???? Did I Hear The News Correctly ????

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by SitoUK

Well, I am sure there are people who base the decision to which bar/restaurant/venue to go entirely on the cost of transport and parking. However, there are almost certainly others who base it on the quality of food/atmosphere/people/music etc...so I reckon if everyone stays away from Downtown Seattle because of an increase in parking fees then that'll also have something to do with the quality of 'services' offered there. Of course, if you live on the East-Side and can get the same stuff over there, why would you come to Downtown Seattle? On the other hand, if you need that specific item from that specific shop which happens to be located in Downtown, you probably don't have much choice.

That aside, road- and parking space are limited and in high demand in any city in the world and therefore have to be priced accordingly. At the end of the day nobody is helped if parking is free but you can't find a space to park or you're stuck in traffic for ages. London introduced the congestion charge a few years ago and of course everybody including retailers in the zone were up in arms but as so often, after the thing had been implemented, it actually turned out to be a big success (increased traffic speeds, better air quality, generally a more pleasant environment in central London and therefore more people coming to shop). Such a success that even the conservative mayor who came into power afterwards could not abolish it. Other cities are thinking about similar schemes and it's only a question of time before even the most car-centered societies will have to think about similar measures, after all being stuck in traffic is no fun and costs the economy huge amount of money, even if you sit in an expensive sportscar.

London is an historic city with no means by which to expand that also doubles as a global hub. Seattle is a constantly re-forming and evolving post-modern regional hub that still has the means to accommodate demand. Big difference.

And the harsh reality here is if my lady friend and I get a hankering for a meal that would today run us 50 dollars + tax ($5) + tip (15% of $50, $7.50) downtown (so 62.50) and all of a sudden 2 months from now it would run us 50 dollars + tax + tip + 11 dollars (or 73.50), we're going to go somewhere else with comparable food for 50 dollars + tax + tip + no fees. Or we'll go to a slightly nicer place for $60 base. Think about it: That extra 11 dollars is what amounts to an additional 15% tax on top of the 10% sales tax we're already paying in that situation. Just for the "privilege" of being there. $16 in non-gratuity related fees on a $50 meal equates to an effective tax rate of THIRTY-TWO PERCENT just to eat. Not even Scandanavian nations with their ridiculous VAT taxes take that kind of money.

And what if you're some random Vietnamese place where 2 people can dine for 20 bucks. The effective tax rate is over 50% at that point. And this isn't even going into the people who work there who are now being asked to shell out thousands of dollars a year just to get to work. If I'm that person, I'm looking for a new job right now. It stinks on every level, and it's going to do incredible damage to the city.

[Patron of Wrath]

Originally Posted by Vinylly

I was listening to the late night news on TV and it seems, if I heard correctly, the merchants in Pioneer Sq. are complaining about the huge increase in parking meters and what it has done for their business. They are reporting thier sales are only about 60% of what it was at this time last year. They are blaming it on the punitive increase in parking meters.
We're suppose to be coming out of a severe ressession and sales should be better then last year at this time. Seems it's the reverse here. It' my opinion that the mayor and the city council have made a huge mistake by making downtown Seattle too expensive to shop. Have they also done what they were thinking about, and that was to extend the parking meter time from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM and on Sunday even???
If they have done this, I see more trouble ahead. Many business like resturants and taverns will be forced to move out of downtown. Can you spell 'GHOST TOWN??' Infact, for a retired couple like ourselves, downtown Seattle is already too expensive to shop. Although Capital Hill is about the closest community to downtown, my wife and I no longer go there. We always shop at University Village, Northgate, or Bellevue Square. Now, with a huge toll going up to cross the bridge to the Eastside, Bellevue Sq. will be crossed off our list. That toll is going to create even more problems ahead, specially for commutors. Seems like the state and local politicians are bent on making this state and this town the most expensive and most undesirable place to live, -specially for retired people.

I must admit, I am confused. I thought all retired people got shipped off to FL? Does the federal government know that you are outside of the old-people quarantine zone?

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by eskercurve

London and Seattle are two way different animals.

London is one of the most cosmopolitan and world-famous cities in the world. World-class entertainment, food, shopping, history, and everything that goes with it. For a long time it was the center of the most powerful empire the world had seen until the US supplanted it after WWI (arguably).

Seattle, by contrast, is the most populous city in an area that just happened to coast through one major industry after another, starting from the Gold Rush to the Yukon and California, then timber, then ..., then airplanes, then software, and more recently biotech/medical. And even then it wasn't so much Seattle benefiting from these industries as being in the right place and luck.

Also, Seattle's traffic has NOTHING on London's traffic.

Bellevue is making all the right business decisions, period. I love it when leftists think that by doing such shenanigans that the people will just keel over and let them get away with it. They have choices. And I don't know anyone on the Eastside who will go downtown and add on a significant percentage in what amounts to a tax just to go downtown or the outer ring neighborhoods.

And I, personally, don't see the need to spend $7 just to shop at Uwajimaya, there's one in Bellevue (and they're moving to a bigger location in Bellevue in anticipation of the loss in business at their main Seattle store). I do not see the allure of any restaurant being worth the $11 extra it will cost me to JUST GET THERE. Am I getting better security for my car? NO. Am I getting there faster? Maybe, but is it worth the $11? No.

People may not care about the added charge if the amount was nominal, like $1. Heck, make it $1 both ways. But 11? If, say, you're meeting friends downtown for a night out, that's probably an additional 10% on top of the bill right there! Is the mayor going to get off his bicycle and escort me to a parking spot? NO.

The only way I will go downtown or the city after the fees and the bridge tolls get in place will be to go to my favorite bar, and that's it. And I prefer to take the bus in that case, or meet up with friends and take turns being the DD.

You people are writing Seattle's epitaph a bit prematurely don't you think?

I'm an eastsider, I go to downtown Seattle quite regularly....as do most of my eastside friends.

I will gladly pay a bit more to park, dine, and shop in downtown Seattle...for me and countless other people Bellevue has nothing to offer.

Now, tell me that no eastider wants to go to downtown Seattle.

The fact is, and will remain that Seattle is the premier city of the region...Bellevue is not likely to eclipse Seattle now, or in the future.

Bash Seattle all you like...I just love it when you conservatives think that Seattle is going to shrivel up and die if you choose not to do business there.

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by choliscott

I hope you actually don't believe the main stream media when they say that the recession is overwith.

If you look up the definition of a recession, you would see it has been over for several quarters. There is no arguing the point. When the economy grows, as it has been, it's not a recession.

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by SitoUK

...yawn...



Communists, deport them all! Now!

;-)

Mega dittos. Xanathos spares no opportunity to boast about his home and his sports cars, and how everyone else is beneath him. Freakin' Boring. The truly wealthy don't need to boast. He's a tweener.