The smell on Crale Street (week 3, getting worse)
Posting on behalf of basically everyone on the 400 block of Crale Street. There is a SMELL. It started around May 19th. At first it was faint, like warm metal and overripe fruit. Now it's more like if those things had a disagreement and the disagreement got humid. City said they'd "look into it." That was two weeks ago. Has anyone gotten an actual answer?
I called the non-emergency line (same as the emergency line, see other thread) and they said it's been referred to Environmental Ambiance and they're "monitoring." I asked what they're monitoring it for and the person on the phone said "changes" and then there was a long silence and I hung up.
For what it's worth, this happens on Crale about every 18 months. Last time was late 2024. It peaks around week 4, holds for a few days, and then dissipates overnight. Nobody's ever gotten a definitive explanation. The city's official position, if you can find it on their website (good luck), is "seasonal atmospheric expression." My personal theory involves the storm drain system but I've been told to stop sharing my personal theories.
Week 4 update. cliff_oates was right, it peaked. I want to be clear about what "peaked" means. It is no longer just a smell. It has a TASTE. You can taste the air on Crale Street. It tastes like how a headache feels. Three people on the block have started wearing masks. Two people have started wearing masks inside their homes. One person put their house on the market, which I think is an overreaction, but I also understand.
I'm on the 300 block and we haven't smelled anything yet but we can HEAR it. I understand that doesn't make sense. The smell has an audible component. It's low, below what you'd normally notice, but if you put your ear to the ground on the sidewalk you can hear what I can only describe as a very slow exhale. My husband thinks I'm losing it. He put his ear to the ground and heard it too and now neither of us is sleeping well.
The audible phase is new. That didn't happen last time. Or the time before. I'm going to cautiously suggest this might be a different situation than the regular 18-month cycle. I still have a personal theory but I'm still not sharing it.