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Ski
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Joined: 28 May 2005
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Location: tacoma |
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Ski
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 Sun May 21, 2023 10:31 am |
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| altasnob wrote: | | But today, they are filled with wealthy second home owners (who short term rental their place for extra cash), or people commuting into their high paying city job (or just work from home), or wealthy retires from California who sold their bungalow for $4 million. |
If you head north out of downtown Sequim on the Sequim-Dungeness Road, you will pass a new housing development on the east side of the highway where you can order your first home out of a catalog "starting in the low $800s". Those are first-time home buyers.
It's not all millionaires moving up to Sequim.
Brick and mortar stores are closing over at the Tacoma Mall, because nobody shops there any more. Brick and mortar stores are closing in downtown Seattle and Portland because they're tired of dealing with the criminal element of society. Brick and mortar stores are closing left and right out on Bridgeport Way SW because it's become a dystopian gangland, kind of like that stretch of Hosmer between South 84th and South 96th Street - who the hell wants to operate a business where people are getting shot every day?
New businesses are opening and flourishing on 6th Avenue between Sprague and Union Avenue - what part of town are you hanging out in?
While Ronald Reagan's "trickle down" theory turned out to be a cruel joke, it does still hold true that a rising tide raises all boats. More money flowing through the economy works to everyone's benefit - whether that money comes in the form of attorney fees or money paid for latte's and souvenier bottle openers isn't relevant: money is money.
Again, the notion that our National Parks were created solely for the benefit of nature lovers and tree huggers is a crock. Those Parks exist to draw tourism dollars. Thinking otherwise is simply delusional.
"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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altasnob
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Joined: 29 Aug 2007
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Location: Tacoma |
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altasnob
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Sun May 21, 2023 11:17 am |
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An $800k home in Sequim is a starter home? Median sales price for Kitsap and Pierce is in the low $500k. I don't know a person in Tacoma who could sell their home for over $800k. If some young couple is moving to Sequim and buying a starter home for 800k they both have advanced degrees and have a work from home tech job in downtown Seattle. Hardly the type of people who need a helping hand.
The Walgreens on 6th and Sprague just permanently closed, meaning there is no drug store anywhere close to downtown Tacoma or Hilltop. Sure, crime was a factor but American's changing consumer patterns is the bigger reason. People are buying more things online. Want some National Park trinket? Purchase it online and pay a lower price.
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treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!
Joined: 25 Dec 2006
Posts: 10936 | TRs | Pics
Location: Don't move here |
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treeswarper
Alleged Sockpuppet!
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Sun May 21, 2023 11:26 am |
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Perhaps a gondola should be built.
https://visitnorthidaho.com/activity/gondola-rides/
I think there is a longer one in the Alps. This one??
What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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Cyclopath
Faster than light
Joined: 20 Mar 2012
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Location: Seattle |
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Cyclopath
Faster than light
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Sun May 21, 2023 12:04 pm |
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| altasnob wrote: | | The Walgreens on 6th and Sprague just permanently closed |
Sir, this is a hiking forum.
 rossb
rossb |
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Lazyhiker
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Joined: 08 Jul 2022
Posts: 99 | TRs | Pics
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| altasnob wrote: | | There's no lodge up at Artist Point and I put that area right up there with Hurricane Ridge, Sunrise, and Paradise, as most visited parking lots in the state. You don't need junk food and plastic trinkets for sale in order to attract people to these areas. The view on a sunny day is enough.
I am all for access to our public land and believe all historical access points should be maintained so long as it is reasonable to do so (places like the Dosewallips and Carbon River are not). The main reason I have lost faith in the Park Service is their reduced access to Paradise in the winter culminating with this winter's complete closure. You don't need a lodge to maintain access. In my opinion, it's actually the opposite, as we are seeing. We're not even going to get a timeline of reopening of Hurricane Ridge until June 2. I fear the worst and believe Hurricane Ridge could be closed all summer, maybe longer. If there was no lodge, and it was just a parking lot with bathrooms, we wouldn't have this problem.
With the explosion in popularity in hiking and all outdoor sports in Washington, the old argument of, if you don't make these places attractive to the masses you will lose them no longer applies. As Washington's population continues to grow, these places are going to be capacity popular regardless of what the park service does. Knowing the park service, they are not concerned with increasing access but actually coming up with ideas to cut access, which makes their life easier (see Paradise winter issues, Rainier timed reservations, ect.). They would love your idea of closing vehicle access and making everyone take a bus up from Port Angeles (although they are broke and can't even come up with money for a snow plow driver at Paradise, so that aint going to happen). It's bad enough that we only have Friday to Sunday winter access up there. |
What National Park is Artist Point in?
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Schroder
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Location: on the beach |
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Schroder
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Sun May 21, 2023 1:31 pm |
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| altasnob wrote: | | There's no lodge up at Artist Point |
I'll be sure and let The Mountaineers know that
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Dick B
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Joined: 06 Jun 2013
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Location: Redmond, Or |
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Dick B
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Sun May 21, 2023 2:13 pm |
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Gondolas might work.
Interesting gondola video. I and an army buddy found ourselves in Zermatt for a couple of nights while on leave back in '59. One could still afford an hotel room on $100/month GI pay. We took a gondola ride up to near the base of the Matterhorn, but not the same as shown. It was in the fall when the larches were turning and a light snow had happened a couple of days prior. I got off at the halfway stop and hiked the rest of the way down. No cars in Zermatt in those days. All came in by cog train.
I will post pictures under a new thread if I can find any.
Back on the subject of the lodge and dollars to rebuild. Why not put the touch on Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos? Either could probably cover the cost out of petty cash. Also, if they do rebuild, I would hope they can do so in a way that it isn't perched right up on top of the ridge. It stuck out like a sore thumb.
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altasnob
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Joined: 29 Aug 2007
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altasnob
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Sun May 21, 2023 2:36 pm |
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| Schroder wrote: | | altasnob wrote: | | There's no lodge up at Artist Point |
I'll be sure and let The Mountaineers know that
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That's not the Mountaineers lodge. That's the USFS visitor center at Heather Meadows, which is closed for 10 months out of the year. Artist Point is at the end of the road, has no lodge, and last I checked, was not having a hard time attracting visitors even though it doesn't have a gift shop and sysco food.
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altasnob
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altasnob
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Sun May 21, 2023 2:39 pm |
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| Lazyhiker wrote: | | What National Park is Artist Point in? |
None, but like Hurricane Ridge, Artist Point is packed to capacity. Proof you don't need gift shops and restaurants to attract people into the mountains.
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altasnob
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altasnob
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Sun May 21, 2023 2:43 pm |
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| Cyclopath wrote: | | Sir, this is a hiking forum. |
I'm responding the Ski's claim of a thriving brick and mortar retail industry. If National Park gift shops barely makes a profit, why do we continue to insist they be included in lodge designs? Clinging desperately to nostalgia no matter how inefficient.
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Lazyhiker
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| Ski wrote: | | While it is true that NPS gift shops do make a slight amount of profit, it's negligible in the larger picture. The objective has never been for the National Park Service to "make a profit", but rather those businesses and communities that are dependent upon the Parks for their survival - aka "Gateway Communities" like Ashford, Elbe, Wilkinson, Carbonado, etc.
When you restrict access to a National Park, or reduce services, those businesses and communities immediately outside the Park suffer the detrimental consequences, like the Brinnon Store, which went out of business as a direct result of the closure of the Dosewallips Road.
Again, National Parks are drivers of local economies. If maintaining vibrant local economies requires peddling Chinese-made schlock to the tourists, so be it.
The more I think about people taking selfies holding up their $20.00 latte' with the Bailey Range in the background, the more I like the idea of a Starbuck's franchise up there at Hurricane Ridge.
I'd bet it would be just like that shave ice place up on the north shore of O'ahu where stupid haole tourists stand in line for 45 minutes to buy a fancy snow cone with cold beans in it.
I'm going to send Howard a letter about this. |
At least make the coffee shop a local concession, no Starbucks.
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Schroder
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Joined: 26 Oct 2007
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Schroder
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Sun May 21, 2023 5:26 pm |
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| Lazyhiker wrote: | | At least make the coffee shop a local concession, no Starbucks. |
Starbucks is not local?
 Anne Elk
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Schroder
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Location: on the beach |
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Schroder
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Sun May 21, 2023 6:14 pm |
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| altasnob wrote: | | That's not the Mountaineers lodge. That's the USFS visitor center at Heather Meadows |
True that it's the Forest Service but it's at Austin Pass, not Heather Meadows. But the Artist Point example is ridiculous anyway because of it's proximity to the ski area with at least a dozen lodges and is one of the most popular winter areas in the state - featured in Hollywood movies as far back as "Call of the Wild" in 1935 and up to the "Deer Hunter", which was actually filmed at Artist Point.
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Ski
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Joined: 28 May 2005
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Location: tacoma |
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Ski
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Mon May 22, 2023 9:14 am |
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| altasnob wrote: | | The Walgreens on 6th and Sprague just permanently closed, meaning there is no drug store anywhere close to downtown Tacoma or Hilltop. |
Walgreen's is the highest-priced pharmacy around, so that doesn't come as any big surprise.
It's possible there are other people besides me who are boycotting them because of their most recent idiotic policy decision.
No big loss, as far as I'm concerned. I actually kind of wish they'd never come into Washington State, to be honest.
Was the closure due to the shoplifting rates that the local prosecutor's office still won't do anything about?
The Safeway at 1112 South M Street is still open and they have a pharmacy. It's where I got my first Covid vaccine.
| altasnob wrote: | | An $800k home in Sequim is a starter home? Median sales price for Kitsap and Pierce is in the low $500k. |
https://www.homes.com/sequim-wa/houses-for-sale/
Last time I contacted a real estate agent via phone, there were exactly 47 listings available in the Sequim area and the median price range was about $550K - that was over a year ago.
It looks like there's a little 2-bedroom for $439K, which is at the low end.
Zillow.com says median home price in Tacoma is $468,403.00 today. Down somewhat from a year ago and not quite as hot. The house next door took almost a month to sell and it went for only $540K (1700 sq ft, 3bd, 1 ba)
The house two blocks down the street sold last summer for $1.35 million. The one next door to it went for $1.5 million.
Don't believe everything you think.
"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Logbear
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Joined: 13 Sep 2006
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Location: Getchell. Wash |
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Logbear
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Mon May 22, 2023 10:29 am |
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“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – Sir Ranulph Fiennes
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