Yes, Port Angeles is a waterfront community all right. Even though, as you probably already know, all coastal towns have a waterfront, Port Angeles, for whatever reason, seems to think theirs is special, and has great untapped potential as a tourist magnet.
I think the untapped potential is very debatable. So let's focus on the existing waterfront, shall we? The waterfront as it really is. How is it viewed by some real, live tourists?
After visiting Port Townsend again, and enjoying how nice their downtown is again, I got curious about how visitors view downtown Port Angeles. So I spent a little time online checking that out...I decided to focus on the Red Lion and Crab House, because they are so prominent, they are right next to the ferry, and because the Chamber of Commerce meets there. With so much going for them - location! energy! - I figured these would surely be the best ambassadors for Port Angeles possible. Surely with their prominent location, our local business community wouldn't let these places be anything less than stellar.
Oh.
To be fair, the Red Lion does better than the Crab House, garnering three stars (out of five) on Trip Advisor, and three and a half on Yelp. (See sample comments below for both.)
Meanwhile...Yikes! Don't eat at the Crab House. Wow. On Trip Advisor, it rates only three and a half stars out of five, and is ranked at #35 out of all the restaurants in Port Angeles. But that's better than its standing on Yelp, where it only manages two stars, and ranks at #49. Still, that's probably better that it does on Urban Spoon, where it gets only a 47% approval rating.
Yes, our crab cakes are made by hand...
For comparison...The Crab House comes in at #49 on Yelp, right? You can do better by crossing the street. The dingy little Dairy Queen comes in at #48. Yes, Dairy Queen beats the Crab House. On Trip Advisor, Baskin Robbins beats the Crab House. And I don't think it's as simple as more-people-like-ice-cream-than-crab.I think it's illuminating to see what restaurants rank highest among in our town, and among visitors. And actually, it's not restaurants, it's a singular restaurant. Sabai Thai is rated #1 on both Yelp and Trip Advisor, with four and a half and five stars, respectively. On Urban Spoon, they get a whopping 97% - or, 50% more than the Crab House. What makes this illuminating is that Sabai Thai is not downtown (and thus is not burdened by the PADA), and is not involved with the Chamber of Commerce. They just do their thing, do it exceedingly well, and get the success and praise that comes from that, even in their out of the way location.
So my point is this...Our so-called business leaders and economic development gurus all frequently gather at some of the lousiest places in town and think that they're fine, just fine. They embrace and embody the low, low standards they set for the town. They never step out of their collective comfort zone. They never honestly try to improve their game. And it seems they never look at what people are saying about Port Angeles online, or they would know that something is wrong, terribly wrong. If these people really believe that tourism is the name of the game, they're out of touch with what people are saying, where people are spending their money, and clueless about the easy online tools available to give them some of this information.
Catch of the day at the Chamber luncheon!
And yet, these are the people, paid and otherwise, who are in charge of promoting Port Angeles to visitors? They of the dingy rooms and terrible food and hostility to the ONP? I find it difficult to believe that anyone really expects any sort of results from these people. How about you? THE REVIEWS:
On Yelp and Trip Advisor, I found the following revealing reviews...All from within the past year, and most from people who live in our region. Does it sound like any of them will be big boosters of Port Angeles?
3/19/2014 - Crab House: Richelle from Vancouver, WA: "Awful. Terrible food, atrocious service. We waited a LONG time and half our meal never came. When I asked about it, the server said 'well, they're not very good anyways.'"
3/10/2014 - Red Lion: Joe from Spokane starts his review off with this great line: "For being Port Angeles, this isn't a terrible hotel." He then goes on to say "From the outside it looks like a sketchy, ghetto, like I need to lock my doors and shut my shades before going to sleep."
2/27/2014 - Red Lion and Crab House: Amanda from Australia: "Over priced and over rated. The restaurant is gaunt and the food barely edible (for fear of food borne illness)."
1/13/2014 - Red Lion: Dave from Portland, OR captures his experience with his header: "Outdated and overpriced."
12/28/2013 - Red Lion: John from Auburn in his three-out of -five star review also states the obvious: "This is Port Angeles." In other words, set your sights low, and you'll do okay.
12/28/2014 - Crab House: Beth from Surrey, B.C. says " Thought going to restaurant named "Crabhouse" would have a menu to die for...not so. Crab was frozen...no other seafood offered...Restaurant dirty..."
10/10/2013 - Crab House: Lola from Medford, Or says it all in the header or her review: "Skip this place!"
9/28/2013 - Red Lion: Kyle from Seattle starts off with what might be a new slogan for Port Angeles: "Not horrible, but definitely wasn't impressed."
9/16/2013 - Red Lion and Crab House: Heidi from Winlock had a lot to say in her one-star review: "I'm only giving the one star because our waitress at breakfast was very nice and friendly...Our room smelled like mildew and the heater/fan was so noisy you couldn't use it unless you were gone. The Crab House attached to it was horrible. Too expensive for what you get especially with bad service. Expect a trip to Your chiropractor after you sleep on these beds. Then when we told the front desk they just shrugged like they've heard it before. Someone needs to help this Red Lion or close it down!"
7/16/2013 - Crab House: Connie from Walnut, CA: "I would say that for the less than mediocre food, the prices were too high."
6/30/2013 - Red Lion: Phillip from Saint Paul, MN also caught the flavor of PA: "I can't complain too much since the town itself doesn't have many options."
6/14/2013 - Crab House: Laura from Seattle: "Higher prices, lower quality. Crab not fresh as usual."
Ah...a little righteous outrage, a dash of humor, and some really disgusting photos. Just what you need to get going in the morning. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIf Ann from Sabai Thai walked into a Chamber of Commerce meeting, she'd be one of the most successful business owners in town, and I bet most people there wouldn't know who she is. And I bet few would take the time to talk with here at any rate. The same with the folks from Little Devil's Lunchbox - Ew! They have tattoos! But their business seems to be doing very well. Like you say, the COC and ED crowds don't ever step out of their comfort zones, and that's why they never seem to learn or grow. And here we are.
ReplyDeleteSabai Thai isn't just out of the way; it's also only open for dinner, so the hours are limited. Still, like you say, they've not only made a go of it, they've expanded the restaurant, and opened Bar N9ne downtown. To repeat: In a time and place where so many businesses are closing, they have expanded and opened a second business.
DeleteSo clearly, the people at Sabai Thai know what they're doing. Just as clearly, the people involved with the Chamber will never even attempt to tap into that knowledge. They'll just keep eating their swill and wringing their hands and wondering where, oh where have the visitors gone?
If the racist and sexist dolts at the Chamber had Ann or Noi walk in, all they'd see would be a woman of color, and they'd assume she was there to wait tables.
DeleteI don't think PA recognizes the phrase "woman of color", generally. This place is all cracker, all the time, and not too up on the lingo of you transplant liberals.
DeletePer the chamber, it's like with computer programming: Garbage in, garbage out.
ReplyDeleteThey shovel shit into their mouths at their meetings, then spew the same shit out of their mouths in their always lame "marketing" efforts. Then they sit around puzzled, wondering why visitors aren't flocking here in droves.
New slogan: Port Angeles: Shit Shovelers Garbage Grub
DeleteRuss Veenema is a real Clallam County throwback. I'm not sure if he even really knows what the internet is, or that people actually use it to communicate - and that what they communicate about Port Angeles is often not favorable. You make good points here, but left some things out. One key one being the Chamber's history of either actively ignoring new businesses, or exploiting them by getting them to host and pay for a Chamber lunch, THEN ignoring them. I know of at least two businesses in Port Angeles that got taken that way. It's like, "Thanks for the free lunch - sucker!" Only they don't even say thanks.
ReplyDeleteWith a Chamber as checked out and stuck in the 1970s as this one is, I don't see why the city keeps funneling money to them in such huge amounts. Oh, wait. The city is stuck in the 70s, too.
He's a rude ignorant man. As history has shown, the leader influences all around him....so if we have a rude ignorant leader of the Chamber of Commerce, we have a rude, ignorant Chamber.
DeleteThe chamber isn't even stuck in the 70's....it's stuck where the sun never shines, and the outlook is brown.
Yes, I did this a few months ago. Looked at the online reviews of the local places.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't care about your own place, how can you expect anyone else to?
So many of those comments really do sum up Port Angeles, don't they?
ReplyDelete"Outdated and overpriced."
"Skip this place!"
And perhaps the most accurate: "I can't complain too much since the town itself doesn't have many options."
That last one sums up life here WAY too well.
I find it interesting that it is the business owners, the owners of the Red Lion, the Crab house and the other hotels and restaurants in Port Angeles that don't invest in the needed upgrades. Is it the Chambers fault that the owners of the Red Lion don't have cleaner facilities, and capable staff? Is it the City's fault that the Crabhouse has "Terrible food, atrocious service. "?
ReplyDeleteThe Red Lion is run, locally, by a real piece of work. Aside from defending the parking as if parking were actually something coveted around here, they are mean, rude, and not cooperative AT ALL with any other local business owners. The place is a second rate flop house, and for some reason our Chamber/PADA/ETC...think it's a four star hotel. It's a crappy, old, outdated MOTEL. The floors creek (was built on the cheap, no doubt) and the rooms do smell like mold, and not enough cleaning. When the Red Lion in Kelso seems upscale, by comparison, something is very, very wrong.
DeleteAnonymous 10:30AM - If you'll read my original post again, you'll see that I don't "blame" the Chamber for the lousy food and filthy facilities at the Red Lion. But the Chamber does absolutely facilitate said "qualities," and has never, to my knowledge, encouraged them to up their game.
DeleteMy point, if you will, is that the Chamber crowd seems totally checked out of how the town is perceived by people who aren't part of the Chamber crowd. They see Port Angeles through some sort of bizarre rose-colored glasses, while much of the available info from the real world shows that people view the town in a very dim light. indeed.
Actually the Chamber crowd are infected with the attitude that is best described as ARROGANT IGNORANCE. It's like the multitude of bad spelling around here, if you point it out people get angry and say "it doesn't matter, spelling doesn't count". The problem isn't just local to Port Angeles, it's everywhere. Fueled by the lowest-rung of society celebrated on reality tv shows, and with over-promoted morons (celebs). It's just more obvious here because it's isolated, and not countered by more people of intelligence willing to speak up. The problem in a nutshell: toxic ignorance, false information, and highly subjective and biased knowledge. Again, a new slogan for Port Angeles.
Delete"terrible food, atrocious service" and the portions are so small....
DeleteActually, Russ praises the management of the RedLion. He supports their stupid moves, and encourages more of their anti-business practices. He doesn't put any pressure on them to work with anyone.
DeleteThe Next Door Gastro Pun is another good option downtown, as is New Day Café.
ReplyDeletegastro pun? I don't get the pun....
Delete*pub* ... sorry!
DeleteJust in case anyone was wondering, the owners of Next Door Gastro Pub, don't play well in the sand. They are not team players and I've heard from a reliable source ( ex-employee ) that they have periodic strategy sessions where they discuss ways to hurt or take down their perceived competitors. They are about "divide and conquer" which eventually comes back to bite you. Has anyone else heard about this anti-community behavior?
DeleteAnonymous 4:19PM - Could you please define what it means to not be a "team player"? This is a vague term, one that isn't necessarily negative at all in my book. Definition and details, please?
DeleteWhat competitors? I don't know of many team players in the downtown area because PADA doesn't really support team playing.
DeleteThe chamber staff is demanding and they don't tip, EVER. They will order a "rush" "gotta have it by noon" huge order (ordered at 11am) and expect that it will be ready, then grouse at you if they have to wait a moment (because, if a business is open for lunch, no one else wants their food at noon, right?) and still NOT TIP. This is how they treat restaurants around town. I'll wager that the only place that WILL HOST their stupid meetings IS the Crab House.
ReplyDeleteThis town has no idea of "customer service". Period. Why is it that on the 4th of July, when people come in from out-of-town, all the restaurants close for dinner. What choices are there? McD's and ? This never made any sense at all, but it is "how we does it 'round here". Meanwhile, I can eat in a NYC or San Francisco Michelin starred restaurant for about the same price I can eat at one of our "Sysco/FSA" food huts. I gave up eating out locally. The poorly prepared foods are one thing, the outrageous prices are another. The fact that the local restaurants are so attached to Sysco/Food Services of America (and their "this is faster, easier" pre-packaged garbage) is disgusting. Why should I dine out on foods that are less edible than Schwann's garbage? The problem is, the "locals" here are all about lack of flavor, more food ("the food was awful, and the portions were so small") greasy and bland. (Might as well eat out of a pig trough.) So, restaurants start catering to this low-brow clientele and voila! we have Port Angeles cuisine.
ReplyDeleteAnother stumbling block for local restaurants is the fact that they don't seem to get that a lot of people are vegetarians now, especially those types who, say, come from Canada or Seattle to, say, hike in a national park for a day.
DeleteThe Asian restaurants in town all kind of get it at least, but even supposedly sophisticated places like Michael's are still stuck in the 70s with their meat meat meat menus. More than once when I've tried to find something vegetarian to eat, I've just gotten a blank stare. If not for the Asian restaurants, and the veggie burritos at Little Devil, I wouldn't eat out in this town at all.
Hey Anon 5PM: I hear you. Even the restaurants here that "do" vegetarian, don't necessarily do it well. I was excited to have my first meal at New Day, but they screwed it up so bad (real cheese on it when I'd ordered vegan, etc.) that they gave me a comp for my next meal there.
DeleteThat second meal was so greasy and terrible, I haven't been back. When I want to eat out, I trek to Port Townsend or Seattle.
I have literally been to greasy spoon burger joints in the middle of nowhere that still had Garden Burgers available. But here in Port Angeles, the "center of it all," such things are still rare and exotic. And yes, in the case of places like New Day Café, they are generally done badly if done at all.
DeleteFirst, let me say that there are SOME good restaurants in town. But it's true that 90% of the flagship, name brand and downtown restaurants are really bad.
DeleteIf not for the whole "Twilight" thing, Bella Italia and their terrible food would have been gone long ago. The Chestnut Cottage clearly wants to be an Olive Garden, only with even bigger portions and worse food. Café Garden is soft, bland, bland, bland food for people who are so old their tastebuds have stopped working. Toga's is also really bland. I don't know how the Golden Gate justifies their having such a HUGE space for such a terrible, never-busy-at-all restaurant.
And don't even get me started on the "Mexican" restaurants here...Ug.
The trouble is that so many of our clueless locals and "business leaders" will happily direct tourists and visitors to these horrible places because they are friends with the owners, or just don't know any better. So a huge percentage of visitors come here, eat a crappy meal while looking at our crappy cracked sidewalks and vacant downtown, and get all sorts of good reasons to never, ever come back to Port Angeles. Remember: A LOT of our visitors are coming from places where they have abundant good restaurant choices. Do you really think that Port Angeles is in shape to compete restaurant-wise?
I sure don't. And I have no doubt it hurts the town. Crap House indeed...
11:35 you must have meant Mexican-ish food. Make it bland, cover it with some canned mystery sauce, add some pale yellow rice and some refritos and call it Mexican. About as Mexican as my mother's horrid tamale pie recipe she clipped out of Family Circle Magazine. Dreadful. More canned salsa, anyone?
Deleteblah blah blah blah vegetarian vegan....so 00's. Now it's gluten free and GMO free, which are even less available. Here we are in an area that has local food and 99%of the places have pre-packaged junk from one of the bulk restaurant suppliers. Garden burgers suck, though, check the ingredients. You'd be better off eating cardboard. Less additives.
DeleteI'm gonna hazard a guess that if anyone from the Chamber reads this posting, they won't be happy. I'm quite sure they'd rather kill the messenger than listen to your message.
ReplyDeleteThey don't listen. But, if you look at their website, it's pretty clear that they don't really fathom the inner-tubes of the web.
DeleteIf you've ever heard Russ give a "report" on what the Chamber has been up to, whenever he gets to their website or any online promotions, he really starts to hem and haw. It's clear he doesn't know what he is talking about at all. I once asked him how they knew what the follow through was one online coupons people used or clicked on. He said they had no idea, that there was no way to track their usage. When I told him that there was, and gave him a quick, simple explanation of how it's done, he just stared at me. Nothing to say at all. He was, as you say, seemingly just stunned by the wonders of the inner-tubes.
DeleteThat's because the "Chamber Master" (holy bat shit....someone actually uses that moniker in a naive sort of way....aka MicroNet...found a vertical market in CoC's) manages it, and seems to have a one-size-fits most, tiered plans (monthly). Their websites start at $29 (starter package) to $69 and up (Standard), or "starts at" $238 (Premier) all the way to "starts at" $261 (sucker...er PRO) ::prices based on membership size::: Other fine print: One-time setup fee typically ranges from $600-$2000. One-time new website design fee may apply (optional service). Slow servers, too. Geez. Rubes.
DeleteI found the problem with the Chamber.... there are only FOUR locally owned businesses on the board. Olympic Medical Center, Nippon, Union Bank, Craft3, Peninsula College, Red Lion, Windermere, Aramark, Clallam County, PABA, Port, PADA, City Council Member, Lake Crescent Lodge (isn't that Aramark again? Pretty slick they are listed twice, but one is an alias). So, we're left with a network systems (?) the municipal pool, an attorney, and KONP for local businesses. Now, first, what does Nippon give a hot damn about tourism? And, ditto Union Bank (headquarters in San Francisco). The network systems...seems to be a retro "tech" company, how 90's. Cool...so our entire Chamber is out of touch, and has no clue how to be in touch, but I'll bet that they enjoy those first and third Monday lunches. Wow, this upcoming Monday they are meeting with Buddy the Ambassadog! And, in the 17th, they're having a "seminar focusing on new banking technology" How droll. What does this have to do with promoting the businesses in the area? They haven't lost the plot, there never was one. I'm surprised the meeting notes aren't written in crayon.
DeleteAnon 12:25 AM - Bingo! We have a winner!
DeleteI think we'd do better with Buddy the Ambassadog as a board member.
DeleteTo be fair, the Crab House is aptly named. Although for those of us with dyslexia (and see the b as a p) it makes even more sense.
ReplyDeleteThe mighty cruise ships...oh yes. I remember a few years ago when the PADA insisted that all the local downtown businesses send a welcoming committee to the cruise ship, and they promoted that it would be a big, big boost for business. Right. It was a rainy day, and several oldsters toddled off and grabbed cabs right to the state run liquor store (because hard hooch was expensive on the boat). A couple wandered around like ants without their queen, and didn't buy a thing. It was such a waste of time. And, I can only imagine their view of the Port Angeles was "what desperate people...they came out to MEET the ship".
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, one of the first people off of the first cruise ship, seeing the industrial wasteland that they have to dock at, asked if she needed to put on a hardhat before leaving the boat...And welcome to Port Angeles! Rough Cut and Hard Hats!
DeleteHow many cruise ships will be returning in 2015 after they turn thousands of people loose in downtown Port Angeles this summer, only to discover a dying downtown? Speaking of Port Townsend . . . we recently visited there as well. When you enter the city you are greeted with a sign that says: Port Townsend: A Victorian Seaport and an Arts Community. There you have it . . . a clear vision and identity . . . something that people can get behind and support. Sadly, Port Angeles does not have a "shared vision" and if we're going to have any chance of turning our sad state of affairs into something new and exciting, people will need to come together and unite around a shared vision that takes us to a new place. Right now, we could put up a sign as people enter Port Angeles: Something's Happening in Town SHIT . . . it happens. I'm sure the Chamber and Downtown Association would be OK with this. No wait . . . the Downtown Association already has a clear and compelling message: "Saw Blades R Us".
Deletepeople who go on cruises don't do so because they want to explore. They do so because they want to sit on their fat arses and drink, eat and shoot the shit with their fellow passengers. The cruise ship stops are because of Maritime law, and a ship needs to have X number of "foreign" port stops. In order to embark in a U.S. port and disembark in a second U.S. port, the vessel must visit another "non disembarking" port. Port Angles on any of these cruises is often the next to last stop (i.e. 31st day of a 30 day cruise) such as this cruise: http://www.cruisecompete.com/itins/statendam_cruises_baiceich.html OR, be the 2nd US stop, (day 3 of a 4 day cruise) before a foreign destination (Vancouver) http://www.cruisecompete.com/itins/statendam_cruises_bbehbeji.html By the 30th day the people on the cruise are burned out on the cruise, and have spent all their money on the REAL part of the trip, recovering from whatever, or packing for disembarking. It's no a real "tourist stop". And, on a 4 day cruise, they're going to want to savor the last day of the cruise. Please.....haven't any of you traveled on a ship?
DeleteAnonymous 5:22PM - Thanks for the information and the context. I know about the maritime port stop rules, and thus know that Port Angeles was never really a legitimate stop.
DeleteBut please don't bother trying to explain this to Pat Downie. He is still too excited to hear you.
Yeah, and Barb gets all sweaty at the mention of a "cruise ship" and the opportunity to get dressed up in some outlandish steam-punk-esque outfit. Not sure but I think she likes to pretend they're actually mystic time travelers from a different, advanced world and we're poor dumb local natives.
DeleteIf we get Barb and Pat Downie to greet them, and then take them to a lunch with Cherie Kidd and Russ Veenema at the Crap House, our visitors would really get a sense of all that Port Angeles has to offer!
DeleteYour choice of photos is disgusting. Sadly, they are also kind of appropriate for the topic, so I can't actually complain too much.
ReplyDeleteIn response to a comment I received that was not for publication...Let me make it clear that I see the problems at the Red Lion and Crab House as being problems with the management, not the workers. I know there are some really good people who work in these places, but they operate to the levels and expectations set by management. And if either of these places are like some places I've worked in the past, workers can get punished by management for exceeding the (low) customer service expectations set for them.
ReplyDeleteSo, again, this post is not meant to be picking on the people who work in these places - the problem resides with those who set and enforce policy.
How much can you expect Russ to really care when A) He's 70 something, and for all intents and purposes, retired, and B) He lives in Sequim, and probably doesn't give a rat's ass about whether or not the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce makes it or not. He'll just take that paycheck as long as he can, right? Oh, and his dimbulb niece, too.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice racket for him, no doubt about it. The shame is that the COC board allows it to happen, and just keeps him in place despite any measurable successes at all.
he's not 70' something, he is 50+ something. Geez....
ReplyDelete61
Delete61 the hard way, then.
DeletePerhaps....he looks younger than Paul Gottlieb, who is the same age, but clearly those are "around the town miles". I'd say that Russ has mostly highway miles.
DeleteJust think, before here he was a shill for Deer Valley in Utah. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9OBCXgsB4Y Check out 3:54 on the tape.
ReplyDeleteFirst: I don't really like to post links here a lot, but...
DeleteSecond: Young Russ makes his appearance right after the four-minute mark...
Third: It scares me that you (whoever you are) knew about this. But thanks for sharing it!
I wouldn't KNOW about it except that I was doing some google searches to figure out where he was hatched, er, came from. I thought it was too good to not send you the link. Can catalog it under: classic, almost-groovy, certainly smarmy, time-share salesperson.
DeleteMore or Mr. Veeeeeeenema.... http://www.deseretnews.com/article/148901/EXECUTIVE-FOCUS--RUSSELL-J-VEENEMA-EXECUTIVE-DIRECTOR-PARK-CITY--CHAMBER-OF-COMMERCECONVENTION.html
ReplyDeleteFrom the Russ article:
Delete"Management style: Very relaxed with an emphasis on letting people manage themselves. Listen, ask questions and be aware of what is going on in all departments. Be prepared to step in at any time.
Strategy for success: Spend time with our membership and put together programs which are important to the success of their business. My policy is to be honest, straightforward and accomplish whatever I commit to."
So, Russ, what happened to ya???
At the risk of sounding like a kook...Does this piece on Russ from the Deseret News mean he's part of the not-so-secret huge and connected Mormon population here in Clallam County? Really, there are way too many Mormons here, demographically speaking, and it's kind of really creepy.
DeleteRuss?
The number of Mormons here is really weird. I've been told that the LDS church has some sort of fascination with the Makah, but don't know if that's true or not. Even if it is true, it doesn't explain why we have such a disproportionately large number of Mormons in Port Angeles.
DeleteSure, the Crabby House and Red Loins has some good employees, with good intentions. The problem is ALWAYS top/down. However, the problem is, and always has been, the management. I (once) needed to get hold of the manager, which doesn't appear to be an onsite/hands on manager and had to leave more than a dozen messages, and several visits before I was given the "I don't care" brush off. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteTHIS is what a chamber director is supposed to do:
ReplyDeleteChamber directors plan, organize and oversee a range of services and events for members. Directors identify common needs among local small business owners and arrange lectures, workshops and training seminars on different management issues and opportunities. Executive directors take an active part in local government. They advocate for laws and ordinances that benefit business and oppose measures that restrict opportunities and increase costs for employers. Chamber directors lead the business community's efforts to support and enhance cities and towns. They often spearhead campaigns to raise money for local charities and cultural organizations. Chambers may sponsor their own community events such as holiday parades, heritage festivals and job and health fairs.
I think we got a dud.
Anonymous 5:26PM - I don't think you're being fair. After all, Russ spearheaded a campaign to hire his niece at the Chamber office. Couldn't we consider that a kind of charity?
DeleteIt's been pretty...awkward...when we've had people from our of the area visit us, and we end up taking them to Port Townsend to get something to eat. Then we have to explain why, which sounds pretty pathetic.
ReplyDeleteI know you focused on the two high profile businesses, the Red Lion and the Crab house, in looking at on line reviews, but I remember looking at others in town a few months ago. And the results were similar.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me wonder why. I saw you (CK) said that your point was that the Chamber crowd seems to see things in Port Angeles through rose colored glasses, but that doesn't fully answer why business ownwers don't make needed investments to do upgrades, keep their places adequately clean, and demand better service from their employees.
But, thinking that Port Angeles is a declining market does provide a plausible answer. One, two or more businesses out of the whole town running crappy operations might be seen as being the result of poor management. But when it seems the vast majority of businesses are perceived to be providing crappy service, it likely is the bigger picture environment.
Hard to feel positive about the future of your business, when the streets are literally empty most of the time, and your walls shake as log trucks rumble past your door. Day after day. ( Read the reviews of the Downtown Hotel).
Boat loads of people get off the ferry every day, and virtually all of them take a direct route out of town.
I'm sure these people open their businesses with hope and enthusiasm, but for how long can they remain upbeat in the face of a town in obvious decline? As other storefronts close, and the streets become ever more empty, why spend what money you have upgrading?
Thanks for your post - it's right on the mark, in my opinion. Who is going to buy new deck chairs for the proverbial sinking ship?
DeleteI think you are letting a couple of (higher profile) establishments, which may well be bad apples, spoil the barrel. I have nothing but good things to say about several local eateries including the previously mentioned Sabai Thai, Bushwacker, LD's WoodFire Grill, Sergios, Cafe Garden, C'est Si Bon, Gordies, Westside Pizza, Chestnut Cottage, Frugals, and Kokopelli Grill. When I want my out of town guests to enjoy their sleeping facilities, I send them to the Olympic Lodge, overlooking the golf course.
ReplyDeleteYou identify the problem in the first line of your response: If the bad apples are the high profile apples, the apples that Chamber members and others are going to urge visitors to bite into, well, that's a problem in and of itself. The fact that those Chamber members are clueless about quality food, or what people are saying online about Port Angeles, is another problem.
DeleteNo one is saying there are NO good places to eat in Port Angeles. Just that the ones that are often out there front and center are providing the worst (yet most "authentic") experience of Port Angeles.
Sergios is passable, at best, but the food is old-style "American interpretation of Mexican". At best, it would have been great in the 1980's. C'est Si Bon is also stuck in a time warp, aka 1970's "French" and missed the whole Nouvelle and California Cuisine movement, and certainly any of the El Bulli molecular gastronomy. It's old fashioned food at today's high prices. Next....Gordies is filthy. The windows are dirty, and the food is questionable, on a good day. Chestnut Cottage was good 10-15 years ago, but when they became devotees of "eggs in a cardboard carton" cooking, and took most of the interesting signature dishes off the menu (lemon pancakes with local raspberry sauce) and kept raising prices, and lowering quality...(from a fruit salad to a slice of orange with parsley..how 1960's chic) they stopped being a place for lunch. Frugals is a long way from In-and-Out burger quality. The place has become worn like a cheap OLD hooker. Kokopelli Grill....tries but often misses the mark. The Olympic Lodge is not a fine lodging experience. Well, it is if your idea of quality is a motor lodge. Please....don't keep showing your ignorance of the rest of the universe...it is embarrassing.
DeleteYou know people...I think it's pretty foolish to focus on these occasional visits from these small cruise ships that are partly full of tired old tourists who mostly stay on board. That's a pretty tiny pool of possibilities to get excited about, you know?
ReplyDeleteIf you want to talk about economics in Port Angeles, let's think about the sharply diminishing ferry traffic we've seen over the last few years. Let's focus on the previously existing flow of out-of-the-area visitors that's been drying up. That tells us much more about the economic health and potential of Port Angeles, and what it's telling us isn't good.
It was NEVER the boatloads of people getting OFF the ferry that made a difference in Port Angeles. It was the parking lots full of waiting cars, idling their hours away wandering around until the next ferry run, and the people who arrived, spent the night, in hopes of getting up very, very early to get in line and GO to Victoria. Once the passport requirements were put in place, the number of people going to Victoria dropped like seagull excrement on a unsuspecting tourist. Why do you think the competition to the run (Victoria Express) quit their runs completely? The difference was staggering, overnight. Add to that the passport requirement dovetailed with the building of the Gateway Trash-IT hub AND the tearing up of the downtown sidewalks/sewer system, whatever and massive disruptions of traffic (and the too stressed out, allegedly-harassed Ms. Pierce couldn't actually do her job enough to TELL businesses when street closures would happen....so businesses had to contend with suddenly NO CUSTOMERS for a full day, several days. The businesses had to still pay employees that arrived that day, utilities had to be paid, taxes had to be paid. And, no PADA did nothing to help, neither did the Chamber, neither did the PABA. Pierce missives were on a "need to know basis", usually after the need.) Meanwhile, utility rates for commercial customers didn't drop -- they went up quite a bit in that one year, as did all the fees for permits, and the new parking regulations went into effect (you HAD to have a permit for each employee...even if part time...$15 bucks a whack, each month. Thank you PADA for caring about your businesses.) Those things caused a number of businesses to faulter, or shutter completely. Meanwhile, it's NOT like the sudden decline in traffic (foot and actual traffic) caused a decline in the business RENTS. No, the greedy old bastards who own those downtown buildings INCREASED their rents, after all, they "deserved them" even though the said GOB's don't put any money into keeping up the buildings, correcting hazards, or mitigating problems (like the fabric store that had water streaming down her walls damaging her merchandise, or the building where the India Oven was with it's flooded basement, backed up sewer problems OR leaking roof. Or, the asbestos that is in several downtown buildings that is friable and old. Or, the obvious electrical issues that plague the old buildings, or the lack of fire blocking, or the lack of fire suppression equipment. Yup. Hard to be a business owner here. If I were a conspiracy theorist I'd wonder if these catastrophic events were planned.
ReplyDeleteFirst, thanks for writing. You sound like you speak from bitter experience, for which I am sorry.
DeleteSecond, you make many good points, and managed to work the City's role in the dysfunction in quite well.
Third, I don't think you have to be a conspiracy theorist to see a plot at work here. More on that in later postings.
It's over folks. Cut your losses like I did. :)
ReplyDeleteAmen to that. Life is too short to waste it living in Port Angeles.
DeleteI LIKE the area, it's some of the people I don't like.
DeleteChoose whatever food metaphor you like. The fact is, Port Angeles is a meal very few people want to eat. Not even a bite.
ReplyDeleteWelcome To Port Angeles. Order our world famous shit sandwiches. Enjoy.
DeleteAnd, as anyone can see from the online reviews of Port Angeles, visitors coming here do NOT have the "everything is fine": rose colored glasses the Chamber and crew function with. The Rah Rah contingent in Port Angeles can say it is just a matter of advertising enough, to get people here, that will solve all our problems. But we can easily see FROM the people who come, what a bad impression Port Angeles leaves them with after they DO come here.
ReplyDeleteYou know, give the Chamber even more money to try to bring even more people here, so that they can experience that "authentic" feeling of mildewy bedding, high prices and poor service.
Isn't this kind of backwards? Shouldn't all the service businesses meet some kind of minumum level of decency before we go inviting the whole world to come and visit?
You noticed in that article about the Oso mudslides that the City/County governments can't be held liable for issuing building permits in a known hazardous area?
ReplyDeleteWhy should any of them care? No accountability. They literally know their actions can lead to the deaths of people, and they won't be held accountable.
Fabulous.
And you wonder why we have the problems we do?
hell, the city can't be responsible for MY HOUSE, which was built in the city limits, and not to code, for not enforcing code. Welcome to the CYA mentality of local government. As soon as we realize they aren't about protecting us, and are all about sucking our money out of our wallets, the better we'll all sleep at night. Sort of.
ReplyDelete