Seattle Washington 365

Watch Obama Become the Next President Here

2008-11-02T20:31:00.001-08:00

Seattle Washington Votes Count

2008-10-28T18:47:00.001-07:00

Seattle Washingtons' votes count this election. Undefined could be your name. Make your vote count. Email this video to as many people as you can. You can add their name to the video.

Seattle Condo Market Review

2008-10-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

For the first time this year, the number of Seattle condos for sale dropped below same period last year. This is a hopeful sign since the last thing we need is more people putting their property into the sluggish system. August 2008 numbers showed total active inventory of 1,503, 1.83% lower than August 2007. Looking at the numbers earlier this year, condo inventory in Seattle was over 60% higher than the same time in 2007. This is largely due a number of reasons: developers holding off on their projects and waiting out on the market, a number of completed condo projects turning into apartments, apartments that were intended to convert to condo reverting back to apartments, and unsold inventory in completed condo projects becoming available as rental units.

The median price for last month's closed sales of Seattle condominiums was $310,000, a drop of 6.03% from a year ago when the median price was $329,900. Comparing to the previous two months this year, median prices were about the same -- $310,000 for August and $299,975 for July. The number of home sale closings in September was almost half of same time last year at 191.

The volume of year-over-year pending sales transactions for September was down 14.50%. On the other hand, months inventory (how many months it would take to sell all the inventory currently on the market) has improved from 8.9 in August to 7.8 in September.

Overall, September numbers indicate a modest shrinkage in Seattle's condo inventory with pending sales still lower than last year (but better than the last two months) and median prices experiencing negative single digit % reductions.

The recent credit market crisis and negative news report has definitely hampered many Seattle (and American in general) home buyers' confidence. Most now believe that prices will continue to drop and have adopted a wait-and-see approach. As we are moving to the seasonal slow period of the year, we probably won't be seeing activity picking up until early next year.

Seattle Space Needle Goes Green

2008-09-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

Seattle Washington News. Seattle's famed Space Needle is making a concerted effort to be the best in the Pacific Northwest when it comes to saving our environment, announcing today a significant initiative to "go green." This program, already having seen much success, entails many initiatives -- several of which have already been fully deployed. It encompasses several focal points of the 'green movement,' including an ultra-innovative water filtration system that will amaze even native Seattle Northwesterners.
"Seattle is already an environmentally-conscious community, and as a symbol of that community, it is natural to take the lead and exemplify what is becoming only more and more important to our lives," said Peter Beck, Vice President of Operations at the Seattle Space Needle. "It isn't a matter of taking the first step to 'go green' anymore -- it's a matter of going above and beyond."
The initiative includes efforts around water, recycling and energy conservation among other things, each aiming to reach new heights through various vendor partnerships.
Water
Perhaps the most innovative of the 'green' updates is the Space Needle's new water system at SkyCity at the Needle, the icon's renowned revolving restaurant. Having done away completely with bottled water, SkyCity is leading the way for other large-volume restaurants. While the Seattle area is already fortunate to be surrounded by excellent natural water sources -- only 35 parts per million total dissolved solids (PPM) -- the Space Needle is challenging this standard by using the highest quality filtered water. This Seattle Space Needle water system was custom designed to produce water with zero parts per million of total dissolved solids. All water and ice served in the restaurant are filtered using this system. Both still and sparkling filtered water are now offered to guests, resulting in glass and delivery fuel savings.
Recycling
Cedar Grove Composting, a family-owned Seattle Washington organic recycling company with roots in the waste management business dating back to 1938, has implemented a comprehensive composting system that incorporates recycling food waste and a variety of products and materials throughout the Seattle Space Needle. Food waste composting has proven to be infinitely successful in all areas. Before the recycling program was advanced, 17 percent of overall waste was recycled. Currently, it now stands at 53 percent and is still improving.
Energy Conservation
In an effort to significantly reduce the amount of energy used by the Seattle Space Needle, many processes have been exchanged for more efficient ones. Compact fluorescent bulbs have replaced incandescent bulbs, resulting in 73 percent energy savings at each of these fixtures. Cold cathode lights in the Space Base gift shop have been replaced by T5 fluorescent bulbs with ENERGY STAR-rated electronic ballasts, providing greater illumination and 25 percent Seattle Space Needle energy savings. Additionally, ENERGY STAR LED exit signs have resulted in an estimated 64 percent energy savings and new, energy-efficient light fixtures were installed in a portion of the core stairwell in April 2008, resulting in 86 percent energy savings.
Also, a new, more efficient hot water system has been installed for the Seattle Space Needle in the Top House, including all new plumbing and state of the art hot water pipe insulation. This has resulted in an estimated 30 percent improvement in energy efficiency for the system as a whole.
Green Cleaning Program
Seattle based Metropolitan Building Maintenance has implemented its Green Cleaning Program within the Seattle Space Needle, using only environmentally-gentle and sustainable cleaning products and techniques. Alpha HP, an all-in-one, environmentally-friendly multi-surface cleaner with low levels of hydrogen peroxide, is being used in all areas of the Space Needle. This innovative product is Green Seal certified and meets Green Seal's environmental standard for industrial and institutional cleaners. Additionally, no carcinogens are added. It is non-combustible and contains low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) content, making it much safer for the both the environment and for those using the product.
Dishwashing Grease Interceptors
Grease interceptors have been installed in three different kitchens (cost: $40,000) to separate all grease from dish and pot washing, preventing contamination of the sewer system. The Seattle Space Needle grease is then recycled.

Seatte's Underground Tour Is A Lot Of Fun

2008-09-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Check out Bill Speidel's underground tour. It is a leisurely, guided walking tour beneath Seattle’s sidewalks and streets.
While you roam the subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old downtown Seattle, Tour Guides regale you with humorous stories our pioneers didn’t want you to hear. It’s history with a twist!
The tour begins with a seated introduction inside Doc Maynard’s Public House, a restored 1890s saloon. Then you walk outside through historic Pioneer Square to three different sections of Underground—about three blocks in all.
Be prepared for the underground landscape to be moderately rugged: you’ll encounter six flights of stairs, uneven terrain and spotty lighting. Dress for the weather—and leave your spike heel shoes at home!
The tour ends at Rogue’s Gallery, where you’ll find portraits of Seattle’s colorful characters and other displays depicting Seattle’s past. Here you’ll have a chance to purchase work by local artisans and mementos of your visit.
And don’t forget the Underground Cafe, featuring Angus burgers, halibut and chips, sandwiches, soups, salads and snacks.

DID YOU KNOW?
You can book a private tour for you and a few of your friends. Just call 206-682-4646, ext 202, at least two weeks in advance, please.

Seattle Washington Fun Facts:

The term “Skid Road” came from Pioneer Square.
You can get married in the Underground.
Best Western Pioneer Square Hotel, in a renovated turn-of-the-century building, is one block away.
Visit the nearby Smith Tower Observation Deck, offering panoramic views of Seattle's downtown and beyond.

Other things to do around Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square Antique Mall—with 60 dealers, next door to Rogues Gallery.
Klondike Gold Rush Museum.
Seattle Fallen Firefighters’ Memorial sculpture.
Elliott Bay Bookstore.
Shopping & Entertainment—a dizzying assortment of fine arts galleries, specialty and gift shops, restaurants and night clubs. Please pick up a free map of the neighborhood.

UNDERGROUND TOUR SCHEDULE

September
Mon-Thurs: 10, 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 4, 6 pm
Fri-Sat: 10, 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 pm
Sun: 10, 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 pm
April
Mon-Thurs: 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 4, 5 pm
Fri-Sun: 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 pm
October, November
Mon-Fri: 11 am, 1, 2, 4, 5 pm
Sat-Sun: 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 pm
May
Mon-Thurs: 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 4, 6 pm
Fri-Sat: 10, 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 pm
Sun: 10, 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 pm
Dec, Jan, Feb
Mon-Fri: 11 am, 1, 2, 3 pm
Sat-Sun: 11 am, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4 pm

Call 206-682-4646 for information
and reservations for our
April-through -October, adults-only
Underworld Tour.

Note: Tours may be added during peak seasons. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

TICKETS (Cash Only)
$15.00 Adults (18-59 yrs)
$12.00 Seniors (60+ yrs)
$12.00 Students (13-17 yrs or w/valid college ID)
$7.00 Children (7-12 yrs)
Kids under 6 may find the 90 minute tour challenging.

NO RESERVATIONS, PLEASE
The tour is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. We recommend you arrive at least 30 minutes before the tour to purchase your tickets.

Private Tours may be booked with two weeks' advance notice, minimum, by calling 206-682-4646, ext 202.

Beltre hits for cycle in Seattle's 12-6 win

2008-09-01T21:06:00.001-07:00

Adrian Beltre hit for the cycle and had five hits to help the Seattle Mariners win their fourth straight game, beating the Texas Rangers 12-6 on Monday night.

Beltre, who had the third five-hit game of his career, became the fourth Mariners player to hit for the cycle with an RBI triple off Josh Rupe in the eighth.

Beltre homered in the second, had an RBI single in the fourth and singled in the sixth off Rangers starter Matt Harrison. He doubled off Rangers reliever Luis Mendoza (3-7) in Seattle's four-run seventh.

Beltre's bid for a six-hit game came up short when he grounded out in the ninth.

John Olerud was the last Mariner to hit for the cycle, doing so on June 16, 2001 against the San Diego Padres.

Arizona's Scott Drew hit for the cycle earlier Monday against St. Louis. It was the first time two players hit for the cycle on the same day since Sept. 17, 1920, when Bobby Veach of the Detroit Tigers and George Burns of the New York Giants did it, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Beltre also became the fourth Seattle player ever to score five runs.

Sean Green (4-4) pitched three scoreless innings in relief to help the Mariners post their first four-game winning streak of the season.

Josh Hamilton homered and drove in his 118th RBI, and Taylor Teagarden hit a three-run blast after being recalled earlier in the day.

The Mariners, who trailed 6-4, scored a run on Jamie Burke's single in the sixth and four more in the seventh.

After Mendoza retired the leadoff man in the seventh, the next six Seattle batters reached base.

Raul Ibanez tied the game at 6 with an RBI single to set the stage for Jeremy Reed, who was pinch hitting for Wladimir Balentien.

Reed grounded a single under the glove of second baseman Joaquin Arias to put the Mariners ahead 8-6. Burke hit a sacrifice fly to cap Seattle's scoring in the seventh.

Seattle pounded out a season-high 20 hits and equaled their season-best with 12 runs.

Mariners starter Carlos Silva allowed six runs and 10 hits after being activated from the disabled list before the game.

Harrison allowed five runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings for the Rangers, who lost for the 10th time in 12 home games.

Teagarden, who was a member of the bronze medal winning team in the Olympics, replaced an injured Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the fifth after being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma before the game on the first day of expanded rosters.

His three-run home run capped a five-run fifth that put the Rangers ahead 6-4.

Beltre homered for the third time in two games leading off the second.

Washington Waterfowl Season Set

2008-09-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

Waterfowl hunting opportunities will be similar to last year under seasons adopted by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission at a meeting here Aug. 8-9.

Washington Goose Hunting Season Dates.

Goose hunting seasons vary by management areas across the state, but most open Oct. 11 and run into January 2009.

The goose and duck hunting seasons approved by the commission, which sets policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), are based on state and federal waterfowl population estimates and guidelines.

Washingtion Duck Hunting Season.

Under the 2008 waterfowl seasons, the statewide duck hunting season will be open from Oct. 11-15 and Oct. 18-Jan. 25. A special youth hunting weekend also is scheduled for Sept. 20-21.

As part of the hunting package, the commission closed the canvasback season this year and delayed the start of the scaup season until Nov. 1 to address population declines for those species. Special limits for hen mallard, pintail, redhead, harlequin, scoter and long-tailed duck will remain the same.

Look for Estil Wallace in Seattle Washington

2008-09-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Washington Music scene is the hotbed for new artists. Estil Wallace is hitting hot on the scene in Phoenix Arizona and looking to perform in Seattle soon. His musical style is acoustic experimental and is lyrically deep with a sound that resonates. The combination of acoustic guitar and violin is a perfect backdrop for the haunting lyrics. Look for his first album November 1st of this year called "Ellusion".

Here you can see two videos of Estil. One is on you tube and the other is on mystudio which you will be seeing soon splashing the Internet social network. To hear more of Estil, Click on this link.

Seattle Washington State Ferries- Tourist Attraction

2008-08-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Seattle Washington State Ferries: Travel Puget Sound

Washington State Ferries is one of the state's largest tourist attractions. It's also the second largest mass transit system in Washington, and the largest ferry system in the United States. No matter how you look at it, a ferry is a beautiful way to go.
Sparkling waters, snow-capped mountains, cityscapes, salt air, leaping Orca whales, the call of the gulls-a journey aboard a Washington State Ferry appeals to the senses. And it makes a lot of sense when you see all the places you can go on any one of our ten different routes throught Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.
More than 26 million people journey with Washington State Ferries every year-to get to work, to go on vacations, and just for the fun of it on a sunny day

'The Bachelor' Visits Seattle Washington

2008-08-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

On the last day of July, a star of The Bachelor's tenth season visited the campus of the University of Washington, but he wasn't looking for love, after the failure of his relationship with Tessa Horst toward the end of the summer of 2007.

Instead, U.S. Lt. Andy Baldwin of The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman is there as part of a tour of the country's universities to advocate the U.S. Navy scholarship program. Baldwin is an undersea medical officer, Navy diver, and an Ironman triathlete.

On his visit to UW, Baldwin took advantage of his stint on The Bachelor and talked to premed students at Children's Hospital in Seattle about his personal experience with the navy Health Professions Scholarship Program and called it “one of the best decisions” that he has ever made.

“My grandfather, who is 83 years old, served in the Navy,” he said. “I always looked at old photos and thought it was a noble venture. The U.S. Navy is one of the best secrets out there… I am a firm believer in Navy medicine and the great doctor you can become as being affiliated with the Navy program.

After Seattle, Baldwin will speak in Spokane, then in Fort Lewis, both also in Washington state.

Roughly a week after the Baldwin visit, the producers of The Bachelor were also in Tacoma to look for eligible young ladies to compete on the ABC reality show.

As usual, the press release says the same thing, “if you're single, cute, young, and want to have the opportunity to find love,” then go sign up. Those who were interested needed to answer more questions, such as dating and financial history. Some critics of the show add “willing to make a fool of yourself on national television and trivialize love” among the list of requirements.

Seattle Seahawks New Training Facility Awesome

2008-08-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

Dropped jaws and wide eyes were included in the standard equipment as the Seattle Seahawks players got their first look at the team's new state-of-the-art Seahawks headquarters on the shores of Lake Washington.
The players and coaches won't move south fulltime from the Kirkland facility that has housed the team since 1986 until Aug. 18, but they held their morning training camp practice Wednesday at the beyond-spacious Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

The main team room/auditorium at the Seahawks new practice facility, the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton

The new Seattle practice facility is big! How big? Locker room: 6,700 square feet (compared with 1,140 in Kirkland). Weight room: 6,000 (compared with 2,430). Training room: 4,300 (compared with 1,836). Total acreage: 19 (compared with 10).

A large Seahawks logo in the carpet on the floor of the locker room at the Seattle Seahawks new practice facility.

"It's cool," said Walter Jones, the team's not-easily-impressed Pro Bowl left tackle. "The best part is just the room. It's just so spacious. Everybody can do what they need to do without being crammed in, in places like the locker room and the weight room. It's just very impressive."

The weight room at the Seahawks new practice facility is 6,000 square feet at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. The Kirkland facility weight room was 2,430 square feet. The weights have not been moved in yet.

The Seahawks had outgrown their Kirkland nest, and club CEO Tod Leiweke and president Tim Ruskell wanted to ensure that the new place would be a better fit for seasons to come.

Go Seattle Seahawks!!!

Seattle Seafair - Fleet of 13 vying to dethrone David, U-6

2008-08-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Seattle Washington News and Information. Steve David and the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison (left) leads Jeff Bernard and the U-5 Formulaboats.com (right) in the American Boat Racing Association’s national championship standings by 618 points entering this weekend’s Chevrolet Cup at Seafair. David, who has 4,764 points through four of the six races, is the defending champion at Seafair and he also won last weekend at Tri-Cities.
A fleet of 14 Unlimiteds - 13 that hope to still be around for Sunday's winner-take-all final - has arrived in the Stan Sayres Pits to begin testing and qualifying for the 58th annual Chevrolet Cup at Seattle Seafair today on Lake Washington.
In a sport in which the majority of the teams - both personnel and technology - are based in the Seattle Washington area, it's homecoming weekend on the American Boat Racing Association's 2008 Unlimited hydroplane series.
And while the majority of the fleet is from Seattle, the top boat in the national points standings, the defending champion of the Chevrolet Cup and the most recent winner on the ABRA series hails from right here in Madison.
Steve David and the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison stand atop all three categories. David, from Lighthouse Pointe, Fla., but driver of the Madison-based Unlimited, not only leads the 2008 national championship standings with 4,764 points - 618 points in front of another Indiana-based boat the U-5 Formulaboats.com I and driver Jeff Bernard - but he is also the defending Seafair champion and winner of the series' most recent race last weekend in Tri-Cities, Washington.
"Quite frankly, this defending champion thing is new for us," David said. "We're humbled to be in this position."
But winning should be starting to feel kind of familiar to the U-6 team. David has won three of the last five completed races in the ABRA series and looks to be a slim favorite to repeat at Seattle despite racing in a series that has more speed and parity than in any of his previous 19 seasons.
"The competition this year is as good as I have ever seen it," said David, who won his eighth career Unlimited hydroplane race at last weekend's Columbia Cup. "There are six to seven boats who can win a race on any given day."
And all seven of the contenders - as well as the other six pretenders - would like nothing better than to win the Chevrolet Cup.
"There's lots of pressure for everyone to do well here because there's so much sponsorship money in Seattle," owner Billy Schumacher, who's U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing won the season opener in Evansville and was on pace to win last weekend before a broken prop derailed the boat just over one lap from the finish. "For the fans, that should only make the racing better."
Other top contenders will be looking to rebound from similar setbacks last weekend. The U-1 Ellstrom Miss Elam and driver Dave Villwock - the top qualifier at Tri-Cities and winners of two preliminary heats - are looking for their first win of the season after seeing their hopes in the Tri-Cities final dashed by a one-lap penalty for encroaching.
Jean Theoret, driver of the Miss Beacon and winner of Seafair in 2006, is currently third in the standings despite not finishing the final at Tri-Cities. The second fastest qualifier at Tri-Cities - the Evansville-based U-3 Hoss Mortgage Investors Too and driver Jimmy King - will be trying to further iron-out engine problems that have plagued the sport's only piston-powered Unlimited all season. The U-3 ran its best laps of the season last weekend before a burned piston led the team to withdraw from its spot in the finals.
Bernard and the Formulaboats.com, winners of the Governor's Cup at Madison, sit second in the national points standings with 4,146 points. David Bryant and the U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors have been gaining ground on the sport's front-runners all season and now stand fourth in the points standings despite a one-lap starting penalty last weekend.
In addition to 13 Unlimiteds, there will be 14 Unlimited lights competing in that series at Seattle as well as an appearance by one of the sport's living legends when Chip Hanauer, Unlimited racing's No. 2 driver in career wins with 61, attempts to qualify a second Elam-owned boat using a new experimental renewable biofuel.
Hanauer, 54, a retired seven time winner of Seafair, will pilot the U-787 Miss Boeing in qualifying using a fuel developed by Imperium Renewables that is a mixture of 80 percent coconut oil and 20 percent Babassu oil (light yellow vegetable oil). Turbine powered Unlimiteds most often are powered by a low grade of kerosene.
Boeing successfully used the biofuel in February in one of its 747 airplanes, owned by Virgin Atlantic, in a maintenance flight from Amsterdam to London and Hanauer tested on Lake Washington with the fuel on July 10.
"If you didn't tell me it was a concoction of renewable fuel, I wouldn't have known the difference," Hanauer said. "People outside the boat ... said it smelled different, but as far as performance went, I couldn't detect any difference at all."
Hanauer never really pushed the U-787 in the July test, but will try to push the boat to at least the 150 mph range today or tomorrow before parking the boat on the dock come time for heat racing.
"We'll ask a little more of it than in testing," Hanauer said, noting he will not race at Seafair even if the boat qualifies. "It was the first time I'd been in a boat for 10 years, so I'll ask a little more of myself."
Unlimited qualifying will get under way at 1:15 p.m. EDT today with the first heat of Unlimited racing slated for 5:45 p.m. EDT Saturday with the winner-take-all final scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Sunday. In addition, there will be qualifying and racing by the Unlimited Lights as well as air shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels

Estil Wallace Coming to Seattle Washington

2008-07-29T00:10:00.000-07:00

Seattle Washington news and information. Look for up and coming artist Estil Wallace to be playing the Seattle Washington music scene soon. For more information, go to www.estilwallace.com or email your request for more information to webmedia@cox.net.

Seattle Washington wine auction coming up

2008-07-27T11:48:00.001-07:00

Seattle Washington news and information -- The 21st annual Auction of Washington Wines event, titled "Coming of Age," will be held Aug. 14-16 in and around Woodinville (in the Seattle Washington area).
The three-day celebration of Washington wine kicks off with the Picnic with the Winemakers & Barrel Auction on Aug. 14, on the grounds of Chateau Ste. Michelle. It runs from 4:30 p.m. until dusk. Tickets are $125 per person.
It is followed by a series of winemaker dinners on Aug. 15. The dinners will be held in a variety of sites, all with a different menu. Details can be found on the website: www.auctionofwashingtonwines.org/Home.cfm. Cost is $250 per person.
The 2nd annual Covey Run 10K and TalkingRain 5K run/ walk will wind through the streets of Woodinville's wine country the morning of Aug. 16. Register online at www.runforchildrens.org.
The Gala Auction celebrating the "Coming of Age" of Washington state wine will be held the evening of Aug. 16 at Chateau Ste. Michelle. The event runs from 4:30 p.m. to midnight. Cost is $500 per person and includes a gourmet meal, wine and dancing, plus silent and live auctions.
Proceeds from the Auction of Washington Wines benefit uncompensated care for patients and families at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center and the Washington Wine Education Foundation.
For more information, or to buy tickets and sign up for the run/walk go to www.auctionofwashingtonwines.org/Home.cfm. Or contact jashley@washingtonwine.org or 206-326-5754.

Pike Place Market is Seattle's heart and soul

2008-07-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Seattle Washington News and Information. Seattle has grown up around Pike Place Market, which draws about 10-million visitors a year. The market is home to more than 190 commercial businesses, 50 restaurants and 200 table spaces rented daily by merchants.
“Is anybody ready to buy a fish?" barks the man called Bear at the Seattle fish market. The onlookers are stone silent, looking now at the slippery floor rather than through the camera viewfinder. Moments before, with a headless salmon flying over ice, they clicked and clapped, oohed and aahed.
"We don't throw 'em unless you buy 'em," says Bear, a 20-year fishmonger whose real name is Keith Bish. He wears Creamsicle waders and a couple of layers of shirts, just the way everyone says you should dress for the Seattle Pacific Northwest drizzle. The layers, not the waders.
With that simple declaration, it is clear that the Seattle fish market, one of most popular tourist destinations exists for more than the amusement of visitors. The Seattle fish market is a business, and to see a 3-foot salmon tossed, somebody has to want one for dinner.
The flying fish routine started as a way to save a few steps. By chucking the fish over the elevated counter, the guy working the front doesn't have to walk around. It's pure geometry: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The thrower yells, the catcher behind the counter hollers back and the fish is launched.
There are other fish markets at Pike Place Market, though Pike Place Fish gets the most TV time. Bear & Co. seem to be a fixture before every nationally televised Seattle Seahawks game.
The fish market is just one of 10 stops on the Savor Seattle tour of Pike Place Market, a 9-acre warren of food, drink and flowers that sits on a hill above the city's waterfront. Each stop includes a little history and a taste.
Seattle has much to keep visitors busy; among the attractions are ferry rides to bucolic islands, the Seattle Space Needle, funky neighborhoods and the Experience Music Project with its Jimi Hendrix memorabilia. Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, built the music project to house his extensive collection of Hendrix guitars, clothes and handwritten diaries and lyrics. Hendrix was born and raised in Seattle.
Seattle's hip vibe is not hype. Dripping with java and oozing environmentalism and computer savvy, it still draws young people and mid-career dropouts looking for nirvana. On a June weekend, a group that "cultivates community sustainability" holds a workshop on raising chickens in the city. Why city chickens? For fresh eggs, of course. How Seattle.
A stop at Pike Place Market is a compact introduction to Seattle, its eccentricities and green-haired alt kids. Whether you go on a tour or go solo, go hungry.
For more than 100 years, Pike Place Market has fed Seattle's hunger for unique, affordable and fresh food while giving farmers, fishermen and other merchants a place to make a living.
Besides Pacific Ocean seafood and Washington produce (wild porcini mushrooms! Rainier cherries in the shadow of Mount Rainier!), you'll find artisan cheeses, organic spices and teas, award-winning New England Clam Chowder (hah!), baked goods hot from the oven, flowers so brilliant they'll make you weep, and coffee, lots of coffee. Seattle, after all, is the home of Peet's and Seattle's Best and Starbucks.
The world's most famous coffee shop got its start near the market in 1971, not at the market as some spin doctors like to say. It moved to the market in 1976 and a sign at its current location erroneously boasts that you're standing in the first store. Still, that was a whole lot of lattes ago.
Starbucks is one of the most popular spots for street performers. A musical note on the sidewalk signifies a busker-welcome zone. Heavy foot traffic ensures good tips. The musical notes are scattered about the market and serve to corral singers and jugglers and the guy who plays the guitar while hula-hooping.
Like the Lexington Market in Baltimore and Soulard Farmers Market in St. Louis, Pike Place is a living history of the evolution of a city. In a world of super-marts and mammoth parking lots, there is no reason it should still exist, except that people insist. Concerned citizens rallied in the 1960s to save Pike Place from developers and city officials who saw big bucks rather than continuing big drain. The market's prime spot overlooking Elliott Bay would provide great views for high-rise offices and condominiums. That's what the skyscrapers that surround the market today look out on. The city has literally grown up around the market.
Pike Place is always in need of funds to keep up appearances and hold down rents. Not all the tenants, especially the day vendors who sell handcrafted jewelry and homemade aprons, have the benefit of free TV publicity. Individuality is at the core of the market's philosophy and, Starbucks aside, this is the sole outlet (this and the Internet) for most purveyors. Rachel the Pig, a large cast bronze piggy bank near Pike Place Fish, contributes $9,000 a year to the upkeep.
About 10-million people browse the stalls and eat at the restaurants every year. That includes locals who still shop — and live — here. About 500 low-income apartments are upstairs in the various buildings that make up the market; some renters are also employees. On weekends, the aisles are nearly impassible as streams of people squirm along like those legendary salmon swimming upstream. Even at the most crowded times, a tourist can't help but be jealous of locals who get to shop here whenever they want, carrying home $10 spring bouquets wrapped in butcher paper.
In summer, there are weekly organic markets on-site. The market-within-a-market is an embarrassment of riches, but that's what the Pacific Northwest is all about, physical beauty and the good life.
Tim Primeaux, our Savor Seattle guide, knows what happens when he holds out a tray of handmade cheese nibbles from Beecher's or smoked salmon pieces from Pike Place Fish. He prepares us early in the tour.
"Get close. Elbows up," he says. That's our cue to form a tight circle around the food, warding off the curious who nudge forward like greedy seagulls. A deal between Savor Seattle and the vendors provides us with a taste or two of their specialties; there's not enough for everyone who spies the action. In return, the merchants hope we'll return with a 10-percent-off card to shop after the two-hour tour.
(We came home with alderwood smoked sea salt and a savory heart-healthy spice mix from MarketSpice, the tea and spice shop that's been at Pike Place since 1911. Oh yeah, and there was another stop for the world's best mac-and-cheese at Beecher's and more than just a sample of the clam chowder at Pike Place Chowder.)
Everyone on the tour has their favorites, but folks linger longer over the smoked salmon pate piroshky at the Polish bakery and chocolate-nut-dried-fruit treats at Chukar Cherries. The politeness of strangers at the first stop has each of us demurely declining the last warm pillow from Daily Dozen Doughnuts. Manners are gone as the tour winds down at Etta's Seafood. Triple coconut cream pie will do that to a traveler. "You gonna finish that?" someone asks.
After the tour ends, we strut back through the market, feeling a bit like we own the place. After all, we were behind the counter at Chukar and we know the guy at Pike Place Fish by name.

Washington Global Health Alliance -- Seattle as a Center for Global Health

2008-07-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Seattle Washington news. On July 24th, Seattle will provide a forum to discuss global health information. Seattle has emerged a hub for global health innovation and application. Recently formed Washington Global Health Alliance works with CityClub to put together a luncheon to discuss what this means, and what's being done to keep up with activism, research and ethics. The heads of three of the alliance's member organizations: PATH, UW Dept. of Global Health and Seattle Biomedical Research Institute will lead discussions about their organizations, collaboration,and more.
$45 includes lunch. For more information, visit www.seattlecityclub.org.

Solid AAU circuit gives Seattle more hoops products

2008-07-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Seattle Washington News. The Seattle Sonics are headed to Oklahoma City. Washington, after back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances, didn't make the NCAA tournament for a second consecutive season. For the first high school season in a long while, the area didn't produce an elite Division I basketball recruit. In a general, shortsighted way, hoops in Seattle Washington might appear dead or on life support -- the "206" doing a deep six.
It's fair to say the area, which has produced five NBA first-round picks since 2005 -- six if our list can include an hourlong ferry ride to Bremerton, Wash., to pick up Marvin Williams -- suffered a notable downturn in 2007-08. But the scuttlebutt at the grassroots level is that Seattle remains a basketball hotbed, particularly if its twin city of Tacoma -- the "253" -- is included.
That's where two of the nation's top 50 prospects reside: Bellarmine Prep stars Abdul Gaddy (No. 14 on the ESPN 100) and Avery Bradley (No. 49). Toss in fellow guard Peyton Siva (No. 26) of Seattle Washington powerhouse Franklin High, who has committed to Louisville, and it becomes clear that the Seattle Puget Sound area will remain a critical stop for hoops recruiters in the Pac-10 and beyond.
Peyton Siva, who has verbally committed to Louisville, is one of the up-and-coming stars from Seattle. Even after the NBA abandons the city.
Seattle's respected place in the hoops firmament exceeds what it should be based on demographics. Its metropolitan area ranks 15th in population among U.S. cities, but its eight NBA players in 2007-08 ranked the city fifth.
Bottom line: The Seattle area produces more than its share of NBA and Division I talent.
The reason isn't that complicated, either. Grassroots hoops in Seattle -- read: the AAU teams -- is organized and well coached. Talent gets every opportunity to realize itself. "I applaud what the travel teams in our area are really doing," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "I think they really teach basketball."
Anyone who has followed the scene lists the same names. In the 1990s, first Francis Williams and then Albert Hall and Jim Marsh, with an assist from former Sonics coach George Karl, created a strong foundation of youth basketball -- Williams with Rotary Select, Hall and Marsh with Friends of Hoop. "The quality of youth coaching -- in high school and AAU -- got a lot better and became a source of pride for those involved," said Marsh, a former NBA player and Sonics broadcaster. "It was no longer some dad down in the corner who was just doing a good deed for the neighborhood boys. The bad coaches weeded themselves out."
Though Marsh's "bad" coaches are those who don't know squat about coaching the sport, he also noted that the early commitment to quality leadership mostly kept at bay many of the oleaginous opportunists who lurk around youth leagues.
Notably -- and probably not coincidentally -- the Seattle area's list of elite youth prospects who became Division I and NBA players includes very few who ran into substantial off-court trouble.
Part of that can be attributed to skilled and demanding coaches who cared about their players' best interests. Another part is Seattle itself, which has a lower crime rate than most major cities. "I don't know if you have the low low-income families as much as some other bigger cities," Romar said. "We have it in Seattle, but I don't know if it's as widespread as other cities. I think there's more mentorship in the Seattle area than maybe other cities."
That mentorship eventually helped 14 Seattle-area athletes play in the 2008 NCAA tournament for schools across the country, ranging from Louisville (Terrence Williams) to Stanford (Mitch Johnson) to Cornell (Conor Mullen) to Kansas (Rodrick Stewart).
A necessary interlude: Folks residing around Spokane on the eastern side of Washington reading (again) about Seattle hoops probably are wondering what in the name of Adam Morrison they have to do to get some credit, and not only for Gonzaga's long-standing and Washington State's recent success.
They would be quick to point out that their side of the state has dominated 4A basketball -- the state's largest classification -- of late, as two-time state champions Ferris High became the state's first team to go undefeated in consecutive seasons, while the Lewis and Clark girls team won its third consecutive title.
Still, programs like Franklin, Rainier Beach, Seattle Prep, Garfield and O'Dea, among others, are pumping the most talent into Division I schools. And the future is bright. Garfield's 6-foot-5 rising sophomore guard Tony Wroten, Nate Robinson's cousin, already is a YouTube phenomenon and is widely considered one of the elite prospects in the class of 2011.
The Sonics may be bolting, but Seattle remains a hoops town, with plenty of A-list talent representing the 206.

Seattle Washington a blue state and city

2008-07-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here you go Seattle Republicans...reasons to vote Republican you can share with your friends. LOL.

Miss Seattle

2008-07-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

Miss Washington Apologizes for “Foolish” Photos

Elyse Umemoto, Miss Washington and second runner-up at Miss America 2008 apologized for the embarrassing pictures of her brought to the public eye by the gossip Web site TMZ.com.
Umemoto, who is also Miss Seattle, said the above mentioned pictures were stolen from her and police has been notified about the theft. During a press conference in downtown Tacoma she also said that the pictures were taken before she was designated Miss Washington.
The Pierce County resident described the photos which made it on the internet as “foolish.” Despite the scandal of the photos, the 24-year-old beauty will retain her Miss Washington title according to a contest official.
The “foolish” photos depicted Umemoto drinking, partying, making obscene gestures, flipping off the camera while wearing a crown and playing drinking games.
During the news conference held at the Hotel Murano, Umemoto said that she was wearing the Miss Seattle crown in the controversial pictures. She took those pictures during a private setting and her trust was violated, she told reporters.
Miss Washington is a Pacific Lutheran University student and she has taken a year off school.
“This is me genuinely apologizing, this is me genuinely admitting that I am only human,” she said.
Umemoto will not be disciplined for the controversial photos, said Miss Washington Scholarship Organization's field director, Mike Miller. He also said that the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office has been notified about the alleged electronic theft.
“We are convinced that Elyse has learned a brutal but effective lesson and that any additional sanction we might impose will be overreacting,” Miller said.
A new Miss Washington will be chosen this weekend.

Set Sail From Seattle Washington

2008-07-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Are you having fun? Try this! A great way to go to Alaska.

Seattle Washington News

2008-07-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Move Over Starbucks, Seattle Baristas Are Brewing Coffee In Their Bikinis
Known for its coffee and home to renowned Starbucks, Seattle, Washington is making a name for itself once again: bikini clad baristas serving up your favourite latte. Not everyone is happy about the scantily clad coffee making beauties, though.
Only the best of coffee connoisseurs (aka: coffee snobs) understand the true art and flavour of a freshly pulled shot of espresso. In fact, if you've ever been on the receiving end of a poorly extracted shot or one that has sat longer than its designed time frame, you know that bitter taste associated with bad espresso.
Now, you can have your expertly pulled shot and well, drink it all in too.
An outdoor coffee house in Seattle, Washington has kicked off the clunky black shirt and khaki pants required by Starbucks employees and has moved onto a less restricting uniform for its baristas, at least the "hot" ones.
Adorned in string bikinis, baristas at an espresso bar created coffee drinks for what appeared to be mostly male customers and tourists lined up to give their order and get a closer peep at the preparation processes.
One of the baristas explained that her morning tips had risen five times the amount due to shedding some extra weight, claiming her $30 morning tips are nearly four or five times that amount in the same time frame due to her wearing a bikini.
The line of men with cameras waiting to order their "skinny latte" substantiated her claim with some getting extra "sprinkles" as they stood between their coffee creators, with a smile as big as enzyte Bob's, and struck a pose befitting for the family photo album.
One female interviewed about how she felt towards the bikini clad baristas agreed to the question that it brought a negative image to Seattle, however, the line in front of the espresso bar might prove a little different as far as bringing tourism to Seattle.
The only concern here is that bare skin and hot beverages just don't seem to mix but at a 400 percent tip increase, I'm sure safety issues are ever elusive.