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I did live and work in Issaquah for almost ten years, had a room at the Grand Central Hotel and could easily write a book about my experiences there.
(Hmm, the pic should be bigger than that, click on it to expand.)
Right there next to the Rollin' Log Tavern.
Actually, one of these days I will be retiring to a property perhaps closer to you next to the Olympic Forest in Lilliwaup.
(And I promise, no discarded fixtures on the lawn!
Thx
That’s a good picture, bet your life there was exciting. One thing I’ve learned about Washington is that you can see a lot of strange and interesting things.
Well, I had no idea where Lilliwaup was located, so googled it. Folks seem to take pride of ownership in their houses and there were quite a few people out clamming and fishing, when I went through last week.
Washington is expensive, Hood Canal prices seem reasonable for living close to the water. Nice!
That’s a good picture, bet your life there was exciting. One thing I’ve learned about Washington is that you can see a lot of strange and interesting things.
Well, I had no idea where Lilliwaup was located, so googled it. Folks seem to take pride of ownership in their houses and there were quite a few people out clamming and fishing, when I went through last week.
Washington is expensive, Hood Canal prices seem reasonable for living close to the water. Nice!
Yes indeed, in fact I almost put "never a dull moment" in there or the Chinese slogan about life being "interesting."
Quite a bunch of "characters" over at that hotel during the years, we were poor but managed to be happy.
The hotel almost closed down for fire code stuff, but the old owner had it declared a historical building and it ended up getting a face-lift instead of being torn down, I'm sure some of the downtown merchants were disappointed!
The hotel might have been rundown, but there we were in the heart of Issaquah, somehow it just couldn't be too bad!
I've only spent a little time in Lilliwaup, my place only cost $10K, it's about a quarter mile up the hill from the beach and a few hundred feet from the Olympic forest proper.
My property taxes are $99 a year, my HOA dues only $125 a year, I feel very lucky there!
Yes indeed, in fact I almost put "never a dull moment" in there or the Chinese slogan about life being "interesting."
Quite a bunch of "characters" over at that hotel during the years, we were poor but managed to be happy.
The hotel almost closed down for fire code stuff, but the old owner had it declared a historical building and it ended up getting a face-lift instead of being torn down, I'm sure some of the downtown merchants were disappointed!
The hotel might have been rundown, but there we were in the heart of Issaquah, somehow it just couldn't be too bad!
I've only spent a little time in Lilliwaup, my place only cost $10K, it's about a quarter mile up the hill from the beach and a few hundred feet from the Olympic forest proper.
My property taxes are $99 a year, my HOA dues only $125 a year, I feel very lucky there!
Thx
You probably have a mountain of stories after living there for ten years. The hotel is a beautiful old building and I’m happy that it wasn’t torn down. It reminds me of the Victorian buildings in Port Townsend, they are unique and irreplaceable. Washington does have some really cute and quirky little towns.
Property taxes are on the expensive side in Washington, $99 a year is a steal. I’m sure you’ll love your new home and your neighbors will appreciate that you don’t dump used bathroom fixtures/mattresses out in the yard.
You probably have a mountain of stories after living there for ten years. The hotel is a beautiful old building and I’m happy that it wasn’t torn down. It reminds me of the Victorian buildings in Port Townsend, they are unique and irreplaceable. Washington does have some really cute and quirky little towns.
Property taxes are on the expensive side in Washington, $99 a year is a steal. I’m sure you’ll love your new home and your neighbors will appreciate that you don’t dump used bathroom fixtures/mattresses out in the yard.
Oh, I certainly won't be doing something like that, and sorry they do things like that in your area!
I knew an old real estate guy who used the term "good poo," meaning, "pride of ownership."
Of course nowadays, poo means just that!
I was homeless on and off for quite awhile, but you couldn't tell by looking at me, in fact I used to dress up just a bit more than the average non-homeless... maybe some expensive-looking "accessory" or a leather satchel... I looked more like a lawyer or just a professional student.
Yes, $99 is probably about as cheap as it gets, and my HOA put water to the place pretty cheap as well, they seem to run things on a tight budget and don't spend money frivolously, so at least if you have to have an HOA, $125 a year and they pretty much leave you alone, I feel lucky there again.
Bought the property online, and you know one should be careful in that, there are stories of people who bought swampland and rat-infested land and rat-infested swampland...
Things that weren't mentioned in the description...
Like the giant old growth cedar tree in the front yard...
About like this one:
Once again, "luck" is the operative word!
Let's see now, I bet I can muster up an old picture of the hotel in Issaquah.
(Geez, looking through my files here, Issaquah is MADE of money!)
Here is the hotel as it looked near the turn of the century, (second to last of course) built in 1903, same year as the Wright Bros flew and the release of the first American feature film, one reeler: The Great Train Robbery.
What a wreck! The city almost closed it down and I would have imagined demolished it, it was a regular eyesore and one might imagine the "NIMBY" associated there in rich Issaquah!
Here is what it looks like today.
Now, if they could only do something about the tavern next door!
That certainly added a lot of "spice" to living there, it was basically a bar for weekend bikers, nothing too serious, just listening to those darn bikes fire up at 2 am every night.
If a person can love a town, then I love Issaquah, I was homeless on and off between rooms at the hotel, I'd be there a year, 18 months and for some reason move away, come back, sleep on the outskirts until a room opened up a few months later, I had three different rooms there and stayed in the apartment for several months.
Rent for the rooms, various amounts, depends on when the person moved in.. $200, $225, $250 a month... dirt cheap considering you are in old Issaquah.
I could have found a nicer room for a few dollars more, but I wanted to live in Issaquah, and I actually had my room fixed up pretty nice, all I ever really needed was a place to hang my hat.
This is an interesting picture of The Grand Central Hotel. Even though it's from times gone by, look at how neat everything is. There's a place for everything, and everything has a place. I love how neat and tidy the appearance is!
Of course, it is a place that wants to give a good impression, otherwise no one would want to give money to stay there, eh?
Oh, I certainly won't be doing something like that, and sorry they do things like that in your area!
I knew an old real estate guy who used the term "good poo," meaning, "pride of ownership."
Of course nowadays, poo means just that!
I was homeless on and off for quite awhile, but you couldn't tell by looking at me, in fact I used to dress up just a bit more than the average non-homeless... maybe some expensive-looking "accessory" or a leather satchel... I looked more like a lawyer or just a professional student.
Yes, $99 is probably about as cheap as it gets, and my HOA put water to the place pretty cheap as well, they seem to run things on a tight budget and don't spend money frivolously, so at least if you have to have an HOA, $125 a year and they pretty much leave you alone, I feel lucky there again.
Bought the property online, and you know one should be careful in that, there are stories of people who bought swampland and rat-infested land and rat-infested swampland...
Things that weren't mentioned in the description...
Once again, "luck" is the operative word!
Let's see now, I bet I can muster up an old picture of the hotel in Issaquah.
(Geez, looking through my files here, Issaquah is MADE of money!)
What a wreck! The city almost closed it down and I would have imagined demolished it, it was a regular eyesore and one might imagine the "NIMBY" associated there in rich Issaquah!
Here is what it looks like today.
Now, if they could only do something about the tavern next door!
That certainly added a lot of "spice" to living there, it was basically a bar for weekend bikers, nothing too serious, just listening to those darn bikes fire up at 2 am every night.
If a person can love a town, then I love Issaquah, I was homeless on and off between rooms at the hotel, I'd be there a year, 18 months and for some reason move away, come back, sleep on the outskirts until a room opened up a few months later, I had three different rooms there and stayed in the apartment for several months.
Rent for the rooms, various amounts, depends on when the person moved in.. $200, $225, $250 a month... dirt cheap considering you are in old Issaquah.
I could have found a nicer room for a few dollars more, but I wanted to live in Issaquah, and I actually had my room fixed up pretty nice, all I ever really needed was a place to hang my hat.
Thx
That poo story is so funny! Thanks for sharing, what a difference a decade or two makes. Well, toilet dumping in front yards isn’t all that uncommon here, it depends on the area. Your realtor story reminds me of a remake of the Tiptoe Through The Tulips song, only now it’s been changed to human poo and needles.
Congrats on snagging a deal on your property, I recently read of a poor guy who thought he was buying a house, but ended up spending 9k on a strip of grass between two houses. Buying property online is risky, but I’m sure deals are out there if you do your homework.
After living in Washington, there are various levels of people who are down on their luck. People who choose the homeless lifestyle, or lost their job and ended up that way, maybe twenty somethings who try the vagabond life for awhile..I’m still amazed at how homeless camps have exploded around Olympia. I’m not sure why you called yourself homeless, since you stayed in a hotel and were working.
I appreciate your sending the pictures, being a bit of a history buff and life in the PNW in the 19th century looked interesting. They did a bang up job on fixing up your hotel, it’s beautiful. That area is about as nice as it gets for Washington.
This is an interesting picture of The Grand Central Hotel. Even though it's from times gone by, look at how neat everything is. There's a place for everything, and everything has a place. I love how neat and tidy the appearance is!
Of course, it is a place that wants to give a good impression, otherwise no one would want to give money to stay there, eh?
Beautiful picture and many buildings had class and style back then. Glad to see some of them preserved. Places like Tombstone and Port Townsend are always fun to visit. Thanks for sharing elk!
Beautiful picture and many buildings had class and style back then. Glad to see some of them preserved. Places like Tombstone and Port Townsend are always fun to visit. Thanks for sharing elk!
Ahh, no problem. For it is with city-data Washington I stay connected to my birth state!
That poo story is so funny! Thanks for sharing, what a difference a decade or two makes. Well, toilet dumping in front yards isn’t all that uncommon here, it depends on the area. Your realtor story reminds me of a remake of the Tiptoe Through The Tulips song, only now it’s been changed to human poo and needles.
Congrats on snagging a deal on your property, I recently read of a poor guy who thought he was buying a house, but ended up spending 9k on a strip of grass between two houses. Buying property online is risky, but I’m sure deals are out there if you do your homework.
After living in Washington, there are various levels of people who are down on their luck. People who choose the homeless lifestyle, or lost their job and ended up that way, maybe twenty somethings who try the vagabond life for awhile..I’m still amazed at how homeless camps have exploded around Olympia. I’m not sure why you called yourself homeless, since you stayed in a hotel and were working.
I appreciate your sending the pictures, being a bit of a history buff and life in the PNW in the 19th century looked interesting. They did a bang up job on fixing up your hotel, it’s beautiful. That area is about as nice as it gets for Washington.
Well, I was full-blown homeless, almost two years in Cali on and off, (I was in the process of evicting some bad tenants,) then I had to sell the property, cashed out and went into the advertising business with the old RE guy I mentioned, then that didn't pan out... It was complicated.
I camped in Issaquah on the outskirts when I first discovered the town, going for a job interview as an electro-mechanical tech... I got a room, stayed there several months, moved out to shack up with a lady friend in West Seattle, that didn't work out, back to Issaquah to camp until a room opens up, see?
Then I moved to Twin Falls Idaho when my mother got ahold of me after 34 years, I moved there for a year, it didn't work out, I hated Twin Falls, so back to Issaquah to camp this time for almost two years...
Probably the biggest problem homeless face, far and away... are other homeless...
Yes, I might imagine that nowadays kids see being homeless as some kind of rite of passage.. street cred, they have all kinds of silly notions these days.
People say homeless "want" to be outside because they refuse to go to the mission...
I'm sure, to a man, the folks that say that have never tried a mission, for they would last one day and swear off them forever and will be another who "wants to be there."
"Here, hungry, have a poop hamburger, what, you don't want it? I guess you just want to go hungry..."
So, even when homeless do say "they want to be there," it is in comparison to what?
I wouldn't actually trade my homeless time for anything, I was not a very nice person living in my house in West Covina, I was very petty and mean and uncaring and just wrong in so many respects.
Nowadays I have my own small business, retired from actually, and an apartment in the city and my land in Lilliwaup, and more money than I need... I would have never guessed things would have went this way when I was working at the widget factory in Cali, it was a lot of upheaval, but I am way better off here in the end.
I wouldn't actually trade my homeless time for anything, I was not a very nice person living in my house in West Covina, I was very petty and mean and uncaring and just wrong in so many respects.
Nowadays I have my own small business, retired from actually, and an apartment in the city and my land in Lilliwaup, and more money than I need... I would have never guessed things would have went this way when I was working at the widget factory in Cali, it was a lot of upheaval, but I am way better off here in the end.
Thanks for your replies guys!
Thx
I used to live in Covina, but aside from a few jerks, most people in the valley were just working, trying to pay the bills and raise their families.
Glad your life worked out the way you wanted it to!
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