Results tagged “bellevue”

• Firefighters were successful in putting out a house fire that engulfed a vacant Greenwood home early Wednesday morning at Sixth Avenue Northwest and Northwest 85th Street.
• Bellevue introduced their newest downtown police squad, a group to help prevent a rise in crime and likely to become neighborhood heroes, saving the day for downtown Bellevue residents and businesses.

There is no question this week is going to be a hot one, as temperatures reach into the high 90s and perhaps even 100 degrees. As many people crank up the power and seek an air conditioned refuge away from the heat, Seattle City Light--here's their energy-saving tips to beat the heat--warns that their old equipment may fail as temperatures climb. Customers need to be prepared for potential outages. Grrreat.

BLOCK PARTY: Yep, it's this weekend. Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth, yadda, yadda, yadda. It's a big deal, go watch a concert in the street. Changes to the layout of the party are being hyped as solving the extended misery problem that virtually everyone who's ever been to the Block Party over the last couple years has complained about, so please some let us know if you can actually move once you're on the inside. Fri. doors 3 p.m., Sat. doors 1 p.m. // Capitol Hill Block Party // 12th Ave. & E. Pike St. // tix $23 per day, $42 for both

The City of Bellevue and local residents have had it with the excessive amount of retailers' shopping carts strewn across city bus stops, streets, vacant parking lots, and don't even get them started about the dizz-asterous collection found at Crossroads Shopping Center. While some retailers do attempt to corral the runaways, other shrug their shoulders without the means or capabilities to collect the transient shopping carts.

LOSE YOUR AIR VIRGINITY: A first for Seattle, tonight you can get pointers (or even perform) at the Air Sex Championships. Yes, you read that correctly. Think Air Guitar sans the guitar solo, but instead swapping it with two minutes of sexy, saucy, or pure naaasty love-making moves with an imaginary sex partner. All to love-makin' tunes sure to put the audience at El Corazon in the mood. And just so you don't start flashing dollar bills, there is no nakedness at this dry humping festival, however creative costumes are encouraged.

For the first time ever, we paid attention to the Tony Awards, where artists with ties to the Puget Sound region were winning all over the place. Bartlett Sher, artistic director down at the Intiman, didn't win for , and was developed for the stage as part of the "Village Originals workshop" in 2005, is a fine reminder that Seattle isn't just a stop for big musicals on their way to Broadway, but a place where talented artists actually generate the work that becomes the toast of New York. Congrats all!

ALL THAT JAZZ!: If your musical soul isn't daring enough to venture to Sasquatch or hippy-dippy enough for the Folklife Festival, you can check out the smooth tunes at the--air conditioned--Bellevue Jazz Festival. Curtains open tonight with the preeminent young male jazz singer Kurt Elling and Grammy winner, Dianne Reeves. Weekend performances include: Mingus Big Band, Mose Allison Trio and the Seattle Rep. Jazz Orchestra. On a budget? The festival has a few free shows, featuring our very own local talented pool of rising jazz stars. Performance times and locations vary, Friday-Sunday // Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th St. // Tickets: Packages $59-149

Don't underestimate the power of a sunny day. On Sunday, one Bellevue family learned that the hard way, when the culprit of their house fire turned out to be the family dog's glass water bowl and a little bit o' sunshine. This past weekend temperatures hit the 70s, and if you recall from your childhood heyday, with just a magnifying glass and some sun there's the potential to fricassee ants. Well, the Bellevue dog bowl did just that, but instead of ants, the hot-hot-heat from the sun's rays permeated through the glass bowl and ignited the home's wooden deck. The dog was safe, but the freak of nature fire left $215,000 in damages for the family. Damn dog.

To tunnel or not to tunnel under downtown Bellevue is the big question for leaders facing the anticipated light-rail expansion. Last fall voters approved building surface line tracks, but since then the Bellevue city council has tossed in two additional light-rail options that just so happen to include building a $600-millon tunnel under downtown Bellevue. Heated discussions have ensued. Now Microsoft is getting involved, pushing for the voter-approved surface tracks which would allow for a quicker install and could possibly extend the tracks farther east. (Hmmm, Redmond maybe?) Haven't we realized yet that making light-rail (or any transit) decisions really isn't our strongest suit? Right now, too many three options are currently on the table, and the transit-board members will vote May 14 for the best option to begin their environmental-impact studies. Let the chaos begin.

Check. Mate. The current queen of the chess is Bellevue's own Megan Lee, a 12-year-old middle school student (12!), who cleared the chess board this past weekend to win the number one spot (and a four-year scholarship to the Univ. of Texas at Dallas) in the 18-years-and-younger division of the U.S. Chess Federation's All-Girls Nationals. Be on the lookout next time you think about playing chess in the park, an innocent sweet-voiced ringer (whose last read was Bobby Fischer’s 60 Memorable Games) may take your money be watching your every move.

MvB is off to Annex Theatre tonight for Love's Tangled Web; Saturday night is Bosco's jazz gig/CD party at The Mix in Georgetown. Sunday he hopes to be kissed--with tongue--by the spring sun's rays.

Over the course of three years, a group of suburbanites plotted and scammed their way to making an undeserved $46 million from mortgage companies. They'll have to return their Lamborghinis, though, because the seven members of the Bellevue-based group have been indicted on 40 counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud. We have zero sympathy for these people.

Turns out cloudy weather and passive-aggressive behavior will only attract people for so long. Recent data from the US Census shows that the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma metropolitan area is the slowest-growing region in the whole wide country of the largest 100 areas that grew last year. From 2007 to 2008, we only grew at a 1.4 percent rate. Across the mountains the Tri-Cities were attracting enough people to become the third-fastest growing area, up 3.5%. Of course from 2007 to 2008 the need for rodeo clowns greatly outweighed the need for fish tossers.

      

Hope springs eternal, and a good thing, too. Over on Slog, Bethany Jean Clement takes attendance in the cemetery, counting off the headstones of restaurants dead or mortally wounded. Familiar names; we bow our heads and shed a tear. And then, our moment of silence over, Life Goes On.

The state 4A boys basketball tournament is down to the semifinals, and if you had Todd Beamer High going all the way, I'm sorry but you aren't going to win your pool.

     

In the beginning, there was Trader Vic's. For a couple of years, anyway (except on the internet, where nothing ever dies). When the Westin Bellevue opened, across from Bellevue Square, with its block-long driveway down 6th Avenue NE, the hotel's porte-cochère was on the right, and Trader Vic's on the left, but--awkwardly--you couldn't drop off your car with the hotel valet if you just wanted a Mai Tai and pupus. There's no street presence; Palomino has the corner location, all shimmering white tablecloths, opposite Bel Square's mid-market Red Robin.

Last June, we almost jumped into that Yellow Cab (with its rooftop ad for flights to Heathrow) just to escape the gloomy weather. That was then--the climate has changed. Last night, emerging well-fed but late from Pearl in Bellevue, we found we'd missed our ride back to Seattle. We'd taken Sound Transit over, but now the prospect of a bus ride seemed overwhelming. Three taxis stood in line outside the Westin. Normally it's a $35 fare but we had exactly one $20 bill in our wallet. "Belltown for twenty bucks?" we asked. The first cabbie, understandably, refused. Second one glowered briefly and muttered, "Twenty-five." Third one reflected a moment, then said, "Get in." Twenty minutes later we were home. A parable for getting along in today's economy, perhaps?

Holy driving loafers! Even as Nordstrom's 4Q earnings fell 68 percent, Oscar fashion staple Ferragamo plans to open at Bellevue's Bravern, not far from Needless Markups. Hmm, now that Microsoft's laid-off workers can keep their extra severance, what are the chances they''ll ditch the Crocs and opt for Angelina Jolie's shoes?

Bellevue man Robert Miracle was indicted in $65 million scam that is either a Ponzi or a pyramid scheme. We like the sound of Ponzi. More historical, less Amway.

A new weekend post from our new fashion correspondent, Cameron Levin. But before we get to the fashion talk, she's also got the lowdown on some time-sensitive designer retailer events for you:
• Polite Society Trunk Show with acclaimed Russian talent, Madina Vadache, featuring her spring/summer couture collection on Thursday, January 29th, 6-8pm. Vadache will be there for personal consultations and custom fittings. RSVP by January 27th to info@shoppolitesociety.com or by calling 206-441-4796.
• Karan Dannenberg 70% off storewide sale, January 25-31
• Butch Blum Winter Sale, 50% storewide sale

Violent crime rates are up in Bellevue and down in Tacoma, according to the most recent FBI reports. The number of occurrences of violent crime reported in that new, shiny city across the lake increased from 65 in 2007 to a whopping 91 in 2008--a 40 percent boost in one year, for whatever reason. (Fights at The Parlor?) Down in Tacoma, the reported occurrences of violent crime went from 1,085 to 905 in that same time span (a 17 percent drop). In related news, the migration path of several flocks of flying pigs will lead them right over downtown Seattle this afternoon around 4 p.m., so be sure to step outside and take a gander at what is sure to be an educational sight. Seattle's info, of course, wasn't turned in on time to be included in the FBI's report. (Win!)

A suggestion for a cultural outing tonight, assuming that the Eastside is convenient or alluring: John Nauman's piano recital, the second installment of the Bellevue Philharmonic Steinway Series.

ANTIOXIDANTS WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL: Cherie Calbum might not, upon further examination, go that far. But she's really, really, really excited about the possibilities of making and drinking one's own juice--and about sleeping away your pounds, and about coconut as the secret ingredient to everything good in life (we agree with her on that last part). Head over to Town Hall to see what all the fuss is about; who knows, maybe you'll have a fruit combination epiphany that will improve your weekend smoothies exponentially.

It's a tour bus, not Metro, but there were 75-some people in two buses hanging over I-5 on Bellevue Street (Capitol Hill). Apparently they were all visiting from Moses Lake. How many times did we tell ya'll not to try to drive in these conditions?! Here's live video coverage from NWCN, and here's the Seattle Times's current coverage. Holy crap. Everybody, please walk around if you must leave your cozy houses, because we do not want to have to report on any of our readers getting injured in accidents out there today.

In terms of opening a new luxury restaurant, it may not be the best of times, but it's probably not the worst of times, either. And if anyone's going to straddle this tale of two cities, be they London and Paris or Seattle and Bellevue, let it be El Gaucho.

This photo of the picket line in Bellevue taken by Greg Stonebraker and generously added to the Seattlest Flickr Pool.

If you're a teenager, there is nothing better than a few extra days of summer vacation however you can get them. Students in the Bellevue School District are rejoicing (and their parents are scrambling for child care) as the start of school was delayed due to a teacher's strike. Bellevue teachers took the picket line today after a contract negotiations failed Monday night. At the center of the teachers strike are issues regarding salary and curriculum. A mediator will try to bring both sides to the table again today. Bellevue teenagers will be keeping their fingers crossed for failure and a few more school-free days.

A while back, we mentioned that Trace Lofts on 12th Ave would soon be home to the unfortunately named "Mexican-inspired" restaurant Barrio. Well, don't worry Eastside, you're getting a ghetto too! Purple Cafe and Wine Bar owners Larry and Tabitha Kurofsky have announced that they'll be opening a second Barrio in downtown Bellevue sometime next year.

Bell Square, you have generously offered abundant retail and restaurant options to two entire generations now. We remember back when you still housed the Bon Marche, back when we could still get chicken pot pie at Marie Callender's; our parents remember you back when Nordstrom was known best for shoes and a body could still shop at Frederick & Nelson. In middle school, you more than clothed us: you entertained us. And in our twenties, you more than entertained us: you employed us. Happy 62nd birthday! We hope the Freeman family is proud and maybe even buys another car, or something, to celebrate the passing of another super-successful year of shopping.