Posted Sat, Apr 7, 12:17 a.m.

I have to agree with mspat on the ugliness of the new housing at Northgate. Couldn't be any uglier, and couldn't be any emptier. The solution actually is that we ourselves need to run for office, and quit allowing idiots to hold those offices.

Posted Fri, Apr 6, 11:55 p.m.

In the 1960's when families generally had no car, or just one car, there were neighborhood buses that ran all day. My neighbor tells me she could, all day long, hop on a circular route that went from Greenlake, to Ballard, to Crown Hill, back easterly on 80th or 85th ...

Posted Sun, Mar 25, 10:34 p.m.

Gas prices are a blip in the minds of voters. Performance and expectations are more important. Sigh. I wish voters were more informed.

Posted Sun, Mar 25, 10:26 p.m.

I swear like a construction worker when I'm not working with clients. But I am sick to death of hearing swearing in public spaces (malls, restaurants, the sidewalks) and reading swear words in news media. Rare exceptions are appreciated, very rare exceptions.

Posted Mon, Mar 19, 11:12 p.m.

Cute piece other than the promotion of the ridiculous twitter. To see that Sue has 2500+ followers proves my point. This is not an insult to Sue, simply an insult to twits.

Posted Mon, Mar 19, 11:07 p.m.

Gollydang this is ridiculous. Seattle has gone insane, including the Seattle school board. When will the voters start regaining use of their brains? — common1sense

Posted Mon, Mar 19, 10:59 p.m.

Oops, sorry, I see you say you are union. Interesting. I have no problem with unions that help workers keep an even keel with wages and benefits, and who negotiate in good faith. However, I also feel nonprofits and many unions, especially the WEA, are unrealistic about their needs and ...

Posted Mon, Mar 19, 10:44 p.m.

Northender, I'll bet you work for a nonprofit.

Posted Mon, Mar 19, 10:40 p.m.

Are you kidding?? 10 lanes in either direction and all Seattle gets is the lame bored tunnel instead of an above ground 10 lanes in either direction Viaduct?? I might move to Portland. Especially so if they cancel that dumb ass show Portlandia. I'm a PSU grad, loved living in ...

Posted Thu, Mar 15, 8:40 p.m.

There certainly are too many nonprofits, I do agree. When people go to college with the sole purpose of getting some type of degree so they can work forever in the nonprofit sector, it makes me understand why so many nonprofits I know have zero clues on where money really ...

Posted Thu, Mar 15, 8:38 p.m.

I have long wondered why the variety of agencies exist separately and why they don't have one budget. Before Tim Eyman gets involved, perhaps some other commonsense minded people might start suggesting fixes that will work? What I do know re: WSF ... working together with any entity is not ...

Posted Wed, Mar 7, 9:51 p.m.

Can anyone of us actually read and understand our medical billings when we've been hospitalized? And if we question whether we really did have such-and-such procedure, whould we understand the explanation for that? Too much bureaucracy, too many layers. Just like our governements, from Fed to State to County to ...

Posted Wed, Mar 7, 9:43 p.m.

jabailo, "In fact, I could make a case that ultimately Inland Washington (east of the Cascades) will be the hippest place in the years to come." Without the gorgeous waters of Puget Sound, I beg to differ. Rural islands will be the hippest place in the years to come. -Water ...

Posted Wed, Mar 7, 9:41 p.m.

The "all-out war against cars" is more a result of peak oil than of ideology or politics. That is not true. The all-out war against cars is a result of those who believe that we are too stupid to invent a non-oil-fueled car. Some of you who claim that vehicles ...

Posted Wed, Mar 7, 9:37 p.m.

Popsicle Test? Seattle passes with flying colors: they got rid of most of the children.

Posted Wed, Mar 7, 9:32 p.m.

Confirmed. Beards and facial hair ... not attractive.

Posted Sat, Mar 3, 5:23 p.m.

btw ... "Ten years ago, Mill Creek had no main street. But now it does, and it is teeming with shops, cafes, a supermarket, and a string of public spaces." I hope you don't consider this shopping center street a real main street. It's not, it's just an extension of ...

Posted Sat, Mar 3, 5:20 p.m.

With all the tax monies poured into light rail and bus transportation, suburban living has grown too. Most of us really want nothing to do with city life, because at least in Seattle, there is a war on cars. There are plenty of jobs outside of Seattle and Bellevue: Boeing ...

Posted Wed, Feb 22, 10:55 p.m.

A stadium open to the water and views would be FANTASTIC. I'd love going to sports events, and any other events held there.

Posted Wed, Feb 22, 10:52 p.m.

Thank you, volunteers for your countless hours of time! What a nice story. Perhaps AAA could put something in their guidebooks that this terminal is fully staffed by volunteers who meet every train?

Posted Mon, Feb 20, 9:03 p.m.

@MudBaby, you do realize that the Seattle City Council is so unhelpful to business need, that most businesses have relocated? It's more than just the recession as to why office spaces are unfilled.

Posted Mon, Feb 20, 9 p.m.

@ScottBallard, are you kidding? Commuting from Sodo to Ballard, or from Ballard to Sodo is a piece-o-cake. Try commuting for your job from places such as Kent, Auburn, Marysville, Kitsap Peninsula, or Cle Elem. Jobs are scarce, and many endure hardship to get to and from their jobs. You don't.

Posted Mon, Feb 20, 8:56 p.m.

We need basketball. Hopefully we get the SONICS name too.

Posted Mon, Feb 20, 8:52 p.m.

@Paul Kirk, so ... have you ever eaten mulberries in any form? Have any of the commenters here eaten mulberries, or drank mulberry wine, or are the mulberry trees being planted for bird food? Do we need to all go 'round the mulberry bush and be educated about a food-trendy ...

Posted Mon, Feb 20, 8:48 p.m.

@Paul Kirk, so, have you ever eaten mulberries in any form? Have any of the commenters here eaten mulberries, or drank mulberry wine, or are the mulberrie trees being planted for bird food? Perhaps we can all go 'round the mulberry bush and be educated about trendy parks that produce ...

Posted Fri, Feb 17, 10:42 p.m.

Mulberries?

Posted Fri, Feb 17, 10:41 p.m.

'food forest'? This makes it sound trendy, and unlikely to succeed.

Posted Sun, Feb 12, 10:27 a.m.

Ferries have been severely underfunded for decades. Washington State has the largest ferry system in the United States. Why aren't ferries considered Interstate Highways? They serve military bases, they deliver goods, services and people to Interestate Highways.

Posted Sun, Feb 12, 10:24 a.m.

In the 1980's recession, the government system learned that you cannot allow the middle class and home ownership values to collapse without a resulting intense increase in unemployment. The worse unemployment gets, the worse the housing equities fall. The worse the housing equities fall, the more damage to employment. It ...

Posted Thu, Feb 2, 9:25 a.m.

Audit all public agencies every year. The cost is the only way to catch the expenses flying out the window.

Posted Thu, Feb 2, 9:20 a.m.

Have you actually been on the new baby ferries? They are ridiculous. Only WSF could actually make a brand new ferry ... look as old as the Steel Electrics they pulled from service in 2007. These ferries have a terrible "floor plan". Parking is tight for cars, but the pedestrian ...

Posted Fri, Jan 20, 12:27 p.m.

Fine, allow those who do not want the white pages to opt out, but please make the automatic delivery to the masses continue. I can't tell you how many times I've used the Qwest white, and yellow, pages at my own home, and at the homes of others. They are ...

Posted Thu, Jan 19, 11:05 p.m.

Two words. One starts with B, the other starts with S.

Posted Fri, Jan 13, 12:06 p.m.

Nor am I saying I'd make a good political leader.

Posted Fri, Jan 13, 12:05 p.m.

I do not mind being thought of as crazy.

Posted Fri, Jan 13, 11:46 a.m.

BlueLight, I do use two bags per poo. But when I'm paying for the bags, maybe just one will doo.

Posted Thu, Jan 5, 8:42 p.m.

Perhaps the author is related to the superintendent ??

Posted Thu, Jan 5, 8:40 p.m.

I'll be spending money to buy plastic bags to use in my trash bins and waste baskets and to pick up my dog poop. Currently, I get those bags free, and like the fact that I'm using the bags more than once. Shall I just leave my dog poop on ...

Posted Sun, Jan 1, 8 p.m.

Is this journalism or Marketing 101 for transit and urban density. Not all of us enjoy that lifestyle.

Posted Fri, Dec 23, 3:02 p.m.

What's cheaper in the short term as well as the long term? Light rail or a bunch of little buses going in a regular route, all day and all night long, 7 days a week? Buses. Building bigger buses for some routes is fine, but the majority of the routes ...

Posted Fri, Dec 23, 2:53 p.m.

Without a doubt, the comments on Crosscut add immense value to the readership. The authors sometimes may feel a bit in the hotseat, but that's ok - it is their job to write something, anything, that makes people think. Anonymous comments are exactly as Coolpapa says: it means the comment ...

Posted Tue, Dec 20, 5:49 p.m.

We can still read Horsey no matter where he goes. Hopefully, he'll remember us as much as we remember him. Best wishes!

Posted Tue, Dec 20, 5:39 p.m.

Elitism seems certain that we are still rich. That dream went up in smoke. It's time to wake up and smell the (cheap) coffee. We can not afford NOT to find a place for Greyhound to operate, right at King Street station with the rest of the transportation.

Posted Tue, Dec 20, 5:27 p.m.

As a single family owner, I simply do not want to live on a street that mixes more and more duplexes or multi-family uses. It's not because I'm worried about the value of my home, it is because I value having fewer neighbors on my street. I believe that many ...

Posted Tue, Dec 20, 5:19 p.m.

"The truth is that density in the urban core absorbs growth more sustainably than any other pattern of land use." Roger, you have no facts to persuade me that this is true. Density isn't 'sustainable' any more than any other pattern of land use. The only way to be truly ...

Posted Fri, Dec 16, 7:23 p.m.

I can well imagine that Coos Bay and the surrounding areas are supportive of this project. Jobs from fishing and logging have dwindled to the point of dirt farming. I use natural gas, don't you?

Posted Sun, Dec 11, 11:02 a.m.

I hate 'Smart Growth". It's a branding term that leaves me cold. We cannot afford the costs of "Smart Growth". When we cannot afford something, it isn't smart. Why can't politicians and planners grasp that message?

Posted Sun, Dec 11, 10:59 a.m.

I have never liked Trader Joes. The selection of food is far too limited. I hate going for groceries and having to go to more than one store, but that is always what happened when I went to Traders. Costco is the only exception I make - I know that ...

Posted Sun, Dec 11, 10:52 a.m.

Why can't these groups ever talk in "plain English"? Instead, they use silly words to make the simplest thing seem more important. "abundant" "sustainable" "life-fulfilling" "thriving communities" Farming is an age-old food production method. None of our old relatives who farmed for a living would enjoy using the silly new-age ...

Posted Sun, Dec 11, 10:42 a.m.

If small town wine shops in towns such as Montesano or Hoquiam are doing well now, or even in the last ten years, I'd be totally surprised.

Posted Sun, Dec 11, 10:34 a.m.

Buy local is nagging. Encourage local manufacturing, and develop local jobs would be far better strategies.

Posted Wed, Dec 7, 8:10 p.m.

Crack dealers, meth addicts, seagulls and goose poop. Just like at all the other downtown Seattle parks. Can you say financial suicide?

Posted Wed, Dec 7, 8 p.m.

Darlings, rail, light or heavy, is too expensive for inner city transport.

Posted Wed, Dec 7, 7:57 p.m.

Take away all electeds taxpayer paid cell phones. They can sit at their desk and make any phone calls they need, or use their own cell phones when away from a desk phone. End of complications. Freedom of cell use is too costly for taxpayers.

Posted Wed, Dec 7, 7:53 p.m.

Kudos for 'whacked'. Nothing wrong with saying it like it should be.

Posted Mon, Dec 5, 8:14 p.m.

If we're going to designate every old building as a historical landmark, we're in deep trouble.

Posted Mon, Dec 5, 8:08 p.m.

Kitsch? I'm worried about losing Seattle's basic core personality, which is reflected in every business, shop and commercial endeavor along the currently messy, and varied, waterfront. The only improvement I want is to fix the seawall, and make sure the piers are rehabbed. All the artists renderings are homogenous, and ...

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 7:40 p.m.

The Occupiers are disorganized, and if they think the general public, or anyone else, thinks their messages are effective, being heard, or will impact any kind of change, they are exposing just how disconnected they are from the middle. The top 1% and the Occupy 1% are both equally disconnected ...

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 7:32 p.m.

I hate the bore tunnel plan, and despise the artists rendering of what the plans are for the waterfront development. Build a new seawall, and a new viaduct, and leave the rest alone.

Posted Wed, Nov 16, 12:06 a.m.

'Exclusivity' does not keep people from wanting to walk. Being elderly does. Having children you are running from one activity to the next does. Having a recession means people may be walking - just not to the shops and restaurants. If you build a 'walkable' neighborhood, and you don't see ...

Posted Wed, Nov 9, 11:37 p.m.

jrolls is absolutely, 100% correct: What the space cries out for (along with a few million commuters) is a configuration where the rights of ways already exist. That already handles 110,000 vehicles a day. That already provides a bypass for downtown and off ramps for the core, Ballard and West ...

Posted Wed, Nov 9, 11:31 p.m.

louploup. You're in the wrong decade. Your day passed already.

Posted Thu, Nov 3, 12:16 a.m.

And this phrase ... "“creating and maintaining great neighborhoods in which to live and work" ... makes me want to puke. Whose 3rd grader wrote that and why is it used and used and used? Trite. Don't even get me started on sustainable.

Posted Thu, Nov 3, 12:15 a.m.

If anything says "smart" in the title, I know it's not. Try using ordinary, descriptive words that anyone can understand. Common sense.

Posted Thu, Nov 3, 12:08 a.m.

And there ya have it: cyclist checking cell phone, wearing no helmet, and red high heels. Great pictorial of what I think of sharing the road with cyclists.

Posted Thu, Oct 27, 7:42 p.m.

I will NEVER vote for this man for governor or anything else: Gubernatorial spokesman Scott Whiteaker commented that the task force's make-up, “represents all the different types of transportation in Washington state — legislative leaders, the governor — all of whom have in one way or another expressed a desire ...

Posted Sun, Oct 23, 9:02 p.m.

Time for change. But not change by idiots who use idealism to try to figure out economic solutions.

Posted Sun, Oct 23, 9:01 p.m.

Besides that, yelp reviews are juvenile. Reading what 22 year olds like or don't like does nothing for me.

Posted Sun, Oct 23, 9 p.m.

Don't jump to conclusions so fast. 2002 to 2009 was an entirely different economy, and we were're really used to 'reviews' online. Today we're broke, and somewhat jaded. I will not go eat at a restaurant that I've never been to, no matter how the online reviews are. I will ...

Posted Sun, Oct 23, 8:57 p.m.

Tell you what, Ted. You're wrong. None of our city council is doing a good job. It's time for all of them to go. School Board? Total joke. Citizens can be clueless, but that is nothing new. What must happen is that liberals, and former hippies need to grow up ...

Posted Fri, Oct 21, 4:31 p.m.

Jeepers! It was an unusual story, and one that all of us felt we 'knew the girl next door'. How bizarre that Italian laws are not more similar to our own, this sad case gave all Americans, especially American parents with kids who want to school abroad, pause. The evidence, ...

Posted Mon, Oct 17, 9:46 a.m.

Honk if you love the Viaduct! I LOVE the Viaduct. The Viaduct is Seattle: puts you up close and personal with the views of the water and mountains, and the buildings and windows of downtown Seattle. When the Viaduct is gone, so will the soul of Seattle be gone. Plus ...

Posted Tue, Oct 11, 3:49 a.m.

@sarah90, anyone with an interest in Seattle can comment. Your own comment was derisive, not peppers'.

Posted Sun, Sep 18, 6:44 p.m.

We hate bicyclists in Seattle? Only the rude agressive nasty ones.

Posted Wed, Sep 7, 10:02 p.m.

Until we provide mobility for individuals in their cars at the same rate as we provide mobility for the fewest of commuters in buses, light rail and high density walking areas, we are doomed to a poor economic future. Mobility is the key to economic success.

Posted Mon, Aug 29, 5:11 p.m.

@ Andy, who does not want a corner store? Me. In my residential neighborhood of single family homes, a handful of duplexes, I certainly do not want a corner store that sells cigarettes, beer/wine or even has a wine bar. Put that same store on a street of other shops ...

Posted Mon, Aug 29, 5:05 p.m.

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I don't think that the decline of families with children in Seattle is "balanced" by families without children. To me, a family means children. A roommate is a roommate. A husband/wife is a couple. A gay marriage/domestic partnership is a couple. Perhaps ...

Posted Mon, Aug 29, 5:03 p.m.

Traditional families seem to be fleeing the city in droves ...

Posted Sat, Aug 27, 10:12 a.m.

Smacgry: the current education system in Washingon State has already decided that some of our kids cannot be educated. They are the ones who fail to graduate. Most schools have over a 30% failure to graduate rate. How is that acceptable?

Posted Sat, Aug 27, 10:10 a.m.

Clearly, the present system in Washington State is NOT working. The status quo always defends their turf, but as a very concerned adult who has hired several high school students for summer work, I'm joining Scott Oki on this one. We have failed our kids, and I'm tired of that ...

Posted Mon, Aug 22, 10:52 p.m.

Just think. In the 1970's we were told we were all doomed because of global cooling. Now it's global warming. Hysteria never really works.

Posted Fri, Jul 29, 12:52 a.m.

Why are we spending so many public dollars to built light rail transit if we are not willing to walk the walk, talk the talk, and build the density that is the ONLY way these rail systems can become reasonably affordable? Roosevelt nor any other neighborhood has to change with ...

Posted Tue, Jul 26, 10:09 p.m.

The state can't even figure out how to run a bridge toll correctly, how are they going to manage the construction of the deep bore tunnel? They won't. It's a financial albartross that we cannot afford.

Posted Tue, Jul 19, 11:09 p.m.

Must we use the vile words 'new urbanism'?

Posted Mon, Jul 18, 12:02 a.m.

I have always liked Cary Bozeman. It is the Anti-urban-and-everything-that-might-mean-growth crowd that cripples. Schools, roads, ferries, businesses and more. It is time to allow business to thrive, to reinstall the MVET so ferries and roads can haul people, goods and services to where they need to go, when they need ...

Posted Sat, Jul 16, 12:27 a.m.

jimrolls, will you run for governor? Please.

Posted Sat, Jul 16, 12:27 a.m.

jimrolls, will you run for governor? Please.

Posted Sat, Jul 16, 12:27 a.m.

jimrolls, will you run for governor? Please.

Posted Sat, Jul 16, 12:17 a.m.

waterfront rat, the promenade pictured here is lifeless, souless, and dull. It also reduces jobs, and revenue to Seattle. This tunnel is not affordable in every way imaginable.

Posted Sat, Jul 16, 12:16 a.m.

I like that Whatcom County asked the State for help and that the State said of course. Too many times, small counties and cities don't seem to realize that they can, and should, ask the State to help make the determinations.

Posted Thu, Jul 14, 11:51 p.m.

It is only about the money. We cannot afford the tunnel or the park.

Posted Fri, Jul 1, 10:04 a.m.

Mr. Hinshaw, the economic risk of forcing long established businesses to move from the Seattle waterfront is enormous. The point another person made about the daily use of Greenlake park is valid. Other than when the Pier concerts were happening, I have NEVER seen a downtown Seattle park, waterfront or ...

Posted Mon, Jun 27, 9:31 p.m.

Unlike mhays, it raises my hackles when public projects do not sell naming rights. Such as the Washington State Ferries. Call it the Microsoft/Chetzemoka for all I care, but get the money.

Posted Mon, Jun 27, 9:28 p.m.

An enhanced ferry terminal is silly and wasteful. If another bathroom is needed, then build it. What DOES make sense is to put WSF administrative offices aboard every ferry. Make the staff see what is happening daily on board the boats. There is vast amounts of space available for glassed ...

Posted Fri, Jun 24, 11:37 p.m.

The Safe, the Locks and the Key ... and the Clink (too bad it's not next to the jail).

Posted Fri, Jun 24, 11:30 p.m.

Seattle desperately needs new leadership. We cannot continue to create reasons for employers to leave Seattle.

Posted Sun, Jun 19, 5:14 p.m.

I support Sonntag for Governor. Now who for his current position?

Posted Sun, Jun 19, 5:10 p.m.

It's hardly "yarn bombing" when you were given permission and paid to do it.

Posted Sat, Jun 11, 11:32 p.m.

I hate the tunnel idea. I hate the tunnel design. I hate the new city park idea and that plan too. Homeless, vagrants, drug addits do not contribute anything to the local economy. Since when does Mother Gregoire know what is best for the rest of us? Oppose her efforts ...

Posted Sat, Jun 11, 11:28 p.m.

Why would we accept the 'validity' of unions? I'm not a union member, never have been. Yet I work, hold a job, and am comfortable representing myself. My employer always has a choice: screw me, and I'm out the door. I don't need a nanny, nor a union, nor a ...

Posted Fri, Jun 10, 7:53 p.m.

"smart growth" is a branded, manipulative failure.

Posted Fri, Jun 10, 7:50 p.m.

@mikerol, do you think the young mothers and their kids live at U Village? Hardly. The affluent young mothers may live nearby, but U Village isn't really an example of "typical Seattleites" now is it?

Posted Fri, Jun 10, 7:48 p.m.

Trust me. Families with children of any age, want to travel in their own cars. The price of housing is still very expensive in-city, which pushes families on budgets out. Plus, who wants to raise children in a Ballard townhome with a yard the size of a ladybug?

Posted Mon, May 30, 10:43 p.m.

Ok, this doesn't relate to BBQ, which I am going to go down and try. But, this point is worthy, and Seattle is in danger of losing more and more sweat-based jobs. College degrees for everyone dilutes our collective strength. " ... a few weeks ago, Rowe testified before a ...

Posted Mon, May 30, 10:34 p.m.

Typo, Kieth. Back in the day, the Letters, not back in the day he Letters.

Posted Mon, May 30, 10:23 p.m.

The park is a waste of precious commercial waterfront.

Posted Mon, May 30, 10:23 p.m.

The tunnel supporters nor the City of Seattle have done a study on the number of businesses leaving Seattle. The lease loss, and selling of commercial real estate will be staggering, and is already happening, but is fairly hard to notice because most assume the emptiness is "the economy".

Posted Tue, May 10, 12:38 a.m.

Whidbey looks good. Ferry to Mukilteo, walk to train. Commute downtown Seattle in 50 minutes. Easy peasy. If the bore tunnel work doesn't end your job that is.

Posted Fri, Apr 29, 11:20 p.m.

I truly love the viaduct. Views of the water and Olympics on one side, and the city on the other. Fantastic!

Posted Fri, Apr 29, 11:11 p.m.

Is this guy for real? Good grief.

Posted Fri, Apr 8, 4:22 p.m.

At least if most of the buyers are paying cash, when the bubble does pop, there won't be as much collateral damage.

Posted Sun, Apr 3, 1:09 p.m.

Does anyone know the total number of residential foreclosures between 2007 thru first quarter 2011? I have heard that it is more than 30% of all residential properties. Far too great a price.

Posted Sun, Apr 3, 1:02 p.m.

PJ .... always funny, and spot on target. "But maybe there's a darker side to bike-lane advocacy. Political activists of a certain ideological stripe want citizens to have a child-like dependence on government. And it's impossible to feel like a grown-up when you're on a bicycle if you aren't in ...

Posted Sat, Apr 2, 9 p.m.

I believe retrofitting the viaduct is our best affordable option today. The state, nor the city, do not have one extra penny for risk or boondoggles.

Posted Sat, Apr 2, 8:53 p.m.

Post of the week: The city does need a leadership change. It needs someone who will stand up to, and cut funding to, all our insidious little non-profits lurking down every alleyway. — BlueLight

Posted Sat, Apr 2, 8:49 p.m.

Every artist rendering of the waterfront park area looks bland, stark and very non Northwest. YUK.

Posted Sat, Apr 2, 8:47 p.m.

I love driving. I love the viaduct, because it is a beautiful drive. Simply rebuild the seawall, rebuild the viaduct, and add lanes. Commerce is made by independence, and vehicular movement. All the energey spent to get us out of our vehicles should be spent to find a non fossil ...

Posted Sat, Apr 2, 8:38 p.m.

100% agreement with animalal. Seattle city limits had approx. 563,000 people around the time of 1959-1963 and close to 100,000 in the Seattle School District. All of the rest of King County had to be less than 437,000 because I am sure the county population was less than 1,000,000. Now, ...

Posted Sat, Apr 2, 8:33 p.m.

"The new waterfront will attract more people and jobs downtown" No, the opposite will occur. The tunnel option is too destructive to our industrial, job-producing areas, and it is far too expensive. Do not build the bore tunne. Build a new viaduct.

Posted Sat, Apr 2, 8:12 p.m.

*** Facebook is downright creepy. I have a FB page, because I have young clients who want to 'see' me. *** I have a number of 'friends', I don't let people I do not know friend me. *** I consider FB a very weird segment of pop culture, and hope ...

Posted Thu, Mar 24, 8:02 p.m.

Schools are often used as first aid centers. Firestations, churches. Large spaces.

Posted Sat, Mar 19, 7:48 p.m.

37 acres per 1,000 population. That is a lot.

Posted Sat, Mar 19, 7:45 p.m.

Did you really think we needed to be told how to pronounce WPPSS?

Posted Fri, Mar 18, 7:58 p.m.

@beaky, good point. @lorenbliss, oh my. @crossrip, excellent.

Posted Tue, Mar 15, 11:21 p.m.

When the fish are spotted, when is the next earthquake, and how far away from the fish is it usually?

Posted Fri, Mar 11, 8:03 p.m.

You have no idea, Tim, how many people will read your story. Thanks. I have a sister who was sober, 17 years. She returned to drinking, socially, one glass at a time, three years later, gone completely. Hang in there, and never let your guard down.

Posted Fri, Mar 11, 7:55 p.m.

Don't you think it's time to require Econ 101 102 103 104 +++ for all of our elected leaders? One class for every year served.

Posted Thu, Mar 10, 8:41 p.m.

Do not get rid of the parking lots, or people like me will quit coming to Pioneer Square entirely. I don't care about games much, but when I show up, I drive. After or before, I eat, or drink. I spend. I bring a carful of other people with me. ...

Posted Thu, Mar 10, 8:36 p.m.

OMG. How is it that people don't know about Ash Wednesday? Are we really so disconnected from religious traditions that come to work or go to the mall?

Posted Thu, Mar 10, 8:33 p.m.

How is it appropriate that the US government regulators sat by, idly or stupidly (take your choice), and did nothing and said nothing during the run-up years of 2004 - 2007, but today tell us all that "real estate values will fall to their balanced levels and the hell with ...

Posted Thu, Mar 10, 8:29 p.m.

Stash Teas, Starbucks, all products of the very early 70's. I loved those days.

Posted Sat, Mar 5, 12:26 a.m.

Weally good alliteration, Wells.

Posted Sun, Feb 27, 9:39 a.m.

I hate the idea of this massive park. That property should be business, industrial, Port, jobs. Not another new park for bums. It's too expensive and will erode the already failing business district of Seattle. Bellevue will win this one.

Posted Fri, Feb 25, 12:12 a.m.

- Hate the tunnel. - Rebuild the viaduct. - Figure out how to house the vagrants, and clean up the urine smelling streets and alleys. - No more advant guard modernistic buildings that look like a concrete and steel abortion about to fall into traffic. - The City to provide ...

Posted Fri, Feb 25, midnight

Well done, Staffordacus, well done.

Posted Sun, Feb 20, 7:43 p.m.

Doesn't it bother folks that Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen and her sidekicks want to change so many state laws to shaft ferry employees? -- No. -- And I wouldn't call it "shafting" ferry employees, either.

Posted Sun, Feb 20, 7:39 p.m.

Sense of place? Most of it is architecturally "made up" sense of places, look at downtown Seattle, downtown Tacoma or downtown Bellevue as examples. However, I don't mind. I like cities, so long as they are not the Stepford wives style cities (which Bellevue pretty much is). As to arts ...

Posted Sat, Feb 19, 8:49 p.m.

When my wireless checks for a signal, I typically see 8 - 10 signals in my urban Greenlake neighborhood. If every block has 8 - 10 people paying $30 - 40 per month - that's a complete waste of money. There certainly is a need for rural areas to have ...

Posted Fri, Feb 18, 7:46 p.m.

BTW, that park is uglier than the viaduct.

Posted Fri, Feb 18, 7:43 p.m.

Forget the park. Forget the bore tunnel. Just fix the viaduct. This is all too big, too unnecessary, too expensive.

Posted Fri, Feb 18, 7:41 p.m.

I agree, that is a great quote.

Posted Fri, Feb 18, 2:47 a.m.

The traffic down there is horrible in the evenings after work. We had season tickets to Intiman for years, but it was a nightmare getting there in time to park, grab a bite to eat and make it in time for the start of the performance. Taxis were the best ...

Posted Thu, Feb 17, 2:13 p.m.

I think the point of this article is that when we allowed our cities to spring forth as "fake" but interesting places that people created, we got cities that people wanted to live in and work in. Today our codes and GMA directives over-regulate growth into a sort of Stepford ...

Posted Tue, Feb 15, 11:03 p.m.

"To end homelessness for families, every federally funded agency, program, and provider of services for this population, across the nation, must stop thinking of itself as an autonomous entity with its own dollars and purposes, and start working together with others." It is not just homelessness. It is transit agencies. ...

Posted Tue, Feb 15, 11 p.m.

I had to leave Greenlake and Phinney when the neighborhood coalitions of the 90's started going. To much interference of my privacy, too many regulations, and way, way too much city angst in planning my neighborhood, which actually grew all by itself for more than 80 years, just fine. My ...

Posted Sun, Feb 13, 8:47 p.m.

lorenbliss, perhaps the two fatties and their babies might not be so embroiled in such a hopeless sounding life if they were not always handed things without a requirement of reciprocation of some kind. Too many generations have missed out on education from a young age on how to stand ...

Posted Sun, Feb 13, 8:36 p.m.

I detest the new shopping centers that are supposed to look all rural and small townish. They look plastic, and modern, and fake. And I don't shop there, other than the one at Mill Creek, but I only have ever been in the grocery store, and that's because I can ...

Posted Sat, Feb 12, 5:28 a.m.

Density done correctly conflicts with the word village. Village is a marketing word meant to reassure people into thinking they don't really live in an urban setting. Like Hanks' country folk, let's just call a spade a spade: density can be a lot of fun when it is done correctly, ...

Posted Sat, Feb 12, 5:22 a.m.

Hank Williams and his country folk in his song would roll over in their graves if they read this article, and saw that somehow you twisted their beliefs into being anything like yours, Roger. Plus, they were singing about making moonshine, not sissified city wine.

Posted Fri, Feb 11, 12:06 a.m.

I have never been a fan of mission statements, for anything. Goal setting can be worthwhile, but mission statements rarely are anything but buzz words and language suitable for Mr. Rogers neighborhood, where everyone gets praised. Schools are filled with kids bored, bored, bored, and teachers, many of whom truly, ...

Posted Sat, Feb 5, 2:12 a.m.

Save the artists, trash the building. That one will fall down in the next earthquake. The bore tunnel is too expensive, end.of.story. Rehab the viaduct, which is a historical monoment in itself. I love it.

Posted Sat, Feb 5, 2:05 a.m.

If TDRs were such a great idea, they would be popular with developers, rural areas and cities. So far as I can see, TDRs are only popular with theorists who think unpopular manipulation will work. It won't. When populations grow, growth happens. The majority of people do not expect, nor ...

Posted Thu, Feb 3, 4:29 p.m.

How would this actually save taxpayers actual money? This strikes me as a way for the 'haves' such as King County, to try to dictate what the 'have nots' can have. Quality of life can't be made equal, but rural areas have just as much right to state support and ...

Posted Mon, Jan 24, 11:41 p.m.

Are the legislators and MMH reading these comments and statements? The ferries are highways. The ferries move as many riders/passengers as does the Viaduct, yet the ferries get treated like the bastard stepchild of Washington. The ferries transport military personnel, both civilian and military. Why are the ferries not considered ...

Posted Sun, Jan 23, 5:51 p.m.

Perhaps Groupon should buy the ferry system, and advertise 4-for-1 walk-on coupons at a 1-fare rate, good for October - March months, just not during rush hour peak travel.

Posted Sun, Jan 23, 4:45 p.m.

"It may surprise you to know that, on average, people drive more in the Seattle metropolitan area than they do in Los Angeles." Is this in terms of mileage driven, or mileage per trip? Was the difference in weather figured into the research? Ie, in November in LA I will ...

Posted Sun, Jan 23, 4:40 p.m.

The problem with this country is that all businesses have broken with that part of the best part of our economic strength were those people with the Apollo 13 attitudes. They were given the reigns of making products mostly on US soils, with people they could meet and talk to, ...

Posted Sun, Jan 23, 4:31 p.m.

D.Engle, "Question Assumptions" and "Don't Trust Authority" were geared against the men in suits, the profiteers. While that is still true regarding the profiteers still sucking money out of the housing industry, and the Greed Masters of Wall Street, to me, it has also morphed into a statement against those ...

Posted Sun, Jan 23, 4:25 p.m.

I agree. Railroads were a major part of building our country, and will be a major part in saving it. Pure and simple, the reality of basic math and economics have been willfully, and wastefully ignored by our politicos. "Profit is not evil, and railroads have an annual target rate ...

Posted Thu, Jan 20, 8:51 p.m.

@ Douglas Tooley, you say "We need park and ride lots at our neighborhood business districts, something City has unwisely decided NOT to do, citywide. While we are at it, why not provide space for co-op day care, public markets, etc?" I say, heck ya. We need park and ride ...

Posted Thu, Jan 20, 8:48 p.m.

Back in the 1960's, my neighbors tell me they rode the bus everywhere for their weekday needs. These were stay-at-home moms, living in Seattle, and their hubbies had the car for work. The buses ran all day long, and were nice, small buses. They went in circular routes north,east, west, ...

Posted Thu, Jan 20, 8:43 p.m.

@leitmotif Blackball?? That was what? 60 years ago. Boeing? Really? I'd LOVE it if Boeing took over ferries. Really. Or ... the US Navy. Really. Employees driving all over? Hellooooo. Hire within the geographic area they will work in. If they are on call, and cannot get in to work, ...

Posted Wed, Jan 19, 7:59 p.m.

@ Derdowski, I'd much rather you focus your attention in King County. Leave B'ham alone. The lawyers who act as bond counsel and general counsel for local governments such as the Seattle Popular Monorail Authority and Sound Transit draft the state and local enabling legislation for those taxing districts. That's ...

Posted Sun, Jan 2, 9:06 p.m.

Floating on the water makes a lot more sense than driving a rig up and down the interstates. Seems like the NIMBY's forgot to account for economics. I appreciate the comments about the teens doing drugs, and the loss of opportunities four our youth in exchange for NIMBY housing.

Posted Sun, Dec 19, 9:40 p.m.

@garlic_tomorrow, Downtowns are for business and pleasure, but they are not parks, nor are they typically considered places of worship, unless you worship commerce. So signs. Yeah. Love 'em, especially when they become cultural icons. @balticbarb, agree totally. 'I continue to be puzzled by a city which doesn't want to ...

Posted Sun, Dec 19, 9:36 p.m.

jml, I like your thinking. Keep writing. I love signs. Love reading them, love finding where I am going by using them, love the feeling of a downtown being alive at 3:00 am. Love them. How would signs on buildings block any views, except possibly for a few rooftop standup ...

Posted Sun, Dec 5, 9:19 p.m.

I always enjoy dbreneman. "The Puget Sound Region's mass transportation plan is not supposed to clear up congestion. Its purpose it to make owning a motor vehicle as painful as possible. Once you understand that, it all makes sense." And I'm going to keep owning cars. When the first flying ...

Posted Sun, Nov 28, 6:11 a.m.

At age 55 I have terribly arthritis in both knees. There will be no biking up and down the hills of Seattle for me. Don't forget to wear your helmet, folks.

Posted Fri, Nov 26, 1:35 p.m.

A photo of Gov. G in the City of Langley proves the point: too much regulation and nannyism by any governmental entity is destructive. Bored this weekend? The City of Langley is 1100 residents, and has a 222-page Comprehensive Plan. Most people don't know what a Comp Plan is or ...

Posted Wed, Nov 10, 10:59 p.m.

When they shipped all the 'blue collar' manufacturing and night shift jobs overseas, the night time diners dwindled. When the big bucks, cigar bars and martini bars ran out of patrons willing to spend money like water, the late night high end restaurants dwindled. Something that goes missing always has ...

Posted Wed, Nov 10, 10:53 p.m.

It's spelled 'Naselle'. Thanks.

Posted Tue, Oct 12, 8:10 p.m.

Part of the American Dream is freedom. The Detroit auto industry provided a time in American lives that personified freedom: freedom of choice, freedom to be who you are, to rebel, freedom of travel - to travel on a whim, or on a schedule. Millions and millions of Americans fell ...

Posted Tue, Oct 5, 12:04 a.m.

Seattle keeps squeezing more residential units on smaller and smaller lots, and taking play area away from children. It's time for some method of private funding to keep more community centers, pools, and libraries open during this recession. Try keeping everything open more hours by a donation method - at ...

Posted Sun, Sep 26, 11:06 p.m.

Thank you Lincoln. Agree with you on all except bike paths, I support them since I cannot stand bikes on roads with traffic.

Posted Sun, Sep 26, 11:02 p.m.

The reality is that light and heavy rail lines are hideously expensive per rider mile. Per installation mile as well. There is no way to pencil that out, and now that we're in this depression, the numbers are glaring at us. In city light rail or trams, or a zillion ...

Posted Wed, Sep 22, 6:59 p.m.

cats, listen to logger.

Posted Wed, Sep 22, 6:57 p.m.

I heart jimrolls. I've got it. Let's refurbish the viaduct and use it for another 40 years. It's quirky and edgy and all that "working class" imagery stuff that people who don't have anything to do seem to admire so much. That way, those of us who still have to ...

Posted Wed, Sep 22, 6:55 p.m.

Formula money-churning restaurant. You cannot expect passion in a place with 200 employees.

Posted Wed, Sep 22, 6:52 p.m.

nanny-ism continues.

Posted Sun, Sep 19, 12:15 a.m.

The best thing to do is relocate now, before they cripple this city.

Posted Sat, Sep 18, 9:22 a.m.

@ Pepper, I'm neither a Beatle lover nor a Beatle hater. @ Kamille, I hate to tell you, but "baby boomer" was coined, and used far before the 1980s (when you were likely born). I've noticed that for many born in the eighties or later that the 60's seems to ...

Posted Sat, Sep 18, 9:17 a.m.

"Human scale". Two words planners just looooove. Yet they are still planners words, clunky and rather insulting. The photographer wasn't taking pictures of "human scale", he was taking photos of life, color and shadows. And what is with this "intentional urban documentary" new-age wonderment? Can't we just use regular words? ...

Posted Mon, Sep 13, 7:01 p.m.

@Pepper2000, Most people, no matter how young, have seen the word "Beatles" many times in print, and know how to spell it. But your generation doesn't think spelling and grammar matters ... I honestly hope that works out well for you, because my generation needs you to all be very ...

Posted Mon, Aug 9, 8:17 p.m.

What is your point?

Posted Mon, Aug 9, 8:15 p.m.

But master, you ask too much.

Posted Mon, Aug 9, 8:11 p.m.

Thank you Sean98125: Our skyline is the product of crass commercialism and of corporate and developer egos. Adding tenant signs wouldn't be a terrible thing and could actually promote the local businesses that drive our economy. The Microsoft sign on the top of one of Bellevue's office buildings doesn't bother ...

Posted Sat, Aug 7, 11:05 p.m.

dbrennaman, you are a rebel without a clue, as usual. The mortgage meltown was not "As far as the mortgage meltdown goes, a major player in that was the quasi-governmental Fanny-Fred, which was a darling of, and enabled by, several powerful congressmen. The creation and bursting of the mortgage bubble ...

Posted Thu, Aug 5, 11:30 p.m.

Without those contributions from the well meaning donors, the staffers and execs of the forest saving nonprofits would not get paid. It's the same arguement big business and government faces. Salaries sure make one enthusiastic for their employers projects.

Posted Thu, Aug 5, 11:28 p.m.

Name one waterfront Seattle park that isn't full of bums, drunks and druggies. And we want another, even bigger one of those?

Posted Thu, Aug 5, 11:20 p.m.

dbrennaman, it was intentional. The key word was maybe.

Posted Thu, Aug 5, 11:16 p.m.

So who pays attention to the MuniLeague anyway? The people donating to the candidates? Doubtful. The candidates mothers? Naturally. The news media? Unfortunately. The MuniLeague is worthless and tired. Time to put it and it's so-called nonprofit status out of work. The salaried people are there for the jobs, and ...

Posted Thu, Aug 5, 12:07 a.m.

I like anon comments. It makes me read them and think about the content and the words, rather than think about what I already know about a particular writer. Humans are very judgemental. When we know the person writing, we might diss them as being 'too stupid to agree with' ...

Posted Thu, Aug 5, 12:01 a.m.

The tunnel will be too costly, and too crippling. Assuming they can get the bore not to get stuck, and acutally complete the damn thing, then this will be the last nail in the coffin of manufacturing and light industrial jobs in the Ballard/Fremont/Magnolia areas. The so-called world class park? ...

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 9:31 p.m.

Prisoners should be required to study for a GED, then further career training while in prison, and the government should pay for it, which means taxpayers paying for it. Continuing incarceration of ignorant, poorly trained people, then releasing them into the streets is a waste of taxpayers money. Do the ...

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 9:26 p.m.

There has got to be a better way. Violent people shouldn't get out of prison. Perhaps it should be illegal for employers to ask these questions, unless the job involves personal visits to people's homes, working with children, or handling money.

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 9:23 p.m.

Do voters realize they need to vote smarter people into office?

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 9:22 p.m.

Ditto this: I have always endorsed refurbishing and enhancing the existing viaduct. It is the best solution. No other proposed configuration for the AWV matches the existing viaduct in any transportation related category. The rights of ways already exist. The configuration already can handle 110,000 vehicles a day. It already ...

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 9:19 p.m.

Brewster, the Viaduct Bore Idea needs to go the way of the Monorail Idea. Extinct.

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 9:17 p.m.

Believe it or not, but Whidbey Island is looking for disgruntled companies who have had it with Seattle. Please contact any of the South Whidbey Port Commissioners. We are eager for jobs, eager to do business, have no money to offer, and real estate prices and a gorgeous lifestyle like ...

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 9:12 p.m.

I'd vote for cleanhouse but not Richard. Are you two going to just discuss, or actually run for office?

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 9 p.m.

Face it, Democrats. You are all out of favor because the middle class has been wiped out. We've lost our jobs, our home equity, our retirement accounts, our stock accounts, and you did nothing to save us. None of you have the normal common sense a 12 year old has, ...

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 8:57 p.m.

Wait. I meant if Patty Murray retires, I'd vote Democrat. Maria Cantwell also.

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 8:56 p.m.

If Nancy Pelosi retires, I'd vote Democrat.

Posted Sat, Jul 31, 8:55 p.m.

Morro, your post does nothing to facilitate improvement. Until both "sides" stop sniping at each other, the war between the Dems and the Repubs will never be over. Vaya con Dios.

Posted Tue, Jul 27, 8:37 p.m.

I have a major problem with this truth: "Drug possession and intent to sell laws have changed recently to the benefit of the drug dealers. One example specifies it now takes 9 arrests of an individual before actual prosecution can occur. Why? No money to prosecute and no jail space. ...

Posted Tue, Jul 27, 8:31 p.m.

Sarah, don't try to placate the dirt and filth. It's inherently wrong, but even if we gave them free housing with free food and clothing ... ya think they would stay there? Wishful thinking. It's the drugs and alchol they want, not the stable life. I don't know how to ...

Posted Tue, Jul 27, 8:28 p.m.

The hell it's all about "residents". It's all about the combination of successful businesses who want to locate in Pioneer Square + residents + customers. However until Pioneer Square is no longer used as a dumping ground for homeless bums, vagrants and skanks with knives and guns, it's hopeless. The ...

Posted Tue, Jul 27, 8:16 p.m.

Pioneer Square was a lot of fun in the late 1970's and early 1980's, and I always felt safe there, even walking alone to my car. I haven't felt Pioneer Square was clean, or safe since about 1989. Every year, it has slid down the Richtor Scale of Filth and ...

Posted Fri, Jun 4, 6:17 a.m.

The bottom line is due one of 2 things: either voters lack intelligence, or thay simply do not pay full attention. That has got to change.

Posted Fri, Jun 4, 6:15 a.m.

I hope for the same things that Greg does. He's one of the good guys.

Posted Fri, Jun 4, 6:13 a.m.

ekcrl, thanks.

Posted Fri, Jun 4, 6:10 a.m.

I agree with pepper2000 regarding the 'pen names' being branded. I read these comments, and I recognize many of your 'real names', but many of you post under real names that I don't know. You have no more credibility than a branded name that I have come to follow, and ...

Posted Fri, Jun 4, 6:04 a.m.

So what if Costco stands to benefit? So will taxpayers.

Posted Fri, Jun 4, 6:03 a.m.

By "bond" I mean bonding, like with a friend.

Posted Fri, Jun 4, 6:02 a.m.

In a State that relies on the Growth Management Act to define growth, there doesn't seem a way for the GMA to be enforced, other than via lawsuits. I recently asked CTED for referrals to help with some GMA questions, since the CTED doesn't truly "approve", ie: actually READ in ...

Posted Wed, May 5, 11:18 p.m.

I so wish it would house a new publication with a real newsroom. I'd work there ...

Posted Wed, May 5, 11:15 p.m.

For what light rail costs, we could all have flying cars. Even the children who are too young to fly-drive.

Posted Tue, Sep 8, 3:54 p.m.

What provisions would be in place for family emergencies? What if dad gets sick, dies, and mom has to raise the kids but cannot farm herself? She'd want to rent that land and get income, or lose the farm. What if the kids go to college, and the farmland is ...