Has Seattle lost its distinctive flavor? (Kirkland, Geneva: real estate, townhouse, neighborhood)

[BellevueNative]

Originally Posted by Ira500

But "cleaned up" isn't what everybody wants. Maybe I'm an old fuddy duddy, but take downtown Bellevue, for example. Sure, it's glitzy now and it has a bunch of skyscrapers. But it was just a sweeter place back when it had things like the John Danz Theatre and the Dairy Queen. I liked it better back then. And I liked Fremont better when it was inhabited by hippies, artists, and bikers, and it was the place to move to if you were looking for cheap rent.
Sure, the scenery is distinct, it's a unique place to live with all the greenery, mountains, and water. But a lot of neighborhoods and nearby towns have become a bit more generic.

Good point. I, too, miss the John Danz Theatre, Bell Lanes and the Dairy Queen. Though I don't know if you can equate that with druggies, homeless and thugs. Do many (any) people miss those when they're gone?

[orzo]

Say what you will about Portland, but these days it definitely has a more distinctive flavor and sense of defined character than Seattle. I'd still rather live in Seattle for several reasons, but (over the last 6 or 7 years especially) the contrast between Portland's unique and quirky energy and Seattle's increasing genericness and sterility has become more and more evident.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by orzo

Say what you will about Portland, but these days it definitely has a more distinctive flavor and sense of defined character than Seattle. I'd still rather live in Seattle for several reasons, but (over the last 6 or 7 years especially) the contrast between Portland's unique and quirky energy and Seattle's increasing genericness and sterility has become more and more evident.

Seattle, sterile? Really? It is just as edgy and raw and "weird" as Portland in many places. And Portland is just branded as weird, but actually sterile and generic in many parts. The quirkiness is still here in Seattle, but you have to search it out a little bit. You won't find it on the Eastside, that's for sure, or in the North End very much.


People have this same complaint about Portland that has been rehashed several times in that forum--30 years ago it was truly distinct and weird and had its own unique flavor, but now is ruined by a rapidly growing, transient, and uncommitted population. This sounds familiar...

I think Seattle definitely has a distinctive flavor to it. Not necessarily the same it had 30 years ago (I wasn't even alive then), but change is the nature of reality. I don't get the same vibe here that I do in LA or SF. Maybe Portland to an extent, but it's still a little different.

[YouJustHatetheTruth]

Unfortunately, OP, that's the problem for a lot of places that only became big decades ago.

When you talk about a place like Boston, or NYC, or Atlanta, you can go hundreds of years back and it was still a 'big place;' a central location in a region. The problem with Seattle (and a lot of the midwest/west coast boomtowns, but Seattle in particular since, really -- outside of Phoenix -- it's America's most recent big city), is that there are still people alive today who can remember when the city really wasn't that much larger than, say, Boise is today. Ergo, you've got a population explosion is recent memory that turned a state-centered burg into a regionally-centered metropolis, and that's going to leave some feathers ruffled.

I'm sure 200 years ago people lamented Boston or Philadelphia losing the 'old' feel. But Seattle's 'old' feel still seems so recent, that the 'new' feel is off-putting, and people are still getting used to it. Fifty years from now (barring, of course, the end of the world or something), what you feel as unusual now will be so normal for Seattlites that they'd never be able to tell you about 'the good ol' days.'

Unfortunately, this is just the nature of big cities. When they get big, they lose a lot. They gain a lot, too, but people are more inclined to notice the losses.

[BellevueNative]

This tribute to Dave Niehaus, radio announcer for the Seattle Mariners for the team's entire existence until he died prior to last season, hits several emotional notes for many longtime/native Seattlites. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - My Oh My (Official Video) - YouTube Yeah, it's about baseball, but it's also about more than that. What hits me is that many people who live in Seattle now don't remember those games in the Kingdome, or how transcendent that ONE game was for the Seattle community. We have a new baseball stadium, a new football and soccer stadium...and while they're beautiful, when the Kingdome came down, Ken Griffey, Jr. left (and eventually retired), and Dave Niehaus died, each time it was like a little piece of my childhood died.

When Macklemore performed this song at Opening Day last season, a lot of grown men cried right there in the stands. And a lot of other guys drank beer and got rowdy as usual out in the center field garden. You could sure see the difference between the native Seattlites and the transplants, who just didn't get how sad Dave's death was. We mourned Dave's death, but I think a lot of us were also mourning the death of "old" Seattle.

[orzo]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

Seattle, sterile? Really? It is just as edgy and raw and "weird" as Portland in many places. And Portland is just branded as weird, but actually sterile and generic in many parts. The quirkiness is still here in Seattle, but you have to search it out a little bit. You won't find it on the Eastside, that's for sure, or in the North End very much.


People have this same complaint about Portland that has been rehashed several times in that forum--30 years ago it was truly distinct and weird and had its own unique flavor, but now is ruined by a rapidly growing, transient, and uncommitted population. This sounds familiar...

I think Seattle definitely has a distinctive flavor to it. Not necessarily the same it had 30 years ago (I wasn't even alive then), but change is the nature of reality. I don't get the same vibe here that I do in LA or SF. Maybe Portland to an extent, but it's still a little different.

I'll take Seattle over Portland for many reasons - big city feel, more scenic, wider range of people, etc.

But, yes, downtown Seattle and many other sections of the city have somewhat of a sterile feel now. Portland still oozes character, both in Downtown and the well-connected inner neighborhoods. It feels funkier and less corporate overall. Of course, Seattle still has many interesting sections and some great neighborhoods - and I love the increasingly cosmopolitan feel of downtown - but there is a certain blandness that has crept in pretty fast.

[orzo]

Originally Posted by YouJustHatetheTruth

Unfortunately, OP, that's the problem for a lot of places that only became big decades ago.

When you talk about a place like Boston, or NYC, or Atlanta, you can go hundreds of years back and it was still a 'big place;' a central location in a region. The problem with Seattle (and a lot of the midwest/west coast boomtowns, but Seattle in particular since, really -- outside of Phoenix -- it's America's most recent big city), is that there are still people alive today who can remember when the city really wasn't that much larger than, say, Boise is today. Ergo, you've got a population explosion is recent memory that turned a state-centered burg into a regionally-centered metropolis, and that's going to leave some feathers ruffled.

I'm sure 200 years ago people lamented Boston or Philadelphia losing the 'old' feel. But Seattle's 'old' feel still seems so recent, that the 'new' feel is off-putting, and people are still getting used to it. Fifty years from now (barring, of course, the end of the world or something), what you feel as unusual now will be so normal for Seattlites that they'd never be able to tell you about 'the good ol' days.'

Unfortunately, this is just the nature of big cities. When they get big, they lose a lot. They gain a lot, too, but people are more inclined to notice the losses.

Seattle is a relatively new city, but by no means is it one of America's most recent big cities. In 1940, Seattle had 368,000+ people. At that time, Phoenix had 65,000, Vegas had 8,000, Dallas had under 300K, Portland had 305K, numerous other Sunbelt cities had way, way fewer.

Also, by 1960, Seattle had nearly 560K people - so I doubt there are many people who can remember when Seattle was a small town comparable to Boise (in fact, Seattle had 237K in 1910, which is bigger than Boise currently)

Seattle has been a big city for a while, albeit it now has more of a big city feel. But I don't think your explanation really hits the mark. Yes, population has grown in recent decades, but not on an exponential level. It's more the workforce that has changed, and the culture of the city.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by orzo

I'll take Seattle over Portland for many reasons - big city feel, more scenic, wider range of people, etc.

But, yes, downtown Seattle and many other sections of the city have somewhat of a sterile feel now. Portland still oozes character, both in Downtown and the well-connected inner neighborhoods. It feels funkier and less corporate overall. Of course, Seattle still has many interesting sections and some great neighborhoods - and I love the increasingly cosmopolitan feel of downtown - but there is a certain blandness that has crept in pretty fast.

Downtown?! Bland?? You're right. I can see what you mean about downtown. Portland's downtown does have more character, more independent businesses, and a more vibrant street scene (less foot traffic, but still more vibrant). But Seattle as a whole I think is still full of interesting and subtle flavors.

And you seem to choose Seattle over Portland for the same reasons I did! We have boatloads in common...

[downtown lover]

Originally Posted by BellevueNative

You're kidding, right? That area is waaaaay more cleaned up now than it used to be. The Hard Rock Cafe is now on Pike between 1st & 2nd Aves. And the new Target is opening on the corner of 2nd & Pike next month. It's a major area targeted for re-development for the city.

That Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, I went inside. Big deal. What that had got to do with the roughness of the area. It sure is nothing to write about. Seattle's downtown is cleaner, relatively, thanks to Seattle Downtown Ambassador and cleaning crue, but it's not safe and not all that cosmopilitan like other major cities. It has along way to go. There are very few housing in the downtown core to support a 24hr district, other than 11 highrise condos/apt in the downtown frame area.

[downtown lover]

Pardon my errors above(#29) Words correction: 1. crew 2. cosmopolitan