Comments on Downtown Hotel Gives Away Gas

Oh, I don't know, maybe a travelling salesman? wtf? Oh, Erica post.

I thought FlexCar let you burn all the fuel you wanted at no extra cost?

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People with real jobs. People who contribute something to this nation by working hard and praying regularly to Jesus. People who know, deep down, that you only hug trees because they are deeply rooted and don't know how to hop a ride to the courthouse and file ex parte restraining orders against a psychogreen bitch like you.

(I don't actually dislike you, I'm just trying to fit in with the cool kids here, bitch)

It's a promotional giveaway.

A lot of people still have to buy gas whether they like it or not. This isn't evidence of shitty environmental values, it's just an attempt by the Mayflower Park to attract customers by doing something nice.

Crikes.

Okay, so what's a marketable alternative?
Every night of their stay, every guest gets a transit day pass? Impress visitors to Seattle with the urine-soaked, B.O. stench of the downtown free-zone routes and force them to figure out arcane and poorly designed maps and timetables to get to where they may need to go in a not-so reasonable amount of time.

Oh, and a free ride on the Monorail. One-way.

Maybe someone who drove to Seattle, stayed at said hotel, and drove back. It's a $20 gift card, not a $20 per diem that expires at midnight.

Maybe someone chooses to stay at this hotel because gas is expensive. Maybe, unlike certain Stranger staffers, they don't live a privileged life within Seattle's outrageously expensive urban core. (Hell, maybe they live in West Seattle!) Driving here is really the only feasible option.

A) Who the fuck stays in downtown Seattle and drives enough to use up $20 a day?

In the average 20 MPG car, that's about 100 miles. That is not at all an unusual amount for out-of-town visitors, who might be touring Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula, the North Cascades, etc. Also, if you read the press release, you'll see that it's mostly intended for visitors who have come a long way to get here. Even Portland is more than $20 away from here for most people. Surely you've been to Portland, Erica? Maybe even driven there?

B) Why the fuck would you want stay at a hotel in Seattle with such shitty environmental values?

Are you laboring under some kind of misapprehension as to what kind of city Seattle is? It's one of the most car-dependent cities on earth. Free gas is perfectly in line with the values of Seattle residents, of whom you are not very representative.
Seriously, Erica. Get out of the house a little.

this is almost as bad as when the SLUT was giving out bumper stickers on opening day

yawn

Yeah, like, who might, on business, have to fly into an airport that isn't downtown and visit places that aren't downtown. No one, I'm sure. I mean, if they need to go to Bellevue or Bellingham or Blaine or... they'd just say no.

@7: Yep, I'm living the "privileged" life of an Alt-weekly writer. That's rich.

What, you're not a multi-millionaire?

Just wondering -- do you investigate the environmental policies of every hotel you stay in? Just wondering, because I don't. Perhaps that makes me a bad person, but I check on the location, price, amenities, etc. If they happen to have great enviro policies, even better, but it's not at all on my list.

What's this? Does "Self-Righteous Potty-Mouths for Hillary" have a Seattle branch?

OMG and they waste a whole bar of soap EVERY DAY for EVERY GUEST.

I think the gas cards are for all those people that don't want to bike over here from Yakima anymore. Besides, their other option- flying... does a LOT more damage.

I dunno, I'm tired of the Erica bashing (both ways- on people in general and us towards her). Carless society? Probably outta consider a move to Manhattan ECB. It's about the only place where you could feasibly depend on real rapid transit. Possibly SF as well. Otherwise, at some point, in this country, one needs a car. You aren't gonna change that anytime soon.

By the way: Traffic in Manhattan and SF sucks. So probably no leisure rides on that bike of yours.

So is it ECB that is deleting my comments?

Or is it someone else at the Stranger?

ikky homo: nope; troll police.

I'd like to know too, ecce, because I'd like to thank them.

Comme je deteste ce noveau style bullé du Slog. Je vais accrocher exculsivement en francais jusqu'a ça change.
Bulles foutus!

Regarding the values of Downtown Seattle hotel goers, i saw someone drop their W'04 sticker affixed SUV off at the valet parking for the Madison Renaissance hotel this morning.

So it might not be quite as homogenized as one would hope

@15, referring to wasted bars of soap:

http://wondermark.com/comics/388.gif

honey, do you really think when people are picking a downtown hotel, in a RECESSION that they're thinking about ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES???

This is a gift card. The guest can take it back, where he almost certainly has a car, and spend it at his leisure. This is way for them to give a $20 rebate to their customers in a way that costs them less than $20, since Shell is probably willing to cut them a deal on a promotional package.

It's a good deal all round and there is nothing un-green about it, since their guests are going to buy that much fuel at some point anyway. In fact, a "green" gesture like giving away windmill toys or a bag of seeds or a book on "living green" would have a worse environmental impact, since it would use up resouces that the guest is unlikely to have used otherwise for something that he likely doesn't want.

#7, "a privileged life within Seattle's outrageously expensive urban core"

Huh? Am I that out of touch in thinking you're full of it? This isn't fucking Leschi, dude. Courtney Love does not live across the street. I'm assuming ECB lives on Capitol Hill, and the neighborhood is really *not* that expensive, unless you own a place or have a ridiculous apartment, or you are well below the median income.

If you are willing to live in a place that say, doesn't have hardwood and lots of amenities, maybe is kind of small, and/or is somewhat divey, you could easily get a 1BR for around $800/mo. I realized rents are up (all over) but last I checked this was particularly true near Pike/Pine (Stranger offices). Median 2000 income for a female in Seattle was $35k. That is not much more than 25% spent on rent, which is perfectly reasonable.

On the other hand, take your $800 elsewhere, and you can get a pretty large 2BR, probably with some amenities (albeit equally divey).

You see, joykiller, some people, probably Erica, are willing to take their hypothetical $800 and make sacrifices in order to live a sustainable lifestyle as an abused and unappreciated alt-weekly columnist.

On the other hand, others think, "I truly *must* have hardwood floors, a dishwasher, and a yard". Those people take their $800, find an apartment in a far off land like Northgate, and proceed to live a totally unsustainable lifestyle, driving their car into downtown everyday like a royal douchebag because the bus is icky.

Who exactly was the privileged one again? If you consider median income privileged, ok, but most of Capitol Hill is just NOT privileged.

Now, Erica, as for question B, you seem to think handing out these cards is going to cause people to buy more gas than they would have otherwise, which I think is a totally unfounded assumption.

Also, capitalism. Say it with me now: capitalism.

I think the point is that for all the things that a Seattle hotel could have a given a gift card for, they gave away one for free gas. Most visitors are going to do something touristy here, might as well give a discount to something unique to Seattle. A gas card is just so blah, like an e-card.

Erica,
You just have no clue.
Stick to the homely girl parties.

Fnarf,

When did you mortgage SLOG as your personal living space?

This really is one of the least worrisome environmental practices in the hospitality industry.

The city of Seattle might not be green or anti-car, but it should be if it ever wants to raise its status above glorified cow town and give other large a run for their money. That gas package is a load of horse shit.

That should be large CITIES.

At first I wondered if ECB was drunk ... then I realized she posted at 4:59 p.m. She was totally drunk.

@30, I'm totally happy with glorified cow-town. I would be pleased if people stopped obsessing about the perception of Seattle relative to SF, NYC, and other large cities (read: cities that are fun to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there).

@25, you're right. I'm sure ECB scrimps and saves her journalist's salary (wages?) just so she can afford a small Cap Hill apt., comforted by the fact that she's the sustainablest. (Then takes a three-week vacation to Spain.)

Yikes, what do you have to write to get your comments deleted on SLOG?

I don't live here, ecco. I'm an honored guest. Why are YOU here?

Usually I think ECB gets unfairly, and brutally bashed on SLOG, but this post is dumb.

You know Fnarf, I like the fact that you hate Will. The guy is a douche.

But don't go and think TOO highly of yourself. You are just another hipster internet douche who wears buddy holly glasses who think they are way cooler in their used corolla than they really are.

10 years ago, you were likely jamming at some Renn fair somewhere.

I think they all use the Shell Gift Cards for food- microwave burrito, bag of chips, and a Jolt cola. Eating at a gas station can get expensive.

Oh ecce, why are you trying a flame war with Fnarf? He's napalm and you're a Bic lighter.

@37: Used Corollas are the shit.

Well Erica, normally I agree with you, but honestly 2 things to think about:

1) Families with 2 kids would cost them upwards of $2000 at times to travel to Seattle from ANYWHERE by plane. Most people can drive their car the same distance for cheaper. Also, many families like to drive to "see the country".

2) Weren't there many studies that said Airplane's and Cruises were worse to the enviroment then anything else? Aren't these people helping by not flying when they could drive? Also, my family lives all over King County. When family visits they need a rental car to visit my grandparents, my sister, me, and my parents. There is no bus system to get them around. And we get the privacy of a car to chat about whatever we want.

So I don't entirely understand. Isn't it better to reward people that drove from say, San Fransisco then flew with an airplane? The train isn't really an option, as it takes DAYS and is unreliable and constantly late.

#39

Go throw yourself in the South Platte, preferably near the outflow from the Purina Rendering plant.

Fnarf isn't Jesus, isn't worthy of worship, and can be a royal tool. "I am an honored guest"...

And used corollas suck ass, get a real job and buy a new car. Or do they not pay enough working the counter at silver platter?

Oh ecce, you're just about out of lighter fluid now. I've gotten into it with Fnarf too, but his wit is like Oscar Wilde's while yours is like Adam Sandler's.

a) They don't. They use the gas on their way back home.
b) People who don't give a shit?

Buddy Holly glasses? Nope (Booth and Bruce, baby). Corolla? NO FUCKING WAY (Tercel, you know it, and green). Renn Fair? Never been near one. Ten years ago I was newly married and bubbling over with hope for the future. What were you doing? Hanging out by the Purina Rendering Plant? That's nasty. Looking for bits of your relatives?

See what I mean ecce? Quit while you're behind.

Or quit while you're blind.

Wow, now some of my comments aren't even making it up to be deleted.

Thanks Stranger for proving what douchebags you are.

Yup thanks for deleting my posts before they even appear, you fucking chickenshits.

WTF?

OK now, they are all showing up.

I rescind my chickenshit and douchebag comments.

it pains me to say, but the presense of ecce homo is occasionally entertaining. never have i agreed with the comments, but i enjoy the inflamed responses.