Posted Sat, Apr 21, 8:12 a.m.

Memory is always imperfect, but I'm thinking the new orange is not quite the same as the paint job in 1962. The new paint seems darker.

Posted Wed, Apr 18, 8:23 a.m.

According to Wikipedia, Aerospace's International Orange is lighter and brighter than Engineering's International Orange. The Golden Gate Bridge has the Engineering version.

Posted Wed, Apr 18, 8:19 a.m.

When the Space Needle's roof was originally painted orange, many press releases described the color as "International Orange". Interestingly, this designation is the same as that of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is formulated to prevent rust, or maybe just to prevent a rusty aging look. Despite this, the Space ...

Posted Thu, Apr 5, 4:04 p.m.

What is the point of this piece? That the author is embarrassed, uncomfortable, disconcerted, confused, when someone acts humanely? Tony Robinson's reflections almost always make me slightly nauseous. If someone holds open a door for me, what is a likely reaction? Slug him in the gut when he leasts expects ...

Posted Thu, Mar 15, 5:36 p.m.

A better question would be "Is Diana Butler Bass a lost soul? My answer: probably. But first we would need to know what a soul is. Robinson and Butler presume to know what Jesus was preaching and living. How can they? Nobody bothered to write about him when he was ...

Posted Thu, Jan 26, 1:06 p.m.

As in most novels, Guterson's narrator is omniscient. But I don't think Guido Sternvad is any sort of example of human limits and fallibility. He's the pilot of Aedipus Rex's plane. He is also, if you reshuffle the letters in his name, David Guterson.

Posted Thu, Jan 19, 1:35 p.m.

I dunno, Ivan. My kids went to John Hay and they seem to have turned out ok so far. Why would you think that the issue isn't personal to everyone?

Posted Thu, Jan 19, 1:14 p.m.

Wow. Everyone sounds so angry, pissed off, and self-righteous. With dialogue like this, what qualified candidate would even want to be Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools?

Posted Thu, Jan 12, 9:44 a.m.

Get a grip, Robinson. The First Amendment to the Constitution states in part, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." How could this, or any convenient derivitive linguistic shorthand such as "separation of church and state" possibly favor a diffuse phenomenon ...

Posted Mon, Jan 9, 7:36 p.m.

There are no dollar signs on Ships of Dreams. "It isn't Christmas without Frederick and Nelson." "Getting There is Half the Fun". "The Lurline IS Hawaii." "When Better Cars are Built, Buick Will Build Them." Sail on, Kalakala. Keep Clam, Ross.

Posted Fri, Jan 6, 2:10 p.m.

And abstract adjectives as well.

Posted Fri, Jan 6, 2:10 p.m.

It's a good thing to feel comfortable in your old home downtown. When someone feels safe, he or she also feels comfortable. We have nothing to fear except abstract nouns themselves.

Posted Mon, Dec 12, 8:31 a.m.

Don't forget Sheriff Tex. "Remember, kids, 'Safety!"

Posted Thu, Dec 8, 8:48 a.m.

The last thing on Jack Nicholson's bucket list was "to kiss the prettiest girl in the world". When Morgan Freeman asked him how he would do this, he responded "Quantity." Or maybe "volume". I forget which. After all the parachute jumps and car chases, he did kiss the prettiest girl ...

Posted Wed, Dec 7, 2:17 p.m.

"Mitigation". Certainly a curious word, even in the lexicon of politics. Is looking at an old milk bottle full of mud mitigating the effects of the tunnel construction somehow? Making it easier on shopkeepers or enhancing the experience of tourists or reducing the workload on office workers? Would not the ...

Posted Wed, Nov 30, 11:48 a.m.

Say WA?

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 11:14 a.m.

Here's another reason to keep it: it's not very tall. Any replacement other than a park would further impair views of the new, viaduct-less waterfront from numerous nearby vistas and buildings.

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 10:59 a.m.

Wise up, guys. That ugly hunk of concrete is coming down. Spit out those sour grapes and imagine actually seeing Elliot Bay from all over downtown. After the revolution the urban planners should be taken out and shot. After the architects. Right after the guy who invented the double zipper.

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 8:41 a.m.

The Seattle Rep was not located in a former exhibition hall. The Seattle Center Playhouse was designed and built as a theater, used during the World's Fair and for many years after by the Rep. Previously, the city voters had passed a bond issue for construction of a new hall. ...

Posted Thu, Nov 24, 3:35 p.m.

I don't get it.

Posted Tue, Nov 22, 4:17 p.m.

I distinctly remember riding the streetcar on 15th Northwest to downtown Seattle with my grandmother when I was a tot in the mid 1940s. Guess what. Those tracks were taken out in the late 30s. Never happened. In 1951 I lived in Rainier Beach, where my pals and I played ...

Posted Tue, Nov 22, 10:04 a.m.

A streetcar on Rainier Avenue in the 1950s and 60s? Hardly. If there was one, it went out in 1939 or 1940 with all the rest. Old Number 7 has been puffing diesel fumes longer than either of us has been alive.

Posted Wed, Nov 16, 9:19 a.m.

A wonderful story and a worthy tribute to Lee Lauckhart. The Market that so many worked to save in 1971 is just about gone. But if you glance over your shoulder at First and Pike News you can still see the original Wonder Freeze.

Posted Fri, Nov 11, 11:53 a.m.

Voting by mail is a bad idea. It turns elections into Voting Seasons. One benefit of the traditional Election Day is the progressive education of the electorate. Information is accumulated until the last minute, when each voter has as much information as he or she can get before marking the ...

Posted Tue, Nov 8, 12:39 p.m.

For years I believed that Baron Von Clausewitz once said "Planning is the substitution of error for chance." Now I can't locate the quote. But if he didn't say it, he should have. The viaduct is coming down. Amazing. Just think of it gone. The views. The traffic. The planning? ...

Posted Thu, Oct 27, 3:57 p.m.

Why villainize cars and drivers? Everyone just wants to get from Point A to Point B quickly and efficiently in the manner that best serves him. Transit can't go everywhere. Everyone can't ride bikes. Some of us can't walk. Many people drive cars and trucks by choice. Drawing a comparison ...

Posted Tue, Oct 25, 8:19 a.m.

Transit would move 20% faster? Wait a minute. The city is simultaneously working to convince us that cars should move slower. Speed limits on roads would be reduced on the grounds of safety. How much more dangerous is a bus going 20% faster than now? Be careful, bicyclists. Splat.

Posted Thu, Sep 15, 11:20 a.m.

Alaska Airlines is in the habit of putting a little spiritual (religious) message on its food tray, when there is a food tray. When there was a Continental Airlines, it did something similar. Perhaps these messages also appear on other airlines These are always from the Old Testament, often psalms, ...

Posted Tue, Sep 13, 7:23 a.m.

It's the arrogance of many bicyclists in Seattle and elsewhere. It's their disregard for traffic laws and compensatory aggressiveness toward pedestrians. Many cyclists believe that traffic laws, stop signs, red lights, and crosswalks are meant for motorists and pedestrians, not bicyclists. Read the author's final paragraph and it's easy to ...

Posted Mon, Sep 12, 3:26 p.m.

Curiously, Crosscut's electronic copy editor also compressed the words FOOD GIANT. I'm not sure what this says about my observation, the nature of icons, current electronic technology, or semiotics. I'll give it another shot: F (SPACE) 0 (SPACE) O (SPACE) D (LONGER SPACE) G (SPACE) I (SPACE) A (SPACE) N ...

Posted Mon, Sep 12, 3:19 p.m.

One of the most disappointing attempts to replace an unforgettable Seattle icon is the pathetic neon "Wallingford" sign atop the QFC on North 45th. The sign's noble predecessor was the name of the supermarket beneath, the Food Giant. The exquisite secret beauty was the in the extreme, but somehow subtle ...

Posted Mon, Sep 12, 1:08 p.m.

All these arguments, pro and con, contain a hidden premise: that it is wise to conserve fossil fuels. Why? How did this become an inviolable part of our collective consciousness? These resources are finite, no matter how many previously undiscovered oil fields in the North Sea enrich smug Norwegians. Forget ...

Posted Mon, Sep 5, 8:39 a.m.

Bicyclists: I hate your passive-aggressive, politically correct guts. Well, not all of you, but most of you. As a pedestrian, I have been mowed down (twice) on pedestrian sidewalks by aggressive, inattentive cyclists. As a motorist, I have narrowly missed killing numerous two-wheelers, including a toddler in a bike trailer ...

Posted Tue, Aug 30, 8:27 a.m.

Here's an idea: legalize hitch hiking in the RFA. Motorists concerned about people now having to pay for a bus ride could just pick them up in their own cars. Drivers so inclined would assume any safety and liability risks. In fact, they would have the option to drive their ...

Posted Mon, Aug 29, 8:17 a.m.

Interbay awaits further development, but as South Lake Union is built out--hey, it's almost done--pressure will increase to develop southward, beyond the stadiums in SODO. There is a tremendous opportunity here, albeit one that is political hara-kiri. Merge the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, ending this expensive and unnecessary internecine ...

Posted Wed, Aug 17, 8:08 a.m.

Good. Now lets move on to saving the perfectly serviceable Battery Street Subway: a simple, inexpensive move to reduce the surface congestion that will be caused by toll-avoiders.

Posted Mon, Aug 8, 5:02 p.m.

The trend may be set by Dale Chihuly himself. Just get someone to build you your own museum and then put your name on it.

Posted Fri, Aug 5, 12:17 p.m.

Wouldn't it make more sense to discourage bicycles, hybrids, mileage standards, alternative energy sources, and just burn up the fossil fuels we have left as quickly as possible? Why prolong the agony and these tedious, smug debates? If the supply of these fuels is truly finite, and we're eventually going ...

Posted Thu, Aug 4, 4:07 p.m.

If we're talking about interiors, my vote would go to Steven Holl's St. Ignatius Chapel on the Seattle University campus. The changing natural light and shadows are enough to make me want to go back to church. Almost.

Posted Thu, Aug 4, 8:50 a.m.

Mr. Allen's Neighborhood stands in curious contrast to his nearby venture into architecture, the Experience Music Project. Is the Amazon campus overcompensation or an Act of Contrition?

Posted Wed, Aug 3, 7:48 p.m.

The "familiar" tower referred to must certainly be the one at the King Street Station, not Union Station across the street, which has no tower. I read "No No Boy" years ago, and am certainly willing to grant any literary license necessary to John Okada's small masterpiece. Is this an ...

Posted Wed, Aug 3, 12:09 p.m.

Thanks, David. I have appreciated your expository journalism on complex topics for over forty years.

Posted Mon, Aug 1, 5:11 p.m.

The United States has had a pretty good run over the last two-and-a-half centuries. We've done our part getting the globe from colonialism to globalism. We've given the world the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Edsel, New Coke, and the Marshall Plan. Why should we expect any politician to ...

Posted Fri, Jul 29, 8:26 a.m.

Seattle's first food critic, Edward Harvey, who wrote for King Broadcasting's Seattle Magazine in the 1960s, was unrelenting in his criticism of the Space Needle's restaurant, or as it was so quaintly called at the time, "The Eye of The Needle". Thanks to Hannah Raskin for reminding us old-timers that ...

Posted Mon, Jul 25, 9:34 a.m.

Yeah, well, he also built the Bank of California Building.

Posted Fri, Jul 22, 3:20 p.m.

Emmett Watson's colleague, Jack Jarvis, once issued membership cards for Lesser Seattle, as he did for other fanciful organizations. Across the bottom of each was the line "Void if Signed by Jack Jarvis, Seattle". Emmett was always willing to sign them, however, (Emmett Watson, KBO). Keep the Bastards out. I ...

Posted Tue, Jul 19, 5:27 p.m.

I'm for the tunnel,but I do live in Magnolia and need to get to the airport on time. In fact, we should have two tunnels. We already have one--the Battery Street subway. Whose idea was it to decommission this valuable arterial? It would remain a perfectly good, quick route to ...

Posted Thu, Jul 14, 11:19 a.m.

Perhaps the Times Square Building at the SLUT terminal could be renamed the E.B. White Building, where he once worked and was fired as a reporter for the Seattle Times. I think the building is presently signed for the defunct Washington Mutual Savings Bank. Eugene O'Neill lived (briefly) in a ...

Posted Wed, Jul 13, 12:39 p.m.

Shopping as an involuntary mental state has become an important, perhaps essential, form of entertainment. One needs to look no further than the Pike Place Market. "Saved" to retain a direct link from food producer to customer, there remains almost no remnant of this populist ideal. The meaning of "authentic" ...

Posted Fri, Jun 10, 8:07 a.m.

I was thinking about some of these same issues Tuesday night, idling in gridlock along the recently-dietized West Nickerson street. After a few minutes, I shut off my engine, since the traffic jam went from the Ballard Bridge to somewhere on Westlake--I couldn't be sure where it actually ended, since ...

Posted Wed, Jun 1, 9:23 a.m.

As a Magnolian, I just want a few simple things. I want to be able to get to Sea-Tac, West Seattle, and Sodo safely and quickly. No added traffic lights. Through a tunnel would be just fine. I want a beautiful new waterfront full of people, watercraft, a variety of ...

Posted Thu, May 19, 5:10 p.m.

Well, gosh, I haven't seen the show, and I certainly never thought of myself as an anti-semite, and (full disclosure, I'm not a Christian either) but if costume design and choice of shoes somehow makes a Broadway musical anti-semitic, sign me up. The insensitivity that is hard for me to ...

Posted Mon, May 16, 4:46 p.m.

As Steve Allen so wisely put it, "It's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide."

Posted Tue, May 3, 11:31 a.m.

Well, we kill each other all the time. That's what humans do. We call it murder, war, just war, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, manslaughter, collateral damage, self-defense, and lots of other names. Somebody always ends up dead.

Posted Wed, Apr 20, 10:18 a.m.

Six minutes in total time savings? At 79 mph? Is this figure correct? It doesn't pass the common sense test.

Posted Mon, Apr 18, 5:09 p.m.

I believe that at the core of all organized religions is the requirement that one person convince another to submit. Sometimes this seems harmless and may even carry societal and congregational benefits, but all religious and spiritual leaders are granted power by their followers. The atrocities in St. Michael and ...

Posted Fri, Apr 15, 3:20 p.m.

One more thing: if Crosscut deletes comments, its criteria most certainly should begin with the censorship of Ms. Lightfoot's suggestion that if you don't like something, write your own story. At its best, this is silly. At its worst, it's a petulant denial of an author's (and a publication's) responsibility.

Posted Fri, Apr 15, 3:05 p.m.

I'm confused. Comments were apparently removed. Why? Who decides? "Snark"???? What is that? Were there any obscenities that were deleted? When does a dialogue become unhealthy or toxic? When race enters a discussion, who whistles it out of bounds? And why? The beautiful thing about the internet, and Crosscut, is ...

Posted Wed, Mar 2, 8:49 a.m.

One simple improvement to Pioneer Square, which could be done with little or no cost, would be to remove most, if not all, of the "No Left Turn" signs in the district. Talk about improving carbon footprint. Would-be shoppers and diners spotting an (expensive) street parking spot would no longer ...

Posted Wed, Feb 9, 10:21 a.m.

There is another pedestrian ferry on Puget Sound that operates without a major subsidy, or maybe even without any subsidy at all. It's called the Victoria Clipper, and it also operates a summer-only service to San Juan Island.

Posted Fri, Feb 4, 9 a.m.

George Tsutakawa called his fountain for the old new library "The Fountain of Wisdom". He gave not only its design, but also its siting in a large, kidney-shaped pool at Fifth and Spring extraordinary sensitivity. On a warm day, one could sit on an aggregate bench, contemplating the fountain's intricate ...

Posted Wed, Oct 27, 4:04 p.m.

I dunno, David.

Posted Mon, Nov 2, 9:49 a.m.

I made the same drive north last week. I noticed the "Fuck the Ducks" sign on the railroad bridge, but I was certain the colors were purple and gold.

Posted Thu, Sep 11, 9 a.m.

One-Way Rides: Taxi and limo fares to and from Sea-Tac continue to increase, but the Port of Seattle enforces a policy that badly increases traffic and costs, wastes fuel, and unnecessarily worsens congestion. Of the roughly 2 million trips to the airport, almost every one is a one-way fare. Every ...