If you overdid it a little on the Fourth of July, you're not alone. Between the personal harm and the property damage, this weekend racked it up for quite a few area residences and businesses. more ›

Sick of all those cliched songs like "Livin' in the U.S.A" by the Coug or "God Bless the U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood? Yeah, us too. So we decided to throw together a not-so-conventional soundtrack for your Fourth. more ›

Book nerds love the 4th of July, too. But because they're so punctual and kind, they're celebrating a day early. more ›

Each year, like kids waiting around the radio to hear if school's been called off for snow, members of the media wait for dispatches from One Reel, or from Ivar's, or from Paul Allen, hoping and praying that someone with deep pockets and a little patriotic/pyrotechnic spirit will come through and fund the Fourth of July's traditionally explosive evening over Lake Union. This year, it's Coke who came through in the clutch. more ›

Re:Take is a weekly look at the Emerald City now and in days of yore through photos dug out of the archives. This week, the rockets' red glare and foothills stripped bare. more ›

Yesterday, condom maker Trojan wisely picked the summer news slowdown to announce a new survey about sex and the weather. According to their very-scientific-and-in-no-way-a-marketing-ploy- for-their-new-brand-of-condoms-survey, rain is widely viewed as the best weather condition for sex, while hot weather climates encourage more frequent sexual activity. But, what about rankings? We need some hard (pun intended) numbers. more ›

The Seattle Times has a complaint from a Redmond woman who was taking two kids to the fireworks on the Fourth. On holidays, Metro's policy is that kids ride free with a paying adult. But it turns out the Fourth is not a holiday...well, not a Metro holiday. Metro's holiday was the Third of July, which as you know celebrates the day the Founding Fathers settled on the parchment for the Declaration of Independence. more ›

"The Crowds got Larger..." by Aimee Wenske (cloverity), from our Flickr pool more ›

"Bacon Explosion!!! As American as Apple Pie" by capnsurly , from our Flickr pool more ›

ZOMBIES WALK AGAIN!: First it was zombies on Cap Hill and now the streets of Fremont are expected to be littered with the living dead at Fremont Outdoor Film's Red White & Dead Zombie Party. They will be assembling record-breaking zombie masses (anyone can join), in an attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for largest walking zombie mob. Afterward, the gruesome group will meet zombie book authors, listen to zombie bands, try to dance like the zombies in "Thriller" and watch the romantic zombie comedy film,"Shaun of the Dead." more ›

Independence Day in Seattle was a cloudy affair. Several people commented to us that they weren't even going to bother with the fireworks, because it was too overcast for the display to be worthwhile. Just before sundown, though, the sky moved off. We turned the corner along the Burke on our way to Gasworks Park, and there was the city, across the water, in all its reflective glory. Buildings casting shadows against one another, and a breathtaking sunset shone from their windows. more ›

more ›

BOMBS BURSTING, ETC: Happy Independence Day! Grill up some zucchini, down a beer or three, and enjoy your day off. Ivars is doing their exploding chemicals thing after sunset, so if you're into that, sedate your dogs/chickens/goldfish and enjoy the 23 minute show over Elliott Bay. Or wherever: check here and here for your options. more ›

Want to get away from the craziness that is Seattle during the Fourth of July? Try the San Juan Islands. This Seattlest will be packing her camping gear and kayak to explore the beautiful (and likely rainy, WTF?) San Juan Islands. more ›