For many years, Seattle was called the "most livable city," and reputed to be cleaner, more organized, and more progressive than other American cities. For the most part, this was true. But despite our city's extraordinary prosperity--especially during the dot-com boom of the '90s--and myriad attempts to improve the "quality of life" and arrive, finally, at utopia (heaven), parts of it never relented, remaining hostage to evil forces.

In the spirit of our feature on Freeway Park, "Topography of Terror," we have explored the rest of our fair city, searching for locations that offer horror--be they blatent or hidden. Our Halloween issue is dedicated to these locations--streets, homes, and alleyways that are eternally claimed by the kingdom of hell.

Some of the locations we have selected have obvious connections to hell (like the alleys in the International District); others have connections that are not so evident (like the mysterious soda machine on John, or the sparkling sidewalks downtown). Together, these places form the Topography of Terror II.

Please enjoy.