Seattlest: I Knew Brooklyn. Brooklyn Was a Friend of Mine. And Bellevue, You're No Brooklyn

kevin bracken

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:40:49 -0800

> neo-hipster If by that you mean Williamsburg + Greenpoint (and DUMBO, Fort Greene, Bushwick, even Bed Stuy) are neo-hipster, do you really mean they are bouncing back to their former uses as middle class housing stock? Add them to Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights which never lost their original function, and most of Brooklyn is quite safe from violence. Class conflict does exist though, so robbery does still continue for the time being.

Seth

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 15:32:59 -0800

Yeah, Ballard is a lot like Williamsburg. I've lived in both places, but I was in Ballard in the late 80s, when downtown Ballard had no trendy shops or bars, and was still a shopping destination for elderly Scandinavians during the day and rather seedy at night. Which (replacing Polish with Scandinavian) is about how I imagine Williamsburg was in the late 80s.

LarryB

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 11:54:59 -0800

I wouldn't say that Ballard feels like Brooklyn, unless you're referring to neo-hipster (Williamsburg/Greenpoint) Brooklyn. And even then, Ballard never feels menacing. FWIW, I grew up in Brooklyn, and I certainly agree that Bellevue is not Brooklyn, but neither is Ballard. I really haven't found anyplace here that feels anything like the Borough of Churches. Not that that's a bad thing. Seattle is a great place that should be taken on its own terms. FWIW, I don't mind Bellevue, but I'd rather not live there. Cosmoburb? Feh. Decent, but bland place? Sure.

Seth

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 12:06:09 -0800

I'd say Ballard feels more like Brooklyn than Bellevue does, despite having less people. It's not so much about population as it is about having a personality. Brooklyn has personality. Ballard has personality. Bellevue has Applebee's.

James

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:42:33 -0800

Seems to me that if you want to use a flattering analogy -- and comparing Bellevue to Brooklyn definitely flatters Bellevue -- you've got to be ready to hear about where that analogy falls flat.

Ricky

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 01:01:32 -0800

Trying to directly equate Bellevue and Brooklyn is pretty stupid Seth. Let's see..Brooklyn has a population of 2.5 million and Bellevue, just over 100,000. Gee that's a difference about _25X!_. I suggest you read up on the definition of "analogy" and read the article and the author more carefully.

kcip

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:39:25 -0800

Minorities in Brooklyn are way tighter than minorities in Bellevue. Regardless, you are the man, Seth.

Josh

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:53:40 -0800

Maybe Bellevue is the new Brooklyn, Washington?

BobH

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 15:05:09 -0800

Of course, that's not what either Westneat nor the author is saying. Way to set up a strawman so you can bash it and sound like a cool, Seattle hipster.

Andrew

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:27:15 -0800

Bellevue is like San Jose and NOT like Oakland. Oakland has culture like the brooklyn you've describe but San Jose has a lot more immigrants and a lot more homogenisation. Immigrants doesn't equal culture, and San Jose california is proof of that.