dagblog - Comments for "Meet My Seattle -- A Stereotype That Fits"

I spent a good part of my

Elusive Trope — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:01:46 +0000

In reply to Meet My Seattle -- A Stereotype That Fits

I spent a good part of my life in Seattle and have lived in just about every neighborhood north of downtown.

I have mixed feelings about Seattle, I have to admit. Most of my negative feelings comes from all the money that came into the region with Microsoft and then the whole tech boom. (I don't know if it still the case, but the greater Seattle area was the wealthiest city in the country per capita around the turn of the century) Watching Fremont become gentrified tore at me. I remember walking past a couple yuppies one evening who were complaining about the Lenin statue and how it ruined the neighborhood. And then there was the time I nearly had the same experience as your daughter as some guy in his new convertible Mercedes stopping just in time not to mow me over in a crosswalk.

It used to be people came to Seattle because of the lifestyle, the culture. They adopted the duck shoes and gore tex jackets. But then the money pulled in people who didn't care about the Northwest way of doing things.

And the traffic - god the traffic is horrible.

But there is a fondness for the ole Seattle that is still there. I remember a friend had returned from some time on the East Coast. We were going to cross 45th Street to get to the Guild to watch a movie. We were standing midway on the block, but then the Saturday night traffic came to a halt. One car stopped to let us cross. The lead car going in the other direction stopped too. All the other cars behind waited patiently as we jogged across the street, my friend saying "well I know I'm definitely back in Seattle."

I have to say that Portland these days seems more like the Seattle I once knew, before it became a metropolis. But when I go back from time to time, there is still the ole Seattle still there. All I have to do is pop into Elliot Bay book store or sit in one of the mom and pop cafes and I am back.

Good to hear that everything

rmrd0000 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:41:06 +0000

In reply to Meet My Seattle -- A Stereotype That Fits

Good to hear that everything is fine.

I concur with your positive

Aunt Sam — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:36:29 +0000

In reply to Meet My Seattle -- A Stereotype That Fits

I concur with your positive representation of this Northwest jewel. While I was born in Seattle, most of my youth was spent in other NW locales, but I returned whenever possible. Yes, the waterfront and other local sites never disappoint but it is the positive characteristics and attitudes of the people that truly beckon and sustain this city.

Very good news that your daughter will be fine. Best to you and yours T!!!

I like good Samaritan

Richard Day — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:42:55 +0000

In reply to Meet My Seattle -- A Stereotype That Fits

I like good Samaritan stories.

Imagine, all those good people working as a team!

And the professionals depending upon that team!

That's a wonderful story

MrSmith1 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:04:00 +0000

In reply to Meet My Seattle -- A Stereotype That Fits

That's a wonderful story about Seattle. I'm glad to hear your daughter is going to be okay. That must have been very scary for both her and you.

My nephew has lived in Seattle for more than a dozen years and I have a number of friends that live there, including a wonderful angel of a woman that helped me when I needed it most about 15 years ago, so I know how kind and caring people from Seattle can be, even to someone that they have only met through the internet.