September 2010

National Coffee Day

Seattle and coffee go together so well that when I am describing things that go together well, I say, "they go together like Seattle and coffee". There is something about those little beans that make the nine months of bland weather bearable. If you have not heard today, September 29th, is National Coffee Day. I would say that we should all celebrate this amazing day by having a cup of the good stuff - but I am betting most people in Seattle are already doing that. As for those of you who are not - drink up!

Great Ideas: The First Hill Streetcar Project

I am all about the environment and the impact we, as humans, have on it - and I think anything we can do to help lessen our own effects is a positive thing. I got a flier in the mail today about a new streetcar that is in the plans for the First Hill / Capitol Hill Area (which it appears will eventually also go down to Pioneer Square and the International District) and I got super excited.

A New Reason to Love BECU - Mobile Banking

About a year ago I had an epiphany after reading a blog about Banks and how we are concerned citizens should change the banking system instead of waiting for the government - who just throws billions of dollars of our money at them - even when they mess up. The post talked about how we are a country run on, for, and by Capitalism - it fuels our whole society. One of the key points of such a system is that the better guy always wins - it is survival of the fittest - and if you fail you're done. This was not the case with the big banks - they failed, horribly I might add, after a few bad gambles and then our great government throws billions of dollars at them. How is that right? I was so angry. So I did what a lot of people are doing and decided to take my money elsewhere - I close my accounts with banks and decided I would try out the credit union path and I have never been happier.

Thoughts on the New Seattle

One thing I hear all the time from long-time Seattle residents is how the old, freaky-and-proud Seattle is going the way of the dinosaur, that it's being replaced with a slick, almost corporate sheen that lacks the personality of those bygone days of grunge, punk and sample-heavy hip hop. Especially as a journalist, I detect a lot of that sentiment in people who really have roots in this town. Business owners on Capitol Hill are quick to point out how what was once a strip of raucous bars is now a trendy bistro and its adjacent parking lot. They're a little less willing to acknowledge the once-decaying, now refurbished chunk of the district that's home to lively ballroom dancing venues and the recently relocated Elliot Bay Bookstore that has been a Seattle fixture for decades. Beyond the Hill, Seattle is growing and changing in some very exciting ways. The question is, should we really be lamenting the loss of Seattle's flannel days?