Slog - Comments on Chocolate City to Lose License

Comment by seattle98104

seattle98104 — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:22:09 -0800

b,b,but all those poor displaced crackheads... where will they go now?

Comment by Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:51:39 -0800

Oh, they will hang out at places like "The Cuff" "Manray" or "Purr" You know with the meth kids....

Comment by Free Parking!

Free Parking! — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 12:36:50 -0800

Obviously, you've never been to any of the above bars -- where the closest thing to a "kid" is a 42-year-old mountainbiker. But thanks for sharing the putdown!

Comment by Matt

Matt — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 12:50:03 -0800

With luck, they'll make their way to the cha cha. Oh, Chocolate City. I frequent the Twilight Exit across the street, and there's always a grudging respect between the two places. So what's going to go in when the place closes down?

I'm hoping for a Denny's.

Comment by kerri harrop

kerri harrop — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:48:32 -0800

my guess: once its doors are closed for good, chocolate city will sit empty for a few months. this will correspond with daylight savings time and warmer weather; crackheads will have an awesome empty storefront to hang out at.

violence and crime will briefly spike, neighbors will complain, the twilight will have to call the cops more often.

someone will eventually take over the lease -- either a consortium of hip investors, some gays, or maybe the pike/pine mafia. chocolate city will be gutted, re-done, and re-opened by fall.

the new bar will cater to the many new residents of the neighborhood and will reflect that demographic -- predominantly white, with incomes that allow for 2 to 3 nights out drinking.

once again, the city loses one of the very things that adds to its character: a drinking establishment that caters to a community that does not "fit" within the gentrification brought on by increased density.

there are just as many crackheads hanging out around the cha cha and also on second avenue between bell & blanchard (lava lounge, shorty's, crocodile). the big difference? chocolate city caters to a mainly black clientele. in seattle, this is still perceived as "dangerous" or "scary."

i call bullshit.

madison is the next pike/pine corridor. bet on it.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:51:33 -0800

If you want real chocolate, just go to Theo's Chocolate Factory in Fremont - heck, I was dancing and drinking there last Saturday night ...

Comment by kap0w

kap0w — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:31:03 -0800

About 18 months ago when The Summit (apartments above safeway) opened, I was told that the entire space including Dinos, Chocolate City, and the old Twilight was already planned for demolition and the new space would have something similar to the Summit side - apartments over businesses, but The Twilight was going to have a space built for it in there. They didn't want to have to try and fill the apartments with The Summit still empty too so it was out in the future, but that was what I was told. For a while Dino's sported a proposed land use action sign too - anyone remember what it said? I think the whole thing is going to be razed.

Comment by kasa

kasa — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:36:33 -0800

For the love of god, kap0w, it's *Deano's*.

Deano's was doomed when they renamed it. My very first Seattle landmark, and probably my most loved (who knows why), I'm sorry to see it go.

Comment by jforrest

jforrest — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:47:57 -0800

Kerri @ 5: you are the one full of bullshit. I bet you don't live anywhere near the place. I walk by every morning to catch my bus and if you think that the drug dealers, prostitutes and crack heads outside Chocolate City are the same as the crowd hanging out at the cha-cha or crocodile, that just proves what an idiot you are. I don't give a rat's ass what color they are, just don't threaten me when I refuse to buy your drugs on my way to the bus stop. Why don't you try moving a block or so away from that hell hole and we'll just see how much of Seattle's "character" you want to preserve after your apartment gets broken into regularly by addicts.

Comment by seize the trees

seize the trees — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:00:15 -0800

Or your car. Or your laundry room.

Comment by Chip Chipmunk

Chip Chipmunk — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:34:34 -0800

Darn. I always thought about dropping in for a drink at Chocolate City... oh well...

Comment by Andrew (another one)

Andrew (another one) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:20:14 -0800

Dear #7: Dean Falls took his property on Madison through the entire architect/Design Review/ building permit process and was issued a Master Use Permit by the City in March 2005. And there it has sat. For details see:

http://home.jps.net/~tayles/Madison/index.htm#Deano

Persistent rumors of assorted developers wanting to buy the property.

Andrew

Comment by Andrew (another one)

Andrew (another one) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:14:57 -0800

PS:

http://home.jps.net/~tayles/Madison/deanos/falls_design_review.html

Comment by JoshN

JoshN — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:35:56 -0800

I personally know the architect for the Deano's project. The sale of the property closed last month. It should be long until we see bulldozers. It's going to be Retail with condos above.

I'm all for Madison becoming the next Pike/Pine corridor. It's time to clean up the area.

Comment by nordbert

nordbert — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 11:16:40 -0800

Well, i had once gone to the chocoloate city to get myself a beverage and was verbally assaulted by several unsavory characters. I asked the bartender, a fellow named Tyrone, for a micro-brew, and was immediatly told to "get out cracker". I was quite upset and asked to speek to his manager. I was recieved with laughter from all the staff and felt quite humiliated. I would not recommend this establishmeent and am not surprised it has met its demise due to inferior customer service.

Comment by victoriastar

victoriastar — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:45:42 -0800

Deano's is a hell hole. I actually had the great blessing of inhaling a mouthful of second-hand crack smoke one day on my walk up to Trader Joe's. My house has been robbed by addicts, my husband had a gun pulled on him in front of Safeway, and I can't even run across the way to buy milk without taking pepper spray for my own protection.

I've been intimidated one too many times by Deano's clients and I say it's high time that place got the boot. Good riddance!

Comment by croydonfacelift

croydonfacelift — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 17:39:15 -0800

It's a sad truth that the working-class in Seattle is now symbiotically dependent on crack-heads. Once the crack-heads go out, the condos go in. In ten years you won't be able to score crack north of Skyway, and Auburn will look like Monrovia. Pretty fucked, but I'm glad that at least this guy will have one less spot to ply his wares.

Comment by lowrysc

lowrysc — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:44:06 -0800

A friend of mine mentioned that good old Deano's (now chocolate city) was finally being closed down.

As I read up on it I was not suprised to find an outcry from the community about this having to do with race.

I say BULLCRAP!!!!

i lived in an apt. building behind deano's and the twilight exit (when it was on the other side of madison) four years ago.

The majority of the people who lived in the building were working people or young people just out of college. The landlord was friendly and kept things in order. The surrounding homes were occupied by families.

That club made everyone's lives a living hell. My car was broken into twice. People would smoke crack in every nook and cranny surrounding the building. The police were whipping through chasing people constantly. Gunfire was common in the spring and summer and several people were killed on the block around Deano's the year I lived there. One person was shot inside Deano's and tossed onto the street.

Race fueled decision my ass.