This weekend Seattle became the 20th city in the US to have a light rail system when the city's first light rail line opened from downtown to Tukwila. It was free this weekend as part of the grand opening festivities, which also included musicians at some of the stations. About 51,000 people boarded the train Saturday, the first day of service, and this article does a great job of capturing the event.

We were among the 41,000 people who rode it Sunday. We didn't have anywhere in particular to go, we (particularly me) just wanted to ride it. We got on at the first station and were fortunate to find a seat. I really enjoyed the ride, which was very smooth, though parts of it were a little rougher than I expected. Sometime, we'll visit some of the areas surrounding the stations and will be able to take it to the airport after the line is extended this December. This morning, the train was mostly empty as I rode it toward work, though I had to get off and transfer to my regular bus.

For now, it's not useful to us on a regular basis. Still, I no longer have to be embarrassed that Seattle, with its environmentalist culture, doesn't lag behind so many other cities in the country anymore. In building this line of light rail, Seattle has started what will grow into a transportation network that befits the grown-up, worldly city that Seattle wants to be.