Seattlest Pix: 08Jun06
"Random cow on top of mini-mart" by libben
Talk all you want about walkable urbanism, multi-modal transit options, and LEED-certified "green" architecture, but low-brow places like this are what truly give American cities character. Anyone can look at a pile of Victorian bricks and nod in agreement, "oh, yes, why that is a truly splendid landmark." However, the majority of the personal recollections that make up our collective cultural narrative happen here—
—the Corner Deli?!? Shit, that's where I smoked my first menthols. Johnie's big brother, Chuck, and his girlfriend, Tracy, were goin' to a party. They stopped in for a 24-pack of Hamm's... in cans, of course... and a carton of Winstons and were walking out when they saw us passing by. In a rare moment of benevolence, Chuck threw his half-smoked pack at Johnie and said, "have fun, kid, don't smoke 'em all at once." They got into Chuck's 1987 Transcamaro... you can see part of it on the left side of the picture.. and peeled out down 35th. Chuck was so cool that way. Anyways, Johnie and I tried smoking one out back by the dumpster but ended up coughing mostly. Mr. Chips, the owner, heard us and was gonna turn us in but we threw the lit cigarette at him and ran away. Then we went to Johnie's house where he showed me his hidden bottle of vodka and some magazines. After that we--nevermind, kid, that's a story for another day...
The Corner Store, no matter whether it's a chain like 7-Eleven or a local joint like John's Corner Deli remains a vital piece of Americana. No matter how seedy some of them are, they are little beacons of life and light when the streets go dark and lonely. What's more, some hide their own tales of days gone by—frequently behind some milk crates in the hallway to the restroom. Yelper Shannon H. believes the cow to be a relic of the store's former life as a butcher shop. True or not, it doesn't really matter... there's a cow and it's got a story. We hear tell that during warm summer nights, you can hear the cries of ghost cattle from when old butcher turned them into the best hamburgers in all of West Seattle.
Nobody blinks when places like these go away. Were we part of a secret arm of the Dept. of the Interior that administered a Clandestine Register of Historic Places, we'd landmark all places like this. Developers who crossed us would feel the full reach of our fists of justice. Send your nominations for our secret list to the righteous Seattlest Flickr pool.
Oh... Ain't that America we're something to see baby // Ain't that America, home of the free //Little corner delis for you and me
