As I was eating my cereal this morning (Oatmeal Squares), I was surfing the headlines in the Seattle Times and this caught my eye in a big way. What you are looking at is Denny's in Ballard (A neighborhood in North Seattle). Ballard has been undergoing a facelift, if you will, in recent years. New condos have gone in, new shops and restaurants have opened and it generally is a cool place to hang out. I would totally live in Ballard if I could afford it. Anyway, this Denny's sits on the corner of Market Street and 15th Ave which is the busiest intersection in Ballard. Last year a developer bought the site and made plans to build a low rise condo building. And then all the crazies came out.......This morning I read that this Denny's, or more accurately, the building in which Denny's occupies, had been named a Historic Landmark and had therefore been saved from the wrecking ball. What? Excuse me? Are you totally smoking crack? It seems that a group of people banded together and petitioned the city to save the building. Now I'm all about preserving historic buildings but this is just insane. It's an ugly building built in the 60's and not one important thing has transpired inside that building. And on a side note, the last time I was in there it was full of transients, prostitutes and the like. Lovely. I just don't get it. Actually, it's stuff like this that really frustrates me about Seattle. There are so many political factions, each with their own agendas, fighting and bickering all the time. The result is nothing ever gets accomplished. The Viaduct? Still one big earthquake from totally collapsing. The 520 Floating Bridge? Still one big storm from sinking to the bottom of Lake Washington. And don't even get me started on Light Rail......after almost 30 years of fighting...we almost have one measly line from downtown to the airport. I know I've rambled on a bit but it just really bothers me that people are so concerned with own agendas that they can't find a way to work together and solve the big issues. So when the Viaduct collapses or the 520 bridge sinks or the city decides to save a grocery store, don't be surprised. It's just crazy Seattle.
Meet the Family
16 years ago
4 comments:
well said! i think mini seattle (portland) suffers from the same thing. crazy people!
That building is a nasty eyesore, how sad for Seattle. I think there is a bigger problem at work here: Our federal government. Too many people looking out for #1 and fighting for causes that are ridiculous when there are real issues out there to be solved. Unwed mothers, fatherless children, drugs, our economy. Yikes.
What was it that the Ensign said a while back...."We need to speak up for the things that we believe in. If all our leaders hear are the voice of the minority, they begin to believe that it is the majority speaking".
Of course this is paraphrasing; the article was much more eloquently written.
Denny's is the perfect example of this.
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