The Fremont Chamber of Commerce has convinced the city of Seattle to remove the Stone Way bike lanes from the Bicycle Master Plan [cascade.org].

Stone Way is a vital route to cyclists in Seattle. It is the easiest, most direct route up the hill from the Burke Gilman Trail and the Fremont Bridge to the Wallingford and Greenlake neighborhoods and beyond.

If you value your bike lanes and want to make your presence known, you should join the people at Seattle Likes Bikes for a ride Wednesday 8/1/07, starting at 4:30 in Gasworks.

Last night, an interview on the Colbert Report gave me nightmares about stiletto-heeled goats exporting dust storms across the ocean from China to feed our insatiable hunger for cheap cashmere. This morning, I read that the giant dead zone off the coast of Oregon is back (with a vengance) for its sixth year. [seattletimes] On top of that, we already have the nutria and their freakish kin invading the suburbs [mb] and the Blue Angels conquering our airspace.

At this point, I think that our only hope is Samantha’s plan for hookers, loggers, and scurvy-ridden fur trappers to take over SeaFair and tip the balance slightly back in our favor.

The P-I reports what should be good news to any resident of Roosevelt and Ravenna: Hugh and Drake Sisley’s multiple-block slum on 65th is going to be razed for denser development. As the newspaper notes, concerns remain about the density of the upcoming construction (will 10 stories really fly in Roosevelt? are North Seattlites really ready for density? ), but the article seems to take most of its assumptions about project height from Sisley’s template-ware website, which has been been around for years and doesn’t necessarily represent the details of the current project.

More creepy, and actually grounded in fact, is that the upcoming buildings will remain the property of the Sisleys under a 99-year lease. Are the folks who hired a white supremacist as their enforcer really who you want managing retail next to Whole Foods?

equal opportunity wet blankets?

Quick question.

Can anyone tell me why the protesters that I snapped at this year’s Pride Parade were also at the Torchlight parade on Saturday? When I first saw them, I just thought they were bigoted dicks, but apparently I was wrong and they just hate parades. I saw someone interviewing one of them on my way from Capitol Hill to Union Saturday night. What gives? Who knows something? TELL.

I’ve been thinking about my Alternate Seafair Plan from last year [mb], and I think I’ve come up with an excellent third potentially-costumed group. (The short version of my plan is to get rid of the pirates, which are historically inaccurate, and replace them with loggers and hookers. Loggers and hookers are what this town was built on! An invading hoard of lumberjacks and prostitutes would be twice as much of a party as pirates, and who needs the awful Blue Angels when there is log-rolling to be had?)

But ok, perhaps there should also be boats involved. People came here on ships, after all, sailing up around South America. And to that end, I propose: fur trappers. They could sail the new state symbol, the Lady Washington, and show up draped in furs and plagued by scurvy. And then! At the height of the festivities, a bunch of people dressed as native Haida could sneak on to the Lady Washington and steal all of the laundry, which happened originally because it was a Haida custom to leave goods available for trade on display, and they believed that’s what the laundry was outside for. Angry, the captain of the Lady Washington (Kendrick) took the Haida leaders hostage and tied them to a cannon. The rest of the Haida waited until the coast was clear and boarded the ship, taking control of the weapons, but ultimately lost to the crew. This would be very, very easy to do a dramatic recreation of.

Doesn’t this sound like a better festival than a bunch of dudes dressed as pirates? Fun for the whole family, and everyone learns something! Clearly, this is the greatest idea in the history of Seattle festivals.

mmmm…wild salmon rice bowl

I don’t go out often for lunch. Mainly because I feel guilty for goofing off so long during the non-lunch hour, that I get a bit done during the actual lunch hour. Thus, I have resorted to running downstairs, picking up a quick meal and bringing it back to my desk. There are quite a few places around me that are good for this strategy, but not many of them are worthy of a recommendation. You know, dime a dozen places like Subway or Taco del Mar.

However, there is a semi-secret little lunch place that has got to be one of the best quick lunch spots in the city. Top 5 for sure. What’s the name, you ask? Juice It!

It’s probably its weird location, adjacent to the Gold’s Gym in the Convention Center, that allows it to only be moderately busy – while the rest of the center’s lunch places are crazy busy with convention goers and tourists. It’s also its location – next to that gym – that mandates its healthiness. You can get fresh salads, rice bowls, smoothies, and fresh juices. They have a pallet of wheatgrass in the display daily and specials incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s also not that very expensive.

Personally, I can not waiver from the Wild Salmon rice bowl ($6.95 and pictured) that contains a foundation of brown rice, a bottom layer of salmon (of course), and salad veggies on top, all lightly dressed with a vinaigrette-y sauce. It is pretty delicious although some of the other options get a rave from people who aren’t as compulsive as I am. It is also fairly nutritious and the people who work there are always very nice.

Juice It!
725 Pike St # 16 A
Seattle, WA 98101

Have you been procrastinating, Seattle? Do you realize you only have about one more month to get out your gear and take off your clothes?

Do you have no idea what I’m talking about? Perhaps it’s because, in a surprising move, The Stranger has been downplaying their Hump! 3 ads all summer; just one lonely little graphic in the bottom left of the home page. (Heh heh, I said, “bottom.” Wait. Am I mature enough to watch porn in public? Probably not, but anyway.) I think they’re playing games with you, Seattle. You know, trying to act disinterested so you will chase them. But this move could backfire and I don’t want that to happen! No! It has to be made known that your time to submit your entry (aka your time to shine!) is almost up. The deadline for submissions is September 10th, people! You need to get working.

Sure, I wrote a nearly identical post about Hump! 2 about this time last year [mb], but on the off-chance that my little mention had anything to do with any of the spectacular Hump! 2 films being submitted (i.e. Leg Up, my fave that totally deserved first place), then it’s absolutely worth it to repeat myself. That is to say, Seattle, oh sweet sexy Seattle, please continue to make utterly fantastic, super-fun, knee-high socked, amateur porn (without poop, kids, or animals though, please!).

Some people brag about going to SIFF for years, but I brag to all my Midwest friends that I go to Hump! every year. They’re so jealous and let’s keep it that way, huh? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and enjoy the fine weather in the buff, but let’s just not desecrate the Jimmy statue again, okay? Fine print, resources, and extra credit over at The Stranger, of course. [stranger]

I will admit that there are a lot of things that gross me out; things that most people just don’t care about, but that I will obsess over for weeks. I will also admit that there are a lot more pressing and urgent matters that should be discussed with much seriousness and depth. But I can’t hold it in any longer, Seattle. These are things that must be aired and discussed and made sure never happen again.
(more…)

Everyone knows about the big I-5 road work that is coming in 11 short days, but Alki residents beware! There is another project in store for us this fall that will last far longer than the 19 days planned for I-5: the 53rd Avenue Pump Station project. [kc]

From what I gathered at the community council meeting a few months ago, the project is scheduled to commence this September and last for 18-20 months. While the improvements are much needed and will help with general overflow and smell issues in the area, traffic will be snarled for quite a while. The county planner indicated that Harbor Avenue will be one lane only for both directions and that the construction vehicles will use Harbor Avenue in to travel back and forth from the main pump station around the point. I have not yet heard how the water taxi shuttle will be affected, but one imagines that the already crazy summer traffic here on the beach is about to get much much worse. Plan accordingly.

Also, if you’d like further information, the planner has been at all of the recent community council meetings in order to detail changes and gather more feedback from residents so I suspect you will see her at the August meeting. However, if you cannot wait until then, her contact information is in the latest press release for last month’s ACC. [kc] Failing all those methods, a 24-hour hotline is planned for the duration of the project allowing an outlet for everyone who wants to complain about (or ha ha ha praise) the effort. I suspect that they may regret setting that one up. But that could just be the cynic in me.

I would love to say that what I like best about Piroshky, Piroshky … is its name. Just look at the ellipsis. It implies that they wanted to keep saying “piroshky” but they were stopped by either common sense or the fact that they ran out of sign space. But actually, I really like their food.

I know someone who fell in love with Seattle on the first day of his first visit … he had a latte, he had a Moscow roll from Piroshky, Piroshky…, he had a blue sky, and all in all, he had a perfectly wonderful day. Now he lives here, and any guest of his has the opportunity to either eat a pastry from Piroshky … or watch him eat one.
But isn’t it a great name? Piroshky, piroshky, piroshky, piroshky, piroshky …