Eastside explorations on the Crosslake Connection | Meanderings by Mindy Stern

Published 12:00 pm Thursday, March 26, 2026

When the new Crosslake Connection light rail opens on Saturday, March 28, history will be made. For the first time anywhere in the world, a light rail train will cross a floating bridge. Our floating bridge. Ride it east to explore Bellevue and Redmond. Ride west and connect to the Number 1 Line in the International District. From there, go north all the way to Lynnwood, or south to SeaTac and beyond, ending in Federal Way. Amazing.

On a rainy day this week, I drove east on I-90, exited at Bellevue Way, and parked in the huge South Bellevue Station Park and Ride. Unlike Mercer Island’s Park and Ride, which fills by 7:30 a.m., there were oodles of available parking spaces. Up close for the first time, I admired “Photo Synthesis,” Vicki Scuri and Alexandr Polzin’s 900-foot-long art installation, visible from Bellevue Way. It’s high up, and also on the enormous concrete columns supporting the elevated train tracks. Like dappled light, it changes as you move alongside it, reflecting Mercer Slough’s seasonal colors.

Before going up to the platform, I tapped my phone on a yellow ORCA card-reader near the stairs and bought a $1 one-way ticket before racing to catch the next train heading toward Redmond. I needn’t have rushed — trains arrive every 8-10 minutes. The readout on the pay station said “valid for 2 hours.” More than enough time to have lunch and continue on my way using the same “ticket.” If asked for proof of payment, I’d show “Latest Transactions” in my Apple Wallet. There was lots of security, but no one questioned if I’d paid my way.

First stop – lunch, four stations away in the Spring District. After admiring the “Dragon and Phoenix wall relief sculptures” by Nooksack artist Louie Gong, I walked one block to award-winning Bellevue Brewery. The center-cut grilled salmon, topped with mango salsa, is served with creamy, dreamy pesto risotto and grilled veggies worthy of a fine-dining restaurant. But the real attraction is the beer, which is made, fermented and stored right there in the Eastside’s only urban brewery. They have 19 taps and serving tanks, which don’t allow oxygen to make the beer go stale. At 9,000 square feet plus a 2,500-square-foot outdoor patio, this is the place to host a party, or enjoy an intimate dinner in a booth made of wood reclaimed from an Oregon Trail covered bridge.

Walking back to Spring District station, I was too full for dessert, but checked out DOTE Coffee Bar’s elegant pastries, chocolates and coffee. Then, it was five stops to Downtown Redmond to explore its very walkable Old Town. I found two ice cream shops: Salt & Straw and Molly Moon’s. Coastline Burgers — in one of Redmond’s three remaining historic buildings — and Tipsy Cow, on the other side of Cleveland Street, both have fantastic burgers. At Woodblock, I discovered a world of whiskey, food, and micro-gastronomy cocktails and mocktails served on hand-cut ice cubes. Perfection in a glass. A few blocks away, another historic building houses Matador, a bar and Mexican restaurant in the Bill Brown Building, which is rumored to have a secret tunnel beneath it, connecting to Coastline Burgers. A vestige from Prohibition? No one knows, but it adds to the mystique.

Craving carbs? Rubinstein Bagels was “sold out” by 1:30 p.m. and closed for the day, but there are bakeries galore: Farine, Hoffman’s and Paris Baguette all have outposts.

Returning to the South Bellevue station at the end of my Eastside adventure, I saw two payment stations where you can buy or re-load an ORCA card. Certain that I’d want to do this again, I purchased a card for $3, loaded five more dollars on it, and tucked it into my wallet.

After visiting all these establishments, I was too tuckered out to complete my original plan: check out fun things to do on the west side, near the Judkins Park light rail station. Like Mercer Island’s station, it opens on Saturday, March 28, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community events. The Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) is only a ten-minute walk from the station, and a four-minute walk leads to the best teriyaki in Seattle, Toshio’s, on the corner of Rainier and Massachusetts. On March 28, to celebrate the Crosslake opening, NAAM will have live performances, food vendors, and a street fair with activities for kids.

Where will you go on March 28? Eastside, west side, and all around the town, this will be a day to remember.

–

Meanderings is an award-winning travel column by Mercer Island resident Mindy Stern. For more essays, or to comment, visit www.mindysternauthor.com.