The Book Of Was

The city of Seattle and Capitol Hill neighborhood described in this book (2007-1994) no longer exist. When did the old Seattle die? There were many previous incarnations of the city, of course, but one could make a case for etching the year 2014 into the gravestone. In 2014, the Seahawks won their first Super Bowl and reached the previously unattainable peak. Seattle was no longer an underdog city.
Tears of grief for its lost status didn't flow until the shock ending of the following year's Super Bowl. Blinded by championship hubris, the coaches elected to pass from the one-yard line with a minute left instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch for the win. The pass was intercepted, the Seahawks lost, and Seattle fell hard from the top of the mountain. The next morning, the city woke up a bitter loser, no longer comforted by the reassuring blanket of its previous underdog status.
Old Capitol Hill died in 2014 too. Half Price Books closed in June. On 15th Video followed in September. Was: Ernie Steele's/Ileen's Sports Bar, The Easy, Ballet Restaurant, Café Septieme, Charlie's, Broadway Market, Fred Meyer, Jade Pagoda, Orpheum Records, Bailey/Coy Books, Pistil Books, Angel Thai, Broadway Grill, The Cinedome UA Cinema 150, Harvard Exit and Vodvil theaters.
Was: Siam on Broadway, Red Apple Supermarket, 22 Doors, Rainbow Grocery, Kincora Pub, Piroshki On Broadway, The Gravity Bar, Hollywood Video, Steve's Broadway News, Baskin-Robbins, Capitol Club, Hi Score Arcade, The Vogue, Bad Juju Lounge, Piecora's NY Pizza, Satellite Lounge, Bauhaus Books & Coffee, Value Village.
Even fast food is Was: Jack In The Box, Taco Bell, Burger King, Taco Time, Kidd Valley, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Godfather's Pizza, the Westlake Center food court.
Was: 211 Billiard Club, Speakeasy Café, The Cloud Room, 700 Club, The Weathered Wall, Sit & Spin, I-Spy, the Kingdome, RKCNDY, OK Hotel, The Dog House Restaurant, Sorry Charlie's, the Kalakala ferry.
Was: The Seattle Supersonics. Beast Mode.
It's a different city, a different neighborhood. The next wave has arrived: new bars, new restaurants, new buildings, new people. The only constant in Seattle is the rain.