Heap o’ hype

Noticed a fair amount of signs around WS lately touting “Verge Condominiums.” Didn’t realize till a morning drive along Harbor Avenue today that “Verge” is the building across from the piles o’ harbor stuff we always referred to as the “slag heaps” (caveat, I can’t find proof of exactly what’s in those piles). What’s more, it’s got an over-the-top marketing campaign. Signs in front of the building mention (paraphrasing now) “smelling salt spray,” among other fantasies. Checked out the Verge website after the drive and it’s really almost funny. For one, the waves on the home page are open-ocean, “surfing Waimea” type waves, not the “ferry wake” wavelets of Alki. For two, the typestyles are beautiful but they really needed to hire a proofreader (helloo, it’s macchiato, not machiatto; 2 misspellings apiece on this page and this page; then on this page, besides the misuse of “it’s,” the photo of the guy staring quizzically at the Fine Cuisine is good for a laugh).

Redevelopment can be a fine thing. However, you’d think they could sell these condos quite nicely without trying to paint the neighborhood as the next best thing to the OC.

7 Replies to "Heap o' hype"

  • don hicks October 3, 2006 (3:51 pm)

    Your “slag heap” used to be a landfill, as in South Park transfer station, but left it there, forever. It was agood place for young people to shoot rats. Lot more smelly then (closed about 1955-1960). Low tide was a real joy coming into West Seattle.

  • Dawson October 3, 2006 (5:45 pm)

    Waves: Simulation of tsunami event or result of seawall failing and downtown slumping into Elliot bay and resulting water forced over slag pile.
    Guy with food: Simple. How do you eat this?
    These places aren’t anything new, have been there a couple years. Question wouldn’t “On the Verge of Alki” be better than “On the Edge of Alki”?

  • Keith October 3, 2006 (6:29 pm)

    I think the guy with the food is checking to see where the “vibrant” is.

  • Kmac October 4, 2006 (12:22 pm)

    Hey, isn’t that the exceptional seasonal mini-burger from Ovio?

  • Chris October 4, 2006 (7:11 pm)

    I can’t help but think they guy is thinking,

    “Where’s the Beef?”

  • cami October 4, 2006 (10:28 pm)

    It’s very strange that the parent company web site is much more polished:

    http://mcmcondos.com/

  • Jo October 18, 2006 (6:36 pm)

    When we’d drive from the northend to visit my dad who lived on Alki Point, we always used to tell the kids that the old ‘dump’ or landfill was where J.P. Patches lives. You know that little shack that’s still there……

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