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I'll be the first to admit that downtown Seattle is more desirable, but remember that I do live here, and I know how tiny Pikes place market is, you can't pull the wool over my eyes Gatz.
I wouldn't necessarily say it's tiny, given the 200+ retail spaces/eateries. But to each is own, good sir.
The revitalization got off to a late start in comparison to sea, duh. Id say its about 10-15 years behind.
The fact its already adding a dozen 40-50 floor residential towers says alot.
Its a sleeping giant.
I mean, no one considers LA "sleeping." Plus the developments going up along Figueroa (especially near LA Live) are going to really change the feel of LA's primary events district.
I mean, no one considers LA "sleeping." Plus the developments going up along Figueroa (especially near LA Live) are going to really change the feel of LA's primary events district.
As far as core to core comparison it will be a very long time before LA's core ever becomes as desirable as Seattle's, that's decades away if it ever even happens.
Exactly. And that's why it lacks the crowds that large-scale retail brings. That's what I'm talking about about peak urbanity. The Pike Place Market and the clearly named Retail District in Downtown Seattle are types that don't exist in DTLA.
I saw the thrift shop area, the Fashion District, the the new rotunda retail thing on Fig, Macy's, and basically every other street. These ranged from places that might be busy at lunch but weren't when I was there (rotunda) to dead zones (LA Live was pretty desolate during a weekday lunch) to moderately busy but not bustling (Fashion District) to pretty bustling (thrift shop area). LA has some catching up to do, unless you want a $49 suit.
Nor is it particularly touristy. Various LA forums talk about that a lot (as they do retail, the lack of office construction, etc.). I didn't go into the Broad so maybe that's the big hotspot. But there's no waterfront, the thrift shop area doesn't appear to be touristy, and I'm really not thinking of an area with many visitors unless they're at a convention. So DTLA is also lacking that source of urbanity. Tourists can mean throngs of tourists, and ideally throngs of people who are a mix doing different things. DTLA lacks that dynamic.
How does that fit into your narrative? There are certainly places that get crowded such as Santee Alley. LA doesn't have that much in high end retail, but that is changing. DTLA doesn't get throngs of the tourist the way NYC or DC does, though you certainly see some since someone has to be renting all the hotel rooms downtown, but I don't really recall being overwhelmed by tourists in downtown Seattle either. DTLA does get a lot of people coming in from the rest of the city and metro to do things though.
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