Washington Roadside Attractions: Hat 'n' Boots

Roadside Attraction Edition:

Welcome to a new type of blog that I will include every so often. The blog will feature Washington roadside attractions. A little bit of an introduction is I enjoy the history of old, forgotten about historic areas as some of you already know which also includes old roadside attractions. Having lived in Florida, I did some research and visited some sites that were pre-Disney since when Disney World came in, most of the small attractions couldn’t compete and shut down. Not only do attractions close due to competition but also due to progress. Having moved to Washington State, the state has constantly been growing for many years and when more people come into an area, things change quickly and often drastically. With these blogs, I’ll share the information about some attractions that have survived but sadly, there aren’t many remaining. But, there are some neat and historic places that have survived progress and I hope will continue to remain as changes threaten older and more forgotten about sites and history. Roadside attractions can include anything that provides entertainment to a traveler, tourist, or anyone at all interested including old theme parks, unique architecture, historic sites, or even old restaurants and areas that have survived the threats of time.

Hat ‘n’ Boots:

Originally built in 1953 by Seattle artist, Lewis Nasmyth, the hat and boots were formally a part of a cowboy themed gas station. The gas station, opening the following year, was named “Premium Tex." It was built in south Seattle and the boots were used as the restroom for customers and those who stopped to see the large hat and boots. As time went on and Seattle was constantly busy, the owners and creators of Hat ‘n’ Boots, Buford and Bernice Seals, wanted to expand to make the area a small attraction called Frontier Village. He envisioned the area being a larger western theme tourist attraction to draw in more customers but was unsuccessful - primarily with I-5 being built in the 1960s and driving customers away from the area. Closing in 1988, the hat and boots fell into despair and vandalism as the area sat vacant until progress occurred. The area was going to become something else but luckily a local council raised enough money to not only move the iconic symbols but to also preserve them. The hat (44-feet wide) and boots (22-feet high) moved in 2003 to oxbow Park in Georgetown, just south of Seattle. The boots’ restoration was completed in 2005 and the hat 2010. During the opening credits to the original National Lampoon’s Vacation, a postcard of Hat ‘n’ Boots can be seen.

Address: 6427 Carleton Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108

Cellphones Are Not Allowed

If anyone has read any of my novels, most of them take place pre-1990s or even in the early 90s. Not often are there scenes from present times. I doubt many readers have noticed that but if so, there’s a one-word answer that explains why – cellphones. One thing I am not a big fan of is the ever-changing world of technology. Of course, some things are great but then again, some things are obsolete just as soon as they come out. Also, much of the world has changed so much and we’ve become overly dependent at times. So, when I write, I enjoy writing the times of pre-cellphones. Stories are so much easier to tell in a sense of having more options, especially with the antagonist in trouble, to not have the easy access to a cellphone to call for help. A great example of this type of situation is looking at sitcoms. What if Lucy was trapped in the freezer, or as I watch Seinfeld, the stories about nothing would not be there if the characters had access to cellphones. Television shows before the days of mass cellphone production had more options for storytelling and placing someone in a predicament or trouble. Just watch one episode of a sitcom from the early 1990s or earlier and at the end, think of how differently everything would have played out if the characters had cellphones. For example, in my latest novel, Soul Hunters – The Collectors of Fear (you can hear the first chapter read on my YouTube page – follow the link here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBwBkD7wutY&t=37s), the beginning of the story would be much different if the first two characters had access to a cellphone. With technology in mind, I predict most of my future novels won’t feature cellphones or even mention the name as well as the always changing technology but instead older/previous technology and times when life was simpler without being dependent so much on technology. Much like going to a movie at the theater – no cellphones!