Everyone knows Seattle is great. The mountains, the water, the Space Needle, the Pike Place Market, the way people gripe like it's a pastime. Seriously, if you're ever stuck for a conversation topic, gripe about somethingβand in no time, someone else will join you. There are a million and one gripes Seattleites have. Here are a few I collected last week when I asked around (all the redundant ones about Amazon, which can be categorized under We Get the Point Already, have been removed).
β’ "Mercer Street is my personal hell. From the Space Needle to the freeway, it's 1.5 miles and it takes 1.5 hours at 5 p.m." βSarah, real-estate agent
β’ "The lack of reasonably priced yet tasty Italian food." βCaitlin, PR specialist
β’ "The rain." βTeague, tech start-up employee
β’ "Anyone who complains about the rain." βCole, server
β’ "I dunno, there are a couple of places I just can't stand." βNicole, business development associate
β’ "How early it gets dark in the winter. But that's okay if that's the worst part of Seattle." βNancy, retired therapist
β’ "Seattle's inability to persuade the state to enact climate change mitigation legislation." βMichael, government worker
β’ "Its beard phase. Also, people who never leave Capitol Hill. Like me." βHannah, web developer
β’ "The University of Washington." βJared, a University of Oregon grad
β’ "Lack of strip clubs where you can drink. Portland has them, including gay ones. Why can't we?" βChris, journalist
β’ "Taco Bell on 90th and Aurora. They've burned me the most." βNicole, business development associate
β’ "I wish public transit was better and dog owners picked up their dogs' shit." βSome guy on Reddit
β’ "The dog poop. I swear, it's to the point now where I wish if you're caught leaving dog shit on the sidewalk (both straight from the tap or wrapped in a bag), you get your dog taken away. Too bad, so sad, pick up your dog's poop!" βSome other guy on Reddit
β’ "It's hard to find really good Mexican food." βAntonio, research assistant
β’ "I think my least favorite part of Seattle is what an echo chamber it has become for people with progressive ideals (and I say that as one of those people). Intelligent disagreement hones our ideas and makes our thinking better. We've lost that. I find it impossible here to push back on an argument I find flabby (or ill-formed, or just unrealistic) without getting pushback of the 'How could ANYONE BUT a racist/homophobe/misogynist/idiot/Republican think...' variety." βMargot, tech executive, born and raised here
β’ "The worst part of Seattle for me is that there are bikers. But also my inner turmoil that I don't want them to die. I want the bikers to be able to bike, but when I drive, I'm annoyed." βSylvia, passionate driver
β’ "I'm sad we don't invest more in public transit." βHarry, owner of a convertible
β’ "Why don't we have any fucking weed cafes?" βFrancisco, student
β’ "The Stadium Station light-rail stop is too far from the stadiums, personally." βNicole, business development associate
β’ "The people in Seattle who hate Seattle." βDylan, former teaching assistant