Earlier this year, the City of Seattle warned parking scofflaws: if you've got unpaid parking tickets downtown, you're not going anywhere. And apparently, the citizens listened, because the City has raked in over a million dollars, according to yesterday's report in front of a City committee yesterday.
City of Seattle's Boot Law Kicks Back Much-Needed Revenue
Extra, Extra: In Which a Parking Garage Gets a Bail-Out
As the war on cars wages on, the City agrees to give a parking garage just blocks from the Downtown transit hub $4 million just to stay open, which makes perfect sense, right?
SDOT Dares to Ask: What Do You Think About Parking in Seattle?
Here's a tip: one of the quickest way to incite an angry diatribe from nearly any motorist in Seattle is to ask them about parking around here.
You, Too, Can Be Forgiven...For Your Unpaid Parking Tickets
Are you that guy with a glove compartment full of parking tickets? Don't worry, we forgive you. And the City might, too.
Finally!: Now You Can Pre-Pay for Morning Parking
Mayor McGinn comes through on some pretty cool night-life improvements. Get ready to park it, drunks.
No Take-Backs!: Downtown Parking Still Increasing to $4 an Hour, Other Neighborhoods Spared
As posted yesterday, the Seattle Department Transportation has revised their proposed parking hikes -- and while some neighborhoods are spared any increases, and most neighborhood parking prices are actually decreasing, the downtown commercial core and First Hill are remaining at $4 an hour. Spared from the hike is struggling Pioneer Square, hurt by the economy and a bad reputation, whose revised rate went down from $4 to $3.50.
Take-Backs!: Downtown Parking May Not Actually Increase to $4 an Hour
One of the most contentious decisions of last year was Mayor Mike McGinn's proposal to increase parking in downtown areas to a whopping $4 an hour, with a 50-cent increase in certain other areas.
Countdown to 2011: Sarah's Top 10 Transportation Stories of 2010
Seattlest will be counting down to 2011 with a series of posts on our highlights of this year and what we're looking forward to in the next. Got a list to suggest? Send it our way. See the entire series here.
Hot Town, Scooter in the City
It's said Seattle is one of the scooter-friendliest cities in the U.S. Scooter breeding grounds demand a mix of ecological concern, frustratingly limited parking, and dare-to-be-different hipster mentality--all of which our city has in abundance. A quick look down any urban street, and your view is speckled with Vespas, Hondas, and motorbikes galore. You probably notice them a lot as pedestrian or a four-wheel driver. You'll notice them way more if you join the club.
Fair and Balanced: Kudos to the City
We've been hammering rather bluntly at city services, so we thought to relate recent instances where they've gotten it right, for fairness' sake. Add yours in the comments, should you feel so inspired.
Handicap Placards "Free Ticket" for Downtown Parking
KIRO 7 says many people parking downtown are cheating by using handicap placards that do not legally belong to them. Those with placards have the ability to park for as long as they like in pay spots on the street, and since it's illegal to tow handicap vehicles in the state of Washington, have little to worry about.
Neighborhood News and Local Blog Roundup
The lanes, they are a-changing. Magnolia Voice has a heads-up on upcoming changes to 15th Avenue West. And next week you may want to hoof it to the Center of the Universe since Fremont will lose some of of its free parking. Over in West Seattle, they're pondering parking in the Junction, and West Seattle Blog invites you to tell the parking planners where to put it. The pay spaces, that is. If you're scared to drive anywhere and you live in Ballard, at least you won't starve: Amazon Fresh is beginning delivery to the 98107 and 98117 zips.
Park(ing) Uncomfortably Close to Traffic
Is it really Talk Like a Pirate Day AND Park(ing) Day today? Don't tell us it's also a Friday, lest we swoon.
Feed the Meter: Tomorrow is National Park(ing) Day
Seattle's known already for its pocket-sized parks tucked away on unlikely vistas, but local volunteers in conjunction with the Trust for Public Land have coordinated an event called Park(ing) Day to bring more awareness to the need for community green space. And that's a good thing. Tomorrow, eight close to thirty metered parking spots around the city (click here for locations) will transform into public park land for the day. A few of the sites are offering free yoga, dance, and tea; two of the mini-parks are across from Vivace espresso locations, so you can fuel up while chatting with your neighbors. According to local organizer Isaac Cohen, most mini-parks will open around 9 a.m. and close by 4 p.m.
Scooter-Moving Fine?
Is there some widespread problem about town of which we're unaware, where motorists are indiscriminately moving scooters out of the way to park their cars? Maybe because we don't own a scooter, but we haven't heard about a city-wide uproar about this. Nonetheless, a fine is being discussed to put an end to this travesty.
Corteo by Cirque Du Soleil is a Must See
Corteo is one of the most dynamic and creative artistic exploits of body movement that you can see in the United States. You can still buy tickets here and performances continue until May 4 at Marymoor Park in Redmond.
Lower Queen Anne Is Dead To Us
Lower Queen Anne is dead to us. And we like Lower Queen Anne, we do: Many's the night we've whiled away down at Solo chatting up Kultur Shock's Val behind the bar, or closing out the Great Nabob with co-workers. But last night, it became clear that they no longer want us to visit. Because for reasons we don't quite understand, there is no longer any parking in Lower Queen Anne.
Hotel Replacing Greyhound Station
According to an email we just received and the permit application it linked to, Seattle's Greyhound Bus Station is ambling slowly and uncomfortably towards the end.
Home For the Holidays: Small Towns Are Full of Surprises
This Seattlest took one look at the weather forecast and headed to sunny Florida yesterday. Now here we are in our hometown of DeLand, population 24,375 (per 2006 census). Our mother doesn't have wireless at the house, and is operating off a 1997 iMac. It's cute and compact, but slow as hell, so we headed out this morning for the one source of public wifi in town: Boston Gourmet Coffeehouse.
Did Mitt Romney Murder a Couple in Graham?
No. But that doesn't make this factoid from a political campaign article in today's any less disturbing:
U-Cut, U-Haul, U-Think Twice Before Doing This Again
This weekend Mr. and Mrs. Seattlest drove out to North Bend to cut a Christmas tree down and haul it back to Seattle. No, we didn't hike up Si with an ax and harvest a sapling, although that does sound fun. There's a tree farm out there by the name of Crown Tree Farm. It was our first time getting a tree from anywhere other than those road-side dealies or the enclosures that pop up in big parking lots this time of year, or so we thought until we got on the phone with Dad in Illinois afterwards. "You don't remember when you and I and your brother went to cut down a Christmas tree?" he said. "So much for making childhood memories." We thought this was a Pacific Northwest thing, but apparently you can cut down your own Christmas tree even in the Midwest.
Respecting Beaujolais Nouveau
Beaujolais, perhaps the world's most popular wine, goes through life as a comic's punchline; its brash and awkward youthful incarnation--Beaujolais Nouveau--gets no respect. Fun to be around, but nothing all that serious. (Eddie Murphy isn't Nelson Mandela, Wanda Sykes isn't Condi Rice, etc.) Sure, Beaujolais Nouveau provides the excuse for a great party every November--Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! It's Beaujolais Nouveau time!--but over the years, the folks who enjoy the ritual of raising a glass to the new vintage, would prefer a higher quality of wine with their three-figure din-din.
Columbia City Farmers Market Moving...
"After two years, it's definitely moving," writes invaluable neighborhood blogger Captain Columbia City. He talked to the market's coordinator, Karen, on Wednesday, the last day the Columbia City Farmers Market will be open this year.
Of course, Columbia City Plaza was sold to a development firm on the east coast recently, and so when the Plaza owners lease expires early next year, they'll sign a new one with the new owners. The new owners are planning on putting in a mixed use retail & condo development, but they realize that the planning & permitting process will take years, so they've very kindly offered the current space rent free for the next two years while the permitting process takes place.more ›
No Flexcar For Tourists
Outfit called Not For Tourists has just published a guide to Seattle. It's a handsome book, looks just like Moleskine journal, complete with oilcloth cover, fat elastic closure, gorgeous paper. The Seattle version is tenth in a series, cobbled together by a design staff in faraway Noo Yawk with input by a locally based "city editor" named Fred Beldin, who contributes occasional music reviews to The Stranger.
Messquerade ’07
Seattle's infamous Bicycle Hobo(TM) tipped us off to this cool Halloween scavenger hunt thing going on this weekend that we hadn't heard of previously, evidently called the Mess-Man's Messquerade. Here's the run down from the site:
Office Nomads Settle Down On Capitol Hill
The new Office Nomads offices are located in the old Heath Printers building on Boylston, the block west of the SCCC parking garage on Pine -- they have the 5,000+ square feet upstairs to work with. The idea is for rootless freelancers, contract workers, and small biz owners to have a happy office environment with all the accoutrements: desk, T1 network, printer/faxer/copier, a Bunn coffeemaker, and the company of others. (It's bring-your-own-laptop.) There's going to be a full kitchen, and there's also a shower for sweaty bicyclists or gym-goers. "Anybody who's not invited to apply?" we asked. "Well, it's an open space, so counselors and massage therapists wouldn't find it too useful," said Jacob.
Go Drink Beer This Weekend
#1 on our list of events for the weekend is the Elysian Pumpkin Beer Festival this Saturday up at the Capitol Hill location. There will be 13 different pumpkin beers on tap, including the GABF silver-medal-winning The Great Pumpkin Ale. Festivities begin at noon with the tapping of the Great Pumpkin at 4pm; a huge pumpkin in which a batch of Night Owl carried out its secondary fermentation. Yum.

