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May 1, 2010 at 8:48 am #594684
HMC RichParticipantIf you see a silver Mazda Tribute going through your alley, do not be alarmed. Our 3 and a half year old son loves alleys and we drive through them. Puddles are a bonus. Usually during the day but sometimes in the evening. He has named many of them.
We have seen some nice dogs and cats along with Raccoons. Maybe we have scared away an unsavory person or two in the process.
May 1, 2010 at 9:23 am #693691
KevinParticipantHi Rich,
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Have not seen you cruising our alley yet – but I’ll keep an eye out for you :) West Seattle does have some cool alleys.
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May 1, 2010 at 3:22 pm #693692
KatherineLParticipantHow about potholes? Are they a bonus, too? I could offer you some really bouncy potholes in mine.
May 1, 2010 at 3:41 pm #693693
MichelleParticipantIt is so funny that you mentioned this, my grandkids love “alley walks”.
May 1, 2010 at 4:01 pm #693694
SueParticipantThe only people I mind in our alley are the people who think it’s okay to do 40mph in them and nearly run me down while I try to pull my car out. So if you go slow, welcome! :)
When we were little, our grandfather used to take us on tours of empty parking lots, because he could turn in circles really quickly and slam on the brakes, and it was like an amusement ride. This was back in the day of no seatbelts and 4 kids falling over each other onto the floor and having the time of their lives. Gratefully, we all lived to tell the story. :)
May 2, 2010 at 2:07 am #693695
anonymeParticipantI hate to tell you this, but “alley cruisers” are not always appreciated. We’ve had a lot of suspicious (non-resident) traffic in our alley that appears to be casing activity, so we (self+neighbors) track license numbers of these vehicles. I also don’t know any homeowner who enjoys extra traffic, reduced privacy, and increased maintenance. Take your grandkids for a walk down the alleys, but please don’t drive.
May 2, 2010 at 3:52 am #693696
pigeonmomParticipantHa ha Sue, that reminds me of a house up the alley from me. The woman tears around the ‘hood & alley at top speed and has the nerve to place a “slow down” sign near her driveway in the alley.
May 2, 2010 at 3:53 am #693697
pigeonmomParticipantoops, double post phone freak out
May 2, 2010 at 8:08 pm #693698
JimmyGMemberRich you’re welcome in our alley anytime, more eyes seeing who is in the back of our houses is a good thing.
Anonyme, in case you didn’t realize it, alleys are public roadways and open to all. Would you rather the bad guys “casing” your place be the ones who enjoy the privacy you don’t want disturbed? And increased maintenance? You don’t maintain your alley, the city does.
I’ll take Rich and his 3 year old driving through puddles any day over the copper thieves who think a 5 inch piece of copper off the top of my water heater is fair game.
May 2, 2010 at 8:37 pm #693699
dawsonctParticipantHey Rich, if you see the opossum in my alley, feel free to speed up a bit.
May 2, 2010 at 8:46 pm #693700
westcoastdebParticipantYou are more than welcome in my alley! Maybe you can chase away the nosy neighbor that likes to peer through my fence and report to the landlord our doings (i.e. there is a grill in the yard! oh no!)
Deb
May 2, 2010 at 10:07 pm #693701
anonymeParticipantJimmyG, you are mistaken on several points. First of all, the City does NOT maintain the alleys, at least not most of them. The alley behind my property is completely unmaintained.
I don’t understand what you mean about “more eyes” preventing crime in this instance. Will the recreational alley cruiser automatically recognize a crime in progress as they scrutinize our back yards – i.e. private spaces? I also don’t understand your reasoning that suggests criminals will enjoy more privacy if unnecessary alley traffic is eliminated.
You are correct that alleys are in the public right-of-way. That does not mean that anything goes, or that residents do not have the right and responsibility to protect their property. As a matter of fact, it falls on the property owner to clean up the messes that the alley cruisers leave as we are legally responsible for maintaining the right of way areas surrounding our property. Recreational “cruising” is even illegal on some public streets, including near Alki.
Again – save the gas, get out of the car and take a walk. You might actually get to know more of your neighbors, and that makes everyone safer.
May 2, 2010 at 11:03 pm #693702
KevinParticipantanonyme, I often cruise alleys just for the fun of it too, and there is probably a good chance that I will cruise an alley in your area some day. You would be surprised at some of the things you will see in alleys that you might not see anywhere else. Feel free to take my picture, my plate number, or just be neighborly and try waving.
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Personally I would be MORE concerned about the folks WALKING because aside from taking a picture, you have NO way of knowing where they are from or being able to “report” them.
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Sometimes folks cruise alleys for other legitimate reasons like searching for a car or boat for sale.
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One last note more trivia than anything else – I once knew a Seattle Police officer who specialized in “patrolling” alleys. He was always on the look out for garage sales and would often stop and make sure that residents knew that SPD was keeping an eye out.
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May 2, 2010 at 11:26 pm #693703
austinMemberIt’s true, us walkers are a questionable group.
May 2, 2010 at 11:34 pm #693704
anonymeParticipantIf I see someone walking with their 3 year old son, I would be neighborly and wave. If I see some dirtbag walking along and peering into yards, I will call police. I walk to garage sales all the time and have NEVER been to one that was unadvertised and/or accessible by alley only. As it is illegal to park in an alley, it makes no sense to cruise there ostensibly looking for sales – car, boat, or yard. A few more cops down the alley would be more than welcome, and if anyone wants to pick up the beer cans and syringes they’re welcome to do that, too.
May 3, 2010 at 12:54 am #693705
JanSParticipantHMC Rich…you are more than welcome in my alley. Could you please make it between 11am and 12:30pm, as that is when WSHS students have their lunch, and there are constantly students roaming in the alleys, sitting in the carport, cutting classes, etc. Your little trip might help to give them a heads up that they ARE being noticed :) 42nd SW between SW Lander and Admiral Way :)
May 3, 2010 at 1:05 am #693706
CarsonParticipantJan, they tend to use our alley to smoke pot. I think they get the munchies and head over to get lunch at Jack in the Box or Safeway and eat it in your alley! I wouldn’t mind them so much if they actually dropped their trash in a the few dozen garbage cans in the alley they trip over…
May 3, 2010 at 1:13 am #693707
Genesee HillParticipantIf you happen to see the raccoons in “my” alley, please “shoo” them away to the next alley. I get paranoid during gardening season…
May 3, 2010 at 1:20 am #693708
JanSParticipantCarson, I totally agree. There’s a walkway from front to back , street to alley, next to our building, and there’s always JITB trash and Safeway stuff to pick up. A few years ago, they’d sit in the carport and drink the cheap stuff they lifted from Safeway (guzzle is more like it)…and then get sick. We kept calling and calling the high school, but it finally ended when one dummy left some papers there with his name on them, and I called the principal – lol.
So, yeah…I’ll take Rich cruising the alley :)
May 3, 2010 at 1:25 am #693709
CarsonParticipantSame day I should follow the litter trail from those 2 places (I am sure McDonalds is just as bad) and just snap pictures and send them to the school. Maybe detention would be better served working than sitting!
May 3, 2010 at 6:32 am #693710
JanSParticipantnow there’s an idea. I’ll just take my camera with me when I take the trash out :).
My massage room is in the back of my apartment overlooking the alley…I get to watch them cutting through yards, using people’s garbage cans like fire hydrants (think dog), eat, etc. I just can’t say anything if I have a client on my table.
Hmmm…maybe Rich could cruise by tomorrow? ;-)
May 3, 2010 at 5:32 pm #693711
JoBParticipantthose potholes in the alley slow people down.. if you have to navigate around them to keep from losing your transmission.. alley traffic is really slow:)
i love my alley… it’s on the top ten list for requirements for a new home.
May 4, 2010 at 1:59 pm #693712
anonymeParticipantOh yes, potholes are a great thing in alleys. My neighbors and I used to fill in the potholes and clean up the alley. Then we found that our labors just increased speeding; I’ve almost been hit at least 3 times while daring to attempt a step beyond my property line. Now we let the potholes and ruts get as deep as possible. It helps.
May 4, 2010 at 2:10 pm #693713
KenParticipantAlleys offer top grade entertainment for my three dogs.
Cats, raccoons and the little yappy dog down the street enrich their day and provide exercise for lungs and legs.
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