the big boxification of downtown
While I’m not one to join the Oh No! Not Another Starbucks chorus, the news that the corner of Third and Pike will soon be graced by a Starbucks and Cold Stone Creamery induces mixed feelings. Anything to combat the sketchiness of the Second and Third Avenue blocks of the Pike-Pine corridor seems to be a step in the right direction — especially when those measures don’t involve the loud playing of country music. Yet, as a Mix [citysearch] partisan, the expansion of the Cold Stone empire deeply troubles me. How people can support a business that requires its employees to sing when tipped is beyond my comprehension. Take a stand against this insanity and in favor of independent ice cream!
(via “Third and Pike going upscale” [p-i]) [Ed: when did we start considering pricey dairy concoctions upscale? -- Chalk it up to the "coarsening of our culture" debate.]
Isn’t there already a Cold Stone at 5th and Pike, or somewhere right near there?
yes. it’s at fifth and olive.
stop the insanity!
i can’t help but feel that no matter how many starbucks they put in, that corner will forever be dominated by the crackheads. the super fancy wallgreens hardly made any difference at all!
I know, it does have a cursed feeling. But just imagine the combined power of Walgreens and Starbucks to drive the junkies away. Maybe they’ll just relocate by a block or two, but those are some intense corporate forces in play.
As long as nobody touches “The Turf”, I’m cool. Where else downtown can you get a big plate of grease with a side of lard, accompanied by a warm beer and a inch thick stack of pulltabs, all at 6:00 in the morning? That place really puts the “seed” in “seedy”.
I remember when I lived in Belltown and they turned Crack Park into the Dog Park – the junkies just ended up closer to my apartment.
There’s nothing like hearing the cops drive by slowly at 3 in the morning practically screaming “This is not a place to sell drugs” through their megaphones.
that sort of seems to be the “seattle way” — I think that the alcohol impact areas are intended to have a similar migratory inducing effect.
I haven’t been to the Turf, but now I’m not feeling a lot of regret over that decision. It seems like a good place to have around, just for character-building (and perhaps tourist-drawing) qualities.