An alternate view on Aurora Ave. (Seattle, Tacoma: apartments, credit, motels)

[eskercurve]

Danny Westneat | Aurora: A not-so-easy street of dreams | Seattle Times Newspaper

This is interesting to me, and an alternate way of looking at the much-maligned place. Yes, it's dangerous in places, and yes, it's rather seedy. And, yes, that woman on the corner will show you a fun time if you are willing to pay for it. But the columnist makes a point that people who dis it because it "looks bad" are superficial and fake themselves, and not worthy of dissing even "garbage."

There's also a lot other stuff there. There's a small mall on I think 120th and Aurora that had a movie theater that was the only place showing Jackass Part II long after the other theaters stopped showing it. There was nothing wrong with the place, and it offered the cheapest matinees that I know of in the area, $4! Then I took a walk around the neighborhood and there was a swampland reserve with a novel on why this particular set of mud needed to be preserved, a nice bike trail, a baseball field, normal looking houses that were also affordable.

I used to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from a martial arts expert in a studio near 85th St. One of my friends lives on 85th and a few blocks away (OK so it's closer to Greenwood), and I've never felt threatened, and my BMW Z4 doesn't attract any more stares than usual.

Personally I wouldn't live on Aurora, but in some of the surrounding neighborhoods, I ask, "Why not?"

[tobester]

I love Aurora - it's a throwback to the 50's and 60's. And like you say, it has everything one could want.

[Ira500]

While I might not live on Aurora, it's refreshingly unpretentious. They've got a big elephant sculpture where a flower shop once stood. And it used to have the Twin TeePees, Seattle's coolest restaurant, before it burnt down.

[ElektroDragon]

Aurora is a case of road abandonment. It's as if the entire road has been frozen in time ever since they opened up I-5. I remember visiting here on vacation in 05 and thinking how incredibly cool and modern everything was from Seattle to Redmond to Bellevue, even Tacoma. And then one day of the vacation I ended up driving up Aurora for a few miles. I thought I traveled back to 1960! It's the land that time forgot. The trend continues once it passes the King County line and becomes the Pacific Highway. Up there, all the nice modern businesses have flipped to the other side of the I-5, Bothell Everett Highway. It's almost like the entire length of Highway 99 and Aurora are an extension of what awaits you up in Everett, except without the nice scenery.

I'll give it credit for one thing though.... it was amazing that they could build a road so straight and direct, without a million twists and without dead-ending and continuing on the other side of .... a small patch of trees. What the hell happened?

[eponabri]

If you read the comments on that article, you might have seen mine:

I lived on Aurora in the 70's, in three different apartments, including above the Aurora Cat and Dog Hospital. I walked to Greenlake every morning, around the lake and back again. After work, I joined friends at Beth's Cafe for an early breakfast. I have great memories of living there. Ironically, the first home my parents lived in just after my birth in 1950, was also on Aurora.


Also, my whole family pretty much grew up in the area and around Greenlake. I have great memories of life there. I'm even old enough to remember Playland.

[pw72]

Originally Posted by ElektroDragon

Aurora is a case of road abandonment. It's as if the entire road has been frozen in time ever since they opened up I-5. I remember visiting here on vacation in 05 and thinking how incredibly cool and modern everything was from Seattle to Redmond to Bellevue, even Tacoma. And then one day of the vacation I ended up driving up Aurora for a few miles. I thought I traveled back to 1960! It's the land that time forgot. The trend continues once it passes the King County line and becomes the Pacific Highway. Up there, all the nice modern businesses have flipped to the other side of the I-5, Bothell Everett Highway. It's almost like the entire length of Highway 99 and Aurora are an extension of what awaits you up in Everett, except without the nice scenery.

I'll give it credit for one thing though.... it was amazing that they could build a road so straight and direct, without a million twists and without dead-ending and continuing on the other side of .... a small patch of trees. What the hell happened?

Yes, to expand on this post, Aurora was the main north-south route through Seattle before I-5. Of course, natives know it connects with the Alaska Way Viaduct, part of Hwy 99. You can still see the old motels, especially north of the Aurora Bridge. Some have been redeveloped, others not. When I-5 opened, a lot of these motels, rightly or wrongly, were catergorized as well, you know what. The artery still remains strong though, perhaps not with high-end developement, but it does maintain a strong urban feel for many miles in the north end of Seattle. This "strip" could be redeveloped into a much more relevant area, if Seattle chooses to point incentives that direction. It is Seattle's "route 66", and there is a lot of potential.

[Ira500]

You can still see the old motels, especially north of the Aurora Bridge. Some have been redeveloped, others not. When I-5 opened, a lot of these motels, rightly or wrongly, were catergorized as well, you know what

I remember seeing one with a sign that read " Hourly rate available"

[ElektroDragon]

Originally Posted by pw72

Yes, to expand on this post, Aurora was the main north-south route through Seattle before I-5. Of course, natives know it connects with the Alaska Way Viaduct, part of Hwy 99. You can still see the old motels, especially north of the Aurora Bridge. Some have been redeveloped, others not. When I-5 opened, a lot of these motels, rightly or wrongly, were catergorized as well, you know what. The artery still remains strong though, perhaps not with high-end developement, but it does maintain a strong urban feel for many miles in the north end of Seattle. This "strip" could be redeveloped into a much more relevant area, if Seattle chooses to point incentives that direction. It is Seattle's "route 66", and there is a lot of potential.

I think its a quaint area to drive through sometimes if I need a blast from the past and relief from the modernity of everything else around it. It's got a very interesting "feel".

[BellevueGuy]

Aurora sucks and should be fixed. End of the story.

[garfield206]

ehhh aurora is now where near the sketchiest place in seattle

its reputation is undeserved