I was reading on a park bench out in front of city hall on Saturday and got tired, so I lied down and took a nap. It was nice! I might do it again! I look forward to more napping locations.

I notice several of these benches are outside of the downtown core... does the sit/lie ordinance apply everywhere in the city? I assumed it was just downtown, but I guess I don't know why I thought that.

It's funny you should mention that a good number are on the East Side: the sit/lie ordinance will apply to the downtown core (fareless square) and the Lloyd district.

The idea is to have benches where people would naturally congregate, so the ordinance isn't accused of "sweeping the homeless into the river." Although it has already been accused of that, several times...still...you can only do your best, eh.

The Seattle sit/lie ordinance was the beginning wedge of a very carefully crafted set of laws that eventually affected the city's ambience in such a way as to make people who are afraid of people who are poorer than them nice and comfortable in all the wrong ways. Now those are the only people in Seattle, the city has lost most of its soul, and it is fucking boring. Be warned.

Grant, the battle for the soul of Portland is more or less over. Notice how all of the apartment buidings in your nice hip neighborhood, one by one, are going Condo ? I give the central part of town less than 5 years before it's inhabitants are identical to those of Seattle.

See you in East County, everybody !

I wonder if they aren't going to put limits on sidewalk cafes taking up huge chunks of real estate - there are a lot of offenders who take up half or more of the sidewalk, and Pastini's umbrellas (at 9th and Taylor) almost reach out into the street!