SR 99 Tunnel construction well underway

Derek Westbrook's face is covered in mud and clay. The construction he and his coworkers are doing down by Seattle's waterfront is tough, but he is proud of it.

"When we are done, this will be the widest tunnel in the world—a double decker, four lane highway," he says, "that's pretty neat for us."

That tunnel is SR 99, the underground route that will eventually replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which connects West Seattle to Downtown. The project's overall budget is $394.8 million, a hefty investment from the city.

Westbrook has been recently working on building the walls for the giant tunnel boring machine's launch pit. According to Randy Erickson, who has been working on-site, the machine will be the largest and most complex in the world. 

Erickson said there are rumors about plans to leave the tunnel boring machine in Seattle after the project's completion and build a museum around it. "Just something I heard," Erickson said, "it makes sense, because those drilling machines are such a hassle to move around and transport because of their size."

Drilling is expected to begin a little over a year from now in the Summer of 2013. For now, crews are currently working on a number of preparatory projects, including rerouting subterranean power lines, clearing the waterfront of obstructions like small trees, clearing old buildings and structures from the 1920s and 30s, and preparing space for the arrival of the boring machines. 

In the meantime, construction crews are rerouting traffic on East Marginal Way South, due to reduced lanes, and ask that drivers passing through be conscious of the tight squeeze and mindful of cyclists. 

"It gets tricky when there are games at the stadium," said Molly Chen, a cyclist who frequents the route. "You just have to be extra vigilant cycling through here with the construction because there isn't as much space for the inflow of sports traffic."

While the traffic doesn't bother Chen too much, she wasn't as excited about the prospect of a possible tunnel-boring museum.

"Why you would want to build a museum around a giant digging machine, I have no idea," Chen said. "I feel like that would just be really ugly and unnecessary."

Live updates on construction progress can be found here, along with projected dates for the construction project and traffic updates. 

Salumi: Where food becomes art

The Porchetta consists of twice roasted tender pork
that pairs magically with grilled onions.

Ten minutes before opening for the day, there are already 14 people lined up outside. By the time the doors open, there are well over 20.

In line, it becomes apparent that this is a standard ritual for most people standing on this tiny corner on 309 Third Avenue South.

"I come here almost every day during the work week," said Jeremy Dupree, who works in a nearby architecture firm. "These are easily the best sandwiches in the city."

For Salumi Artisan Cured Meats, this kind of breathless and reverent praise is common. If Seattle's sandwich wars could be won by hype alone, Salumi would slay all it's competitors. Featuring 431 perfect five star Yelp reviews, a New York Times article and even an endorsement from Anthony Bourdain (who has publicly declared the shop a "holy place"), Salumi's reputation precedes it.

Despite all this, Salumi is easy to miss. A literal hole in the wall, the corner shop is a single door leading into a tiny hallway, unmarked except for a small sign bearing the shop's name above a butcher diagram of a pig. The ever present out-the-door line of people flowing into the shop has to squeeze tightly to get a foot in.

The reason the shop is so popular comes down to one thing: meat.

Salumi is one of the few places in America still faithfully and authentically practicing the age-old art of Italian meat curing. It shows—from the spicy Finocchiona salami to the rare, delicate Culatello ham (almost impossible to find outside of Italy), this is anything but your standard issue deli meat. Each cut is tender, delicious, and bursting with a subtle melange of distinct flavors.

Salumi's meats run the gamut from mild salami to
wildly spicy cuts infused with mole and fennel.

And while you can enjoy the cuts on their own, it's when they are put in a sandwich that they really shine. Placed on an authentic, crusty baguette slathered with olive oil infused garlic spread, and topped off with a cheese of your choosing, sandwiches at Salumi are a transcendent experience. It feels like you are eating a work of art.

Seating at Salumi is scarce—family style when you can get it. This means you are going to be eating next to strangers, which in a way makes the whole experience much more communal. It's easy to bond with people when you already have a delicious sandwich in common.

"Since we've been in Seattle we've come back here everyday," said Derek Hottle, visiting the city from Atlanta with his wife Linda. "I'm still trying to figure out which sandwich is my jam. It's hard to settle on a regular when they are all so damn good."

A sandwich will run anywhere from $7 to $10 on average at Salumi. While that may seem pricey compared to your standard Subway, you get what you pay for.

For Ed Rowley, an electrician, the price is irrelevant.

"I'd gladly go bankrupt eating here," Rowley said. "My wife would kill me, but it'd be worth it."

Westbrook killing forces neighborhood to reflect on random violence

Tim Shere has been stabbed twice. He can’t even remember how many times guns have been pulled on him. Having worked in Pioneer Square for 20 years as a bouncer at a number of clubs, he’s no stranger to violence in the neighborhood.


“This one though,” Shere says, pointing to a poster in the window, “this one is the creepiest for me.”


The poster he’s pointing to calls on anyone with information in the April 22 shooting of Nicole Westbrook to come forward. The 21-year-old culinary student was murdered when a random drive by shooter opened fire on 2^nd Avenue and Yesler Way at 2 a.m., as she walked home with her boyfriend from a nearby comedy club. Westbrook had moved to the city from New Mexico only three weeks prior to when she was shot and killed.


Shere, who often works just a block away from where the incident happens, is one of the many people living and working in the surrounding Pioneer Square neighborhood reeling from the most extreme case of what seems to be a pattern of violence in the neighborhood.


“It’s just so random down here,” Shere says. “Usually you can find reasons for why these things happen, but this girl was just walking home.”

Shere can’t walk around the neighborhood without subconsciously scanning rooftops and windows anymore after another random incident involving a sniper left three injured in 2007.

Working at Bass Northwest down the street from the Westbrook killing, Ryan Bok says these sort of things happen all the time.

“I stepped outside for a smoke break the other day and a SWAT team come running by me. Some guy had a gun in a store down the way,” Bok says. 

Employers and business owners at stores like Bass Northwest in the area have plastered their windows with posters calling for information on the Westbrook shooting, hoping someone will come forward. 


Shere, who has “Unity” tattooed on his arm, hopes the violence stops soon.

“People aren’t bad, we just need to bond together to protect each other from the rotten ones who do things like this.”