Another reason to love Seattle: In the city where Starbucks was born and has proliferated into more than 200 Seattle stores, it seems that everyone has an opinon about the chain and a theory of coffee competition.
Apparently Starbucks is opening a new store in the University District, a revelation that resulted in over a hundred comments in two Seattle-themed LiveJournal communities. Enjoy the analysis and arguments regarding the merits of corporate vs. indie coffee: “Just what we need….ANOTHER STARBUCKS!” [uw] and “The Ave and Starbucks” [seattle]

A few weeks back, there were rumors in the comments that Whole Foods may be moving into the soon-to-be abandoned QFC store on Broadway. With the latest AP release below, it’s unlikely as Whole Foods now appears to be moving into South Lake Union, a mere mile away.

Associated Press
SEATTLE – An upscale hotel and Whole Foods supermarket are planned for the South Lake Union area of Seattle as part of a redevelopment.
Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts will open a 160-room hotel and Whole Foods Market will open a grocery on the corner of Denny and Westlake Avenues.

Local radio station wants to send you to Texas: I just noticed that KEXP is going to give away a trip to the fall’s unbeliveably indie music festival (Austin City Limits) to someone who contributes through the online donation form. [kexp] The lineup is fantastically dreamy and I can’t think of another city in Texas that I’d rather visit.
You have until August 25 for your contribution to get in on the sweepstakes. So pledge early and often. There are no losers in this contest, since the money goes to support high quality radio programming.

Seattle, for a town full of pierced up people, you sure have some sorry-ass studio options…
Yesterday, I decided I needed a little change. Nothing drastic mind you, just something to perk me up. For a while now, I have wanted to stretch my ears up from a two gauge to a zero. Well, I guess that sounds drastic to some people, but y’all are just squeamish. So yes, this was my long standing wish, and yesterday seemed to be the perfect day to make it come true.
So I wandered Captiol Hill, in search of a studio with a good feel. And, I must say, I ended up a little disappointed. Granted, I am probably a little spoiled by the place I used to go to back home, New York Adorned. That joint is more like a museum of body modifications than anything else–tons of beautiful jewlery options, artful presentation, an expert staff of friendly, super modded up folks. And of course, the fact that they are all insanely hot only adds to the overall wonderfulness of the experience….mmm….sigh…but I digress…
So yeah, I am on Broadway, eyes peeled. I skip right over Laughing Budda. I haven’t heard one good thing about them since I have come here, besides, that whole flyer-person-perpetually-positioned-out-front deal strikes me as a little tacky. I mean, that stuff is all well and good for strip clubs, but when it comes to piercing studios I want something a little more…low key, I guess.
I continued on to Sin City, which is right across the street from Dick’s. A lot of people have told me that they have a really sweet, talented body piercer. But I dunno man, the place is primarily a clothing store and that just makes me wary. On top of that, the piercer wasn’t even *in* that day. And the store kinda smelled like hamsters (although my friend only picked up on a slightly “woody” odor)–not an aroma I usually associate with hygenic environments.
Feeling a little frusterated at this point, I headed over to Apocaylpse. It seemed very neat and tidy–maybe a bit sterile, actually. The counter people were a little indifferent to our presence, but then, that’s the norm at most piercing studios. The only thing that was a real let down was the jewelry selection–the only zero guage options were a few brightly colored metal eyelets (I’m more of a dark hue wearer) and some equally garish glass plugs! Horrors! Finally I spotted some clear glass ones that I felt I could live with.
“In fact with black o-rings, they’d look really good,” my friend pointed out. Of course, the place didn’t have any black o-rings. Just clear ones. Still, I had my heart set on getting the stretch today, and it was looking like Apocaylpse was the end of the line.
The procedure was well-excecuted, but the piercer guy didn’t give me any after care advice which seemed a little unprofessional. But whatever, I walked out happily rocking my new jewelry.

Maryland moms are protesting for cross-country cafe breastfeeding rights after a woman was asked not to breastfeed uncovered in Starbucks:

More than two dozen mothers staged a breastfeeding “nurse-in” at a Starbucks Corp. store in Maryland over the weekend in an effort to get the world’s largest coffee shop chain to adopt a policy allowing breastfeeding in all its U.S. stores. [y!]

Whether infants will be encouraged to order in “barista-speak” while in-store remains on the negotiating table.

Perhaps you’re uncomfortable entrusting your money to people wearing anything more formal than business causal attire? A suit and tie on your banker is certainly out of the question. Luckily for you, there is a new option in town.
Group Health Credit Union announces it’s otherwise good news for people who love co-ops — if you live or work anywhere in the state, you’re eligible to join — with a PR campaign featuring minimally-clothed men covered in purple body paint [purplepeeps]. Which, obviously got me to look at their website, but I don’t know that I want to associate Blue Man Group knockoffs with the people who take care of my cash.

Continuing today’s shocking restaurant news theme (I do love a bandwagon):
On the walk to my office this morning, I noticed that everyone’s favorite feline-themed vegetarian hotspot on Capitol Hill appears to be gone for good. Things didn’t look good when the Green Cat’s windows were papered over a couple weeks ago, but hope for it only being a makeover were dashed today when their old space was revealed to be a whole new establishment called (I think) Local Cafe.
I’ll admit to being a little more sad about the loss of the idea of the place than the actuality of it. Never fear, it looks like Coffee Messiah has expanded their food service to fill the gap in vegan food options on Olive Way. On top of that, they added wi-fi this summer and have consistently funny sidewalk signage.

Eastlake’s lovely Latin mainstay Bandoleone has moved to Fremont, and my Eastlake posse tells me it’s probably due to exorbitant rent costs. Surprising, as Fremont is not exactly sporting Northgate-caliber rent prices these days, but I suppose we all end up in the center of the universe eventually, don’t we? Nah, I don’t mean to hate, but NewFremont is looking more condo-licious every time I venture down there for a Baja Fresh burrito. When I was a young’un visiting Grandpa in the big city, Fremont was more Dusty Strings and Solstice Parade; less Red Door and Ballroom. Recent visits to nighttime Fremont establishments find me being constantly approached with “how YOU doin’ tonight?” and I’m not even hot. But for Dad Watson’s, the former Bagel Oasis, and now Bandoleone, we have Fremont to thank.
Still, Bandoleone fit in nicely on the main drag of Eastlake, and with its loss there seem to be considerably less eating options there. It was the perfect transitional restaurant between basic pizza at Pazzo and elegant spendy Italian at Serafina. Bandoleone was sometimes iffy with the main entrees (I once had a chicken dish that smelled like Friskies) but perfect for a few appetizers, a carafe of Sangria, and a bitter chocolate dessert.
In other rising rent news, several businesses in Wallingford have been closing, with seemingly most of them reborn as restaurants. The mysterious WonderBar looks to be almost ready for opening across from QFC. Further west down 45th, you may have noticed, unless you are BLIND, the gilded spire/A-frame addition to a building that looks to be…another Thai restaurant! I’ve actually watched much of this construction from my kitchen window, including the hoisting of the giant pyramid at 5:30 one misty morn. Since then a gently spiraling outdoor staircase has been added, and now an enormous beaming statue, at which point I was like, um, restraint much? This place had better DELIVER.

Fantastic Mexican food in a supposed Thai nation…check out near the U-village for fiesta and fun times with amigos.

Mass transit brings out the asshole in everyone. Myself included, just usually on the other side of the crowd.
So I’m standing in the back of the 2 Express, grateful for the air conditioning on these new hybrid buses not only cuts down on the humidity and heat that Seattle is enjoying but the overwhelming presence of the other people have been crammed in hopelessly around me. And we ride and ride and ride and it’s a goodly long trip to be standing for but I’m feeling quite the old hand at it by this point. No big.
After the usual fits and starts of traffic, we make it to the stop at the base of the hill and, suddenly, like a switch has been tossed, the crowd gets restless and I watch as courtesies are met with sneers and impatient puffs of air that could feasibly be mistaken as sighs.
Understand the the bus is crammed with people. That we’re probably two commuters away from standing or sitting in each other’s laps. So it’s going to take a minute or two for the mob to get sorted, right?
Nope. Scarcely has the bus stopped, but someone sitting behind me calls out “Hey, could you people move?” One fellow standee pauses to let the women sitting on either side of him get out first. Even as he does so, two people behind him start tapping on his back, “Excuse me, we need to go.” I wait for the people in the rear stairwell intersection to untangle themselves before I move to take a now vacated seat and, of course, the woman who’s been sitting next to me “Hey, could you move?”
Hunh?
“I need to get off the bus now.”
Patience.
“Hey, I don’t have to…”
By this time the bus is cleared out enough that I can move, I swoop to the seat as she sails past the space I just vacated, glaring at me. I give as I get, “Hey, at least you got to sit down.”
Yep. Assholes. Each and every last one of us.
It’d be bad to admit that it felt good, right? *wry*