Better Pick-Up Spot? Rite Aid vs. Del Rey
Every neighborhood has its popular meeting places, some better for picking up eligible singles, others not so much. Today the comparison is between über meat market Del Rey and Third Avenue's Rite Aid. Photo courtesy of crickontour from the Seattlest Flickr pool.
Belltown has a respectable ratio of good-looking people to not-so-much. That doesn't mean they are good people, just well maintained. As it's the city's preeminent non-Pioneer Square meat market, we thought we'd examine two of the more prominent neighborhood institutions to determine which locale is best suited for all-purpose hook-ups.
Today's contestants offer different décors and vibes altogether, but they both share the same propensity for attracting pretty faces. Seattlest will delve into the relative strengths and weaknesses of each business to determine which is the best.
Consistency of hot patrons:
Del Rey's happy hour is usually dead but the place is packed on weekend nights. There’s always a reliable gaggle of hot chicks and eager dudes.
Rite Aid is usually dead on weekend nights but consistently hopping throughout the day and evening. This is one of the few places in Belltown you can buy razors, lotion, and shampoo, so you know everybody has to come here at some point.
Edge: Rite Aid
Quality of music:
Del Rey's is generally atrocious by our standards, but we’ve come to realize hot, shallow women gravitate towards that shit so it’s a necessary evil for hungry partyers willing to sacrifice their pride.
Rite Aid is a solid step above elevator music. The chances of hearing Sheryl Crow or Counting Crows or someother bird-themed artist is very high but we aren’t sure this gets chicks to shake their asses.
Edge: Del Rey
Service:
We once saw a bartender at Del Rey slap a drunk customer in the face and then call the bouncer over. It wasn't the most professional moment in service industry history and left a bad taste in our mouth.
Rite Aid has friendly, helpful service at least during the midday shifts. The picture lab people can be a little slow but what kind of dinosaur develops film anyways?
Edge: Rite Aid
Quality of intoxicants:
Del Rey has two full bars, so you can pretty much ruin yourself however you see fit. Kind of pricey but nothing crazy.
Rite Aid sells wine and beer and offers a full pharmacy, so the sky is limit. The bad news is you need a prescription for the good stuff.
Edge: Del Rey
Quality of food:
We’ve had happy hour at Del Rey twice and it was average. Decent but limited.
Rite Aid sells processed and packaged freezer/canned food. They also have a cereal aisle which is clutch. Stoners and consumers of unhealthy food find the options very manageable.
Edge: Rite Aid
Diversity:
Rite Aid has everything from transients to yuppies. It spans the socioeconomic spectrum more thoroughly than any other business in Seattle. Pretty people shop here, weirdo freaks shop here, pick your poison.
Del Rey attracts people who spend way too much time on their hair, and we’re not limiting that to women. The crowd is mid 20’s and isn’t totally white (as some might suspect). However, if you buy into the whole inner-beauty-matters thing, many in this scene are finely tanned, empty shells.
Edge: Tie
Overall Winner: Rite Aid A little something for everyone goes further than limited fun for a limited scene.
