We love blogs. We love local. And we especially love local bloggers with a purpose. Swirl & Sniff is dedicated to keeping you informed about quality 'no-pretense' wines. We found the site while digging for info about in-Seattle Wilridge Winery's Nebblio juice. Drink up!
-- j
Friday, October 28, 2005
Bat Cave Day!
Vain, your neighborhood punk DIY-friendly hair salon, boutique and art gallery, is having their annual BAT CAVE DAY on Saturday. They dress up and have competitive pumpkin carving and pass out treats, including Cupcake Royale cupcakes. Yum! These bats know how to party.
Double last call + Halloween = Fall back
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Seattle hearts pinko commie radio
Like any good citydwellers, we spend a fair amount of our time sitting in traffic. Once you've listened to your meager CD collection a few billion times, it's nice to be able to flip on the car radio and be entertained. Local radio industry expert Lisa Wood points us to the latest station ratings for the Seattle market. It's pretty darned interesting to see what advertisers think we're listening to. Lisa rightly calls out the success of KJAQ's format here in Seattle -- the station's automated 'Adult Hits' system is easily the biggest winner vs. the 2004 ratings period.
But when you look at year-over-year change on an individual station basis, there is a bigger winner than KJAQ.Talk radio KPTK turned in the biggest gain vs. last year with its ratings points jumping nearly 200%. What the hell is KPTK? Turns out, it's good ol pinkie commie radio Air America's Seattle base -- 1090 on your AM dial. Honorable mention should go to KNBQ -- easily the biggest gainer in our car thanks to the gf's affection for 'new' country, Q- Country didn't even exist last summer and already is sniffing 2 points of ratings share.
And the biggest losers? On the other end of the political and ratings spectrum from KPTK 1090, conservative yakker KTTH stunk up the joint dropping nearly 40% from 2004. Ditto!
-- jTags: uptown, seattle, radio, ratings, airamerica, kjack
Lost mail
A word to the wise for uptownites who leave town and come back to find their mail secreted away because their box was too full - go to the building on the northwest corner of 3rd and Broad between 8:30 and 9:30 in the morning. That's where your neighborhood postal employees will be sorting the mail for Uptown in a small room on the lower level of the parking garage. The postmen are quite nice, and they will give your mail back, although they might encourage you to leave a note next time you go on vacation "so I know what's going on." Was Mr. Route 82 actually worried about our sudden disappearance? He certainly knows enough about us with all the mail he sees.
-- k
Tags: uptown, seattle, mail
-- k
Tags: uptown, seattle, mail
Tort reform is not our job
Warning: long discussion about medical malpractice initiative I330 ahead.
Short form - Vote NO on I330
Most of you have probably been bombarded by media on the two "tort reform" initiatives - I330 and I336. I330 is the more disturbing of the two. I330 limits noneconomic loss recovery (i.e., pain and suffering) for victims of bungled medical procedures. This is advertised as the "doctor's bill" - with the idea that a limit on awards given out by juries in medical malpractice cases will get the out of control insurance premiums for doctors back under control. Insurance premiums for docs are crazy out of hand - docs, especially those in sensitive fields where people are more likely to sue, like obstetricians, are leaving their practices in droves because of the crushing premiums for medical malpractice insurance. Fixing this problem is necessary to ensure quality health care, particularly for those in rural areas - HOWEVER, it is totally unclear, at least to us, that limiting awards from lawsuits will reduce insurance premiums. Right now doctors who have zero malpractice claims against them have premiums that are just as high as doctors that a jury found had committed malpractice. This is crazy - people with lots of car accidents pay more for car insurance, hello! - we think insurance regulation is in order, not a roundabout approach by limiting what a jury can award to someone who is hurt.
Of course, personal injury lawyers are fighting hard against I330 - for attorneys that earn their living through contingency fees paid out of of jury awards, a limit on awards could drastically limit their income. (Full disclosure: I'm a lawyer, although not the personal injury variety. But this issue has gotten a lot of attention in the legal community.) The bigger concern, though, is that people who won't recover much money through economic awards (lost wages) will not recover much at all - and these are often the most vulnerable - the poor, stay-at-home moms, the elderly and children. Also, I330 would force many to sign away their right to a jury trial if they want to sue their doctor. A rule of thumb - binding arbitration is good for big guy, bad for the little guy.
It looks like the legislature is finally going to do its job - a recent House Bill was introduced that would be something of a middle ground. This is after some practice - related bills were discussed in earlier years and Olympia caved on each of them. We think the legislature should deal with this problem - not us. It's complicated and confusing and it should be worked out by experts.
Vote no on I330. Make the politicians fix the insurance industry. That's what we elect them for.
-- k
Tags: uptown, seattle, election, i330, malpractice
Short form - Vote NO on I330
Most of you have probably been bombarded by media on the two "tort reform" initiatives - I330 and I336. I330 is the more disturbing of the two. I330 limits noneconomic loss recovery (i.e., pain and suffering) for victims of bungled medical procedures. This is advertised as the "doctor's bill" - with the idea that a limit on awards given out by juries in medical malpractice cases will get the out of control insurance premiums for doctors back under control. Insurance premiums for docs are crazy out of hand - docs, especially those in sensitive fields where people are more likely to sue, like obstetricians, are leaving their practices in droves because of the crushing premiums for medical malpractice insurance. Fixing this problem is necessary to ensure quality health care, particularly for those in rural areas - HOWEVER, it is totally unclear, at least to us, that limiting awards from lawsuits will reduce insurance premiums. Right now doctors who have zero malpractice claims against them have premiums that are just as high as doctors that a jury found had committed malpractice. This is crazy - people with lots of car accidents pay more for car insurance, hello! - we think insurance regulation is in order, not a roundabout approach by limiting what a jury can award to someone who is hurt.
Of course, personal injury lawyers are fighting hard against I330 - for attorneys that earn their living through contingency fees paid out of of jury awards, a limit on awards could drastically limit their income. (Full disclosure: I'm a lawyer, although not the personal injury variety. But this issue has gotten a lot of attention in the legal community.) The bigger concern, though, is that people who won't recover much money through economic awards (lost wages) will not recover much at all - and these are often the most vulnerable - the poor, stay-at-home moms, the elderly and children. Also, I330 would force many to sign away their right to a jury trial if they want to sue their doctor. A rule of thumb - binding arbitration is good for big guy, bad for the little guy.
It looks like the legislature is finally going to do its job - a recent House Bill was introduced that would be something of a middle ground. This is after some practice - related bills were discussed in earlier years and Olympia caved on each of them. We think the legislature should deal with this problem - not us. It's complicated and confusing and it should be worked out by experts.
Vote no on I330. Make the politicians fix the insurance industry. That's what we elect them for.
-- k
Tags: uptown, seattle, election, i330, malpractice
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Another new restaurant within walking distance
Must be time to start putting on the winter coat of belly fat because we're feeling very restaurant-focussed these days. That makes the PI's Taste of the Town column a gotta-read since Nancy Leson (you misspelled Lesson, Nancy) usually digs up a few chow scoops every week. This week, she tips us off to the Nov. 11 unveiling of Veil, set to offer 'progressive american' (hey, that's us!) food and drink in the general Seattle Center region.
BTW, saw a sign in window of the Black Bottle announcing they will now be open Mondays which makes us think they probably weren't before.
-- j
Tags: uptown, seattle, veil, restaurant
BTW, saw a sign in window of the Black Bottle announcing they will now be open Mondays which makes us think they probably weren't before.
-- j
Tags: uptown, seattle, veil, restaurant
Cheap shot apology
Yesterday, I picked on a local blogger -- today, I should say sorry. I was trying to make a point about the personal nature of many (most?) blogs but did a crap job of it. What I should say now is there are a lot of reasons to have a blog. We do this for our reasons -- we like to know what is happening in the area we live, we like to praise stuff we like and un-praise stuff we don't and, frankly, we like to look at click charts to see how many people are reading. Somebody else does it for theirs. And you read because, well, you're pretty darn sure the boss doesn't know about how much time you spend surfing. Irony, oh irony -- we're making diary posts!
-- j
(p.s. -- It was also cold and rainy when I got up this morning. And I was sleepy. And I had an apple fritter for breakfast.)
-- j
(p.s. -- It was also cold and rainy when I got up this morning. And I was sleepy. And I had an apple fritter for breakfast.)
How to fix Halloween for Seattle
Much confusion is forecast in this country for the next few years of Halloweens. What to do when the biggest amateur fetish party night falls on a Monday? The problem is exasberated in a city like Seattle where things seem to trickle into either the stay home & watch TV or riot in the streets of Pioneer Square categories with no middle ground.
It's confusing. If you get all dolled up in your can-can dancer, naughty nurse or pirate outfit and head down 1st Ave Monday night to wet your whistle, will you be part of a revelrous throng of costumed freaks or very, very awkward standing at the bar in a tutu while the rest of the place pretends to be oblivious to the holiday.
Many in the city are taking matters into their own hands and declaring Saturday the 29th to be the party night. Even little guys like Mira! and Cafe Bella have flyers posted advertising Saturday night events.
Still, there is confusion. Is Saturday night Halloween Part I and Monday, Halloween Part II: The Nightmare Isn't Over? Should I wear my 'Cool Guy' t-shirt costume both nights or get a different 'This IS my costume' edition for Monday?
October 31st is not Halloween. Halloween, from this day forward, is the last Saturday in October. I don't know who is in charge of setting holidays that we don't actually get a day off for but we need them to act. Hallmark, are you out there? The city of Seattle and its trick-or-treating citizens are depending on you.
-- j
Tags: uptown, seattle, halloween
It's confusing. If you get all dolled up in your can-can dancer, naughty nurse or pirate outfit and head down 1st Ave Monday night to wet your whistle, will you be part of a revelrous throng of costumed freaks or very, very awkward standing at the bar in a tutu while the rest of the place pretends to be oblivious to the holiday.
Many in the city are taking matters into their own hands and declaring Saturday the 29th to be the party night. Even little guys like Mira! and Cafe Bella have flyers posted advertising Saturday night events.
Still, there is confusion. Is Saturday night Halloween Part I and Monday, Halloween Part II: The Nightmare Isn't Over? Should I wear my 'Cool Guy' t-shirt costume both nights or get a different 'This IS my costume' edition for Monday?
October 31st is not Halloween. Halloween, from this day forward, is the last Saturday in October. I don't know who is in charge of setting holidays that we don't actually get a day off for but we need them to act. Hallmark, are you out there? The city of Seattle and its trick-or-treating citizens are depending on you.
-- j
Tags: uptown, seattle, halloween
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
European road trip photos
If you're wondering what kept us away last week, here are some shots from the road.
You'll see that not everything was foreign. For example, Prague has both...
a Mojito Cafe and...
a Deja Vu. Didn't notice a Lusty Lady, however.
--j
Tags: uptown, seattle, europe, roadtrip, france, germany, czechrepublic, paris, cochem, dresden, prague
3 food & drink developments while we were away
Jeesh. You go away for a week and...
1) The mostly trustable Stranger weighs in on 3 neighborhood drinking spots including the popular Starlite Lounge, profiled here on Uptown a few weeks ago. The article also writes up the venerable Nite Lite and Western Ave newbie, the Twilight Martini Lounge. We visited the TML about a month ago but decided not to write it up because of that thing your mother used to tell you about what you should do if you don't have anything nice say. The Stranger calls TML
crepuscular which, we're happy to report, means dim.
2) & 3) Seattle's best foodie gives us the other 2/3 of our welcome home food basket with two good tips on new things to chow in the general vicinity. First, she reports on a new hotel and restaurant in the old Vance Hotel space called Red Fin. Somebody better call a lawyer.
But even more exciting to us is the first account we've read of a visit to the much anticipated re-opening of the Boat Street Cafe & Kitchen. Girl is crazy. She drove all the way from Renton(!) to have the meal -- 'sooooo worth the drive,' she says. We hope to report soon.
Oh yeah, one bonus item. The PI ran an interesting piece last month that we missed about haunt spots in Seattle -- it makes a nice companion to our post about ghosts in Belltown.
-- j
Tags: uptown, seattle, bars, starlitelounge, twilightmartinilounge, nitelite, redfin, boatstreetkitchen, ghosts
1) The mostly trustable Stranger weighs in on 3 neighborhood drinking spots including the popular Starlite Lounge, profiled here on Uptown a few weeks ago. The article also writes up the venerable Nite Lite and Western Ave newbie, the Twilight Martini Lounge. We visited the TML about a month ago but decided not to write it up because of that thing your mother used to tell you about what you should do if you don't have anything nice say. The Stranger calls TML
crepuscular which, we're happy to report, means dim.
2) & 3) Seattle's best foodie gives us the other 2/3 of our welcome home food basket with two good tips on new things to chow in the general vicinity. First, she reports on a new hotel and restaurant in the old Vance Hotel space called Red Fin. Somebody better call a lawyer.
But even more exciting to us is the first account we've read of a visit to the much anticipated re-opening of the Boat Street Cafe & Kitchen. Girl is crazy. She drove all the way from Renton(!) to have the meal -- 'sooooo worth the drive,' she says. We hope to report soon.
Oh yeah, one bonus item. The PI ran an interesting piece last month that we missed about haunt spots in Seattle -- it makes a nice companion to our post about ghosts in Belltown.
-- j
Tags: uptown, seattle, bars, starlitelounge, twilightmartinilounge, nitelite, redfin, boatstreetkitchen, ghosts
Starbucks business idea
Posting from the friendly neighborhood Starbucks today. One problem when you're 'working remotely' -- bio breaks. What do I do with my laptop, etc. when I need to visit the restroom (or WC as they like to call it in the old country)? Paranoidly pack it up? Go home? Is it a good idea to ask the guy at the next table to watch your stuff? He's been sitting there since before you came in 'reading' a placemat from McDonald's. Maybe the jerk behind this can add it to his service suite. (Man, we're crass -- must be jet lag.)
-- j
Tags: uptown, seattle, starbucks, bumvertising, bumsitting
-- j
Tags: uptown, seattle, starbucks, bumvertising, bumsitting
Back in Seattle & tweaking this blog
We're back from our European adventure and getting back into the swing of things back here in the great PNW. Back to old habits, back to this blog. We usually don't get too personal on here because a) we've got plenty to write about the good stuff in the neighborhood and b) lots of gooey things we see from time to time on other blogs makes us, well... cringe (cheap shot - but, please, isn't there anything else to write about than ourselveseses???). Anyhow, onward and upward. We've made some tweaks:- No more ads -- Google still has some work to do getting relevant advertisers into its content network. And some of the attempts to blanket keyword terms go horribly awry -- the ad above for "Seattle Belltown Condo' actually linked to condo listings for PA. Experiment over -- nobody clicked and we don't want to gum up the experience for no reason. Somebody should start an easy to use, relevance-based promotion system for blogs if there isn't one already. BTW, we're leaving Google's 'paid' site search on because we're too lazy to rip the code out of our template (sounds painful, no?)
- Underlining -- Take that all you young designers! We've turned on link underlining because, damnit, that's how the Web is supposed to work. Links should be underlined (though we agree it gets a little crowded on here)
- Recent Posts links on every post -- Many visitors to this blog, especially first-timers, experience this wonder of modern technology without visiting the homepage. Fine by us. To make things easier, we've added links to previous posts at the bottom of each entry page.
-- k/j
Tags: uptown, seattle, adsensesucks
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