Macy's star at sunset by James Callan from the Seattlest Flickr pool. more ›

It's 100 percent free to be thrilled about the inauguration of our new executive leader. Joy isn't the only freebie today, however. (What? There's more?!) Krispy Kreme will give you one free donut today in honor of the occasion, and a bunch of department stores such as Nordstrom and Macys are giving away free cosmetics and beauty products starting today and continuing until supplies last. Though fitting to the savvy celeb now residing in the White House (we're speaking, naturally, of Michelle Obama), the beauty giveaway is actually in response to a lawsuit accusing the department stores of price fixing on their cosmetics. That kind of two-faced cheating is simply not going to be tolerated under the Obama administration. Get your free stuff before the country runs out of donuts and concealer! more ›

Ever notice the big tree at the North end of Macy’s sitting on that tiny island in the middle of Stewart Avenue? Is it us, or is that thing fading faster than Christine Gregoire's chances of being re-elected? more ›

Back in the early '00s, Seattlest spent some time freelancing at Macy's Northwest's corporate offices, coming up with exciting new ways to talk about 30% off flatware and learning more than we ever cared to about thread count. The corporate offices are downtown on the top floor in the former Bon building. It's a windowless floor -- a cave in the sky -- and, atmosphere-wise, one of the most depressing places we ever worked. more ›

While the city goes about with itself, Seattlest spends countless hours in an ivory tower somewhere between Pike Place Market and the Lusty Lady. We pace the floor with a hunched back, wringing our hands, wrinkling our nose and whispering, "what, what, what... is the meaning of this?" more ›

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! more ›

Seattlest expects another round of the ever-fascinating debate on Seattle identity: Greater Seattle vs. Lesser Seattle, mossback vs. booster, REI vs. Macy's, McQ vs. Singles. Lusty Lady vs. Four Seasons (oh wait -- they struck a balance). Pick your thesis and antithesis. more ›

more ›

We only got into mangos this year. We're not big tropical fruit fans, so when we got one in one of our first SPUD boxes, we pureed it for our daughter. And that was the first time we confronted the nightmare that is dissecting a mango. more ›

About three hours before the quiz started at the Old Pequliar last night, we realized we'd written a really difficult slate of questions. Congrats to the winners, who earned their cash. We'll let you know next time we're hosting -- Charley, the regular quiz guy, should be fully operational again by next week. more ›

John Hodgman, Writer, has offered up fascinating insights into himself for our sister publication, Gothamist. He's created smarty-pants user-generated content for McSweeney's and This American Life. And Mr. Hodgman, Writer, has published a book, The Areas of My Expertise, in which he makes up a bunch of facts. (Like that's not a contradiction in terms. Did you think no one would notice, Mr. Hodgman? Must you lie to us to be funny?) more ›

As previously alluded to, Seattlest is unabashed in our love for television. We tend to gravitate toward the good stuff, but we are by no means too highbrow to watch reality TV. Case(s) in point: the gloriously addictive trainwrecks known as Surreal Life 5 and Being Bobby Brown. For us, the viewing of such apocalypse-heralding fare is merely a spectator sport; that is to say, we've got no aspirations to be the castmember who actively works to alienate everyone in the house. While Seattlest is certainly not sociopathic enough to vie for a spot on a reality show, we cannot assume the same is true of our readership. For that reason, we feel the need to announce that America's Next Top Model will be holding auditions in Seattle next week. more ›

Well, it's certainly no Brew and View, but The Big Picture, Seattle's upscale movie theater-cum-bar suits us just fine. The self-described "boutique meeting and event facility" is located on 1st Ave. in Belltown, but last Friday, they opened an additional venue. This one's on the Eastside in Redmond Town Center (on the second level, across from Macy's). So after a long hard day working at Microsoft, or after a long hard day protesting Microsoft, you can head over there for a film and a drink in some of the comfiest theater seats in town. more ›

-Seattlest introduces you to the fantastic imagery available at Flickr.com via the Space Needle. more ›

It gives us the willies to post on this topic at all, but the rise of web-based wedding registries allows for a new sort of voyeurism in addition to simple one-stop shopping. more ›

Lunching downtown can be a grim, wallet-emptying experience. Seattlest would like to save you from all that. more ›

The Bon isn't going out of business, just changing its name. Get used to calling it Macy's. Seattlest is hoping that the name change will be just enough to upset the cadence and rhyme scheme of the incessant jingles used over the last 25 years to advertise the latest "One Day Sale" at The Bon (Marche). You know the tune, "Day-O. One day sa-a-a-ole. Saturday only at the Bon Marche!" more ›