A CRANKY GUIDE TO SEATTLE!
Sept 13, 2012 19:59:10 GMT -8
Post by ◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊ on Sept 13, 2012 19:59:10 GMT -8
MY GUIDE TO SEATTLE
I thought here I'd just write some of my thoughts on the area, anyone feel free to contribute!
NOTE: This is my EXTREMELY opinionated view, feel free to argue with me absolutely anyone. This is just my own take and in my own experience.
tab Compared to other cities in America, Seattle is quite sprawling. That's not to say that it's big, it's smaller than say San Francisco or Chicago. A great deal of what's considered Seattle is either water, or not very 'urban' at all. People remark a lot about how 'green' it looks, but this is a trick. Look from above on Google maps and you will see it is a gray smear. The trees are planted along side roads to fool the eye, but there is no forest here. Seattle has the fewest parks per capita of any major American city. It is a city that generally thinks itself liberal, and while not exactly conservative, there are many SUVs and so-called 'latte liberals'. There are many wealthy people and big business, but also lots of poor and homeless people even in the middle of downtown.
tab There is a fair amount of diversity, but the city is mostly white. Sexual diversity is relatively smiled upon, but there are certainly more open minded places on the west-coast. The cost of living is very high, and almost no one can afford to live in the city without roommates. College students live in poor areas and commute in, or are cramped together.
tab Surrounding cities are far away, so many people who commute to work drive a long time to get home. (As long as an hour or more.) "Nearby" cities like Tacoma or Everett are as much as an hour away in a car. There are large stretches of 'nothing' in between, or little gross-out strip malls and poor areas. It is difficult to get a job (even before the downturn) and unemployment is especially high in students. There is not much support for the arts or education.
tab Downtown Seattle is surrounded by the Puget Sound to the west, and has bridges connecting to northern cities. The majority of downtown is on 'the waterfront.' The water is polluted and no one can swim in it though there is boating. Many tourists come on boats, and there are ferries to small islands. Seattle has a monorail that is very small, and a brand new light-rail system that only goes as far as the airport to the south. There is little public transport and it is mostly dirty, slow, expensive buses. There is an underground bus tunnel that goes through downtown. Most people drive at great expense and have to pay for underground or on street parking.
tab Despite the lack of art support, there are many artists though they can never find work. Most people in downtown are tourists or office workers. There are tons of gyms and there is always someone jogging or running around. Almost everyone wears gray or black, and it is very unusual to wear bright colors unless you are an arty person or student. People are reserved and while polite, not outgoing or especially friendly. The most sociable people tend not to be locals. On the bright side, most people are quite helpful especially in a tight spot. Despite the city's slightly conservative secret, most people vote progressively and voting is relatively high, people are interested in politics and there are many protests/riots in Seattle's history. People enjoy outdoor activities but must travel to other areas to do them.
tab The city is fairly racially divided, with the richest areas almost exclusively white, and poorer areas more diverse. Vast gentrification is happening and more areas are becoming tourist traps or boutiques. Poorer people are being driven further and further from the city, and many historic buildings and businesses are being destroyed. Most people who work downtown do not live there because of the expense. There is one main freeway in Seattle that is always clogged up and awful-- "I-5", if you call it "the 5," everyone will know you're from California.
tab I'll list out some neighborhoods of Seattle if you'd like to know my take on them...
A SAMPLING NEIGHBORHOODS OF SEATTLE
SODO - "South Downtown" the location of the two big stadiums in Seattle that have been built recently. Safeco field for baseball (Mariners) and Qwest Field AKA "Century Link Field" but no one calls it that-- for Football and Soccer (Seahawks & Sounders FC) The soccer team is new. Seattle no longer has a men's basketball team, at least not at the time of the game's beginning. The only regularly winning team in Seattle is the Seattle Storm, the women's basketball team, which has a small but devoted following. Some people pay attention to the University's teams but I know nothing about this. Many people go to the games even though the teams usually do really badly. Sodo is otherwise a transportation hub and full of tiny, grimy industrial businesses. This area connects on the south to "Georgetown" which is even more industrial but also is home to some cool artsiness and nice little shops. (It's one of my favorite areas in Seattle.)
To the north of Sodo is the international district.
INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT - this is home to "Chinatown" and a big draw is Uwajiamya, a Japanese/international grocery store that is one of the few groceries in Seattle. It has fresh fruits/vegetables a fish market, and lots of Japanese candy. There is a connected bookstore that anime/manga people love called Kinokuniya that has manga and Japanese magazines. There are also many little shops that are generally 'international' (I.e- Asian) themed and lots of restaurants. Also home to homeless shelters and cheap bars so there are many homeless people.
Just a few blocks north is...
PIONEER SQUARE --
A weird dichotomy. Pioneer Square is home to most of Seattle's fancy art galleries, and also home to 'missions' and homeless shelters. Very wealthy art people walking about with homeless people and drug addicts. One of the only parks in downtown, known to me at least as 'hobo park' is a one block grass field with three trees and is generally covered in sleeping homeless people. There are two port-a-potties which are a big draw. Lots of small software companies and boutiques line the streets as well as cheap restaurants, the courthouse, and the tallest building in Seattle 'the Columbia Tower,' which is a huge black monolith full of lots of businesses and offices. Pioneer Square is also the start of 'the waterfront', and is generally the scariest or skeeviest part of it.
Just to the north a few blocks is...
"DOWNTOWN" Sometimes called 'financial district' or 'university' but not to be confused with the University District which is over the bridge to the north.
Here you will find the most office buildings, the city library which is a bizarre recent addition (look it up, it looks like a spaceship,) also the Seattle Art Museum, Benaroya Hall where the Symphony plays, the post office and down by the water, most of the most tourist-y waterfront activities.
On the northern side at the waterfront is Pike Place Market, which in my experience is only used by tourists. I might go there to get an ice cream once a year. Locals do not shop there. This is the home of the most stereotypical Seattle bullshit like the throwing fish and whatnot. Also around this area are lots of creepy people! If you will be mugged downtown, it is here or Pioneer Square. Shady criminal activities happen here especially at night.
Away from the waterfront there are various things such as concert halls, clubs, restaurants, hotels etc etc.
As we go north from this area, we start to split off into various neighborhoods...
BELLTOWN is the one on the waterfront. This was once home to failed dot coms and now is a creepy ghost town with very expensive housing. Also lots of homeless people! Home to Seattle Art Institute, which is the more commercial of the two art schools in town.
To the slightly more east and way from the water, we get into ALLENTOWN otherwise known as "South Lake Union" or "SLU".
Named after Paul Allen, the other guy at Microsoft, this is a new development. This is home to Amazon, and other new businesses. This is home to Seattle's artsiest art college Cornish, (my college ;D), also to Whole Foods and many expensive condos. This area is very white, very gentrified and has been developed to match in a creepy and specific way, all green glass and silver. "Westlake" is the main road that runs through here, and is home to the imaginary 403 Apartments we will someday encounter... Also home to a tiny streetcar hilariously once named the "South Lake Union Trolley," which spawned many unfunny jokes.
The start of our game begins at Westlake Center which is at CONVENTION PLACE which is in between Allentown and Downtown proper. This area is full of expensive shopping, hotels, the convention center of course, and the city's malls and movie theaters. This is a very busy area.
North from ALLENTOWN we begin getting more residential. There are three areas right next to each other that are separated by bridges. On the downtown side is QUEENANNE (where we live IRLz!) which has an 'upper' and 'lower' (meaning the elevation.) This area has a lot of housing and boutique-y crap. It is very white and fairly rich, many people who work downtown live here.
Closer to the downtown side we have "Seattle Center' where the damned space needle is, as well as the "Experience Music Project" and some other happy horseshit that no one likes.
If we cross the Fremont bridge in Queenanne, we get to... FREMONT! (wow really) Fremont is a hip area, and has lots of tiny businesses crammed together. The driving here is horrible and in a zompocalypse it is likely to impassible with wreckage. The Fremont Bridge is not actually where the 'Fremont Troll' is, in a strange twist of fate. (I won't get into that but feel free to look it up!) Fremont is where you would go for exotic foods, vintage shopping etc. There is some small amount of housing here, more so the further from the bridge and downtown. It is also very white.
If we cross the Ballard bridge in Queenanne, we get to... BALLARD! (OMG) the Ballard bridge is very big, and so is Ballard. Ballard is the most like a suburban city you'll find close to downtown. Lots of people live here though it is more expensive these days. There are a lot of old people and it has a reputation for having Norwegians (though less so now). There are the usual American 'big' stores here like groceries and other large box stores. Also very white and rapidly gentrified. More housing the further you get from the bridge. Scary scary drunk people wander downtown with its many bars though there are some cool clubs here. "Tractor" for instance.
Back to downtown... if we go up the hill (East, and away from the water) from international district, we get to...
FIRST HILL! The hill here is very steep, by the way, and so are most hills in Seattle. (Not by San Franciscan measure, however.) First Hill or 'pill hill' as no one ever calls it, is home to Swedish Medical Center and Harborview which are Seattle's main hospitals. There are other medical related facilities and businesses meant to cater to employees. You will see lots of people here wearing scrubs. It is just to the south of...
CAPITOL HILL! The heroin capital of the US in the '90s, most students will live here (except for UW students), Capitol Hill is hipster-riffic and the once home of the Gay Pride parade and has lots of facilities for LGBT people. Unfortunately, it's also full of CRACK HEADS! There are lots of fun businesses and things to do, but you will be terrified and terrorized by psychotic drug addicts and maniacs. There have been ax murders, random shootings and all kinds of horrors here. It is (to me) the scariest place in Seattle. To the farther ends there is housing that is semi-reasonable though the areas are quite poor. There is more racial diversity here. The more 'downtown' part is centered around a street called 'Broadway' where most of the hipster-y businesses are. This is home to Seattle Community College which is a very large school and has lots of students. There are also movie theaters and art related venues. If you are indie or gay (or both), this is where you're likely to be.
If we go even more east from here, we get to more residential areas, and the more black parts of Seattle that I am not familiar with unfortunately.
If we take the bridge across the water to the north in downtown, or keep following through capitol hill to the north we get to...
THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT! I once lived here, and I reserve much hatred for this place. Home to University of Washington, this area is almost entirely students. It is known on Wikipedia as a 'student ghetto' and this is very true. It used to be cheap to live here, but impossibly, someone thought they should raise the prices. It is very crime ridden and loud, and drug dealers, homeless youth and actual for reals gangs are easily found. Crime is constant and frequent, though not as psychotic or violent as in Capitol Hill. The area is centered around 'the Ave' which is bizarrely actually "University Way" not an 'Ave' at all. This is a long strip of road that has businesses that cater to students on either side. Home to whatever fad businesses are popular, be it used books, vintage clothes, bubble tea, hot dogs, frozen yogurt or crepes, there is a tiny business to cater to it that will go under in a month. There is some housing here that is outrageously expensive and awful, as well as the college's dorms. There is also a University medical center, a mall, movie theaters, and pseudo-indie crapola if that's your thing.
Farther away from Seattle we get cities centered around businesses like Microsoft, (Redmond) or pseudo-city bedroom communities (Federal Way) and other, richer bedroom communities (Bellevue or Issaquah.) Tacoma is its own city with a different, more industrial character than Seattle.
OMG SO MUCH! Please, anyone who is local or has an opinion, post here and I will modify and add. I need second opinions because I'm a weird and hateful bastard and there's probably other ways to view this place!
I thought here I'd just write some of my thoughts on the area, anyone feel free to contribute!
NOTE: This is my EXTREMELY opinionated view, feel free to argue with me absolutely anyone. This is just my own take and in my own experience.
tab Compared to other cities in America, Seattle is quite sprawling. That's not to say that it's big, it's smaller than say San Francisco or Chicago. A great deal of what's considered Seattle is either water, or not very 'urban' at all. People remark a lot about how 'green' it looks, but this is a trick. Look from above on Google maps and you will see it is a gray smear. The trees are planted along side roads to fool the eye, but there is no forest here. Seattle has the fewest parks per capita of any major American city. It is a city that generally thinks itself liberal, and while not exactly conservative, there are many SUVs and so-called 'latte liberals'. There are many wealthy people and big business, but also lots of poor and homeless people even in the middle of downtown.
tab There is a fair amount of diversity, but the city is mostly white. Sexual diversity is relatively smiled upon, but there are certainly more open minded places on the west-coast. The cost of living is very high, and almost no one can afford to live in the city without roommates. College students live in poor areas and commute in, or are cramped together.
tab Surrounding cities are far away, so many people who commute to work drive a long time to get home. (As long as an hour or more.) "Nearby" cities like Tacoma or Everett are as much as an hour away in a car. There are large stretches of 'nothing' in between, or little gross-out strip malls and poor areas. It is difficult to get a job (even before the downturn) and unemployment is especially high in students. There is not much support for the arts or education.
tab Downtown Seattle is surrounded by the Puget Sound to the west, and has bridges connecting to northern cities. The majority of downtown is on 'the waterfront.' The water is polluted and no one can swim in it though there is boating. Many tourists come on boats, and there are ferries to small islands. Seattle has a monorail that is very small, and a brand new light-rail system that only goes as far as the airport to the south. There is little public transport and it is mostly dirty, slow, expensive buses. There is an underground bus tunnel that goes through downtown. Most people drive at great expense and have to pay for underground or on street parking.
tab Despite the lack of art support, there are many artists though they can never find work. Most people in downtown are tourists or office workers. There are tons of gyms and there is always someone jogging or running around. Almost everyone wears gray or black, and it is very unusual to wear bright colors unless you are an arty person or student. People are reserved and while polite, not outgoing or especially friendly. The most sociable people tend not to be locals. On the bright side, most people are quite helpful especially in a tight spot. Despite the city's slightly conservative secret, most people vote progressively and voting is relatively high, people are interested in politics and there are many protests/riots in Seattle's history. People enjoy outdoor activities but must travel to other areas to do them.
tab The city is fairly racially divided, with the richest areas almost exclusively white, and poorer areas more diverse. Vast gentrification is happening and more areas are becoming tourist traps or boutiques. Poorer people are being driven further and further from the city, and many historic buildings and businesses are being destroyed. Most people who work downtown do not live there because of the expense. There is one main freeway in Seattle that is always clogged up and awful-- "I-5", if you call it "the 5," everyone will know you're from California.
tab I'll list out some neighborhoods of Seattle if you'd like to know my take on them...
A SAMPLING NEIGHBORHOODS OF SEATTLE
SODO - "South Downtown" the location of the two big stadiums in Seattle that have been built recently. Safeco field for baseball (Mariners) and Qwest Field AKA "Century Link Field" but no one calls it that-- for Football and Soccer (Seahawks & Sounders FC) The soccer team is new. Seattle no longer has a men's basketball team, at least not at the time of the game's beginning. The only regularly winning team in Seattle is the Seattle Storm, the women's basketball team, which has a small but devoted following. Some people pay attention to the University's teams but I know nothing about this. Many people go to the games even though the teams usually do really badly. Sodo is otherwise a transportation hub and full of tiny, grimy industrial businesses. This area connects on the south to "Georgetown" which is even more industrial but also is home to some cool artsiness and nice little shops. (It's one of my favorite areas in Seattle.)
To the north of Sodo is the international district.
INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT - this is home to "Chinatown" and a big draw is Uwajiamya, a Japanese/international grocery store that is one of the few groceries in Seattle. It has fresh fruits/vegetables a fish market, and lots of Japanese candy. There is a connected bookstore that anime/manga people love called Kinokuniya that has manga and Japanese magazines. There are also many little shops that are generally 'international' (I.e- Asian) themed and lots of restaurants. Also home to homeless shelters and cheap bars so there are many homeless people.
Just a few blocks north is...
PIONEER SQUARE --
A weird dichotomy. Pioneer Square is home to most of Seattle's fancy art galleries, and also home to 'missions' and homeless shelters. Very wealthy art people walking about with homeless people and drug addicts. One of the only parks in downtown, known to me at least as 'hobo park' is a one block grass field with three trees and is generally covered in sleeping homeless people. There are two port-a-potties which are a big draw. Lots of small software companies and boutiques line the streets as well as cheap restaurants, the courthouse, and the tallest building in Seattle 'the Columbia Tower,' which is a huge black monolith full of lots of businesses and offices. Pioneer Square is also the start of 'the waterfront', and is generally the scariest or skeeviest part of it.
Just to the north a few blocks is...
"DOWNTOWN" Sometimes called 'financial district' or 'university' but not to be confused with the University District which is over the bridge to the north.
Here you will find the most office buildings, the city library which is a bizarre recent addition (look it up, it looks like a spaceship,) also the Seattle Art Museum, Benaroya Hall where the Symphony plays, the post office and down by the water, most of the most tourist-y waterfront activities.
On the northern side at the waterfront is Pike Place Market, which in my experience is only used by tourists. I might go there to get an ice cream once a year. Locals do not shop there. This is the home of the most stereotypical Seattle bullshit like the throwing fish and whatnot. Also around this area are lots of creepy people! If you will be mugged downtown, it is here or Pioneer Square. Shady criminal activities happen here especially at night.
Away from the waterfront there are various things such as concert halls, clubs, restaurants, hotels etc etc.
As we go north from this area, we start to split off into various neighborhoods...
BELLTOWN is the one on the waterfront. This was once home to failed dot coms and now is a creepy ghost town with very expensive housing. Also lots of homeless people! Home to Seattle Art Institute, which is the more commercial of the two art schools in town.
To the slightly more east and way from the water, we get into ALLENTOWN otherwise known as "South Lake Union" or "SLU".
Named after Paul Allen, the other guy at Microsoft, this is a new development. This is home to Amazon, and other new businesses. This is home to Seattle's artsiest art college Cornish, (my college ;D), also to Whole Foods and many expensive condos. This area is very white, very gentrified and has been developed to match in a creepy and specific way, all green glass and silver. "Westlake" is the main road that runs through here, and is home to the imaginary 403 Apartments we will someday encounter... Also home to a tiny streetcar hilariously once named the "South Lake Union Trolley," which spawned many unfunny jokes.
The start of our game begins at Westlake Center which is at CONVENTION PLACE which is in between Allentown and Downtown proper. This area is full of expensive shopping, hotels, the convention center of course, and the city's malls and movie theaters. This is a very busy area.
North from ALLENTOWN we begin getting more residential. There are three areas right next to each other that are separated by bridges. On the downtown side is QUEENANNE (where we live IRLz!) which has an 'upper' and 'lower' (meaning the elevation.) This area has a lot of housing and boutique-y crap. It is very white and fairly rich, many people who work downtown live here.
Closer to the downtown side we have "Seattle Center' where the damned space needle is, as well as the "Experience Music Project" and some other happy horseshit that no one likes.
If we cross the Fremont bridge in Queenanne, we get to... FREMONT! (wow really) Fremont is a hip area, and has lots of tiny businesses crammed together. The driving here is horrible and in a zompocalypse it is likely to impassible with wreckage. The Fremont Bridge is not actually where the 'Fremont Troll' is, in a strange twist of fate. (I won't get into that but feel free to look it up!) Fremont is where you would go for exotic foods, vintage shopping etc. There is some small amount of housing here, more so the further from the bridge and downtown. It is also very white.
If we cross the Ballard bridge in Queenanne, we get to... BALLARD! (OMG) the Ballard bridge is very big, and so is Ballard. Ballard is the most like a suburban city you'll find close to downtown. Lots of people live here though it is more expensive these days. There are a lot of old people and it has a reputation for having Norwegians (though less so now). There are the usual American 'big' stores here like groceries and other large box stores. Also very white and rapidly gentrified. More housing the further you get from the bridge. Scary scary drunk people wander downtown with its many bars though there are some cool clubs here. "Tractor" for instance.
Back to downtown... if we go up the hill (East, and away from the water) from international district, we get to...
FIRST HILL! The hill here is very steep, by the way, and so are most hills in Seattle. (Not by San Franciscan measure, however.) First Hill or 'pill hill' as no one ever calls it, is home to Swedish Medical Center and Harborview which are Seattle's main hospitals. There are other medical related facilities and businesses meant to cater to employees. You will see lots of people here wearing scrubs. It is just to the south of...
CAPITOL HILL! The heroin capital of the US in the '90s, most students will live here (except for UW students), Capitol Hill is hipster-riffic and the once home of the Gay Pride parade and has lots of facilities for LGBT people. Unfortunately, it's also full of CRACK HEADS! There are lots of fun businesses and things to do, but you will be terrified and terrorized by psychotic drug addicts and maniacs. There have been ax murders, random shootings and all kinds of horrors here. It is (to me) the scariest place in Seattle. To the farther ends there is housing that is semi-reasonable though the areas are quite poor. There is more racial diversity here. The more 'downtown' part is centered around a street called 'Broadway' where most of the hipster-y businesses are. This is home to Seattle Community College which is a very large school and has lots of students. There are also movie theaters and art related venues. If you are indie or gay (or both), this is where you're likely to be.
If we go even more east from here, we get to more residential areas, and the more black parts of Seattle that I am not familiar with unfortunately.
If we take the bridge across the water to the north in downtown, or keep following through capitol hill to the north we get to...
THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT! I once lived here, and I reserve much hatred for this place. Home to University of Washington, this area is almost entirely students. It is known on Wikipedia as a 'student ghetto' and this is very true. It used to be cheap to live here, but impossibly, someone thought they should raise the prices. It is very crime ridden and loud, and drug dealers, homeless youth and actual for reals gangs are easily found. Crime is constant and frequent, though not as psychotic or violent as in Capitol Hill. The area is centered around 'the Ave' which is bizarrely actually "University Way" not an 'Ave' at all. This is a long strip of road that has businesses that cater to students on either side. Home to whatever fad businesses are popular, be it used books, vintage clothes, bubble tea, hot dogs, frozen yogurt or crepes, there is a tiny business to cater to it that will go under in a month. There is some housing here that is outrageously expensive and awful, as well as the college's dorms. There is also a University medical center, a mall, movie theaters, and pseudo-indie crapola if that's your thing.
Farther away from Seattle we get cities centered around businesses like Microsoft, (Redmond) or pseudo-city bedroom communities (Federal Way) and other, richer bedroom communities (Bellevue or Issaquah.) Tacoma is its own city with a different, more industrial character than Seattle.
OMG SO MUCH! Please, anyone who is local or has an opinion, post here and I will modify and add. I need second opinions because I'm a weird and hateful bastard and there's probably other ways to view this place!