When I first moved to Seattle, Pike/Pine was creepy, with very little legit business being conducted after dark. I lived in a creepy house on Denny (gone now) next to a women's health clinic (gone now) and used to go to a bar called Squid Row to play pool.

So I moved to the New McDermott (Still there!) where I had a kick-ass view of the Olympics, downtown, and the public market sign from my tiny studio. At night I'd hear the crazies down in the street, along with the occasional gunshot, but I loved it.

Squid Row became the legendary Tugs. R Place moved from their former cozy place to their current location (originally intended for a bigger Tugs) and everyone in the neighborhood gathered at The Brass Connection on Monday nights for seventy-five cent drinks. More and different storefronts started to open up, and the neighborhood started to feel like a neighborhood.

Tugs became Kincora, the parking lot at the corner of Broadway and Pike became a QFC, and I moved to the Olive Crest apartments (gone now), where I had a great little balcony, and we had fun little pool, and a courtyard with a campy, tiki-esque fountain. Pike/Pine was lively and fun, and still a cheap place to live.

But things started to change. An article in "Sunset" extolling the neighborhood's "funky character" bought tourists up the hill. The Dominoes and daycare at the corner of Bellevue and Pike became a pricey apartment complex. Then the recording studio on Pike. The funky places (Vintage Voola, Righteous Rags) started to disappear.

My rent went up 200 bucks, so I bought a house on Beacon Hill. A year later, the Olive Crest was gone, replaced with a new complex where the apartments are half the size, but have granite countertops.

Like I said, change is inevitable, and I understand market forces, but it's still sad to see the "old neighborhood" disappear.

But there'll be other funky neighborhoods, and other "special" bars. Even now, Georgetown is starting to feel that way.

A dump, Grant must have been very drunk and scored in the john to be so melodic about the place.

Called a dive, Grant. Connecting some dots - Grant, did the monorail board meet there?

Here's to its next location!

May it reopen soon! Cheers.

Is the new condo development likely to be a soulless loser of a building? Sure, but as pointed out above, that's because of Seattles soulless losers on the City Council who have built up such a terrible zoning code.

The Strangerfolk (which pretty likely includes everyone reading Slog, including me) need to get off their (our) asses and get the city to zone such that density comes with open space, with funky buildings, with small retail spaces wedged in, with all the stuff that we would like to see.

Because, make no mistake about it, density is coming, folks- whether we like it or not.

I mean, why spend some time looking into the other neighborhood incompatible buildings that the developer Murray Franklyn has been building throughout Seattle, or perhaps even asking questions about why POWHAT couldn't get their activist act together to stop this building, or perhaps even the appeal that some folks are trying to file against this building's permit approval?

No, The Stranger, it's unfair for anyone to ask more of you. Instead, it's time for you to rest after a job well done. In fact, to quote from the movie Shrek. 'That'll do, Donkey. That'll do.'

The other issue at hand is that most of the businesses on that block don't have the resources to move easily. You realize, I hope, that these places are mostly mom-and-pop shops. Small business is blown off in this country and especially by people like Greg Nickels. It is NOT easy to start a viable business and keep it around.

That said, it is clear from a lot of the comments on here that many people like the type of development that's going on. That's great. That's why it will work financially. I have no interest in living in that place. But I think a lot of us that mourn the destruction of the block are artier types and expensive condos run art culture off. Not my thing, though I'm not giving up on Seattle yet.