Westlake, Schmestlake
With the company I work for relocating to the Westin Building, I now have opportunity to go through Seattle's Westlake Mall every working day. I must say it never fails to depress.
Westlake was built in the late 80's, and it shows. It's tall and narrow (which makes it very claustrophobic, even when there's few people there) and filled with stores that only a tourist could love (Godiva Chocolate, the Made In Washington Store). It's top floor food-court not only is filled with banal restaurants (McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Sbarro) it has succeeded in driving out most of the other luncheon options in the vicinity.
It used to be just a little tiny bit of fun back in the days when the monorail stopped at it, but since the monorail is now under the weather, even that thrill is gone.
But the worst thing about Westlake Mall is what it replaced. The "Old" Westlake was sort of like the "Old" Times Square - without the porno theatres, of course. It was earthy and worn and very open. The old Monorail station was a fabulously tacky 60's structure. The few buildings on the Westlake site were low-rise, gritty, and not at all "upscale" or that dreaded Seattle term, "World-Class". But neither is the Westlake Mall when you get right down to it.
The sad truth is that Downtown Seattle was much more interesting 15 years ago than it is now. Now it is a sanitized "safe zone" for tourists and suburbanites. That's the price of progress, I suppose.
Since we're on a nostalgia kick here, and I can't not talk about politics - listened to the debate last night. Edwards did OK, I think - especially compared to Mr. Burns - I mean Dick Cheney.
What was really telling to me were the closing statements. Edward's somewhat optimistic "anything-is-possible-in-America" speech was just about what you'd expect. Cheney's "Land-of-the-grim-home-of-the-scared" speech of doom made me wonder what would happen if something really bad were to happen to this country. We've already used up almost all our hyperbole. Whatever happened to reassuring leaders like Roosevelt, who comforted and inspired a nation during a much more stressful and dangerous time than what we are currently facing?
Westlake was built in the late 80's, and it shows. It's tall and narrow (which makes it very claustrophobic, even when there's few people there) and filled with stores that only a tourist could love (Godiva Chocolate, the Made In Washington Store). It's top floor food-court not only is filled with banal restaurants (McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Sbarro) it has succeeded in driving out most of the other luncheon options in the vicinity.
It used to be just a little tiny bit of fun back in the days when the monorail stopped at it, but since the monorail is now under the weather, even that thrill is gone.
But the worst thing about Westlake Mall is what it replaced. The "Old" Westlake was sort of like the "Old" Times Square - without the porno theatres, of course. It was earthy and worn and very open. The old Monorail station was a fabulously tacky 60's structure. The few buildings on the Westlake site were low-rise, gritty, and not at all "upscale" or that dreaded Seattle term, "World-Class". But neither is the Westlake Mall when you get right down to it.
The sad truth is that Downtown Seattle was much more interesting 15 years ago than it is now. Now it is a sanitized "safe zone" for tourists and suburbanites. That's the price of progress, I suppose.
Since we're on a nostalgia kick here, and I can't not talk about politics - listened to the debate last night. Edwards did OK, I think - especially compared to Mr. Burns - I mean Dick Cheney.
What was really telling to me were the closing statements. Edward's somewhat optimistic "anything-is-possible-in-America" speech was just about what you'd expect. Cheney's "Land-of-the-grim-home-of-the-scared" speech of doom made me wonder what would happen if something really bad were to happen to this country. We've already used up almost all our hyperbole. Whatever happened to reassuring leaders like Roosevelt, who comforted and inspired a nation during a much more stressful and dangerous time than what we are currently facing?
posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay @ Wednesday, October 06, 2004
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