Posted Fri, Apr 20, 10:43 a.m.

I am sincerely tired of Roger Valdez's churlish tone. Not saying he isn't entitled to it or that Crosscut shouldn't publish him. Just saying his attitude runs counter to the very sort of civil dialogue I believe he and Crosscut hope to inspire.

Posted Mon, Jan 23, 9:36 a.m.

I had much the same thoughts several months ago when my 80-year-old mother in Connecticut called to tell me about Hurricane Irene. As she was describing an article in the Hartford Courant (we were on the land line), I pulled up said article on my cell phone. Yes, I said ...

Posted Thu, Dec 22, 8:47 a.m.

Why so bleak? All of the micro reasons Cheek suggests, plus one macro reason: not enough people. When the city threw open the brand new South Lake Union park, it was a beautiful mash-up, one of Seattle's finest moments. I thought the park was the best thing to happen to ...

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 12:46 p.m.

I'm really glad to see the Viaduct coming down but very concerned about what might be imposed in its place. I wish the city would be given a chance to evolve toward Elliott Bay, to ooze down to the waterfront slowly over time -- albeit with some reasonable rules and ...

Posted Wed, Nov 2, 4:54 p.m.

Sal, Peter is referencing the (short, indeed) short story by Ernest Hemingway called "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." You can find the full text online. It will take you ten minutes to read it, a lifetime to forget it. "It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an ...

Posted Tue, Sep 20, 10:49 a.m.

This is not a debate about density vs. no density in Roosevelt. It's not even a debate about density vs. no density in the immediate area (reasonably understood to mean a walk of 5 to 15 minutes or so) of the anticipated light rail station. It's a simpler, more pointed ...

Posted Fri, Sep 16, 7:41 a.m.

Excellent article. I agree with Roger that the solution lies with the private sector. But there is one thing the government can do (though I don't expect it to happen) . . . slap a huge tax on fossil fuels. (Use the tax revenues to pay for all sorts of ...

Posted Mon, Aug 29, 8:23 p.m.

Thanks for this piece, the kind of story that keeps me reading Crosscut. I wasn't here for the Commons debate, but I'm glad it failed. Just what Seattle doesn't need, a 61-acre park that runs out to Lake Union. As it is, I'd like to see an Amazon employee make ...

Posted Mon, Aug 29, 8:18 p.m.

Thanks for this piece, the kind of story that keeps me reading Crosscut. I wasn't here for the Commons debate, but I'm glad it failed. Just what Seattle doesn't need, a 61-acre park that runs out to Lake Union. As it is, I'd like to see an Amazon employee make ...

Posted Wed, Apr 20, 7:38 a.m.

Proving, once again, that you can overanalyze anything.

Posted Mon, Feb 7, 8:43 a.m.

At the most fundamental level, I just don't get the concept of The Daily. Seems to me it's putting the genie back in the bottle when the genie is out where she belongs. The internet, in its entirety, is the new daily. It's the new magazine, the new newspaper, the ...

Posted Fri, Dec 3, 9:03 a.m.

Why not a campaign to place the 1,700 umbrellas from the Metro lost-and-found into free circulation on Seattle's streets.

Posted Wed, Dec 1, 9:09 a.m.

The voters did indeed look at the problems associated with privatization --but only as stipulated by the two initiatives. But that doesn't mean voters, in the main, want the state to continue to sell liquor. Suppose an initiative comes along that privatizes liquor sales with much tighter regulations and a ...

Posted Thu, Oct 28, 9:14 a.m.

The GOVT has no business selling liquor, period. Nor should citizens be asked to pay salaries or pensions for liquor store clerks. As an adult, I should be able to go to the shop of my choice and find a wide selection of the legal beverage of my choice (in ...

Posted Fri, Jul 30, 8:49 a.m.

fgruben, you were confusing George Bush Senior with H. R. Pufnstuf, which is certainly understandable.

Posted Thu, Jul 1, 8:27 a.m.

Thanks, Stuart, for this well-written piece. In a comment on David Brewster's recent piece on the waterfront, I cautioned against too grand a waterfront gesture, and I still feel we don't need a vast expanse like Boston's Greenway. But fundamentally I agree with Stuart that Seattle needs a vigorous and ...

Posted Mon, Jun 28, 9:12 a.m.

mhays, I stand corrected that New York is not 10 times denser than Seattle, but I think my point about density holds, which is that downtown Seattle does not have the kind of density that can support a large, linear park. As for comparisons between the cities, take a look ...

Posted Thu, Jun 24, 7:48 a.m.

I agree with Richard Borkowski 100%. A long, green linear park would be a disaster. It simply isn't needed -- nor can it be adequately peopled -- in our modestly large (23rd largest in US), not-too-dense (1/10th the density of NYC) city. Exactly where are the hoards of walkers who ...

Posted Thu, Apr 29, 10:25 a.m.

Thanks, Knute. I agree with Seneca, a grocery store would be smart. Anything but a warren of small shops. I've always felt the idea of an off-street mini-mall of shops to be a dubious proposition. I feel the same way about pocket neighborhoods, where a dozen or so houses face ...

Posted Fri, Mar 19, 9:52 a.m.

When it comes to density, comparing Seattle with New York is like comparing a match to the sun. The density of New York relative to the openness of Central Park is profoundly different from the density of Seattle relative to Seattle Center. About the only thing the two open areas ...

Posted Thu, Mar 4, 11:05 a.m.

I'm for removing the 520 bridge and having the highway stubs on both sides just go right into the lake.

Posted Wed, Jan 20, 7:54 a.m.

Knute, I thought for sure you were going to mention how good staying put is for growing moss!!!

Posted Thu, Jan 14, 10:03 a.m.

As someone who works in South Lake Union, I hope the plaza in front of 2201 Westlake sees some use. Right now, it's dead, even in good weather. People who buy lunch at Whole Foods across the street will sit in front of the store, where there's some energy, people ...

Posted Wed, Jan 6, 8:31 a.m.

I agree 100% that printed books will continue to be bought, read, and cherished, though I'm afraid their number and significance will diminish greatly. In any case, memories of cheerfully quirky bookstores and booksellers are quite beside the point, wonderful though they may be. I could point to grouchy, customer-unfriendly ...

Posted Wed, Dec 30, 8:45 a.m.

Commenting here after the re-posting of this piece as one of the Best of 2009. Regardless of his politics, Cox may well be correct that suburbs have grown from people moving to them from elsewhere, not from people moving out of a city to that same city's suburbs. But that ...

Posted Wed, Dec 30, 8:45 a.m.

Commenting here after the re-posting of this piece as one of the Best of 2009. Regardless of his politics, Cox may well be correct that suburbs have grown from people moving to them from elsewhere, not from people moving out of a city to that same city's suburbs. But that ...

Posted Mon, Dec 21, 8:43 a.m.

Excellent piece. Thank you. I disagree that totem poles and Indian souvenir shops don't count. They're a street-variety tribute, albeit ersatz, to our genuine Native history, which is also on display at shops selling actual Northwest Native artwork, Edward Curtis photographs, etc. If you're looking for real when visiting New ...

Posted Wed, Nov 18, 8 a.m.

Agree with RevSandy -- I won't give money to the Bodies exhibit because of the odd nature of its business: presenting bodies of people without their prior consent, and charging for it. I'd make a donation to see the same in a museum, if the bodies were from consenting individuals ...

Posted Fri, Nov 6, 7:45 a.m.

Excellent idea, kedamono, to close down the Viaduct for a month as a test to see what happens. A huge hassle for many, no doubt, but we'll learn a lot more quickly and cheaply than by any other means . . . and we'll have time to do something with ...

Posted Wed, Nov 4, 7:39 a.m.

Agree. The sanctity of voting -- the civic act itself -- demands we give serious consideration to counting only the mail-in votes that arrive by election day.

Posted Wed, Oct 28, 8:36 a.m.

I'm sure I'm counted in the audit of paid circulation, but do the auditors know that I pay for just the weekend editions but receive the weekday editions as well, a gift, I guess, from the Times. In any case, I'm about to drop my subscription. I like reading a ...