# Tell me about Seattle! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 17, 2001, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484 "2001-01-17T07:33:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2001, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/41 "2001-01-18T22:46:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by egkelly \* > \*\*is “ETTA’S” restaurant still open (near Pike Place market?) They have the best seafood I’ve ever tasted-and if they have “Copper River” salmon-it is to die for! \*\* It was earlier this month. I really don’t pay enough attention to my surroundings… Not only will we have an earthquake (someday) BUT the sound is big enough to tsunami (and has the appropriate fault lines to do so), AND Mt. Rainier is still active. So, yes, at any second, the earth could simply decide it just doesn’t like us anymore and wipe us off the face of the planet. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![caircair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@caircair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caircair)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/42 "2001-01-18T23:38:10Z")
Cervaise, you’re practically in my (old) backyard! I lived just across the street from Northgate Mall for 10 years, and only moved in May because I got married. We live on the cutting edge of Queen Anne/Magnolia/Ballard now (next to the Ballard bridge). As for Tim Eynman, DON’T take me there! Since hubby and I are dependent on the bus system, he’s a hot topic in our household. Actually, I think a Seattle Dopefest might be a great idea. Maybe sometime in July or August? We could vote on where to meet, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/43 "2001-01-19T02:11:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cervaise \* > **Oh, and one last thing, since lacklustery mentioned it: Seattle is going to be destroyed by an earthquake in your lifetime. Could be five minutes from now, could be in forty years, but it will happen. We’re woefully unprepared; instead of regular quakes, like in California, we get a tiny little one (4-ish) every now and then, with a monster every few generations. California is prepared because they’re constantly reminded; we’re going to suffer badly because the big ones (and we’re talking really big) are so infrequent (socially and politically speaking) that we forget to be worried. Major parts of downtown are built on fill, and will simply collapse. (Remember the double-decker freeway in San Francisco? We’ve got something that’ll make that look like an HO-scale train set, called the Alaskan Way Viaduct.) We’ve also got more bridges per mile of road than almost anywhere else in the U.S., and few of them are seismically stable. Every place has disaster potential – hurricane, flood, wildfire, whatever – but Seattle is unique for its complete lack of concern or preparation for a major catastrophe that everybody knows is coming sooner or later.** Yikes. Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis, oh my! Thanks for the not-so-greats, too, **Cervaise**. I was wondering about the newspapers, so I’m glad you mentioned them. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/44 "2001-01-20T16:45:44Z")
I can’t believe I missed this thread before! Yes, the PNW is a wonderful place to live. It does rain a lot, but if it didn’t it wouldn’t be so drop-dead beautiful when it is sunny. I don’t live in Seattle, so I will let all these wonderful people guide you. I just want to add that the PNW Dopers I have met are just the best people! Especially **JayLa** and **ren** , whom I have been lucky enough to meet twice. And since you are already one of my favorite people, **AudreyK** , I will be keeping my fingers crossed that you will actually make the move! I have now been to three DopeFests, and I enjoyed every one of them. We may be a small group, but we are QUALITY, baby! If I may be allowed to say so. Why wait until summer for another get-together? Scotti ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/45 "2001-03-01T21:55:27Z")
Wow, am I psychic or what? (Though yesterday’s quake didn’t even come close to The Big One. As I said in the other thread, we definitely dodged a bullet.) So, **Audrey,** you still looking forward to moving here? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2001, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/46 "2001-03-01T22:58:01Z")
It lives! The thread lives! **Scotti** , my friend, one of the reasons I was looking forward to moving to WA was the chance to meet you. With a little luck, maybe we’ll be there when **silent\_rob** ’s in town. I’ll get to meet my favourite Dopers all in one place! Can’t pass that up! 🙂 Gosh, as soon as I heard about the quake, **Cervaise** , I thought about your post. As odd as it may sound, yes, I’m still looking forward to moving. No disrespect to the folks who were injured or lost things in the quake, but I still want to give living out there a shot. Besides, in Hawaii, there’s the ever-present tsunami threat, and I think I fear tall, dark, thundering walls of water more than earthquakes. 😉 So you folks are all okay there, then? Good to hear. ---
**Author:** ![OrcaChow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e47c2d/32.png) [@OrcaChow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OrcaChow)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2001, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/47 "2001-03-02T02:41:53Z")
One thing I’d add to Cervaise’s commentary on earthquakes in Seattle: the weird abundance of brick architecture. (Weird, that is, for the west coast.) If you noticed in the new coverage of yesterday’s quake, much of the damage was to brick buildings. When I moved from CA, it was a surprise to see so many big Seattle churches, schools and warehouses built of brick. When the Big One hits, they’re going to be deathtraps that will dwarf the casualties on–and in and under–the Viaduct. IMO. Sweet dreams! ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2001, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/48 "2001-03-02T13:19:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OrcaChow \* > **One thing I’d add to Cervaise’s commentary on earthquakes in Seattle: the weird abundance of brick architecture. (Weird, that is, for the west coast.)** But not weird in the context of Seattle History. Most of the Pioneer Square area was rebuilt directly after the great seattle fire that destroyed most of downtown. That’s when they raised the streets and rebuilt most of the buildings in (non-flammable) brick. Not many other options available back then. And add that to the move to preserve ‘historical’ buildings, and you get lots of old, brick buildings. Too bad the quake didn’t take out the sinking ship parking garage… ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2001, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484/49 "2001-03-02T15:33:43Z")
Never lived there, but my wife and I honeymooned there for a week - here’s what I noticed: I dunno about rush hour, but we never had a problem with traffic at all hours (including driving into town from Sea-Tac Airport at about 4 in the afternoon on Monday, usually the start of any city’s rush hour). In a week of driving a rental car around town, I only flipped one person off. People in cars actually _stop_ for pedestrians in crosswalks - this is rare down here in Austin. The food? OMG the food is incredible there! We also found two Irish pubs on First street (I think they were on First) called The Owl and Thistle (excellent steak there, with a Guinness sauce) and Tir Na Nog. Both had decor and wait/bar staff imported from Ireland. Pike Place Market rocks. Across Pike Street from the actual market, if you can find it, is a little Greek (meaning, actually owned and operated by Greek people)food counter that serves excellent (traditional) gyros cheap. Avoid the restaraunt in the Market that brags about being a location from Sleepless in Seattle - the food is overpriced and unimpressive. It had the only crummy food we ate all week. Hit the tourist sites at least once. The Space Needle has an incredible view on a clear day - we were able to see the mountains quite nicely. The Museum of Flight at Boeing Field is great if you have any interest at all in flying, and the Pacific Science Center was just fun. And the weather was great, too. It was late March and it rained one day out of the five we were there. Don’t believe the rain myth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-seattle/50484.md?page=2)