We've lived in Seattle for 28 years and never gone on the Underground Tour. When Seattle first developed, they built on a lowland piece of land near Elliott Bay. In 1869 (?), a huge fire wiped out most of the downtown. Of course the merchants wanted to rebuild ... and right now. Not sure of the politics, but the City decided to regrade the hills and raise the streets. The merchants didn't agree but soon they had their buildings lining streets that were at their second story with accompanying sidewalks...so eventually the entrance to the buildings was on the higher story with an underground mall of shops and commercial establishments. The arrival of rats and a sanitation commissioner caused the whole set of bottom stories to be condemned and they remained hidden for decades.
The tour takes you down into these lower areas around Pioneer Square. Taken out of context, it just looks like people's basements. But there's some theater involved with the tour and the juxtaposition of the busy sidewalk overhead along with the abandoned underworld gives just the right level of creepiness.
Too bad I didn't get a picture of the dead rat on the side of the boardwalk which added extra atmosphere.
4 comments:
disgusting....
did you really want it to?
1889, actually. I remember it because it is on it's 20th Anniversary that the AYP happens. You know, celebrate the rebuilt city with a World's fair.
So, Ilana?
Ha?
Atlanta GA has a similar situation downtown only they re-developed it. When we were there (over 15 years ago) it was a bunch of bars and night club type spots with some retail stores. A lot more sexy than dead rodents!
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