I didn't like Seattle. =[

MarkWebster

I really wanted to, but I just couldn't.

It's like, everywhere I walk I'm getting stared at by homeless people and everyone is asking me for money and at times I really felt quite threatened.

And everywhere smells of urine, crap or meth.

And a lot of retailers are really quite rude.

I liked Boston more when I went there for PAX East 2011, but Vancouver is way nicer than both.

Seattle is like Glasgow, and Vancouver is like Edinburgh (except Edinburgh doesn't smell constantly of weed).

Now, I understand a lot of people are really down on their luck just now but there's got to be a line drawn somewhere and grabbing my clothes to demand stuff is beyond that line.

Am I a bad person? I don't know.

kropotkin

There were a lot of beggers out for sure, it's the most unsettling part of Seattle. But it is only part of the city that while unpleasant isn't dominant.

shadowscout

if you pay attention there are just as many homeless in Vancouver (there definitely are over in Victoria that's for sure)

Particularly during festival time the homeless in Edinburgh can be just as aggressive - or at least they used to be a few years back been a while since I was up there

Beker

I've been here all my life and while I have seen many people asking for handouts, I've never been grabbed. Sorry you only saw the worst of our city. Hopefully next time you come you can spend a few more days and see more then just our tourist\convention\shopping center. Maybe see some of our beaches, giant parks, trails, etc. Hope your future visits go better.

MarkWebster

shadowscout wrote: »

if you pay attention there are just as many homeless in Vancouver (there definitely are over in Victoria that's for sure)

Particularly during festival time the homeless in Edinburgh can be just as aggressive - or at least they used to be a few years back been a while since I was up there

This is quite true actually. I guess with local knowledge you can avoid a lot of that stuff, or you're just numb to it. Never thought of it that way.

LexiconGrrl

The homeless thing is especially bad on the West Coast, because the weather is so temperate. It's easy to sleep outside here most of the year. Summer is the worst, and big conventions tend to attract them too so PAX unfortunately creates a perfect storm.

It's actually illegal in Seattle for anyone panhandling to block your way, physically touch you or harrass you in any way. What you experienced was not normal and would have freaked me out too (I'm a local). I'm really sorry that happened to you, and to echo @Beker 's suggestion, next time you're here, look up one of the local forumers for an opportunity to see more of the area outside of downtown.

zerzhul

This is not the "I hate X" forum.