Neil Diamond visits Uptown Seattle

Dear Neil --
Welcome to Seattle. We hope you enjoy your visit to our city and, especially, the neighborhoods surrounding Key Arena. I'm sure you are very busy preparing for tonight's show. As a reminder, here are the reviews from one of your previous visits to Seattle. Make sure to play those songs again, buddy! They seemed to make quite an impression!

I do have one request, myself. No, not that cool blue jeans song or the one about ET. Please update your blog. I'm sure there are lots of people who are trying to plan a meet-up with you.

Hopefully, if we don't see each other sooner or later, I'll see you at the after party -- is Minnie's still hosting? Also, could you please run for mayor and get our monorail built. And also stop the viaduct and encourage family-friendly housing development downtown. Thanks.

Again, welcome!

-- j

Tags: uptown, seattle, neildiamond, rocks

Election Day festivities: free beer?

America
Originally uploaded by ¥§•ªˆ¨ˇ© LOVE © ˇ¨ˆª•§¥.

Why more businesses don't cater to the young political types, we don't know. But they seemingly don't. We've been jabbering about a killer election day promotion for years now -- thanks to goodness we have a blog now so we can take this whining public.

Does anybody know of bars or restaurants that offer election day specials? We're thinking a free pint with your voter registration card or somesuch. Is it even legal?

We're probably too late to get anybody inspired for the primary but let us know if you want to cook something up for Round II in November. Anybody willing to put up with this democracry deserves a free beer, no?

-- j

Tags: uptown, seattle, election, freebies

Why a monorail? Baghdad by the Bay

Herb Caen didn't have the current state of things in mind when we would refer to SF as Baghdad by the Bay. He meant it as a compliment with a wink. San Francisco, while a "new" American invention, is exotic, crowded and bustling and full of both filth and wonders. We return from a weekend in Caen's Baghdad to Seattle and find it almost as crowded, slightly less bustling but definitely equal in filth. It would be nice to add a few wonders here, however. No, we don't count the Space Needle. Instead, we find news that the mayor has pushed us to answer the question, yet again. "Are you sure, double-dog sure that you really, truly realy want a monorail? Absolutely positive?"

I don't know what we'll say this time. But since the question really does seem to be about the general want (and leaves the specifics to be fucked up later by political machinations) my guess it will be a simliar reply. We'll ask for something wonderful, again, no doubt.

Here's what the rest of the world has to say abou it.

-- j

Tags: uptown, seattle, monorail

Out of town for the weekend

So you probably don't get no posting, capisci? No tears. Here, enjoy these SEXY SEATTLE pictures.

IMG_1320

Originally uploaded by brianfey.

Spend money at the Northwest Women's Law Center Auction

NW Women's Law Center, Gay Pride Parade, Seattle, WA
Originally uploaded by djwudi.

NWLC is an Uptown-based nonprofit that provides legal services, lobbies and takes on high profile litigation on various issues important to women. Its annual fundraising dinner and auction is taking place on October 15 at the Grand Hyatt. Give the Law Center a call at (206) 682-9552 if you want to go or have something to donate to the auction. In the last couple of years, the Center and cooperating attorneys have represented a nonbiological lesbian mom trying to get the right to see her kids after she and her partner split up and a military wife who was denied a covered abortion by the military even though the child was developing without a brain. It's good work and underfunded - but most importantly, the auction is a fun way to get involved.

-- K

Tags: uptown, seattle, northwestwomen'slawcenter, charity, auction

Dendreon still curing cancer

Our friendly neighborhood cancer curer, Dendreon (love the light blue paint, hate the brick color), is applying for FDA approval to start marketing its prostate cancer drug, "Provenge". According to the Puget Sound Business Journal (you gotsta register!), a study found that substantially more patients treated with Provenge were alive three years after receiving the treatment than a group that received a placebo. The treatment is apparently safe and causes few side effects. Is there a downside here? Keep at it Dendreonites!

--K

Tags: uptown, seattle, dendreon, cancer

Ignore the Seattle Times, there is a monorail plan

Despite what the SeaTimes would have you think (they don't even get a link for being Mr. and Mrs. Liar-pants), monorail powers-that-be do have a plan and haven't missed some kind of dire deadline. Take a look at the details , surf around to view the conventional wisdom, and, if you like what you've read, let the city leaders know.

-- j

Tags: uptown, seattle, monorail

Uptown shopper: Cool blue jeans from Seattle

Usually the fashion and shopping stuff is K's department but she is already off to SF for the weekend (I'm right behind her, don't worry!). But I have to report a find. Is there a better way to strut around uptown than in your own pair of Seattle jeans? Certified Jeans is HQ'd right here in Sea-town. And they're on a mission:

-snip-
* CERTIFIED jeans are made from 100% organic / transitional cotton grown without chemicals in the USA. Wear what you care - organic cotton jeans.

* CERTIFIED jeans are not sold in suburban malls.


* CERTIFIED jeans are made in the USA under US labor laws.
-un-snip-

One more thing to note - as far as fashionable denim goes these days, these are a bargain. We'd better not see you in Old Navy ever, ever again.

(Inspiration thanks to cryptogon.com though I'm not really sure why it exists. Yay for random blogs found via Google's new blog search)

-- j

Tags: uptown, seattle, shopping, jeans

Big monorail meeting tonight: what can you do?

The good folks at 2045Seattle remind and inspire that tonight is the night for the current incarnation of Seattle's monorail plan:

--snip--
Tonight at 5:30, the new monorail director is going to answer the mayor’s deadline and present his plan for building our monorail. If you haven’t made it to a meeting before, this is a good one to attend as it’s important to show our support and desire for the monorail.
--un-snip--

Usually we like to entertain ourselves with a snarky cut or two but nothing like that here. We're as earnest as the shoeshine guy in front of the Frontier Room. If the monorail matters to you, you might want to hear things first hand and be there to represent your cause. Us? We eagerly await the details -- but we're reserving our cheering until we get a look at the spreadsheet.

-- j

Tags: seattle, uptown, monorail

Deadbeat booted from uptown, lands in Pioneer Square

Seattle Trolley
Originally uploaded by kenofseattle.

Seattle's goofy old-timey streetcars will have a new home. Maybe. Seattle PI reports the generous granting of $1M to the project to build a new maintenance barn for the little green death machines. We're told the project will top out around $9M with the Port, King County Metro and some parking lot scoundrel named Greg Smith kicking in the rest. All we know about Mr. Smith is that he owns the parking lot adjacent to the proposed barn and, presumably, will do ok on the transaction. The thought of a parking lot maven teaming up with the Port people and the find folks at King County Metro gives us a small case of the heebie jeebies. Really, though, we don't give a hoot. We're just happy to have the nuisance issue out of our backyard to make way for the glorious Olympic Sculpture Park.

-- j

Tags: uptown, seattle, streetcar, olympicsculpturepark

Our primary erection: huge!

Ooops. Typo. Not surprising when it comes to democracy. Even highly educated, smarty pants folks get confused about the timing and purpose of the elections let alone who deserves a vote. The democratic process becomes a rushed, poorly thought out scramble. Boo!

First, here's what you need to know about timing:
Sept. 20 **STATE PRIMARY**
Sept. 30 Primary results certified
Oct. 19 Absentee ballots available
Oct. 24 Voter registration deadline
Nov. 8 **STATE GENERAL ELECTION**
Dec. 1 General results certified

We are already a step behind -- it's too late to register for the Sept. 20 primary but you have plenty of time to make sure things are squared away for Nov. 8.

As for purpose, washingtonvoter.org has a simple summary of the political seasons in our state. Like you probably learned in high school civics, the primary's primary purpose is to establish each party's main candidate in the general election. But don't make the mistake of thinking the Nov. election is the big show and the primary, some skippable warm-up -- in Seattle's city races, especially, it's critical that you put your vote behind the people who think like you. Without you, your kind of candidate can't go on to the general election, of course. But even if you don't back the eventual primary winner, you shape the upcoming race by showcasing what kinds of positions and philosophies will have to be understood and and catered to in order to receive your vote. Think of these primary candidates as the embodiment of how you'd like your city to be run and vote for the smartest, most innovative and progressive of the pack.

If you're looking for ideas, we prefer the Northwest Progressive Institute's endorsements because they represent cross-party thinking with a progressive, liberal core and, frankly, we like an endorsement list with a few surprises. But there are many to choose from.

--j

Tags: uptown, seattle, election, politics

Last chance? Secret wine tasting Friday night

Sunset & Wine
Originally uploaded by Narisa.

Not sure why this is a secret, actually. Last I checked, Macrina Bakery was a business. But, regardless, they don't seem to bother advertising what is a very pleasant and nice and satisfying and cheese-filled experience that we think might possibly happen every Friday afternoon and early evening at the Belltown Macrina. We've seen the posted signs, though, so we're hoping it's on again this week. Though we also heard that they're thinking about doing something else they won't advertise now that fall is pretty much 100% here. $10 gets you a few yummy pours of fancy-pants wine and you also get to snack on Macrina breads and entertaining cheeses. They even brought us a little sliver of brownie to cap the event last time. Of course, we were the only people partaking -- probably because nobody knew it was happening. See the advertising note, above. Now you know. See you there.

-- j

Tags: uptown, seattle, belltown, macrinabakery, winetasting

Inside Seattle's pedestrian crime wave

Walk
Originally uploaded by poopoorama.

The pro bloggers at the Seattle PI (are they still in that old newspaper biz?) report this morning on various Sim City scenarios that emerge from the light rail construction effort and the closing of the underground bus tunnel. Among the revelations:

• To make room for the previously subterranean buses, 3rd Ave will be transit only between 6-9a and 3-7p
• 3rd and other key transit streets will extend parking restrictions an extra hour to 7p
• Parking has been removed from a few other stretches of downtown streets
• The official fun starts on Sept. 24 but many changes are already in place to help us 'practice'

But our favorite little tidbit is this meter maid's wet dream fantasy spun by Seattle DOT flack and parking police porn purveyor, Jon Layzer.

--snip--
For the week before the closure and the three weeks after, there will be nine additional traffic control officers patrolling downtown streets. For the next two years, that will drop to four added officers.

"More than ever, it's going to be important that when the lights start flashing red, people don't leave the curb," said Layzer. That's because if pedestrians continue crossing during the flashing "do not walk" phase, motorists will not be able to turn right, and that will hold up the buses behind them.
--un-snip--

Dude, we don't know where you come from but when the hand starts flashing it only means we don't actually start a cell phone conversation until we reach the other curb. He also fails to note our ability to stop multiple lanes of traffic with a simple, friendly wave and smile or, better yet, total and complete indifference to being struck by an automobile.

-- J

Tags: uptown, seattle, lightrail, pedestrian, crime, metermaid, wetdream

Here's our chance to be Seattle's top foodies

Seattle BonVivant is on vacation! Too bad we have bad taste and aren't half as in-the-know as she is. Oh well. Off to Dick's for a burger.

-- J

Tags: uptown, seattle, food

Seven fun facts about the PI globe

If you live in Uptown it is hard not to notice the PI's revolving neon globe above it all. We like it, even though they can't seem to get all of the lights to work at the same time. Sometimes Asia is lit up, sometimes not. Sometimes it says "It's in the P-I", sometimes it says "I 's n the P- ". Here's a little history about Uptown's classic public landmark:

1. It was built in 1948 for $28,000.
2. For 40 years it was on the old PI building at 6th and Wall.
3. It was built by Pacific Car and Foundry and Electrical Products Consolidated. (Pacific Car and Foundry is still in business as PACCAR and manufactures heavy-duty trucks. It looks like Electrical Products Consolidated didn't make it.)
4. Capitol letters are 8 feet tall, small letters are 5 feet tall.
5. It weighs 18.5 tons.
6. It uses 38 kilowatts an hour when fully lit. (Which, as we already mentioned, is rare.)
7. The idea for the globe came from a promotional contest, which Jakk Corsaw won. He was a UW art student at the time. Jakk had an art gallery in Pike Place Market in the 1960s, and is now buried on Vashon Island. His real name was Jack, but he went by Jakk. We're guessing Jakk was very hip.

Sources: Seattle PI Globe history page, the Internet

-- K

Tags: uptown, seattle, seattlepi, jakk

#1001: Rollingbay WA

We passed a milestone recently here on UptownSeattle (didn't hurt a bit!) -- visitor #1000 came to the blog last week. But we're a little lame so we missed recording who that was. Oops!

So, thanks to good folks at sitemeter, we present our 1k+1 visitor -- #1001, straight outta Rollingbay WA.

Where the heck is Rolingbay, you ask? We didn't know either. But the Internet, god bless it, did.

Rollingbay WA Internet Profile
Yahoo! map
Rollingbay flickr tag
Candlelight vigils scheduled for Rollingbay

Ok, we give up. We tried to find a damn punchline for this town, but jeesh! not much to work with so you get the lame candlelight link. Not even one single sex post to craigslist or goofy personal ad anywhere on the net. No wonder visitor #1001 is entertained by our silly little blog!
--J

Tags: uptown, seattle, sitemeter, rollingbay

Seattle buses get wireless

Some of them, anyway. In the next couple of months, all the Metro buses on Route 197 between the U District and Federal Way and Route 48 between Loyal Heights and Rainier Beach will have free wireless service. There are no plans to install wi-fi on all the buses, but we hope they keep working on it. Sound Transit is getting into the game too - it's planning to set up wireless service on 5 buses that drive Route 545 between Redmond and Seattle. Redmond to Seattle, hmmm, I wonder why they picked that route...

-- K

Tags: uptown, seattle, wifi, publictransit, buses

The 100 most valuable blogs in Seattle

What are the 100 most valuable Seattle blogs? Cool geek-game Blogshares is also cool for normal folks who don't have time to research, buy and trade shares in a fantasy stock market for blogs. We are geeks so we're trading in the game (we're long Seattle Property News, thanks for asking). But we also like to dig through the listings to find new blogs -- especially good stuff that is home-grown and locally focused.

Of course, UptownSeattle had to get in the game and just had its IPO so buy, buy, buy! Or, heck, go short -- we'll crush your doubting ass with our neverending supply of fascinating tidbits.

-- J

Tags: uptown, seattle, blogshares

Follow-up: Cafe Darclee crepe class

We wrote about Cafe Darclee's food classes recently and promised a post-attendance follow-up. We're happy to report that the classy little cafe in the shadow of the Space Needle put on a pretty nice show for us and a small handful of interested crepe students last week in its first attempt at an 'Art of Crepes' event. More of a crepe seminar than a hands-on class, we were lectured on the finer points of pancake history and preparation and even got a nifty lesson in flambe. It wasn't exactly high science but we learned a bit and got to taste a few yummy creations. It definitely beat another night of Netflix or watching the Mariners lose (well, maybe not if King Felix is pitching) -- especially if you're the type that likes to watch the cook and pepper him with questions. Or, I guess, powder sugar him with questions depending if you're sweet, not savory.

-- J

Cafe Darclee
Fisher Plaza
100 4th Ave N, Suite 165

Tags: uptown, seattle, crepe, class, CafeDarclee,

Uptown round-up: catching September

Holy berjezus, it's already the sixth freakin day of the month. Next week, we'll be 1/2-way done with September and it will be Halloween before we know it! Ack! Bumbershoot has passed, the Storm are out of the playoffs, and they've added a bunch of gravel and crap to the Olympic Sculpture Park construction site! Next thing you know it, the brats will be lining up at Nordstrom's to suck up to Santa and then we'll be sitting through another 6 months of drizzle!

Apologies for the freak-out -- good to get that out of our system. Now we can get back to living our days one post at a time. Thank you for your support.

Tags: uptown, seattle

Enjoy Bumbershoot!

Le Petit Cirque: Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA
Originally uploaded by djwudi.

Flickr Bumbershoot clusters

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Grand opening: The hottest little sex dungeon in Belltown

Who says Belltown is nothing but plastic-coated hipster wannabes? Certainly not the good people at Hellhouse Dungeon. After all, nothing says 'diversity' like bondage, domination and sadomasochism. Add the BDSM-purveyor to your list of not-to-miss Belltown night spots and stop in to welcome them to the area. They're running special rates to celebrate the opening of their new office which includes, we're told, a "brand new St. Andrew's Cross!"

We also learn this from Abby's Adult Video on Demand:

-snip-
HellHouse Dungeon is operated by Goddess Hollie, the youngest, hottest, and best Dominatrix in Western Washington. Goddess Hollie and her staff get into electro-play, bondage, suspension, strap-on domination, forced feminization, torture, humiliation, tease-and-denial, pain administration, role playing, CBT, and much more.

The Dungeon is equipped with all kinds of equipment including a variac unit, violet wand, tables (gyno and vet), bondage chairs, a swing, whips, suspension equipment, clamps, strap-ons, weights, rope, gags, canes, crops, floggers, CBT tools, crossdressing clothes, and a lot more.
-unsnip-

Welcome to the neighborhood, Hollie. Youngest, hottest and best? I'm thinking we have tons in common!

-- J

Tags: uptown, seattle, bdsm, dungeon, don'tforgetyoursafeword

Storm win first game of playoffs!

The Seattle Storm won their first game against the Houston Comets last night. The Storm are the defending WNBA champs - it's definitely worth going to a playoff game if you get a chance. The crowd gets really into it, the tickets are relatively inexpensive and you can get good seats, and they might win the whole thing again. It was very cool to be at the final game where they won the championship last year. Their next game against Houston is at Key Arena on Thursday. Go Storm!


--K

Portland: Even the hippies kick Seattle's ass

This by way of the good folks at Treehugger.com who point us to an article chronicling yet another reason Portland is sucking away all of your friends and neighbors. Curse you Portland!

We're not completely a toxic waste dump uptown, of course. We have a mini-version of a similiar project down around Vine and Western. Go check out the Growing Vine project if you're feeling crunchy. Hopefully, efforts like Vine will help us not fall too far behind progressive Portland and its neighbor-stealing ways.


-snip-
Metropolismag.com: A Green Blueprint
A Portland neighborhood may become a model for sustainable retrofits
Lloyd Crossing, a 35-block section of Portland, Oregon, may be the first urban neighborhood in the country to get off the city grid and the planetary dole. Plans call for the office and retail district--dating from the heyday of freeway construction and passed over by the downtown boom of the last 20 years--to build up to eight million square feet of floor space, quadrupling its capacity to 21,000 residents and workers by 2050. Towers and mid-rise buildings will go up around the intersection of Portland's MAX light rail and a scheduled streetcar extension. And during the same period net energy and water consumption will be reduced to levels nearly equivalent to a patch of native Northwest forest.
-un-snip-

-- J

Tags: uptown, seattle, portland, green, urbandesign, crunchy

To our readers in Alaska and UK

Thanks buddies! Here's a look at uptown's growing world influence thanks to the fine folks at freebie Web counter, Sitemeter.com

Tags: uptown, seattle, sitemeter, alaska, unitedkingdom, worlddomination

3 out-of-the-mainstream movie choices

Now Playing
Originally uploaded by pokeystik.

As pro blog seattlest notes, Cinerama has finally updated its playlist to non-Star Wars fare. Celebrate by taking in a flick at the leader of the pack of Seattle's alternative screen scene. Uptown is lucky to have a handful of "different" theaters to keep you entertained.

1) Cinerama -- grandaddy of them all. If a movie is playing here that you want to see and you don't see it at Cinerama, you are a lazy dork.

2) Pacific Science Center IMAX -- I'm a sucker for the gimmick but BIG screen is the whole point, right? Cool to see more and more Hollywood films coming to IMAX. If Hollywood finally starts making better movies, I'll be even MORE excited to go to IMAX.

3) The Big Picture -- Downstairs from the pretentious pricks and bratty valets at the El Guacho, The Big Picture is actually a small screen theater. But it's the nicest small screen you'll find. When you need a considerable upgrade from you A/V set-up *and* the opportunity to drink a gin and tonic during your screening, this is your joint.

Oh, by the way, happy Sunday. We never post on Sundays. And it seems that most bloggers take the weekend off with us. What's up with that?

Tags: uptown, seattle, movies, cinerama, pacificsciencecenter, imax, thebigpicture, elgauchopretentiouspricks

Boat Street Cafe to open soon (for real this time)

And the adress is: 3131 Western, Suite 301. No firm date yet, but the Boat Street Cafe is relocating/opening in early September in the NW Work Lofts building. It's a fairly well hidden location - last we checked there wasn't a sign, but a flurry of building activity and a liquor license application were the tipoffs. The Cafe will have an outside garden area that might not get a ton of direct sun, but also won't get direct traffic noise. It's website betrays a little worry about the "industrial" and "cinder-block" aspects of the space, but hey, we're cool with cinder-blocks. We like a little urban grit with our charming and delicious food. The truth is, we can hardly wait!

Tags: uptown, seattle, boatstreetkitchen, restaurant, wecanbarelywait

Coolest way EVER to do Bumbershoot

This by way of a post to Metroblogging Seattle re: Bumbershoot ticket prices. The PSA is all well and good. But the gem comes in a comment to the post. If this isn't THE coolest way to get into Bumber, I want to hear what is!

- snip -
I have a suggestion if folks would like to get into Bumbershoot for free for a day, or more.

I am a member of Seattle's own samba band VamoLa. We've been hired to perform for two shows per day each afternoon at Bumbershoot. For each day we need volunteers to hold palm fronds on stage with us during our two shows. Volunteers can sign up for one day or more. Volunteering gets you in free for the day/days you choose. This would involve a time commitment, on the day/days you choose, from 1pm to 2:30 and 3 till 4:30. If you would like more information contact me at drurybobmay@zipcon.net.

The deadline for volunteers is August 27th.

No one in our band gets paid. Our "group" gets paid and that is put towards rental of rehearsal space.

Worst case scenario is that you get to bounce about with the band and dancers, and have a rolicking good time.

Posted by: Drury at August 24, 2005 09:59 PM

-un-snip-

--J

Uptown Chow: Black Bottle

What to post that hasn't already been posted? The Black Bottle's concept works. Extremely sharable food with the emphasis on understatement -- it's the mood of our restaurant times, I guess. Cool with me. The menu is laidback to the point of being convenient to the kitchen staff but when you use fresh, tasty ingredients, no need to fuss. My only fault with this style is the delivery rate -- slow down, you move too fast. We experienced an 8-plate pile-up as all of our selections arrived simultaneously leaving us gulping down our chow in a near-panic to clear the decks. Clearly, Black Bottle has its good stuff prepped and ready to roll -- and who am I to suggest they change such a good thing! So you might want to plan your order in waves. In a place so casually cool, somebody has to take charge. It might as well be you.

--J

Black Bottle Gastro-tavern
1st & Vine
Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Time: 7:00ish
Mood: In need of comfort, Belltown style
Wine: white with longest name on list
Starters: spicy shrimp, chilled artichoke, tomato flatbread, marinated portabello, chicken laub gai
Entrees: see starters
Dessert: gelato-stuffed chocolate cake

Tags: uptown, seattle, restaurant, review, blackbottle

My homework was never quite like this

Education alert: For those of you interested in the dark sciences of chocolate and crepes, uptown's own Cafe Darclee (Darclee, we claim you for all that is uptown!) offers a veritable Hogwart's of culinary wizardry. Every Thursday, the unlikely tenant of KOMO's Fisher Plaza holds mouths-on classes in wonderful things like chocolate chewing and crepe creation. Forget that MBA -- what you need is a crepe degree. We're signed up for an upcoming session so will post a full report upon graduation.

--J

Tags: uptown, seattle, crepe, chocolate, classes, food

What does your street need less than anything?

subway
Originally uploaded by jseattle.

Man, we hate Subway "sandwich" shops.

1) They've saturated the streets worse than SBUX. There are 10 (10!) within 1 mile of Denny and 1st.
2) They blow out sour bread smell into our sensitive little yuppie noses
3) They eat up any ability for a non-chain to sell a decent sandwich around here

Uggh. Boycott Subway!

--J

Tags: uptown, seattle, subway, sandwiches, boycott

Lots of cool events at the Market

Pike Place Market just sent out its monthly e-newsletter and there's some good stuff coming up. Thursday nights the Market is open until 9pm, complete with Afro-Cuban jazz group Sonodo. On September 18 the Pike Place Market Busker's Festival will amaze and astound. (At least, that's the goal.) 41 groups will perform. We hope to see the Circus Contraption band, that cat guy, and the older man who plays the Japanese stringed instrument. Not so sure about the depressed clown fellow. J says clowns should have to be licensed. Not a bad plan, really. Also on September 18, you can go on the Spaces for Urban Living Downtown Home self-guided tour. People who are really proud of their condos open them up for strangers to wander through and admire/criticize. It costs $20. The only way to see a bunch of downtown homes without working for a cleaning service or making a ton of friends.

--K

Tags: uptown, seattle, pikeplacemarket, events

Seattle Hates Interior Decorating, Loves Gardens

Organizers cancelled the Seattle Interior Show, an interior design/decorating consumer extravaganza slated for the Convention Center in early October. Low exhibit booth sales and lack of interest from the local interior design community were the stated reasons for the cancellation. Support and interest for the Flower and Garden Show, on the other hand, are still going strong - it will take place in February. One can only assume that the Boat Show and the Bridal Show continue to rake it in. Wonder which is the most successful? The Boat Show is the biggest boat show on the West Coast, but the Bridal Show has a fancier website. Hard to say. Up.Sea. hasn't been to any, but likes the idea of the Travel Show (and its vacation giveaways).


--K

Tags: uptown, seattle, gardenshow

The monorail is still alive, thank you very much

Rain City Real Estate Guide points us to a piece of journalism in the revenue-minded Puget Sound Business Journal. Seems the Seattle Monorail Project has assembled a fairly impressive portfolio of property at below-market prices. PSBJ ponders how the Project might divest itself of these properties should it go belly up. It's a little premature to be carving up the cadaver, we hope, so we'll chalk the pondering portion of the article up to the dollar-sign-bespotted daydreams of Seattle's business class. But the article does raise the troubling issue of homeowners in the city who purchased property near areas that were planned to be homes for the monorail's neighborhood stations. The PSBJ didn't seem that interested in those folks -- hopefully they're looking out for themselves and being active on keeping the body alive with groups like 2045Seattle.

--J

Tags: uptown, seattle, monorail

Attention uptown juvenile delinquents

The Brooklyn Grinder
Originally uploaded by kganey.

Make an error in judgement at Hemp Fest? Got community service hours to fill? Here's your chance to help real people in your neighborhood.

-snip-

CraigsList: Massive sandwich/food bank program in desperate need of help
Reply to: mzemek@hotmail.com
Date: 2005-08-17, 7:43PM PDT


Sacred Heart St. Vincent de Paul is located at 2nd Ave and Warren, just west of the Seattle Center, specifically the Pacific Science Center in the shadows of the Space Needle.

Due to injuries, poor health and general frailty, Sacred Heart's volunteer base--with a median age of over 65 (if not 70)--is shrinking, and this program--which hands out hundreds of sack lunches and thousands of pounds of food each week to homeless street people and low-income neighborhood residents--faces closure by October 15 unless it can obtain a stable and significant new corps of volunteers.

Sacred Heart needs 7-8 people who can reliably and consistently commit to two hours a week. Monday thru Friday, sandwich makers are needed from roughly 630-10. On Monday and Friday only, people are needed to assist with hot food preparation, pastry packaging, and food bank grocery distribution from 8-Noon, in addition to the sandwich program.

Please e-mail me, Matt Zemek, and/or call Sacred Heart's program director, Jim Foskin, for details. Jim's phone number is 283-2104, and he's available to take your call every weekday morning, from 615am-Noon.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you can't volunteer, you can simply make a difference by notifying those you know who either can volunteer (seniors, perhaps) or who NEED to volunteer (kids in need of community service or service learning hours). This idea might be especially relevant for parents of youth in Catholic schools, but it's hardly exclusive. All are welcome to participate.

Thanks!



* this is in or around Seattle Center/Lower Queen Anne
* no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
-un-snip-

Tags: uptown, seattle, communityservice

WE'RE the Ones Polluting the Sound

New study out on pollution in Puget Sound. The good news: industrial waste levels in the Sound have decreased over the years. Yay! The bad news: car emission pollution keeps going up. Basically, your car exhaust either settles in the Sound directly or if it lands on a parking lot or street it washes into the water. The newspapers picked this story up, but no one has an easy solution. Drive less. Buy more efficient vehicles.

Tags: uptown, seattle, green, environment, pollution, pugetsound

Let's See More Green Roofs

It would be great if we had more green roofs around - which is a enviro-trendy way to say "plants growing on the roof." Green roofs help clean the air from that nasty car exhaust, they regulate a building's temperature, and they look pretty good too. Granted, you may not be able to see them from the ground, but wouldn't it be cool to look down from the Space Needle and see a bunch of green roofs? The real ground is pretty much taken up with asphalt, so to grow plants...look up!

Green Roof Blocks is a great company, their blocks are easy to install and don't need to be watered. No word on if they can get TOO much water here in Seattle.

Tags: uptown, seattle, green, environment, urbandesign

People can now wander Seattle naked

Want to walk around uptown without throwing on your track pants? Check out the new a9 Maps. While Google Maps let you fly around the world on a satellite and Microsoft's Virtual Earth copies GOOG, a9 gives you groovy snapshots of most streetfront action in town -- and in lots of cities across the country. It's so very groovy! Geek alert: I have fantasy of being out there the next time the a9 van rolls by my house so I'm in my a9 map picture!


Hometown dot.com legend Amazon is a busy body. Apparently, they're bored building the big department store in the sky. Lucky planet earth!

Tags: uptown, seattle, maps, a9, photographs, pictures

When Jean Godden was a Black Panther

From Sity Council Pos. 1's canned response to my e-mail asking her to get the monorail plan moving again:

The freeway fights of the 1960s and 1970s weren't for the faint of heart. I still recall the evening when we packed the Seattle City Council chambers in protest. Along with the Black Panthers, we demonstrated against a bloated I-90.

"Pave Central Seattle neighborhoods and we'll burn your city," yelled the Black Panthers. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder and cried: "Burn, baby, burn!"

You're either part of the solution or part of the problem, indeed.

Tags: seattle, monorail, jeangodden, blackpanthers

Queen Anne land rush

In neighbor news, let the bidding begin. Queen Anne's school-house apartments are being converted to condos.

Condo conversion will be lucrative, but not for district

The Times avoids the covetous-condo-hunter angle and focuses on the scool district's lack of foresight. Sadly, it seems this obvious move was not so obvious when the school district signed onto the deal 20 years ago, says the Times. No word on what the SeaTimes had to say about things back in the 80s, of course ;)

Tags: seattle, queenanne, condos, realestate

Fancy Seattle Soaps

A new Pioneer Square addition on the way is local company Seattle Soapworks. Seattle Soapworks makes yummy sounding wholesome "Milk Glow" soaps with names like Milk and Honey, which is made of milk protein, milk thistle, honey, canedula and honey fragrance. Mmmm. The creator is chemist cute girl Erna Portteus Patrawke. Apparently the secret is keeping the glycerine in the soap which, according to the Soapworks web site, attracts moisture to your face, but is taken out of a lot of mainstream products so they can use it in their fancy lines. Apparantly you don't need lotion if your soap keeps your skin soft. Sounds like a deal! The store will open at 157 Jackson Street in September.

www.seattlesoapworks.com


Tags: seattle, shopping, soap

Doubts about Seattle density

Seattle Times reports on the ongoing discussion around the mayor's plan to increase downtown density and curb suburban sprawl.

Let it be known that we support the goal 100% -- that's why we live where we live, really.

But boy do we have doubts that Seattle is really on the path to achieving this. Case in point are projects like the new Cristalla complex that emphasize upscale over livability. Sure, you can build em taller -- but if you fill the place with a few million-dollar fancy-pants condos and then chop the rest of the building into little tiny studios, all you're going going to have living downtown are retired bank executives and single male bond traders. No offense to the MBA set, but we're going to need buildings with living spaces that a) are large enough and b) affordable enough for a family without a corporate lawyer at the table.

Instead, we have ridiculousness like these gems in an industry write-up on Cristalla:
"We asked buyers early on what kinds of things they would like to have, and wine storage kept coming up. So we put in a wine storage area with 15 different rooms that can hold from 200 to 1,000 bottles."

Williams determined that many prospective residents were dog owners, so the 22-story Cristalla will now feature a dog park on its roof.

Hello? Why the heck did we chase all the crack salesmen out of Regrade Park to make room for the Belltown dog-a-palooza?

For now, we'll try to remain positive. But it's Cristalla clear there's more to this than tall buildings.

Tags: seattle, density

Uptown Hall of Fame: Auto Gallery of Seattle

blog_auto
Originally uploaded by jseattle.

* Because it has fancy Ferraris and blinged BMWs parked... inside!
* Because it hosts parties that look like a Fitty Cent video
* Because some lucky teenager gets to drive the big $K machines into the alley to scrub them once a month

Auto Gallery of Seattle, even though we haven't hit you up for a test drive, we salute you!

Help the monorail in only five minutes

New pals over at Seattle2045.org have a handy form mailer if you want to voice your opinion on getting the darn thing built. We wavered in our support as things got messy but now we want to be part of the clean-up and movement forward. Take a spin over to the site to see what it's all about and then decide if you want to add your voice and lend a hand.

PK's gotta know: Where are the alternative/gay joints in Seattle?

HK0S0150-1
Originally uploaded by Seattlelee.

Long-time reader, 1st-time caller PK writes:

--snip--
Hi,

Ive been reading your blog for a while. Im moving to Seattle and I was wondering where the Alternative/gay hang outs are?

PK
--un-snip--

Dear PK --
Glad to know you're heading our way. I get jealous of the outflow to places like NYC or even, ahem, Portland OR sometimes so it's good to know that fresh recruits are coming - especially fresh recruits in search of alternative/gay joints.

I'm glad you turned to us for the download -- but I do want to caveat everything here by stating that we are pretty darn straight so are approaching this from 3rd-party POV. Should a sportswriter not cover baseball if he can't hit a curveball? That's what I'm saying!

So, by alternative, we'll assume you mean 'freaky cool' and not necessarily the alternative in 'alternative rock radio' (alternative to what? one might ask) or, conversely, alternative as in co-op food stores hawking carob-coated everything. We're hoping you mean weird and wonderful and out-of-the mainstream. And gay or gay friendly or gays-for-president, even, as a bonus.

We'll also assume that you know that Capitol Hill is where you go if you want to revel in good old-fashioned super-queer disco, etc. That's where the boys-who-love-girls-who-love-girls-who-love-boys-who-love-etc. action goes down in its most accessible and public form. Faves in that genre include The Wild Rose and Neighbors (btw, my including them here guarantees you that they are not cool in the GLBetc. circles -- or are so bad, they are cool. either, or!)

But I'd encourage you to explore Seattle in another way. I'm sure there are times when you want a guaranteed alt/gay experience. They're out there. But we're pretty relaxed on things up here (true cliche!) so lots of the best alternative folks are mixed up with the rest of us. No, you won't find your homies out in Belltown on a Saturday night or shooting pool at Jillian's with the boys from Belleveue, but any list of the weird and wacky goodness from Seattle will be bespeckled with gay folks and the people who love em.

Also, Seattle's gay population is graying, so some of the 'gayest' places in the city are coffee shops and furniture stores.

For specific 'please, gay only action' tips, I'd post your query to the Seattle LiveJournal and let the masses speak.

Or you can check out sites like GaySeattle.com.

In the meantime, you can also consider these places for everybody to hang. I've limited it to places within walking distance from uptown. They're mostly outside of the mainstream in the best possible way.

Freaky Cool Seattle
+ Rendezvous
2nd ave is as alt as it gets downtown and the Rendezvous is the weird-n-wonderful HQ

+ Five Point
Alternative and divey but not *gay*. I would think a gay posse would do ok there but I'd want reinforcements nearby.

+ Noc Noc
One mission: get you drunk. Dark and dirty, gets even grittier at night. Weird shit happens. Where the Stranger Classifieds folks meet, I like to think.

+ Macrina
Gay people like bakeries, right?

+ Sea Sound Lounge
Young, beautiful dancing people. Many likely gay.

+ Contour
Only late-night dancing that didn't leave me depressed and wondering why.

Pickings are kind of slim around downtown -- if I were moving to Seattle and wanted to be as close to the alt as possible, I'd either go with the tried-and-tested CapHill or Fremont, which is nearly unclassifiably strange and cool.

Who are these guys? Monorail don't need more badness

UPDATE: Just got a late-night e-mail from the 2045 folks. Despite the slickness of it all, I am reassured that 2045Seattle.org truly is a grassroots effort to change things and not another 'new media' PR effort. That's good news. Too bad I'm so jaded that I mistake workmanship for spin. Hopefully the monorail can deliver me back to my previous state of eternal optimism ;) Anyhow, 2045 says they'll look at the whole transparency thing soon so stay tuned and get involved if you give a hoot.

----------------------
Here's a blog that smells a little funny. 2045Seattle claims to be written by some confederation of concerned citizens but there are no names and no contact info anywhere on the site. Maybe I'm just being paranoid but the monorail hasn't been the most trustworthy entity I've ever backed. I've written in and tried to post a query to find out their relationship to the monorail powers that be but, so far, they haven't approved the post and haven't responded in e-mail. Hmm. At this point, the last thing the monorail needs is another batch of spin and poor transparency.

Urban fishing: catching salmon in downtown Seattle

EB Fishing Pier
Originally uploaded by jseattle.

Ok. That headline is a bit of a lie. It's more like fishing for salmon in downtown Seattle. But I needed to get your attention.

Did you know that one of the coolest fisheries in the world is right down the street from you? Elliott Bay has been abused all to hell. But it still supports abundant marine life and, for the next few weeks, a fishable salmon run.

Most of the fish will be caught by the money boats during the open weekend fisheries or in the tribal nets that dot the bay. Make sure to check the regs, money boys.

But for the rest of us proles, just 1 mile from the edges of uptown Seattle at the northern tip of Myrtle Edwards Park, there is a nifty finger of access that juts out into the bay and lets regular Joes take a swing at the passing salmon.

The Elliott Bay Fishing Pier is special -- and it's in our backyard. So get your buzzbombs collected and get out there to pluck from the biomass.

** PRIZE ** $50 for best picture of an EB Fishing Pier-caught salmon ON THE PIER! Just post a comment to this item before 8/31/2005 and we'll have a little reader roundtable to determine the winner.

Best site for pictures of Seattle

The Space Needle
Originally uploaded by cahernan.

I get gushy about how cool flickr is so I'm all drippy about their cool new interestingness feature and other fun toys they've added to the pile. Like 'clusters' -- here's a link to one of the Seattle clusters of the touristy things people take pictures of in the city. If you want to see unique ways people capture our beautiful and neat-o spaces and places or just jonesing for yet another pic of the Space Needle, check it out.

Boat Street Kitchen where art thou?

July has come and gone and there's still no Boat Street Kitchen in uptown Seattle. They promised!

-snip-

WE'VE SIGNED A LEASE!! The New Boat Street Cafe and the New Boat Street Kitchen will be located at the junction of Western Ave and Denny, in the NW Work Lofts Building. It's a great, hard to find space with a lovely garden and patio .... Well, it will be after we work on it. Watch for more news. Opening anticipated in early July.

-un-snip-

1st Ave gets a new place to hang

Positive vibes about Black Bottle, the new joint on 1st Ave. described as having informal, full-flavored food to accompany great drinks.

Sounds like my kitchen.

Adios, Two Dagos -- I'll remember you fondly as being the weirdest, dingiest left-over on 1st Ave.

Why we need more trees uptown

The carob-smacking hippie in me loves this commercial justification for trees in the city.

Circus Contraption - last chance before NYC!

DSCF5731
Originally uploaded by anoi bionix.

This is the last weekend to see Seattle's own organic circus, Circus Contraption, before the show hits big ol NYC. You can waste your money with yet another corporate piece of junk 'blockbuster' OR you can go see this simple magic happen live and in the flesh down at Sand Point. For those of you that like to mix a little activism into your entertainment, know that the Circus could probably use some more cash to help finance the trip. Get out there and be entertained, damnit!

A round-about uptown connection here, btw. You might have noticed a few of the freaky members of the Contraption house band busking down at the market from time to time with their ghoulish tunes and melancholy sawing.

How many 911 calls in your 'hood today?

Remember the old lady who lived across the street who always seemed to be hiding behind her curtains and watching your every juvenile-y delinquent move? Here's a little link that will appeal to the worry wart in all of us. Real-time 911 logs from Seattle proper. The lack of significant detail and fruition of these events adds to the paranoia. Enjoy!

Bite of Seattle name change?

A Picture Share!
Originally uploaded by digitalreporter.

Really, I don't know where Bite of Seattle came from (I'll have to google it later or just live with the mystery),and what its mission is today. But I'd love to see one itsy bitsy change (that I'm not sure will scale!) -- I'm cool with plunking down $5 for a tasty sandwich after I've perused the 100s of food booths but I'd rather buy lots of bites. Think 'Bites' of Seattle. As it was, I was able to sample a bite of my companions' tasty snacks (thanks girlfriend!), but I don't have enough friends to get a bite of everything.

We visited the Bite today to see the crowd and get some chow. Amazing how many people were there to do the same thing, wandering pretty much aimlessly, kind of trying to get somewhere but really just going nowhere with nothing much to do but listen to music and eat. Ladies and gentlemen, the human condition!

Between Folklife and Bite of Seattle, the free fests at the Seattle Center are pretty darn incredible. Super kudos to whoever plans these things -- I have no idea how you pull it together. Just planning a BBQ for 5 overwhelms us -- planning to feed thousands? Yikes.

New colors uptown

076
Originally uploaded by somethingisaid.

Personally, I hope it's only coincidence but both cancer-battling biotech Dendreon and hangover-curing-breakfast, late-night-drunk-food-provider Cafe Minnie's have undergone a little color change. I'm hoping this doesn't mean that Minnie's is a Dendreon venture but who knows. Kudos to the corp folks at Dendreon -- I dig the sky blue look of the new skin. Too bad there's still plastic and tape all over the sidewalk from your work crew :( As for Minnie's new look? Well, muave is an interesting decision. But, as K noted, anything is better than fake-brick brown.

Best uptown lunch spot you've never heard of?

The always-earth-shaking Belltown Messenger has me all hot and bothered to try out the Art Institute's restaurant, the Portfolio Dining Room

-snip-
This almost unknown restaurant offers Belltown's best view, from corner windows five stories above Alaskan Way. The best prices, too: salads and appetizers for about $5, main dishes for $7.50, fine wines for $3 a glass, $15 a bottle. And the servers are forbidden to accept gratuities.
-un-snip-

Jesus. That and all the young designers? Sign me up!

What to drink on 80-degree days in Seattle

drinking
Originally uploaded by lotta-liina.

We're in a bit of a post vacation funk here in uptown. Hard to get back into the flow of things in the hood and, frankly, there ain't a lot going on. Sure, our neighbor neighborhoods have a few new restaurants and bars going in that we're looking forward to visiting and construction has started fo' real at the Oly Sculpture Park - but the posts are coming slow and sticky.

Surely, this funk won't last - especially with summer now officially breaking out in Seattle. Lots of sunshine means lots of action. And fruity drinks. So, what better way to get back in the flow than with a visit to the Mojito Cafe?

Mojito's drinks are as authentic as you can get this close to the arctic circle, the food is eclectic and interesting and mostly tasty. Mojito achieves yet there's a laid-back coolness to it all. The vibe is nearly PNW tropical -- you can tell the tables will soon be pushed to the walls for peace-corps-volunteers-on-holiday style dancing. You will wish you were able to stay awake past 10 someday to join the party.

The Mojito seems refreshingly less calculated than the glossy joints that dot 1st Ave and surrounding environs. It's a little more ripe and juicy -- you might get sticky if you rest your elbows on the tables. Try it!

The Mojito Cafe can be found at 181 Western Ave. down by Rain Fitness. How about that for a post-workout cool-down?

Back from Alaska

Alaska_2005 006
Originally uploaded by jseattle.

We're back in Seattle -- doesn't look like too much has changed around the hood but it's good to be back. From the pic, you can get a sense of what kind of vacations we take (though I'm ready for a beach after this one!). Returned to town to find a totally messy apartment, warm weather and good drinks at the Mojito Cafe. All in all, a pretty decent welcome home. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Way up north

Things will be quiet around here for the next two weeks -- we're in Alaska for a hiking and fishing adventure. See you soon if we don't end up as bear chow.

How to sort out Seattle's monorail mess

Here's a reasoned approach to figuring out what to do next and why to do it. Don't give up on the monorail yet. We're on to something - let's figure out how to do it right.

4 reasons to have a neighborhood blog

We usualy can't resist a funny - but this isn't another joke list. This is an invitation to you to join the conversation. If you're not writing about what is cool and good and needed in your neighborhood, who is? Do you really want that guy down the hall picking which restaurants should survive and die on your street? Do you really want your favorite coffee shop to be so secret it goes out of business?

1) There are too many granularities in the city -- types of people, types of finances, types of tastes. City-wide radio stations, tv, newspapers and weeklies can't do the job. They might make the shift someday but, more likely, they'll stick to the chewy middle of what 'everybody' wants.
2) Talking about what you like will create more things that you like. It's how it works. Especially in a city where there are 1,000 others that look like you and walk like you and talk like you. Everything you like and want is a trend. Write it down. Start the trend.
3) The more information people can get about an area, the more they will visit, explore and move there. Information about what is good and great in your hood will attract people that are good and great. (BTW, fake info about what is good and great will attract fake good people so beware!)
4) You'll appreciate your hood more. How do you love it? Count the ways. You'll start walking down streets you haven't walked down yet and trying businesses you haven't been inside before. You'll talk to more people. You'll meet people through your blog. You'll take pictures. You're like the freaking mayor!

Party in the Park

Party in the Park
Originally uploaded by jseattle.

Thursday night's Party in the Park to kick off construction (yay!) of the Olympic Sculpture Park was a sunny good time that felt a little like a county fair had broken out in the middle of Seattle. With gravel and hay spread about to cover up the muddy lot between Western and Elliot, the mix of Seattle hipsters and "I'll watch anything for free" folks wandered about looking for ways to piece together their Target-schwag rain ponchos into suitable seating areas. Low-cut jeans just don't work out that well when you gots to sit on the ground. I got a few gravel bits kicked down my crack, too, so I joined the community. In addition to the many rear-ends on partial display, there was a summer-time skin look to the packed beer garden crowd that seemed to be entertained just by being able to drink beer while pressed against other bodies. We didn't sample any of the chow and mostly just sat and listened to the tunes and people watched. The gravel was tough on the ass despite the corporate-sponsorship material we used for padding, but it was nice to imagine what will be here next year. It's going to be just as sunny, with a gorgeous view -- and, by then, we'll have grass instead of gravel!

And the biggest party we all missed...

Apparently - though I never heard or a peep or saw a red balloon myself - there was a block party in Belltown this weekend. Oh well. Sometimes a link on CL just isn't enough!

Gnomedex comes to Seattle

burning the gnome more
Originally uploaded by AChocolateOrange.

Notice a longer line at Ivars Acres of Clams? A sudden surge in the Seattle tag at flickr? A proliferation of Timbuk2 messenger bags on the waterfront? Blog and 'social computing' geeks from all parts descend this week on the Bell Harbor Conference Center for Gnomdex 5.0.

I'm pretty tired of the whole garden gnome thing myself. But this joke apparently ain't dying so I should probably just ignore it the way I've learned to ignore 'cheesey poof' and 'you killed kenny.' Still, if anybody is listening, maybe consider a shift in brand? In the meantime, Seattle has Gnomedex 5.0.

We here at Uptown won't be attending Gnomedex -- we don't really know which panel would be right for us since there seems to be very little attention devoted to our interests. Nope, no panels like these at all:
* Use your blog to score free drinks
* Community, closing crappy restaurants down and you!
* How to turn 3 readers into 4

But we do expect to run into a few gnomedexers or two as we try to live life in our fair little 'hood. So, in the interest of welcoming the horde of RSS-ing freaks, here's our list of recommended eating establishments within waddling distance of Bell Harbor (arranged in geek-true order by distance from front door of the conference center)

Pike Place Market - First, for all things non-dinner, go to the market or Macrina Bakery on 1st Ave. Belltown and the waterfront don't support many other recommendable non-splurge lunch options.

Now, on to dinner and drinks...

Frontier Room - gorgeous waitstaff. has wi-fi. i dare you to bust out your laptop.
2203 1st Ave
.1 Mi

Buffalo Deli - only double plus deli in Belltown. lunch only.
2123 1st Ave
.1 Mi

Apartment Bistro - NYC cool done Seattle proletariat style (ie, IKEA flatware). classy still. intimate. cool.
2226 1st Ave
.2 Mi

Flying Fish - your one dinner splurge could be here. NW seafood emphasis with lots of organic goodness.
2234 1st Ave
.2 Mi

Cafe Casbah - coffee without Macrina's lines or SBUX guilt
2219 2nd Ave
.2 Mi

Barocho! - good place to share and not be part of the herd on 1st
2801 Western Ave
.2 Mi

Waterfront Grill - another dinner splurge possibility. I'd rather just have drinks, appetizers and the view.
2815 Alaskan Way
.3 Mi

For more on Gnomedex, here's the PI's recent article about conference host, Chris Pirillo.

The biggest free party in Seattle this week

Calder and Sky 2
Originally uploaded by lopolis.

Boys and girls, we're throwing a party here in Uptown on Thursday night to celebrate the start of construction (finally!) on the Olympic Sculpture Park. Naturally, we're biased as this one is happening in our own backyard but it really should be a good time and gorgeous if we're lucky and the sun sticks around.

Party in the Park
Thursday, June 23 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

-snip-
Local musical sensations Reggie Watts, Yerbabuena, Luke Temple and a Garfield High School jazz combo will perform, along with breakdancers, On the Double-Dutch and Fankick!, a dynamic ‘80s dance duo. The event will also feature an interactive exhibit from Seattle Aquarium, mural-painting with Artworks, REI bike doctors, a raffle and secure valet bike parking from Transportation Choices.

- un-snip -

Belltown dot shrug - time to change community info sites

Brochure sites for neighborhoods and communities have got to go. Case in point, Belltown.org

Sure, it was created in an 'innovative' vision but that vision has quickly faded. It's simply not useful to have a mostly static site spinning around with no dialogue and very little useful information beyond business listings.

Blogs are probably just a new form of brochure sites but at least they have a spirt of update and live broadcast. So, quit wasting money hosting a dead site like belltown.org and start putting it to work on a site that the community will actually utilize and participate in.

Top 5 Things They're Waiting on at the OSP

garden gnome
Originally uploaded by iflynn.

Are you down with OSP? Yeah, you know me.

But we can't figure out what in the heck they're waiting for before digging in and GETTING TO FRICKING WORK on the Olympic Sculpture Park. So, while you ponder the weedy, empty lot, we offer this list of possible reasons for delay.

1. They're waiting for summer. This year, looks like October or November.
2. Miscalculation: Calder piece will require re-routing of Western.
3. Mayor Nickels fighting for Top Pot donut shop insertion in plan.
4. Construction stalled to allow for Myrtle Edwards 'Traveling Vagabond Fest 2005'
5. Old Spaghetti Factory expansion plans being taken into "consideration".

For a blow by blow account of things, looks like we can follow along with this citizen journalist.

The benefit of having journalists for neighbors

We love the PI. The newspaper part? Not so great. But the glowing globe out our window? Awesome. And having hungry journalists help you keep track of good and bad chow in your neighborhood because it's their neighborhood too? Priceless. Journalists are hungry people with discriminating tastes. Yay for them. Yay for chow. Yay for Uptown chow.

Anyway, we've tried Buckley's and agree that it's pretty good fare and should be supported. So get out there and eat soon to support your local chow-o-sphere.


Seattle PI: On Dining: Maybe this time it's right for Lower Queen Anne site
Headed by proprietor/ bartender Tim Buckley, members of the cast and crew from the original, greatly beloved Belltown Pub reassembled in the Kitchen 232 location as Buckley's on Queen Anne. Serving reliably good burgers, killer wings and homey hearty entrees, the pub and casual restaurant celebrated its first anniversary on May 27.

2 little Uptown restaurants we still need to try and 1 we don't

More Uptown sushi, a kooky spanish joint and chow at a coffeehouse. Which one will we never do again?

1) Wild Fish, 2904 1st Ave.
Bumping out Afrikando wasn't necessarily the best way to make friends but change is change. There's a 15% off coupon on their web site to help inspire. I'll just assume that the addition of 'Steak!' to their sidewalk signage was a hasty decision and not a cry for help from this join-the-pack sushi joint.

2) Mira!, 2800 1st Ave.
We dropped in for a drink to say hello when it first opened and we swung through for snacks late at night on Cinco de Mayo (a spanish rest. on cinco de mayo? after that much cervesa, such details become trivia! mira!) But we need to give the breakfast a rip. Nice to have a new choice in the hood. I don't know how long Mira! will last but it's 100% as weird as the Blue Plate action that used to be in the space so it's got that going for it. And the female component of the management duo is quirky to say the least.


3) Cherry Street Coffee, 2719 1st Ave.
I'll admit it. We had high anticipation for the opening of the newest Cherry here in Uptown. The thought of simple, (hopefully!) affordable coffee-house chow being just a few blocks away got us all wound up. But, alas, we were thoroughly disappointed. The food is, indeed, simple. Reminded me of something I might have re-heated myself. But the prices were out-of-scale and all in all, we're pretty sure we don't need to go back. Could be a good place to sit back and grab a beer or glass a wine this summer (but, not to be a huge fat snob, the wine list was equally re-heated -- entertain us, please!)

Finding Seattle Blogs

We here at UptownSeattle meet a lot of you thanks to the good people and code at Seablogs.

The rest of you come from Google with a trickle also visiting thanks to the Technorati search engine.

But, really, there's no established leader of the pack for finding micro-blogs like this. I kind of like that even though it's a good ego rub to have more readers. It would be cool to see a definitive index though - I get the feeling that I'm missing most of the good stuff that just has to be out there in a city as diverse and progressive as Seat-town. Right? :)