In the ongoing severed feet saga to our north, a seventh foot has washed up in British Columbia, according to the Vancouver Sun (#). Of the seven feet (over half a soccer team, as Wesa pointed out), only one has been postively identified, though a couple of the feet have been matched.

To date, none of the feet appear to show signs of foul play… most have just naturally separated from the bodies and floated to the beaches because of the buoyancy of the shoes’ material. Nothing like a decomposed foot to set the right tone for Halloween, huh?

Pacific Place kicked off their five-day All for Fall customer celebration event tonight with the Benefit Bash to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities. The event series, which includes a gourmet taste-off, art and fashion shows, and an autograph signing for sports fans, also includes a huge number of discounts, giveaways and door prizes (listed here) that benefit both shoppers and charities.

Tonight’s event was attended by over 100 people, and organizers from the Western Washington & Alaska Ronald McDonald House Charities hoped to raise enough to fund housing for families of seriously ill children being treated at Seattle Children’s Hospital. It costs $80 a night for families to stay at the house, but families are only asked to pay $20 a night, and no one is turned away because of an inability to pay- less than half of the families staying at the house in Seattle pay any portion of the cost of housing. Seattle’s Ronald McDonald House is the third largest in the nation and hosts 80 families each night.

This is the first year that Pacific Place has offered the customer appreciation events for multiple days, according to Lynn Beck, Pacific Place General Manager. The change in format benefits both customers and retailers by driving business to Pacific Place, giving deep discounts to customers, and raising funds for both Ronald McDonald House and America SCORES Seattle, who will be hosting a photo and autograph session with Seattle Sounders players on Sunday, Sept. 20th. The multi-day event came in part through brainstorming between the various retailers who are major sponsors of the events, including Il Fornaio, Something Silver, United Colors of Benetton, MaxMara and Twist.

“It’s a great way to reward Pacific Place’s clients,” said Cullen Tavelli, Twist’s store manager. “The new format allows everyone to enjoy the benefits of the event. By making it a five-day event, it gives a lot more people the opportunity to attend… The management really listened to their tenants, and we wanted to support them with this event; and we can’t help but want to support [Ronald McDonald House]- we think they’re a great charity.”

Twist is giving away a blown-glass piece by Viscosity during the event, while Helly Hansen is giving away fleeces to the first 125 guests who mention the promotion. MaxMara is giving away a handbag, and other retailers are offering complimentary yoga classes, massages, consultations with personal stylists or personal shoppers, and Trophy cupcakes(!). A significant number of retailers are offering 10-20 percent discounts on purchases for the next five days as well, so if you’ve been lusting after a cellphone accessory or a Benetton cardigan, you might want to head over to Pacific Place before Sunday.

The organization provides housing to families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital, regardless of their ability to pay. Tickets to the event can be bought through http:/www.pacificplaceseattle.com/allforfall/ or by calling (206) 405-2655.

In case you missed it, Seattle’s premier gaming expo was ground zero for an outbreak of swine flu (or what Wired is calling H1Nerd1).

Penny Arcade, the organization that hosts the event, has a list of outgoing flights that had passengers with confirmed cases of the flu.

In addition, the University of Washington just issued an e-mail that two probable cases of H1N1 have been reported to the campus health center, originating from a particular sorority house. The University will be monitoring the flu outbreaks on campus, but officials are encouraging students and staff to take necessary precautions.

And since this flu is hitting everyone from gamers to sorority girls, be sure to wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick, and keep up to date with new info on the swine flu from King County.

Here are my suggestions- and feel free to suggest your own in the comments:

Pike Place Market: You can’t really be a tourist in Seattle without visiting Pike Place, and fortunately, the market is pretty friendly to those with wheelchairs or strollers- plenty of elevators and inclines for those on wheels, though some of those inclines can be difficult for those with bad knees. Additionally, if you get tired or someone needs to rest, there are plenty of places to sit- most notably Steinbrueck Park at the northwest edge of the market.

Coffee shops: As much as I often shake my head in amazement at having two or three coffeeshops per block in areas, it is awfully helpful to have so many spots to duck in out of the weather and rest, particularly if your guests have been kind enough to walk up one of those hilly blocks. Not as friendly to wheelchairs or strollers, but pretty much all Starbucks have a handicapped table, and unless your guests are huge coffee snobs, having a latte at a Starbucks in Seattle is pretty touristy. Other shops that were spacious and/or accomodating: Seattle Coffee Works (close to the market), Zoka in Tangletown, Zeitgeist and Caffe Umbria (both in Pioneer Square), and Uptown Espresso in Belltown. Parking is reasonably easy to find in Belltown and Tangletown; for the others, you may want to take a bus or find a parking garage.

Parks: There are a number of parks in Seattle with amazing views; many are easy to drive or bus to. Personal favorites include Kerry Park for its postcard-perfect shot of Seattle at any time of day (and the amazing ease of finding parking), Alki Beach, Gas Works (which is a little more difficult for those on wheels, but not terrible), and Volunteer Park- though if you’re going with less active folks, I would skip the observatory climb, and simply enjoy the views elsewhere in that park. Snoqualmie Falls is a good bet if you’re looking to get a bit out of town- the falls are viewable from several easily accessible viewpoints.

Miscellaneous:

My new favorite locale for anyone interested in Seattle’s history is Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The Seattle unit has a ton of kid-friendly exhibits, elevators for those on wheelchairs, and lots of information about Seattle’s role in the gold rush.

Riding the ferries is totally doable and worthwhile for the less active. I particularly suggest the Bainbridge Island ferry for the view of Seattle, though my favorite ferry landing is in Kingston, where they have cute coffee shops and bookstores right off the dock. However, the Kingston-Edmonds ferry doesn’t have the Seattle skyline views, and is so short, it’s almost over before you realize you’re moving. Still, any and all ferries are fun for those who don’t live in the area and/or are less active.

Let us know if you have any additional suggestions or places you’d avoid with less mobile friends and family.

This weekend, Yonder Mountain String Band played to a sold-out crowd just down the street from Pike Place Market. And in fact, their opener, Baby Gramps, could have easily passed for a busker from the market, with his gravelly voice and eccentric wardrobe.

And while Baby Gramps was nothing if not eccentric, the crowd at the concert might have given him a run for his money. There were plenty of plaid-claid hippies, a few old-timers, and a fair share of stoner kids right out of Dazed and Confused.

But when Yonder Mountain String Band made their appearance, with Sam Bush playing alongside, every single person in the room couldn’t help but tap their feet to the group’s raucous rhythms. Having now seen Yonder more than any other band (as of this weekend), I wholeheartedly recommend checking them out once- their brand of bluegrass is unlike anything else you’ve ever heard.

Sam Bush playing fiddle with Yonder Mountain String Band

Jeff Austin of YMSB, courtesy of Rich Anderson

This Saturday at 8, Yonder Mountain String Band will be playing an all-ages show at Showbox at the Market. Sam Bush will be accompanying the guys for one of only three shows, and to make it even more interesting, Baby Gramps will open.

Yonder Mountain is a progressive alt-bluegrass band who I first stumbled across in college, when I went to a show expecting some mellow old-time music, and wound up in a near mosh-pit made up of folks ranging from dreadlocked patchouli-wearers to preppy frat boys with trucker hats. If nothing else, YMSB manages to attract a diverse audience, in part because their foot-stomping music is like nothing else you’ve ever heard.

And one of you lucky Metblogs readers will be the recipient of a free pair of tickets! The first commenter who can name the town where banjo player Dave Johnston first met mandolin player Jeff Austin and formed the earliest iteration of the band will get ‘em, so hurry up and leave us a comment. (P.S. Don’t forget to include your e-mail address!)

Edited to add: The P-I just published a list of the various remains, for the curious. (#)

While Slog has been busily indexing a list of inauguration parties in Seattle, those of us over at Metblogs have been quietly coming up with our own list of celebrations surrounding Obama’s swearing-in tomorrow. Here’s the list of events that us Metbloggers are hoping to check out tomorrow:

- Paramount Theatre will be opening its doors at 7 a.m. for a free showing of the inauguration on the big screen. Concessions to be sold include “Malia Scones with Bright Cherries and Almond Crunch,” “Banana-bama Bread,” and “Sasha’s Carroty Goodness Muffins” from Dahlia Bakery. KOMO 4 and the Seattle Theatre Group are co-hosting.

- Aster Coffee Lounge is playing the inauguration on a big-screen TV, while serving red, white and blue waffles (strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream) and mimosas, according to MyBallard (#).

- 88 Keys in Pioneer Square will have a brunch buffet for $10.90 starting at 8 a.m. (doors open at 7 a.m.), as well as AM1090 and Lee Callahan on hand to ring in the new presidency.

- Every single Starbucks with a flat-screen TV will be showing the inauguration live. The locations are listed in an attachment at the bottom of this post.

- King Cobra is throwing an inauguration party tomorrow starting at 4 p.m.

- At The Corson Building in Georgetown, $25 will get you a party with wood fired pizzas and oysters. 6 p.m.

- The Obama Ball is being thrown at the Armory complete with big band, soul food, and “keynote speakers.” Casual or formal, the ball costs $22 for individuals, $44 for couples, free for children, and begins at 6 p.m.

- Happy hour at Moe goes until 8 p.m., and then there’s the FuturObama 3D Inauguration Bash at Sole Repair, with Johnny Fever, among others, DJing, starting at 9 p.m.

- Rebar is having a Return To Camelot inauguration ball with Ade and Nick Garrison and Sylvia O’Stayformore starting at 8 p.m., $10 or $5 if you’re in formal wear.

- High Dive in Fremont will be having an Inauguration Celebration featuring RA Scion from Common Market with Vunt Foom Vunt Foom, with Diztortion and I-Adjust 10th and Commerce starting at 8 p.m. $6 cover.

- Three Imaginary Girls is throwing an Inauguration Celebration with H is for Hellgate, Friday Mile, Benjamin Bear and Ed Wang at Chop Suey starting at 8 p.m. Cover is $7 and the event is 21+.

- Or, you could take a cue from one Metblogger, and break out that magnum-sized bottle of champagne that you’ve been saving. :)

Let us know which event you’re heading to, and we’ll add it to the list!

A Bellevue woman who went sailing on the 10:55 p.m. ferry to Bainbridge turned up missing when the ferry docked, according to the AP. (#) Her van was left on the ferry, as were her purse and keys, which were found on an upper deck.

These kinds of stories always leave me with a shiver running down my spine. The Coast Guard has searched Puget Sound for her, and the State Patrol is investigating, but really, it sounds like the beginning of a paperback mystery novel, and I wonder if they’ll ever discover what happened to her. Perhaps she just walked off the ferry in Bainbridge, minus purse, keys and van, and hitched a ride to a nearby farm. Let’s hope for that ending, and nothing more sad or sinister.