Category: The Pacific Northwest: Seattle and Beyond

I’ve lived most of my life in greater Seattle, with stints in Oregon and Idaho. I love this region!

Reflecting on opportunity

Carl Setzer

I remember, immediately after getting out of the Navy, walking around downtown Seattle. Looking at the high-rises, at all the well-dressed office folks going about their business and seeing opportunity everywhere. Buildings filled with business, with people doing things, making stuff, having brilliant ideas and creating amazing, new things.

The mid-90s, the dot-com world was just starting, downtown Seattle was shedding it’s dilapidated, seedy and decayed visage, finally becoming the inspirational beacon of entrepreneurial hope.  And I was there, in the thick of it.

I could feel, I could hear the heartbeat. There I was, in the front seat of change. Watching both the promise revealed, and those left-behind. Hope isn’t perfect, I guess.

An interesting ride it’s been.

Thoughts On Nike Hill in Bothell

Carl Setzer

I originally posted this on March 5, 2015 at my site Not Just Seattle

This morning I drove out to Bothell from Lynnwood. As I hate the freeways, especially in the morning, I back-roaded it out there. Passing a number of construction sites out there didn’t surprise me. This area is quite high in demand, as it’s really the furthermost north end the East-side. One thing in particular stood out: some houses  on Vine Road with fencing around them.

I first remember seeing these decades ago. These looked just like all the military housing I’d grew up around. At first that seemed strange, then I learned about Nike Hill. Named after the missile silo not-so-secretly placed on the summit of the hill, I believed the housing was originally for those soldiers. They were built in in 1950, right around the time the silo first came online. Also, the street (technically 216th Pl SW) is Nike Manor Rd. So, viola!

Now, the buildings are owned by the Navy, so my guess is that they were housing sailors stationed with the Everett Homeport. Today, fenced off and vacant, I wondered if they’d been sold to private developers, but they still show as owned by the LLC that the Navy set up to manage properties in the region. So, perhaps they’re going to upgrade these. As they’re pretty much unchanged from the 1950s, that should be rather welcome.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing what’s to come there.

 

Sidebar: Here’s an interesting article about the site, and how it became the FEMA regional headquarters it is now.

BOTHELL’S NIKE HILL HOME TO REGIONAL FEMA HEADQUARTERS

A Comic Discovery: Underground Seattle

Carl Setzer

While cleaning up today, I found this well outside of where it’s supposed to be…far from it’s bookshelf. So, I was delighted to find this gem and, so much for the work I wanted to get done, I set myself down and re-read it. Behold: “Underground Seattle”!

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I found this gem at the Edmonds Bookshop, one of my uber-favorite bookstores. I bought this early this year, and it was sold in support of Independent Bookstore Day (April 30, 2016). Definitely a worthy endeavor! This little book was a solidly delightful read. Reminds me of the art you find in such magazines as The Stranger, and the Zines of 90s. I think it does a fantastic job capturing pieces of Seattle’s underground culture.

Though I’ve poked around, I couldn’t find a place to see or even buy a copy of this little guy. I intend to keep looking, though it might have been too limited a run. If you know, let me know.

Here’s the list of contributors, along with web presence (websites, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages). They’re all interesting and do fascinating work. Check them out!

Seth Goodkind (this link takes you to a copy of his contribution for this book), David Lasky, Max Clotfelter, Joe Garber, John Ohannesian, Ben Horak, Kelly Froh, Peter Bagge, Marie Hausauer, Tatiana Gill, Colleen Frakes, Ellen Forney, Roberta Gregory, Pat Moriarity, Laura Knetzger, Robyn Jordan, Allen Gladfelter, Marc Palm, Tom Van Deusen, James Stanton, Brendan Kiefer, Ryan Thies & Eroyn Franklin.

Thoughts about Amazon and Seattle 

Carl Setzer

Back in the mid-90s I worked a short project at Amazon.  The gist of it: assembling work stations in a new call center. 

It was a unique place to be. Most striking: this guy who had his corgi at the office. About once an hour, he would throw a ball down the hallway. The dog would tear down the hall, bring the ball back, rinsert & repeat. It was filled with great people and felt like a positive place to work.  

It’s gratifying to see this icon of Seattle’s tech culture growing so boldly. They’ve no grown past the 150,000 eemoloyee mark, with 30,000 of them in Washington. Though fewer than number 1 with 75k at Boeing, and Microsoft’s 44k, they’re a solid player in Seattle’s business scene. 

They’re also a player in our real estate market, with some 8.5 million square feet of office space. They’re the biggest player in South Lake Union. And their continued staffing growth will bring more home buyers, increasing the pressure on supply. 

Delighted to see their continued success and look forward to seeing what the future brings  

Halloween Comes To Lynnwood

Carl Setzer

Ah, a lovely Saturday in Lynnwood! Nary a cloud, and rather warm.

Besides the basic logistical efforts of weekend life (laundry, decluttering, groceries…), today was the day to costume shop. Well, for the kid, who’s losing his kid-like qualities quickly.

We made our way to Lynnwood’s Spirit Halloween. Even as I’m walking in, I can here the gang from Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas singing “This Is Halloween”. For me, at least, this was delightful.

https://youtu.be/xpvdAJYvofI

Looking around this store, that looks like the wardrobe department for a B horror flick. Rather impressive, really, especially considering the glorified trash bags I wore as “costumes” when I was a kid. Things looked like these:

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And I had this one several times (I heart Spiderman):

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The world has changed. And kid’s expectations have grown. Makes sense, I guess. And, though I’d love things to become dirt-cheap again, I’ll take the greater fun.

Spirit’s over in Lynnwood Square, I believe in the same spot as the old (ancient?) CompUSA. It’s next to where Sport’s Authority used to be. In the lot is a rather large sign admonishing non-patrons about this being a private lot. I found it amusing. Mainly since there’s a lot of vacant space in this strip-mall. I’m sure it’s from better times, when parking was more of a premium. Anyway, if you’re looking for a large retail space, they’ve got plenty for you. In case you didn’t know, within a 5-mile radius, we have a population in excess of 300,000 with an average household income of nearly $88,000. Not a bad neighborhood, huh?

In the parking lot is the old Chevy’s. I’ve been watching the building for some time.

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I think the building’s been vacant more than it’s been occupied. I’m not sure how long the space has been vacant, but I’m sure you can lease it for a reasonable price. I know it’s been closed for at least 10 years I can speak of. I wonder why it’s still vacant? I don’t imagine there’s a good business case to made for a rotting, vacant building. I’m used to these situations have some kind of legal issue, whether insurance, probate, taxes, criminal…there’s some kind of issue.

I’ve been meaning to dive deeper within, but I’ve been busy. Soon, though.

Stay well, do great things!

Our First Autumn Storm : PNW Weather

Carl Setzer

Up in Lynnwood and Marysville, where I live and work respectively, we’ve had a few significant wind gusts and some heavy rain, but nothing too dramatic. So, I’m fine and so’s the rest of my family. However, below are a few things to show the progress of the storm throughout the region. storm-preparedness

 

Winter Observations

Carl Setzer2 Comments

Over the winter I noticed the congregation of crows off around 405
near the Beardslee exit in Bothell. Masses of them, swarming, much
like starlings, without the elegance. As the weather has warmed up,
this feathered city has dissipated.

Trees have been in bloom for quite some time. This, too, is a delight.
Most all trees are at least in bud, the majority laden with blossoms.
A few stragglers remain. I noticed bees a few weeks back. True honey
bees. And I will not mistake a hornet for a bee.

Our weather has embraced a Spring mania. Rain, followed by sleet,
fading to hail, with some snow for good measure. Intermixed with
random bursts of sunshine. Life in the Northwest under the shadow of
the covergence zone.