Seattle is a very "Xtreme" city as my Slovak friends would say. I have observed things here that you would never see in other cities in America. For example, the "Designated Smoking Site" on my university's campus. Because Seattle-ites are SO preoccupied with their health and also the environment (which is why they bike to work), they have made a 'rule' at my university that smokers cannot smoke inside campus buildings (of course). They cannot even smoke outside the entrances or exits to buildings, but must stand in the middle of campus in front of everyone in the "Designated Smoking Site." They're kind of a spectacle since they're forced to stand in plain site of all the students walking to classes. You should have seen the looks they were giving me when I risked my life to take these documentary photos for you! Although I'm not a smoker and do think it unhealthy, it does seem to be a bit of reverse discrimination against smokers...
Indeed, smoking is NOT COOL here (although I was surprised to see several young people smoking at parties here when I was visiting last July). Maybe cool, young people only smoke in the summer??? You Europeans would also be surprised to know that there is NO smoking allowed in ANY restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars in Seattle. Ziadne. Absolutely nic. I wonder how such a policy would fly in Europe and who would enforce it???
This is a group of tents known infamously in Seattle as "Tent City." It is an organized group of homeless people who live in tents together in a kind of community which rotates locations around town. Usually they are allowed to live in parking lots of churches or other public institutions. The community is rather 'official' and each member has his/her own 'chores' to do within the community. There is a fire burning in one of the steel barrels. There are also several portable toilets on the property.
The tents are not directly on the concrete but are each on individual wooden platforms that help to keep them dry. And dryness is a problem because it rains so much here in Seattle. In fact, before Christmas I noticed several charities in town asking people to donate socks to the charity. I didn't understand. Why not donate food? But then someone explained that foot infections are a big problem among homeless here in town because people's feet get wet and soggy in wet shoes with wet socks--indeed, it happened to me and it's not nice. So charities in town distribute free pairs of socks to the many homeless.
But I'm told that Tent City is a very controversial issue in Seattle because some people don't like having what they call an 'eyesore' near their neighborhood. What do you think?
that's an awesome post, Marty. Thanks for sharing all of that. I would have never known all of that about Seattle.
ReplyDeletehey marty. great post. i spent a two days in seattle when we spent that summer in washington.i LOVED it! i miss you marta! i wish we could have some coffee in the land that starbucks was born and chat.
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