The latest instance of our long national nightmare is over

[solarbird]

T. moved out yesterday, after not showing up for the hearing this morning where he was formally ordered to get the fuck out. Court was quick and painless, tho' there was a bit of a queue; it was interesting that several of the people before us had actual back-and-forth issues; I didn't see anyone else who had a tenant who just apparently decided not to pay rent, ever. And I've now had two of those. Annoying.

But anyway, the papers were filed, the cops were notified, they'll go ahead and post the GET OUT to the door of apartment three even though nobody's there anymore but I don't want to bother stopping them; that way, I'll get the notice and can keep it with my records.

The courthouse building is still in a zillion pieces - that started after they did a major structural inspection after the Nisqually quake. Right now, they're doing the major structural refit of the lobby area, and it's just amazing - it's exposed all the way down to the cement-brick and ceramic-brick structural filler between the metal joists, and you can pretty much see everything - it's very much like walking into a large building that hasn't been finished yet the first time, and you wonder why it's open already. The people working there say it's been hell, because everybody keeps getting moved to new quarters constantly, and they've done things like closing bathrooms for four months at a time. But even so, I'm glad they're not just tearing it down and building a new one. Seattle doesn't honestly have many older buildings and this one's both nice and large, so there's a lot to look at it when it's not having its structural innards completely rebuilt.

Anyway, I did a preliminary check on the place last night, it seems fine. He lost a key somewhere along the way and claims he never had it, but that doesn't matter; I have to get all the locks changed anyway. I really didn't think he'd do anything to the place, and I'm glad I was right.

Comments

[firni.livejournal.com]

What makes a person do that? I mean, how fucking retarded do you have to be to think you can just waltz in and live somewhere without paying your rent?

I just don't understand people.

[spazzkat.livejournal.com]

My guess would be doing it over and over. This guy got, what three months free living space? Four? Ben got almost a year. I mean if you're broke and in debt to the point where you'll never pay it off what's more debt?

[loopback.livejournal.com]

Yup. They know they have enough stuff to fit in their car/backpack/whatever, and can leave on a moment's notice. Or in the case of That Other Guy, they just live in a state of perpetual denial and believe the world and everyone in it owes them everything.

[poodlgrl.livejournal.com]

Have you been to King Street Station lately? Because it's totally, utterly, amazing. They are restoring the entire thing, and there are huge photos of what it looked liked in 1906, 1943, 1955, etc. Plus, they have pulled some of the "false" ceiling tiles down, and a big arrow pointing up - so you can peek thorugh and see the ORIGINAL hand carved, 40 foot tall vaulted ceilings. They blew an entire wall out, and you can see how large the big auditorium-sized waiting area used to be, with a mezzanine balcony, etc.

The same architects designed Grand Central Terminal in NYC. There are places where they literally just said "Oh! Gorgeous octagonal skylights with exposed brick? Well, let's just board them over and put a wall up over them."

[poodlgrl.livejournal.com]

Here's a bit more.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/rail/transit/kss/stationimages.cfm

[ssha.livejournal.com]

Oooo! Sounds like they've done some measurable work on that project since the last time I took the train! That's fantastic! I can't /believe/ they didn't just shoot the person who initially suggested covering all of the beauty up with shitty panels and stuff. Ugh!

[firni.livejournal.com]

I don't understand that, either. Then again, Preston told me the other day "you don't understand a lot, do you?" so I suppose that could be it.

...step away from the soap box, ma'am.....

[poodlgrl.livejournal.com]

It's just what we do. In one sense, I can understand the impulse to "small it down". Rail travel was at like 1 train a day probably by the 60s, I'm sure they couldn't afford to heat those vaulted ceilings anymore. On the other sense, it just enrages me they always want to destruct it all in the process.

We do it now, with the 1950s stuff. People think it's crap, they think the architecture is crap - the houses are torn down (even famous architect homes) to build mcmansions. Last I heard, they were STILL debating tearing down the Saarinen TWA terminal at JFK which is just otherworldly to me.

The Power Broker : Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0394720245/qid=1080693251/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-1352004-8885610?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) is a great book if you're interested about this type of thing. It delves waaaaaaaay into NYC politics, but it talks alot about how ruthlessly they destroyed gorgeous things during the mid 20th century in the name of "progress".

[solarbird]

I"m just glad they boarded them over instead of bricking them in. If they'd had money, they'd have turned it into a parking garage or bunker cement slab building, so YAY! Sorta.

I'm really pleased to hear that they are finally going ahead with a restoration. I'd heard rumours, but I didn't know they'd started. Yay! ^_^

[solarbird]

Y'know what else I wish someone would restore? The flying-wedge-roof Greyhound building downtown. Best. Greyhound. Building. Ever. Admittedly, that's saying... essentially nothing. But I'd hate to see that one get the smash. I really would.