“Hat n’ Boots” was a gas station situated on the old hiway 99 near the Boeing complex south of seattle. as a kid, i remember begging my parents to stop there to buy gas, just so we could go there. it was a giant COWBOY HAT that sold gas! and the restrooms were GIANT COWBOY BOOTS! even better – the girl boot was the girl’s restroom, and the boy boot was the boy’s restroom. try to beat that with a stick!
as the years went on, it closed and became a derelict novelty eyesore alongside the old hiway. eventually, skateboarders discovered that the brim of the hat was a lovely ramp to practice on. the whole thing began to look like an urban ruin covered with graffiti
eventually, the city took over the abandoned location. the skeleton of the hat (just a framework, really) and the boots were moved to a georgetown/south park bean patch and declared a park. it was eventually restored and turned into a charming feature at a gentrifying south town hipsterville. the old site became a parking lot for transit buses or something.
however, the image in this photo is the way i remember it best. how can you not?
