure that this interesting historic artifact is recorded properly.

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Here is a list of King County Department of Transportation projects that may disrupt traffic and travel in the coming weeks:

Northeast 124th Street, north of Redmond - The entire project on Northeast 124th Street between Willows Road and State Route 202 is almost complete. Crews will be working in the area during the next few weeks on landscaping, finish work, and clean up.

South 277th Street, between Auburn and Kent - Motorists may experience periodic traffic disruptions on South 277th Street between the West Valley Highway and 72nd Avenue South through October 2005 as a result of a major reconstruction project. Currently, the county is working on the final signal at the intersection of South 277th Street and West Valley Highway. The signal is scheduled for operation by the end of the year. The guardrail work between the State Route 167 northbound ramps and 72nd Avenue South is complete. Sidewalk construction is in progress pending weather conditions.

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