Reflections on Cordata Area in Bellingham, WA.

Silicon Valley Creeping North

A few weeks ago, I bicycled out Cordata Street. Haven't seen the campus of Whatcom
Community College for quite some time.

It has grown! Bellingham has two major centers of higher learning
now. WCC and Western Washington University, known as WWU.

Comparing Whatcom to Western brings one word to
mind - Parking. The community college seems to have parking, at each
building, while Western is less "car friendly."

I like Western's layout better, being a non driver. Western is a much prettier campus.
It gets a lot of criticism for parking being a long ways from buildings, but bike parking is right near the door..

The Whatcom campus looks like it is becoming a "juggernaut" for a
mini "Silicone Valley." So many firms in glass steel boxes. Light
manufacturing mixed with warehouse style retail. It reminded me of
last summer, biking through Mountainview, California, near San Jose.

One nice thing about Moutainview; it does have lots of bike lanes.
The sprawl has been "retrofitted," for calmer things like bikes.
Also retrofitting for earthquakes.

Codata Street, in Bellingham, was poorly planned with out bike
lanes. Seeds of sprawl, along with all that parking at WCC are
planted. Newer streets, out in that area, have bike lanes.
Retrofitting is happening here also.

"Is the cup half full or half empty?" Or, as some people say, "is it
overflowing?" "Out of control?" Anti growth advocates hate seeing things like Cordata mushroom.

When I was riding though northern California, my radio
practically danced off its handlebar mount with a jingle from this
firm called "Tap Plastics."

The jingle goes "Tap Tap ... Tap Plastics." And there is a full
orchestra.

It's just about cutting plastics to sizes for things like window
coverings. Does it deserve all this fanfare?

Now, Seattle stations ring with the jingle as a "Tap Plastics" has
landed in Bellvue. Will it someday come to Bellingham? Will it be
followed by "Crispy Cream Doughnuts?"

If it does, it would likely land in Cordata area.

Amazing how people's day to day purchases can shape the world.

Business tends to make big deals out of trivial items. That new sofa
cover, paint for the deck.

When I was growing up, in eastern Washington, the entire landscape
seemed covered with signs for "Tiny's." It was a business in
Cashmere, Washington." Little signs would just say,

"Tiny's, Cashmere, WA."

Fence posts had signs, houses had signs, phone poles, bumper
stickers.

What was "Tiny's?"

When we finally went through Cashmere, my mom looked out the window.
With great disgust in her voice she said, "It's nothing but a big
overgrown fruit stand!"
It's about "making a living." "Getting that new sofa and sun deck."

See more of my Bellingham pictures here.