Don't like it here? See ya
I very much enjoyed your "My Seattle" article (April 22), however I was irritated by some of the grievances that were published. Most of them seemed to make ignorant and sweeping generalizations about the city and people who live here. Yes, we know the weather sucks. Anyone can see that. But some people actually like rain and appreciate the beauty that it brings in spring and summer. And, no, 2 inches of snow wouldn't be a problem if we didn't have hills with 40 percent grades all around the city and not much equipment to deal with it because it seldom snows here.
And the complaints that people are unfriendly really struck me as odd. I moved here seven years ago and was welcomed with open arms. I met many friends very quickly (including a neighbor who brought me cookies) and was often greeted with a smile or even a "hello" as I walked through my new neighborhood.
I have no problem with people being dissatisfied with the weather, traffic, slow pace of infrastructure improvements, rapid growth and high cost of housing; but if all you can do is call my fellow Seattleites smug and make ridiculous generalizations about everyone who lives here, then feel free to exit. I don't have the "visit-but-don't-stay" attitude and neither does anyone I know. The way I see it, if you love it, stay and welcome; if you hate it, quietly pack your bags and leave but allow us to feel proud of this beautiful city and fortunate to call it home.
I can't imagine being so arrogant as to call someone else's home a sewer. By the way, I've observed sleeze-bags on Monroe street corners selling what is most likely meth almost every time I've driven through. Thanks to that vile drug, small-town America is just as lost as old-timey Seattle.
— Maureen O'Toole, Seattle
A contemporary wound
I read with interest the article on homes by Rebecca Teagarden and the part about the Kogans' home ("Moving up by scaling down," April 8). Unfortunately the author did not point out that the home stood out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood of small and large Bungalows and brick Tudors. I find it wonderful that the Kogans — world travelers from Oregon, Manhattan and Brazil — moved here, but they did not have to tear down a nice small home and build an eyesore.
I now understand why many people prefer to live in communities with covenants, which restrict the visual appearance of homes in that community. Too bad I cannot afford one.
— Bob Solomon, Seattle
Spreading the credit
I wanted to thank Pacific magazine for a wonderful article about our Danielson Grove community in the Architecture 2007 issue ("Clustered in Kirkland," April 8). It truly is a lovely place, and we're thrilled to be honored by the AIA, Built Green and others for our innovative approach to single-family residential development.
In the article I feel proper credit was not given to the talented garden-design team that worked with us in implementing the remarkable gardens at Danielson Grove. Todd Paul and his team from City Garden Services were that "casual yet sophisticated touch" mentioned in the article, and they should be credited for their efforts.
— Linda Pruitt, The Cottage Company
A cracker box is not a home
Your article, "An Emerging Aesthetic" (Architecture 2007 issue, April 8) was very timely for me. I have just returned from a vacation in Florida. My daughter and her husband have retired there; 55-plus developments are teeming.
As a widow I would love to be able to "downsize" in the greater Seattle area to a neighborhood like theirs. Unfortunately they are building two-story cracker boxes on top of each other here. I plan to stay here, although what I need/want is not available now.
— C.D. Vinyard, Maple Valley
In defense of the Cannas
Please do call me an April fool, but don't take my palms away on Palm Sunday! Or my Cannas, either (Plant Life, "7 Deadly Sins, April 1).
Perhaps we should leave the April Fools' to the French — who still know how to have a good joke without confusing sin with a good ribbing. (I happen to like those jazzy jungle-colored ribs shown on the Canna photo as Sin No. 4.)
With the rich ethnic and plant diversity we are so favored to enjoy here, are we now banning those from sunnier climes — or perhaps just a sunnier disposition?
Are we to take marching orders not to jump on the latest horticultural bandwagon — where only the anointed few approved by Ms. Easton are allowed to indulge in fantasy in their gardens? Perhaps she deems them tasteful — but the rest of us fun-loving plebes are not? Are we offending that great local icon Mount Rainier?
Is a plant like the Canna — which is " late to rise" — outré, unacceptable now, in our espresso-driven workaholic early morning zeitgeist?
As Mary Magdalene famously said to Saint Sara of the Gypsies: "You know Sin is just a luxury with a bad name!
— Terri Stanley, Bainbridge Island
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