Olympia’s Dust Jacket

Olympia has a good dust jacket.

That’s the word I received recently from a young man and his wife who moved here from The Netherlands, by way of Austin, New York City and Portland.

They were look for a place like the country they had left and as they drove through Olympia they liked its look.

It had a good dust jacket, they said.

The couple are now Olympia residents and have just had a baby.   They are nesting and settling in.

But, a recent series of articles in “The Olympian” show that the contents of the book don’t necessarily reflect the city’s book jacket.

Olympia is well situated in a magnificent section of Puget Sound.  Driving along I-5 you can’t help but be impressed by the state capitol building and the view over Capitol Lake.

Get off the freeway and drive through town and the city becomes even more attractive.  Bike lanes, green belts, beautiful homes in beautiful neighborhoods, a new city hall and an attractive and busy waterfront give the impression this is a great place to live and raise a family.

At least my friends from The Netherlands thought so.

But, like many cities in the country, Olympia’s book has a dark place; an area where visitors might not want to venture after dark.

Unfortunately, for Olympia, that dark underside of the city is its downtown core – – the 60 acres that run from Sylvester Park to the transit center and the blocks that surround city hall.

Although passable during the day, at night it becomes something else.   It’s not frightening, it’s not even very dangerous, it’s just – – uncomfortable.  It’s a place you just stay away from.

So, while Olympia may have a “Good Dust Jacket”, the contents of the book may be a disappointment.

Maybe one of these times, the librarians who run the city will find a way to re-print the book.

Keep the “Good Dust Jacket” though.