Umbrellas 1, Jackets 0

It's the custom in Seattle to eschew the umbrella in favor of some kind of REI space-age jacket with a hood and bunch of rubberized and velcroed pockets, or maybe a hoodie if you're too cool for the North Face, but never an umbrella. "Umbrellas are for tourists" and all that, right? WRONG. Seattlest was dying for our umbrella this morning, picturing it fondly in the drawer of our desk at work where it's been sitting since the Spring. Today we had to reach for the rain jacket even though we hate it and everything it stands for, and while we were waiting for the bus we realized anew that the jacket only works in Seattle-style mist. Hair, jeans, shoes, bag: it's all soaked. The jacket doesn't work for shit when it's actually raining like it is today. It's time to go umbrella shopping, and we're looking for one of these wraparound deals:

The closer we can get to walking to work in a little rain hamster sphere the better. Keep your damn jackets.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@seattlest.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Dan in News on September 4, 2007 9:59 AM

Comments [rss]

Troy Morris

The rain in NYC is completely different than our rain. However, today it was closer to real rain than I've seen since... July...

guest

I wear a nice hat. Seems amazingly logical for constant-light-rain-Seattle, but it's not great for long stretches of heavy rain. I did feel a bit overdressed around the wet people I walked by on the street today.

suze

I'm a native. If I don't care about my style or am being outdoorsy, I throw on my big black hooded rain/squall jacket. But if I've made an attempt to dress up/show some style, it's all about the umbrella. I'd rather rock the umbrella than fall into the sad, ugly, "I give up" Seattle stereotype of the chick in a dress, heels, and a Patagonia jacket .

James Callan

Don't get me wrong. I love rain, and I don't aways carry an umbrella. I just think the "real Seattleites don't carry umbrellas" maxim is silly. (And also untrue.)

guest

This is kind of funny actually. Here in NYC when it rains, anyone without the umbrella is probably a tourist, because most NY-ers carry an umbrella if there's even a 10% chance of rain. It's the tourists who get caught without, because they're used to being in their cars.

Troy Morris

I agree with BPM. This morning's rain put me in great spirits. Now, if it stays this way, I may be singing another tune.

And I assume, whether rightly or wrongly, that I'll eventually dry off. I'd lose an umbrella, or whack someone in the head with it walking down the street, or have the wind blow it all over, or look like a tourist.

Umbrella's are stupid and annoying and I've been accosted one too many times by umbrellas (one too many, it so happens, is 14 times).

bpm2000

I'm a Portland native turned seattleite, and I've never rocked an umbrella. I happen to think that this morning's rain was pretty refreshing.

Paul Henry

Sure, you don't have to carry the hoodie, if you don't mind wearing wet cotton all day. Gee, if there were only some device that we could carry around with us to keep the rain off our clothes so we wouldn't have to spend eight months of the year swaddled in fabrics brewed up in a plastics factory, huh?

I've left a few jackets behind at restaurants and stores over the past 20 years, but I've had the same umbrella for that entire time. It's a member of the family.

guest

There's a practical reason for choosing the hoodie over the umbrella.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO CARRY THE HOODIE! (AND HENCE LOSE IT ALL THE TIME)

And since there are enough days where it's misty at best, why go through 3 umbrellas a year, when one hoodie will do you for at least three years?

James Callan

Umbrellas are for people who like to stay dry.

I suppose the bizarre pride some native Seattleites take in never using umbrellas is similar to the bizarre custom in the midwest of starting to wear shorts as soon as the thermometer goes above 32 degrees in winter.

Chnoubis

Umbrellas are for girls.

BigGreenFrank

Fine. yeah. this morning's rain was pretty bad.

I won't make the usually requisite "California-ist" joke that would usually be required here.

Troy Morris

Hey. I drank Rainer last night. I also walked to work without rain jacket or umbrella.

Viva Seattle!

Jeremy

I'm a Portland native and I've always had umbrellas. Seattleites just like to pretend it's still 1986, when the only good jobs were at Boeing and everyone else was a blue collar guy spending his free time drunk on Rainier, shooting guns at stuff and too bleary eyed to remember to bring an umbrella.