A Ramble Through Seattle’s Downtown Shopping District, Black Friday, 2023
So, Black Friday, America’s premier day of shopping frenzy (the day after we give thanks for what we already have) is a consumerist dream. But, as you can see, it seems that we either have moved away from consumerism, or we are just ordering things online in the weeks-long run up to it. I know that I received 15 “Pre-Black Friday”, or “ Early Black Friday” promotional invitations from every online retailer I did business with every day since Veteran’s Day, and I presume that I am not alone in that. The demise of the brick-and-mortar retail space may have been called prematurely but it is easy to see in this sparsely populated video not only the lack of people in a shopping frenzy, but the retail spaces that, in the second mall that I visit in this video, half the spaces were shuttered. That said, the ambience is still holiday-themed even if the spirit is a tad weak. Enjoy!
Start Address: 5th Ave and Pine St.
Stop Address: Pacific Place
Mileage: 1.61 miles
Animated map: here
Difficulty/Terrain: Sidewalks and escalators
Ascent: 49ft, Descent: 49ft.