Disgusted by all the graffiti in Seattle...does anybody there care or notice? (Bellevue: for sale, apartment)

[bostonguy1960]

I visited Seattle and surroundings this fall for about two weeks along with similar time spent in Portland and parts of Oregon. I enjoyed my trip, and could live in either city. I had been to Seattle once before, for a few days in Feb. 1992. Your weather this fall for much of the time was fantastic, with no rain on my trip for the first couple weeks. As I've heard, it should have started raining by mid-September; but nothing but a quarter inch or so had fallen for three months. I finally got some rain and clouds to legitimize my stay...

Well, what's with all the graffiti and stickers slapped on every sign and pole downtown? Well, it sure seems that way. Specifically, Capitol Hill was terribly vandalized. The newsboxes were a disgrace with tags and stickers covering all sides and even the window. Sidewalks had ugly and large tags, fronts and backs of "do not enter" and "keep right" signs, for instance, were plastered with tags and stickers coveting stickers! Even around the Bauhaus coffee shop was a mess.

With the gay marriage vote upcoming at the time, I even saw yellow flyers with photos of homosexual sex acts pasted on utility boxes. I'm gay, and it offended me, so I tried ripping them any way I could. At least they had the courtesy to block out the genital areas in those sex acts in the photos. Anything seems to go in Seattle --maybe that's why the people who live there seem to like the counterculturalism in parts of it?

I'd see apartment "for sale" signs on the lawn tagged, in the area overlooking I-5 adjacent to E. Republic/Republican (sp.?)....

Even the Madrona area was too dirty for my liking, and I enjoyed that pocket, otherwise. Loved that ice cream hole in the wall near Pritty Boys pizza; I think it was called "Maggie Moon's." It had a great chocolate ice cream laced with melted chocolate from a Seattle chocolate company....how could I forget the name, but I have. Tim's chocolates?

Anyway, back to ranting: Gosh, Seattle seems to be a vandal's paradise.

Has the city just given up and let these vandals overtake the town? Is it part of a "hipster culture" or "grunge culture"? (Not even sure if the grunge label is applicable to Seattle or anywhere else, anymore).

Sure, here in Boston, I find lots of graffiti along the highway and train tracks, utility boxes, newsboxes, mail boxes, even stickers all over the signs in some areas -- but not nearly as bad as in Seattle. I actually use our award-winning Citizens Connect app to photograph and report this stuff. So do others. Nothing like this app yet in Seattle? Does one just call City Hallband get forwarded to Public Works, the old fashioned way?

I realize some people like this type of environment, as it's considered grit that gives a city character. Others don't notice it, and surely wouldn't want one cent of tax dollars to address it, especially if it means laying off important employees. Heck, ads in magazines often are photographed in front of walls of graffiti to give it a hip look.

Parts of the downtown weren't too vandalized, at least not to the extent of Capitol Hill. Even the nice side streets of the area, in front of fancy homes near Volunteer Park, have been defaced. Such a shame.

By the way, I found the same situation in Portland, Oregon sore in parts, especially In the Hollywood area near Trader Joe's, though parts of their downtown weren't so marred. But some of their better neighborhoods outside of downtown were tagged, just like yours.

Sorry if I over react to this, but there's a reason cities and transit agencies around America spend millions of dollars to try to contain graffiti. The stickers slapped everywhere are just as destructive and unappealing. Can't I see a unstickered or untangled stop sign for once?

At least Bellevue, Redmond ad Kirkland were not do afflicted, and seemed so much cleaner.

This is constructive criticism because I love Seattle and care.

[Seacove]

Having lived in Boston for two years, I found Boston to be incredibly dirty, industrial and old. Yes there were parts that were nice but I'd visited many times prior to living there and never realized just how grungy it could be. Compared to Boston, I find Seattle to be young, clean and fresh. A coworker came to visit from Atlanta and complained that Seattle was too clean; almost annoying. So to each his own. Some are bothered by signs and posters and I don't love all or even many of them. Some might not like our gum wall. I just find it all unique to Seattle and consider it a small part of an incredibly beautiful city and region. I'll take it over Boston any day.

[bostonguy1960]

Seacove -- thanks for your feedback.

Long and meandering passage follows:

I drive a cab in Boston, and often hear how clean it is, actually, though some residents complain how dirty the streets are. Yeah, the small downtown looks appealing in most parts, but lots of the city's neighborhoods and suburbs are quite ordinary and pedestrian, at least for such a historic and "special" city. I love it here, having come here for college, then settling. But this "best and brightest," "Hub of the Universe, Athens of America," "Greatest City in the World" stuff, although partly valid in my mind, gets a bit overwhelming. I'm sure people in Seattle are also proud of their city and may go overboard, too.

But it seems that you've left it behind and don't find it "special" or "unique."

I simply thought that everyone loves Seattle (like I had assumed about Boston), but I do see some naysayers on this board complaining how overrated it is. I met someone in my cab years ago who was returning from a long business trip to Seattle, who don't seem that impressed, which shocked me. Again, I thought everyone would drool over either city. When I asked if she had spent time in both your city and in the suburbs, she said yes, but still didn't care for it.

I hear so many cab riders rave about Boston that I get complacent, until I meet those who aren't impressed -- and they do exist. But these ravers are circulating in the yuppie or historic areas, so of course they'd like it. I think I drove a young woman last year, relocated from Seattle and living in the North End,who didn't care for Boston. Yet, for years, I thought people were envious of us and would do anything to move here! Sounds so arrogant, for sure, but with your having lived in Boston, I think you've heard that sentiment from some people here.

I'd love to move to Seattle but would have to volunteer to clean up some graffiti to make it to my liking, but I realize some people there may say "no thanks, we're fine like this...what else can you bring to the table?"

Again, not picking on Seattle. Providence, RI, is also graffiti-plagued -- in its nice areas! What a disappointing dump, as I yearn to like it, but if they can't clean themselves up, why worry, right? But I do, because I care.

Montreal was a disgrace concerning graffiti, but seems nearly everyone loves that City. Don't let me get started on NYC, LA, and San Francisco, among others.

It's a major problem with me and my OCD mental health issues, if you're wondering why I even bring this graffiti and sticker vandalism up. I wish I didn't obsess over this, as life would be so much richer if I didn't worry about something I cannot solve or address fully.

That's really the only complaint about your city. Even the homeless and street kids weren't as bad as I had read. And I didn't experience any of your famous "Seattle Freeze," as everyone was friendly.

[Seacove]

I'm not exactly a Seattle promoter, as I feel too many are moving here, but I do tend to be a Seattle defender. Boston was a work related move and we could have stayed there but we missed Seattle too much. Boston was very friendly, the people extremely welcoming, but every time I traveled back to Seattle, everything was just so young and new, it seemed cleaner and more forward-thinking. It got harder to get on the plane.

When I see graffiti in Seattle, it just makes me think kitschy for the most part. When I see the industrial parts on 90 approaching Boston, it's just depressing. We lived in Sudbury, it was nice, but I would say the curiosity I always had with Boston was satisfied. You have every reason to be proud of your city, it's really unique and special.

[Hemlock140]

The police in Seattle have enough trouble doing their work, without worrying about graffiti. It's just not considered a problem. The worst graffiti, though is in Bellevue, on the rail trestle that crosses I90. I always wonder how they got over the side of that to do the painting.

Other than graffiti, which is not that bad, downtown is clean compared to most cities, because the local merchants belong to an association and pay to have "downtown ambassadors" who go through and clean up the sidewalks. I see them working every morning at 7am in the areas around the market but they do downtown and the waterfront too.

[RunTheDistance476]

When I came to Seattle for the first time, I was kind of shocked of how much graffiti there ISN'T in Seattle! I think in the bad areas, absolutely...but for the most part, it is nothing like LA, Chicago, STL, KC, New Orleans, etc.

[Brookdale46]

I don't like the graffiti either. I think it makes the city much less attractive. I have never understood the need to do it. But until we become like Singapore where I understand it's a severly punished crime (and therefore that city is pristine), I'm afraid we're stuck with it. I still feel Seattle is the best place for me to live. It will take more than ugly graffiti to change my mind. I only wish the taggers could become interested in more useful activities in which to expend their obvious energy.

[eskercurve]

Actually I was struck by how much was missing as well when I first came here. If OP thinks that downtown is bad ... all I'd have to say is they should gather more data before stating that again.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by Seacove

When I see graffiti in Seattle, it just makes me think kitschy for the most part.

Originally Posted by wlw2009

I was kind of shocked of how much graffiti there ISN'T in Seattle! I think in the bad areas, absolutely...

Yeah, about that kitschyness - I think it's one of the drawbacks to having young hipsters in the neighborhood. Since this spray can art trend picked up, it's like every fence along major roads gets tagged immediately. (hint people, plant some bushes in front of your fence.) Part of the problem is it moved into other neighborhoods that didn't have tagging problems prior. The owners of these "fresh canvasses" didn't plan on protecting or repainting them when they were built.

As for it being in 'bad areas' I don't necessarily agree. It's happening in high demand, relatively expensive areas as well.

[RunTheDistance476]

Put a camera outside of your place then and call the cops when you catch the little freak doing it.

I do agree, however, that those caught tagging should be severely punished--more than just a fine.

Should also stick those punks to cleaning up the streets every early morning for the next 3 months.

They wouldn't tag anything else, that's for sure.