City Life
Spot. Snap. Identify.
Help Seattle win a worldwide wildlife challenge just by taking pictures
Grab your phone, open your camera, and start looking for bugs. Or birds. Or that weird plant you always see but have no idea what it is. Seattle-Tacoma is back in for the world’s largest bioblitz, kicking off April 25. Around here, spotting an eagle during the afternoon commute or a strange mushroom on the…
The Pulse: Too Nice to Work
An elk who knows he's hot and a vending machine that understands us
It’s been offensively nice outside this week. We’re all acting like the past six months of rain never happened and won’t happen again. I love it. I had a colleague once tell me, “No one works past 3 p.m. on Fridays in the Northwest when the weather’s nice.” I’ll be observing that sacred tradition today….
Restaurant Roundup: Take a Bite of the Latest Seattle Food News
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City
At long last, the sun has returned and patio dining is once again palatable. Still, it’s hard to ignore the cloud of high-profile restaurant closures that has been dampening the mood on what seems like a weekly basis these days. Here’s what you need to know about the shuttered businesses, plus some more positive news…
A Disco-Inspired Love Story
A Bellevue wedding, 27 years in the making
A chance meeting. A long love story. One unforgettable night. Randy Gantenbein, who once managed Paul Allen’s properties and has spent decades in hospitality, and Ernie Vigil, a Navy veteran and longtime nurse, first met in a San Diego Starbucks on Easter Sunday. Randy was sipping coffee and flipping through his horoscope. “It said, ‘You’ll…
Why This Earth Day Is More Important Than Ever
So many ways to get involved across the Seattle area
Earth Day 2025, which falls on April 22, seems more urgent than ever. During the first three months of this year, United States withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement for a second time, and severe budget cuts threaten the future of the National Park Service and the country’s beloved landscapes. While some of these international-…
The Pulse: It’s Spring Break in Seattle
Lots of kids, pickleball, and 23-cent bananas
Spring break in some school districts around Puget Sound was this past week. In Seattle, it’s next week. My son will spend most of his time in a gym playing basketball — there are certainly worse things he could do. What about your kids? Like books flying off the shelves at a midnight release, the…
The Changing Face of First and Pike
Beautification effort aims to create a welcoming and safe environment
Sure, it’s only a few pieces of furniture, some new lighting, a bunch of colorful planter boxes, and some twirly chairs. But the latest downtown makeover — this time on Pike Street between First and Second avenues, with the iconic Pike Place Market sign in the background — is an important milestone in contributing to…
Making Cents of it All
Coinstar CEO weighs in on pennies, loose change
On one of the many iconic episodes of Seinfeld, Kramer walks into a restaurant and tries to pay the entire bill with pennies, making a mess in the process. He’s thrown out. When was the last time you used a penny? When was the last time you even walked around with change in your pocket?…
A City of Nerds? How About a City of Cool?
Why Seattle is one of the ‘coolest’ cities to visit
So, Seattle’s the nerd capital of America, huh? I’m not buying it. OK, maybe Washington leads the nation in searches for nerdy things such as cosplay, fan fiction and Rubik’s cubes. Those are geeky things, indeed. But now this study from Betway reveals that Seattle is the fifth-coolest city to visit in America. Seattle ranks…
Downtown Seattle Keeps on Winning
Slew of openings highlights downtown’s appeal, vibrancy
In another win for downtown Seattle, high-end men’s apparel retailer Suit Supply just opened a new store at the base of Rainier Tower. The Dutch menswear brand is known for high-quality tailored suits at relatively affordable prices. I have a few in my closet. The company already operates a store downtown and another in Bellevue….
The Pulse: Chasing Sunbreaks
Snow leopard cubs and rogue stop signs
The sky is so bright and blue. On days like this, everyone I run into seems especially peppy. I’ve always loved that about Seattle. We don’t take it for granted, do we? It’s a perfect time to practice my favorite Kurt Vonnegut lesson: “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” Here’s what’s happening…
Filipino-Hawaiian-Themed Restaurant To Open in Former Highliner Space
Pidgin Cooperative will open in Fishermen’s Terminal after crowdfunding campaign
Seattle’s Fishermen’s Terminal will soon be home to a new restaurant. Pidgin Cooperative — until recently known as Brothers & Co. — will take over the space formerly occupied by Highliner Public House, which closed in February after 37 years. Pidgin is a worker-owned cooperative that operated a long-running farmer’s market hot food stand peddling…
The Pulse: After the Flash
Uni season and lightning bolts
Isn’t spring wild? The sun came out and it was warm for half a second — then the sky cracked open and dropped 1,142 lightning strikes across Washington. I had the windows open, listening to the wind and rain. What a place to live. Here’s what’s happening around town… Trump’s latest executive order sparked immediate…
Join The Must List
Sign up and get Seattle's best events delivered to your inbox every week.