Miserable in Rain-Soaked Seattle, and Waiting for the Chill to Thaw

Thank you for the wonderfully written and well-documented story on Seattle (“The Decline and Fall of Seattle,” by Kim Murphy, Aug. 4). As a former Seattleite who had to move to find work, I agree with much of what was described. I have seen Seattle grow, kicking and screaming, into the world of large cities (while still wanting that small-town mentality) and have seen the general attitude go from friendly to downright sultry. Many times while walking down the street, I would nod at others with a smile and get nothing in return. People would look straight ahead, as if I didn’t exist. Seattle has become cold, frigid and, in the words of one friend, prudish on many levels.

Seattle is in a paradox. It wants to be the city it was in the 1960s, yet it also wants to be the city of today--two conflicting ideals that don’t necessarily mix. Its pollution and traffic are just two glaring negatives to deal with. It is a city of a lot of meetings and no action, and it has been so for as long as I can remember.

John Palmer

Culver City

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My wife and I lived in Seattle for 2 1/2 years during the decline before moving to Los Angeles. Murphy’s cover story was quite accurate. Thank you for printing it and not flinching from the truth. It paints a true, if depressing, portrait of the city.

Harry Lin

Via the Internet

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As a ‘90s resident of Seattle, I think Murphy built an interesting case for why it has become less desirable to migrate there. But she didn’t focus on the real problem: about 150 days of rain a year! I had to put my Orange County-native wife on suicide watch the first year we were married--the winter of ‘98-’99--when rain fell in the Puget Sound region for 90-plus consecutive days.

Lance Paine

Los Angeles