Comments

1

So which city stacks up or surpasses its sister city in France?

2

So. Morales takes a pandemic junket to France. And, that's Silvernail's second European trip during the pandemic (that I know of). Nice work if you can get it!

3

I would have said Ballard or Fremont.

But then I've been to Nantes.

4

Lol, hilarious photos of parks in Seattle.

6

@3 -- Interesting. I would have guessed Pioneer Square, but I've never been to Nantes. I'm just guessing it is an old city, and that almost all of it was built long before the automobile. It was bombed during the war, so there is that. Still, there are very few parts of Seattle that feel old. Fremont and Old Ballard have a few old parts, but why them, and not Pioneer Square? Is Nantes a little more industrial?

7

"everyone has a right to the city" sounds so fresh and nourishing to my ears. More of that in action please. The green tramway down the Aurora Stroad sounds delightful as well.

8

@6 actually I stayed at a nice hotel across from the Norman castle when I was there. Nantes was built on the slave trade, actually, but we don't talk about that any more.

9

I bet the city in France doesn’t allow people to just spray paint anything they want, anytime they want whenever they want on every surface in town.

What do you wanna bet?

Seattle has become a garbage dump. It’s embarrassing.

10

Sure, you can choose a well-lit idyllic photo of a park in Nantes and contrast it with an unremarkable, gloomy, and disingenuous 'equivalent' that happens to share its namesake, or you can take a short romp to some of the most majestic scenery the nation has to offer (on a nice day) without leaving the greater city limits if you take the time and effort to explore.

11

@9. Re: graffiti

Have you been to Europe?

12

https://youtu.be/-gU7XXzyT6k

14

I have to be honest Matt, I wanted to get on board with your attempt to throw some shade but I stopped reading immediately at "scope notwithstanding".

Not sure how such vast differences in both population and economic productivity (seattle 200+ billion yearly/ nantes 60+ billion) are so easily held constant for the sake of your comparison. Double the population and triple the economy. Maybe we are just here to listen to you vent? Go on. What's really bothering you?

15

I read a very interesting comment years ago about comparing the US and Europe. If you go back far enough in Europe's history, you eventually get to the era of monarchy. Centralized government in which 'the King giveth, and the King taketh away'. The US has no such history. Thus, centralized authority, such as central urban planning, is much more baked into European culture and thinking. Food for thought: with such different histories, WHY would the U.S. be like Europe? Why are people so mystified that the two places are very different?

I have worked with many, many immigrants from the professional class. Many. Immigrating to another country is an everyday reality I see all the time. Here's an idea: why not let Europe BE Europe, let the U.S. BE the U.S. - and let the population sort themselves out into countries and cultures they prefer.

Finally, I've been at work when one of my immigrant friends got news their green card was approved. Interesting to note the different reactions. The people that make the biggest deal out of it?

The French; followed by Aussies.


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