Seattle Myth or Truth?
“Real Seattleites don’t use umbrellas.”
So what qualifies as a ‘real Seattleite”?
I’ve lived here for 9 years, but am not a native of Washington State. Does that make me a faux Seattleite?
Anyway, I NEVER use an umbrella, for two three reasons:
1. They’re more of a pain in the ass than a help. One more nasty wet thing to worry about, yay! NOT.
2. When it rains here, it’s rarely a downpour. More often it’s a soft, misty rain.
3. I play soccer year round in that shit. I DO NOT NEED AN UMBRELLA.
I guess that makes me a rain hard-ass or something.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Ha! Good on ya. Similarly – people often stare at me and ask, “Why aren’t you wearing a coat?!” Duh – ‘cuz 20 degrees ain’t cold. When the temps drop below zero, then I’ll consider it.
November 21st, 2008 at 6:24 am
We call it a dry rain, though sometimes it is a little less than dry and those times may require a hat.
November 21st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Most of the time when I use an umbrella, it just gets turned inside out by the wind. A waste of money AND ya look like a dork!
November 21st, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I don’t know what makes one a Seattlite, but I loathe the umbrella. They are downright dangerous! Plus, what do you do with it when it’s a sodding mess? It took me living here for 5 years before I even got a real rain coat. Of course, weather patterns have changed, and concessions must be made, but umbrellas are a pain.
November 21st, 2008 at 7:41 pm
They are, Jill.
I am short so walking on a sidewalk filled with umbrella-wielding commuters is a dodgy business. It’s a miracle I haven’t been blinded!
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
What Uppity said, plus twenty percent, since we have that much more wind down here on the prairie. I’ve lost three umbrellas to this sort of destructive inversion.
(Then again, I look like a dork, umbrella or not.)