A bad plan

Megan and I went on the Underground Seattle tour, which was a fantastic tour. Apparently Pioneer Square used to be a whole floor lower. The city wanted to raise the town a level after the city burned down, but the businesses didn't want to wait 7 or 8 years to start business again so they rebuilt and the city raised the roads around them. So the roads were a story above the sidewalk and the sidewalks were basically a tunnel. To cross the road you had to climb a ladder 8-30 ft!

This picture is of early pipes that were run above ground, and apparently it is a bad plan to put water through wood where bacteria can get in and a lot of people got sick. Not to mention the reason the city wanted to raise the city in the first place is that when the tide came in people's toilets became Old Faithful...

Seattle seems like it was a rough town to live in for a while. You had to carry all the supplies you bought up a huge ladder everytime you crossed the street to go home (15 lb flour bag anyone??) And the plumbing was less than spectacular. If you spend anytime in Seattle you should definitely check out this tour.