SKETCHY STUFF:
THE CROSSLAKE CONNECTION
ARTWORK BY ARIELLE FANTASIA
[March 30, 2026] Saturday’s celebrations for the launch of light rail over Lake Washington had it all: cute merch, verbose politicians, drumlines, transit furries… and Arielle Fantasia, a Seattle-based artist on assignment for CHUM News.
For the latest edition of Sketchy Stuff — an ongoing series where we send sketch artists to cover newsworthy events from their vantage point — Arielle attended Saturday’s festivities, securing an all-access pass to the first-ever public train service across the I-90 floating bridge.
Straphanging next to bigwigs like Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Governor Bob Ferguson, as well as erstwhile bigwigs like former City Council President Sara Nelson, Arielle saw water salutes, awe-struck dignitaries, endearing transit-oriented outfits, and more:
As we rolled across Lake Washington, the mountain wasn’t out, but the Seattle Fire Department was. Water cannons blasted right next to the floating bridge, and we could see firefighters waving from the fireboat’s wheelhouse. The politicians inside the train seemed to like that.
Transit furries showed up in numbers. King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci gave them a special shoutout during the opening ceremony. The transit fairies showed up in droves, too.
The Crosslake Connection project officially started in 2008. At Saturday’s opening ceremony, it felt like half the speakers talked about how young their kids were back then, and how old they are now. Can’t wait for the Ballard Extension in 2080!
If you enjoyed Arielle’s artwork, check out their Instagram.