Lost? Secret Phrase Helps You Navigate Seattle Better

There's a phrase that Seattleites know that you probably don't. And it's a provocative phrase that may offend your sensibilities. That is not the objective of this article. We didn't come up with the saying, we are merely sharing it with you.

It's a helpful mnemonic device that has been helping newbies navigate downtown Seattle for decades: "Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest." If you ever find yourself turned around somewhere between Jefferson and Pine Street (and who hasn't), this easy-to-remember expression will get you closer to your destination, rather than further away.

Breaking Down the JCMSUP Mnemonic

There are consecutive pairs of streets in downtown Seattle that start with the same letter. This is probably one of the reasons people get confused, but it's also the foundation of our hack, "Jesus Made Seattle Under Protest."

Below is each word from our catchy little phrase, followed by the streets it correlates to.

Jesus

• Jefferson
• James

Christ

• Cherry
• Columbia

Made

• Marion
• Madison

Seattle

• Spring
• Seneca

Under

• University
• Union

Protest

• Pike
• Pine

Why Not Just Use GPS?

Sure, this clever expression was created in a time before GPS (God's Perfect Storm - kidding), but there's something to be said for being self-reliant. Maybe you're in motion and can't access directions. Maybe the battery in your phone is dead. Maybe you just want to turn your friends on to this wacky navigation hack. It does kinda' feel like you're in a secret club, right? That's fun.

Whatever the case may be, we hope that you enjoy the sites, are never lost, and always on time. That last thing will never happen in Seattle because of all the traffic, but it sounded good, so we kept it in.