Well..... (Seattle, Mount Vernon, White Center: 2015, camps, subsidized)

[west seattle gal]

Supposedly the tunnel construction displaced a lot of rats. Seattle is Rat City after all...

[west seattle gal]

'Ratpocalypse' plaguing downtown as tunnel drilling picks up steam

[west seattle gal]

Killing Rats In Seattle: No. 1 City In U.S. For Rats Problem

...attributed to tunnel and all of the new construction in downtown seattle

[pikabike]

Rats have been around for much longer than the home mortgage bust. Harbor cities were gifted with them from stowaways on ships--centuries ago, LA has had them living in the palmettos for at least 30 years *that I personally know of from visiting there*, and anywhere that has ever been lax about sanitation and bumcamps constantly deals with their constant reproduction.

Very old seafaring cities are probably the worst. I remember being startled by huge, dark, humpy shapes with long tails scurrying around among the gravestones near The Old North Church in Boston...in the 70s. Doubtless, the rats' ancestors had migrated there from The Old World waaayyyyyyy back in the 1700s.

Bubonic plague, anyone? Sure wish it would wipe out the bumcamps without harming others, but that isn't how contagion works. OK, wipe out the bumcamps AND people who give them money.

[fnh]

My middle schooler and I walked from the Central District to downtown Seattle today along Yesler Way. We stopped first at Rain Shadow Meats in Pioneer Square to pick up some grill rubs for Father's Day gifts and the kid requested we eat lunch there. Lots of people were out and about in Pioneer Square and Occidental Park playing ping pong and other games, it was a lively scene. From Pioneer Square we walked up 1st Ave toward the Market to shop DeLaurenti's and the wine shop at Pike & Western for more gifts and groceries, also stopping in at various shops that caught our fancy along the way (like the chocolate shop, ahem). We caught the bus back to The CD from 3rd & Pine, 4-5 hours after having first set out to do a couple of errands on foot. Love being able to do this in Seattle.

We saw no rats and noticed only two beggars. You know what we did see lots of? TOURISTS.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

Supposedly the tunnel construction displaced a lot of rats. Seattle is Rat City after all...

"Rat City" is White Center and has nothing to do with rats.

I remember rats in the city, more specifically under the viaduct. Always at night time too. Some were pretty big too that I thought I was looking at possums. Actually, now that I think of it, I do remmy seeing a possum roadkill in the Sodo area, which was pretty weird. Maybe some of the bigger ones are possums?

[west seattle gal]

Originally Posted by Inkpoe

"Rat City" is White Center and has nothing to do with rats.

I remember rats in the city, more specifically under the viaduct. Always at night time too. Some were pretty big too that I thought I was looking at possums. Actually, now that I think of it, I do remmy seeing a possum roadkill in the Sodo area, which was pretty weird. Maybe some of the bigger ones are possums?

I was trying to be funny, but yeah, you're right that it is a moniker for White Center. My husband also corrected me.

More about rat problem. I think it's a bit fascinating:
Why are there so many rats in Seattle? | KUOW News and Information

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by west seattle gal

I was trying to be funny, but yeah, you're right that it is a moniker for White Center. My husband also corrected me.

More about rat problem. I think it's a bit fascinating:
Why are there so many rats in Seattle? | KUOW News and Information

Up to 150 offspring a year!!?! *dies*

[hurricane harry]

I have worked downtown out of a yellow truck for 22 years now. Been in every single building and alley that has electricity, everyday. There are pockets of rats in various areas of downtown almost always in the alleys were there is an available food source such as a dumpster, trash bags or grease traps. Sometimes you see a few or a hundred. Sometimes you don't see any. But by far the most consistent thing in the alleys, streets, and sidewalks are bums.

[cmswazey]

I've had kitties bring in rats. And our neighborhood is your basic nicer working class clean quasi suburban type thing. Hubby sez there are always rats...