Seattle on the Fringe by Stacey Merrick : Offbeat and Unusual Entertainment, Activities, Events, Attractions in Seattle, WA.

First the rumors started, and then it was confirmed:  The Crocodile Cafe has closed its doors forever.  Owned by Stephanie Dorgan, ex-wife of REM band member Peter Buck and a former attorney, The Croc apparently suffered over the past year or so with management and money issues and finally closed abruptly on Sunday. 

I can't say that I've seen a show at The Croc in a long, long time, so maybe its demise is partly my fault for not supporting the club.  A couple years ago I went there for a night of seeing several Northwest bands play The Smiths covers, including the adorable The Lashes, and some drunk Morrissey superfan kept loudly critiquing the performances of the bands.  Good times typical of a night at The Croc.  I went there to see New York punk legends The Dictators and got to meet them after the show, which was a really fun evening. I went to a number of fun shows there over the years and always had a great time, but I just stopped going, and I guess other people stopped going, too. 

I liked The Crocodile.  It was a small and convenient downtown place to see indie bands.  It had a unique and awkward floor plan for a nightclub.  The main door brought you into a long hallway-shaped diner.  At the end of the diner was a small bar which was always packed during shows.  Near the front door, there was another door which opened to a room with the stage.  When I was low on cash, the trick I used to do (which I'm now really feeling guilty about because this action might have contributed to the closing of the venue) is walk in to the diner and bar section, which was free, and I wouldn't go into the room where the bands played.  The trick was I could still hear the bands play when I sat in the diner.  Ha ha, no cover charge for me and I could still enjoy live music!  Although, then I had to sit in the diner, which was usually cold, dark, and vacant because it was usually closed for the evening. 

Anyway, there is sadness spreading throughout Seattle because this important indie venue has closed, and that seems to be happening a lot this year.  Another Seattle venue I thought would be around forever, The Vogue, closed its doors a year ago.  Unlike The Vogue, The Croc closed because of reasons other than being pushed out by condo developers.  And The Croc was a landmark where Nirvana and Death Cab for Cutie played, among many other great bands. 

Does the closing of The Croc mark the beginning of the end of Seattle's indie music scene?  Will there be a condo built in its place?  Maybe, maybe not.  We still have venues like Nuemos, The Comet, The Funhouse, The Sunset Tavern, which all support small indie bands.  And perhaps in a few years some of the new luxury condo buildings which are taking over the city will go belly-up and be converted into indie clubs.  One can only hope for the best.

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As most Seattlites are aware, there is a new streetcar in South lake Union which has taken on the unofficial name SLUT (South Lake Union Trolley).  There has been a lot of media attention* around the silly acronym, but now there is media attention concerning the streetcar that is posing a more serious problem.  The South Lake Union Trolley is unsafe for bicyclists, and I can attest to this personally. 

SLUT tracks run on the right side of the road parallel to where bicyclists ride, and road bike tires easily get stuck in the tracks.  Tracks are not a safety hazard for bikes when cyclists can ride over the tracks at a 90-degree angle, but this is not the case in South Lake Union. 

In September, I had my bike accident during early evening rush hour traffic when I rode my bike north on Westlake near Thomas.  My tire got stuck in one of the tracks.  I crashed.  Hard.  I walked/limped away with a few cuts and big bruises on my leg.   Fortunately, I did not fall into moving traffic, and very fortunately I did not have to go to the hospital.  A local business owner saw my crash and told me that he sees bikes go down all the time on the tracks.  I told my story to David Hiller of the Cascade Bicycle Club, and he told me to send an email to Thomas Carr of the Seattle City Attorney's Office.  I sent Carr an email and did not receive a response.  Hiller recently put journalist Mike Lindblom of the Seattle Times in touch with me so my story could be included in an article about the dangerous new streetcar.  

Since my accident, I have heard many stories from other people who have become victims of SLUT.  There has been evidence of other accidents here and here and here.  Bike accidents due to the trolley tracks are so common that I have even heard jokes about potential buttons and stickers for bicyclists that say, "I went down on the SLUT." 

I am happy about having more public transportation options in this city, but I am also one of a growing number of cyclists who have been injured by SLUT.  I do not understand why we have to choose between riding a trolley and riding a bike... can't we do both?  Why does the trolley have to completely eliminate safe bike riding?  And why are there no warning signs for bicyclists?  The least the city could do is put up a couple of signs that warn bicyclists that there are tire snaring tracks in the road.  According to the article in the Seattle Times: 

Alan Durning, founder of Sightline Institute, an environmental think tank, calls the Westlake situation one example of "bicycle neglect" — the American tendency to treat bikes as recreational vehicles, not primary transportation. A street posing similar hazards to cars would never be designed, he said.

There are other options for the trolley tracks which could make it safer for bicyclists.  The tracks could be in the center lane so the tracks do not run in the area where bicyclists are supposed to ride.  Another bicycle safety option would be to use a different type of track or use flangeway filler so bike tires won't get stuck in the tracks.  And signs.  There could be signs warning cyclists of the tracks.

There will be a protest for the trolley's lack of safety for bicyclists this Wednesday, December 12, when the South Lake Union streetcar begins service from Westlake Center to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.




*  That is, in fact, me in the video praising SLUT.  Ironically, the video was recorded about 4 hours before I had my bicycle accident.  I am all for public transportation, but not if it is at the cost of bicycle transportation.

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