Hopeless in Seattle

The only thing consistent in history is change. Empires rise and fall. Fashions, thankfully, go out of fashion (only to resurrect a generation later). And boy bands eventually break-up once their testicles drop. Seattle has no immunity to change. Having lived in Vancouver, Canada for several years, i made quite a few trips to the city. Back in the day, i used to sing it's praises. But I think I've changed my mind.

Seattle had a bit of an explosion 15 years ago. Sleepless in Seattle was a hit movie. The TV show Frasier used the city as it's backdrop. And the local sports team, the Mariners and Supersonics, reached their prime in the mid-90's. Grunge music hit the airwaves with a vengeance, as bands like Nirvana a

nd Pearl Jam rocketed to stardom. Not to mention the meteoric rise of Starbucks coffee. The Space Needle was an instantly recognizable landmark. The area around the Space Needle was filled with activities and sites for the whole family. Downtown, the Public Market echoed with the squeals of Asian tourists trying to avoid getting hit in the head by the famous fish market vendors tossing the daily catch around the place. I've seen these vendors on customer service videos around the world as, with just some enthusiasm and humour, they changed a mere fish stall into a world-wide attraction. A mono-rail whisked you above the streets as combination of laid-back west-coast culture and hyped-up caffeine addicts went about their daily business. Things couldn't be better for the city. But...

Things have gone somewhat downhill. From a layman's perspective, a disproportionate number of cities with a major interstate running through the downtown core are doomed to (relative) failure. Poor city planning has really hurt Seattle. A ridiculous attempt at a subway system ran into serious budget problems. And while the backup plan to make it a “bus tunnel” made the commute into downtown easier, it's a crazy expensive bus lane. The monorail is a dumbfounding $2 in a usual fare free downtown. But more than anything else, it is the homelessness and poverty that smacks you in the face. It's everywhere. Coming from Vancouver, I'm used to that scene on East Hastings street. But in Seattle it's everywhere. It's difficult to walk 10 feet without being asked for money.

But still, i have many friends in the city who swear by it. And with major global player like Microsoft, Boeing and Amazon having offices there, Seattle's future is certainly not in jeopardy. I still like the city, but it has definitely slipped down my list of favourites.