Spokane or Portland? (health insurance, homes, utilities)

[ca_north]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

That's the point that she was making, I think. There are a lot of better parts of Spokane, and very few bad ones. And the bad ones are well-known to anyone who lives there:

1. the west central neighborhood, Broadway, Dean, etc., past the Public Safety building and the courthouse

2. parts of the lower southwest side, west of Maple

3. parts of Hillyard / Minnehaha

4. the neighborhoods just east of Gonzaga and north of Mission park

5. just south of the freeway between Altamont and Freya

My take is that the bad areas are so bad that they unfairly drag down the whole town's reputation, and if one just stays away from those areas, life seems much better.

I just recalled reading an unusual early '90s book by David Eddings called "The Losers." I knew it was set in the PNW, but couldn't remember whether it was Portland or Spokane. So, I looked it up, and according to this review: "The setting is modern day (when it was written) small-town USA, specifically the grim small city of Spokane, Washington."

I guess the semantics of "grim" could be debated endlessly!

[PS90]

Originally Posted by ca_north

My take is that the bad areas are so bad that they unfairly drag down the whole town's reputation, and if one just stays away from those areas, life seems much better.

I just recalled reading an unusual early '90s book by David Eddings called "The Losers." I knew it was set in the PNW, but couldn't remember whether it was Portland or Spokane. So, I looked it up, and according to this review: "The setting is modern day (when it was written) small-town USA, specifically the grim small city of Spokane, Washington."

I guess the semantics of "grim" could be debated endlessly!

I agree that crime, as related to people's experiences, can be debated endlessly. Almost any city in this country (and probably in any country) has areas in which there are all-encompassing stories of how the residents have to walk around half-stooped to avoid the bullets flying overhead. And then there are the areas of the same city in which the residents have no knowledge of crimes occurring in other areas of that city, as they drive amongst the gated estates.

Heck, even the "small city" comment is relative. To my hometown of about 800 people, the 300K population of Spokane is no "small city".

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by ca_north

My take is that the bad areas are so bad that they unfairly drag down the whole town's reputation, and if one just stays away from those areas, life seems much better.

I just recalled reading an unusual early '90s book by David Eddings called "The Losers." I knew it was set in the PNW, but couldn't remember whether it was Portland or Spokane. So, I looked it up, and according to this review: "The setting is modern day (when it was written) small-town USA, specifically the grim small city of Spokane, Washington."

I guess the semantics of "grim" could be debated endlessly!

Man, you need to expand your reading horizons! Eddings is a sci-fi fantasy guy, anyway, isn't he?

You want Spokane portrayals in fiction?

Go with Spokane native Terry Davis' famous "Vision Quest", or the remarkable film based on Spokane native (and Native American) Sherman Alexie's book, "Smoke Signals".

Here's a closing scene form that film, which was shot on location in Spokane....


Smoke Signals (12/12) Movie CLIP - To Forgive Our Fathers (1998) HD - YouTube

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

That's the point that she was making, I think. There are a lot of better parts of Spokane, and very few bad ones. And the bad ones are well-known to anyone who lives there:

1. the west central neighborhood, Broadway, Dean, etc., past the Public Safety building and the courthouse

2. parts of the lower southwest side, west of Maple

3. parts of Hillyard / Minnehaha

4. the neighborhoods just east of Gonzaga and north of Mission park

5. just south of the freeway between Altamont and Freya

This just in: here's help for number 5......

Officials to ban fortified beer in East Central - Spokesman.com - Aug. 1, 2012

[ca_north]

Originally Posted by Yeledaf

Man, you need to expand your reading horizons! Eddings is a sci-fi fantasy guy, anyway, isn't he?

You want Spokane portrayals in fiction?

Go with Spokane native Terry Davis' famous "Vision Quest", or the remarkable film based on Spokane native (and Native American) Sherman Alexie's book, "Smoke Signals".

Here's a closing scene form that film, which was shot on location in Spokane....


Smoke Signals (12/12) Movie CLIP - To Forgive Our Fathers (1998) HD - YouTube

That's the only Eddings book I've read (for college) but it was largely realistic, with allegories. Apparently it was written in the 70s but published in the 90s, if that time-frame matters for Spokane.

I saw VQ years ago, without knowing it was Spokane. Might be worth a new look. Smoke Signals looks interesting. I also saw "Benny and Joon" which happened to have locations near an area I had checked out, but it didn't really give an overview of the city. I guess no film is really a way to learn a city. They often shoot in "looks like" locations with the cities as mere backdrops to the story.

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by ca_north

That's the only Eddings book I've read (for college) but it was largely realistic, with allegories. Apparently it was written in the 70s but published in the 90s, if that time-frame matters for Spokane.

I saw VQ years ago, without knowing it was Spokane. Might be worth a new look. Smoke Signals looks interesting. I also saw "Benny and Joon" which happened to have locations near an area I had checked out, but it didn't really give an overview of the city. I guess no film is really a way to learn a city. They often shoot in "looks like" locations with the cities as mere backdrops to the story.

The Smoke Signals soundtrack is especially intriguing, featuring Ulali and Jim Boyd.

Amazon.com: Smoke Signals: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture: B. C. Smith: Music

[mistyriver]

I didn't know about Smoke Signals. I love Sherman Alexie's books.

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by mistyriver

I didn't know about Smoke Signals. I love Sherman Alexie's books.

I met Alexie once on a flight from Los Angeles to Spokane. Interesting guy.

I like a lot of his writing. But that poem that's on the plaque overlooking the Falls? Bitter. And bad.

[JanND]

My Son lives in Portland...He moved there from Denver a few years ago. He loves it..So many interesting places, interesting people...laid back but artsy and cultured. I would suggest Portland.

[Yeledaf]

There is no doubt that Portland is hipper and sexier than Spokane, especially for younger people. But the folks in Portland know how wonderful they are, and are not afraid to express their wonderfulness. At length. And that kind of thing can become wearisome.

By way of contrast, Spokane people who happen to encounter hip and sexy kindred spirits are honestly grateful for their good fortune, since such encounters are rarer and thus more special.

I rag on Spokane a lot on this Forum, having grown up on the East coast and educated at an Ivy League university, but I have never met nicer people in my life. That counts for something.