Posted
on September 16, 2013
This
seems like a crazy holiday, but there are some Seattle, Washington, residents who created this holiday in order to raise consciousness
that more is sometimes less and bigger isn't always better.
Seattle
often tops lists of “America's Best Cities,” and huge companies
such as Microsoft, Amazon, Nordstrom, and Starbucks make for a lot of
job opportunities in the area. Because of these and other popularity
factors, many people move to Seattle, or try to move there, each
year. And this makes current residents nervous.
They
don't want to be another Los Angeles.
A
lot of the people in Seattle who don't want to see their beloved home
getting more and more crowded still want people to come as tourists.
“Come, spend money here, and then go home,” some Seattleites say.
(And they aren't joking!)
But
some Seattleites are sick and tired of their town's popularity with
tourists, too. Here is what a Hallmark e-card says about today's
holiday:
Because
frankly Seattle doesn't want you coming around, stinking up the
joint. And last time you tracked mud all over the carpet and some of
the special occasion dinnerware went missing. Seattle will let you
know when it's ready to see you again. Until then, keep your
distance. You think we're kidding but really this day was championed
by Seattle residents tired of sharing their space with tourists.
So,
if you want to go see the Space Needle, the Pike Place Market, the
Museum of Flight, or Pacific Science Center—just do not go today!
Best
and Worst of Seattle:
I've seen a lot of wonderful things in Seattle, including the
Fremont Solstice Parade (complete with the Flying Spaghetti Monster
and his devotees in full pirate regalia!), but my favorite thing is
probably this statue:
The
Fremont Troll,
which
is under a bridge.
(I
mean, where else
would
a troll live?)
 |
| By the way, lest you think this statue is small-- that's a real VW bug under the troll's hand! |
The
worst part of Seattle, for me, is probably the overcast climate. It's
not enormously rainy, and it's rarely very hot or cold—I like how
moderate its temperatures are! But with almost 300 cloudy days a
year, on average, I would miss the sun and the blue sky if I lived
there. Some people REALLY miss the sun and suffer from a physical
disorder caused by the lack of sunlight. They have to buy bright
artificial lights use during the day (especially the morning) to
replace the missing sunlight.
 |
| If you live in Seattle, you've got cloudy skies roughly 7 days out of every 9. |
Is
bigger better in your town?
Have
you ever heard people talking about huge mega-stores like Walmarts
driving out little mom-'n'-pop stores? Have you ever listened to an
argument about whether developing more land, building more malls,
creating more housing developments is a good or bad thing for your
town?
Such
questions are really difficult. Ideally, talks about development
should balance all the needs people have – needs for open space,
greenery, wilderness; needs for jobs and business opportunities;
needs for museums and monuments and other public spaces; and perhaps
3,247 other needs to be considered and balanced against these and
each other!
Also
on this date:
Plan Ahead!
Check
out my Pinterest pages on September
holidays, September
birthdays,
and historical
anniversaries in September.
And
here are my Pinterest pages on October
holidays, October
birthdays,
and historical
anniversaries in October.
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