We're now Number 18 on the list of American tourist destinations, the Emerald City, for all its faults, leapfrogging the City of Brotherly Love. That's the word from Global Insight, a Massachusetts outfit that counts visitors. The weak dollar and more convenient international flights (Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, KLM, etc.) make Seattle an increasingly attractive destination for European travelers, not to mention all that good press we've been getting (you know, green mayor,......

Philly rapper Freeway at Chop Suey on Saturday: gruff, powerful, in control. Prodigious beard. His set was a pleasure to behold, with thick, thumping, meaty beats over which his growl sounded just right. Such sparkly bling, too! Our only complaints are that he cut off "It's Over" way too early and there were a couple too many a capellas, but the man can keep filthily perfect time and impresses regardless of the beat behind him.......

Blues legend Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil to get his guitar skills. Kristy Lee Cook--our Northwest hopeful for American Idol--didn't have to sell anything quite so dear to pay for a ticket to the Philly auditions, but parting with a horse she'd trained can't have been fun. (Unless to rural folk like her--she's from Selma, Oregon--training and selling horses is commonplace. We don't know from farm life.) Kristy failed in her......

American Idol Season 7 started last night, in case you've had your head in a hole this week. The first episode recounted the folks and freaks that turned out for auditions in Philadelphia, so we're not surprised that no one from Seattle showed up. There was, however, a glint of hope for our geographical neighborhood in the form of Kristy Lee Cook from Selma, Ore. She's 23. She's a horse girl who camps, fishes and......

Could we be any vaguer? No, but that doesn't mean there's still not any reason to get excited. With In Rainbows making its formal debut atop the Billboard charts, Radiohead is set to cover North America in two tour legs, one prior to and one following their recently announced European summer tour (June 6 in Dublin through July 8 in Berlin). There's no exact dates or venues just yet, but the band has confirmed......

Here are things you don't want cops to find when they search your apartment:Four computers, two printers, a scanner and an industrial machine that makes identity cards...$17,500 in cash, dozens of credit cards and fake driver's licenses, and keys to unlock many of the apartments and mailboxes in [your] upscale apartment building...a book titled "The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims," as well as a newspaper......

This fall we are combining our love of the football and our dream of learning to cook. On Sunday morning, following a trip to a local farmer’s market/major supermarket chain, we will be preparing a meal from the city of the Seahawks opponent. Then at halftime we will throw our badly burned hands in the air and make hot dogs. Seahawks vs. Cheesesteaks Preview We feel bad for the people of Philadelphia. They’ve given us......

This fall we are combining our love of the football and our dream of learning to cook. On Sunday morning, following a trip to a local farmer’s market/major supermarket chain, we will be preparing a meal from the city of the Seahawks opponent. Then at halftime we will throw our badly burned hands in the air and make hot dogs. We spent five months living in Philadelphia, and during that time two-thirds of our meals......

Four years ago, Kyle Kendrick was helping Mt. Vernon High advance in the Northwest 4A district playoffs. Today, having just turned 23 in August, Kendrick is the key to the Phillies' playoff fate--and, by extension, the happiness of the entire, championship-starved city of Philadelphia. He's the Phils' starter in a must-win game two against the Rockies today at noon PST. Kendrick hasn't had as smooth a road to the majors as you might think, according......

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked......

Substitute restaurant reviewer Leslie Kelly has reached the end of her stint at the Post-Intelligencer and Managine Editor David McCumber (among many, many others) is breathing a huge sigh of relief. How'd this kid from Spokane end up in a big-city newsroom, anyway? Hsaio-Ching Chou, who signed off on the deal for Kelly to cover Rebeka Denn's "family leave," ain't around to answer, having gone off to PR-land. But Kelly's six-month tenure leaves a......

Some of the best sports writing anywhere is on FreeDarko, where a group of very smart, very funny people talk hoops in an utterly inimitable way. One of FreeDarko's main contributors, Bethlehem Shoals, has been obliquely referencing a recent move to Seattle, so we thought we'd ask him about it. And about basketball. What brings you to Seattle? Where did you come from? And when did you get here? I followed my girlfriend—I mean, partner—here.......

Via Seahawks Insider: Sep 9 Tampa Bay 1:15pm Sep 16 @Arizona 1:05pm Sep 23 Cincinnati 1:05pm Sep 30 @San Francisco 1:05pm Oct 7 @Pittsburgh 10:00am Oct 14 New Orleans 5:15pm (Sunday night) Oct 21 St. Louis 1:15pm Week 8 BYE Nov 4 @Cleveland 1:05pm Nov 12 San Francisco 5:30pm (Monday night) Nov 18 Chicago 5:15pm (Sunday night) Nov 25 @St. Louis 10:00am Dec 2 @Philadelphia 10:00am Dec 9 Arizona 1:05pm Dec 16 @Carolina 10:00am Dec......

Saturday night's Man Man performance was going along just as we expected after seeing them just a few months ago. The Philadelphia band was tearing through songs in typical uninterrupted style, and the crowd was finally starting to really get into it. We saw a lone crowdsurfer, then we saw said surfer get tossed from the venue. Moments later, the band took a break to call for their friend's return. The ejection we saw wasn't......

It seems like, all across the network, folks were up to no good. Maybe it was all the green beer from last weekend... Gothamist spent the week writing about New Yorkers behaving badly: at the post office, at the Garden, and at the fertility clinic. Calvin Klein may not be misbehaving, but he's just a little dirty, and in a completely different way than some NYC kitchens. SFist had its share of misbehave-rs, too,......

Monday SEATTLEST BOOK CLUB PICK: For March, we're reading Jonathan Raban's Surveillance, set in a not-so-distant future, when everyone's actions are highly monitored. Get a head start on the conversation by hearing from Raban himself. (We'll know if you went or not.) 7pm // UW Bookstore // FREE FANTASTIC FICTION SALON: Connie Willis, an award-winning SF writer, hosts this discussion of sci-fi/fantasy fiction writing. (As a new member of Hugo House's "Writing Fantastic Fiction"......

Wednesday, February 14 >>> Sparklehorse at Showbox. Sparklehorse is touring in support of their first effort in five years, with more of the same delicate, pretty songs that made them indie darlings. Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter open. * sample: Song Streams available on MySpace 8:00 pm // $17 // 21+. >>> Miss Mamie Lavona the Exotic Mulatta at Conor Byrne. The last time we saw Miss Mamie she charmed us in entirely......

Cities in other states. Why, during 24 tonight, did Fox 13 news use their "Coming up" commercial break to tell us they have Breaking News about a bunch of people who got shot in a mall in Salt Lake City? (Granted, we're from there, so we care but we don't understand why this is making the Seattle news.) And why are they reporting on their site about a murder-suicide in Philadelphia? Next thing you know,......

The American Institute of Architects asked 1800 Americans to name their favorite buildings in the US. After further refinement and surveying, the AIA compiled a list of the top 150 and released it on Wednesday. A grand total of two Seattle buildings made the list: at #108, the gorgeous but metroartificial Seattle Public Library; and at #135, Safeco Field. Nowhere to be found: the viaduct, the EMP, Smith Tower, Washington Mutual Tower, Rainier Tower, Qwest......

We sent our passport off to Philadelphia last week for routine renewal, then got unexpected assignment to cover a travel symposium in Italy...next week! No chance of getting new passport in time. Called State Department, expecting endless bureaucracy, got helpful advice on first ring. Used automated system to schedule interview right here in Seattle, got appointment within the hour. Impressive staff at Passport Office. At least one federal agency doing things right, makes leaving home......

Jagshemash! Borat is a hit. It's getting rave reviews, grossing millions, and definitely the most quotable thing we've seen in ages. But Borat seems to have missed most of the -ist cities, and we were all wondering how the film would have been different if he'd made his way around the world on the -ist tour. In Shanghai, Borat would be observing Inane Learnings of Penis Photos for Make Benefit Glorious Flat World of......

Remember last week when it was sunny and crystal clear outside? The skies were blue, and we could make out mountain trails on the Cascades. In the evening when the sun set behind the Olympics and Mt. Rainer was glowing in the pink light, we wondered if there was a more beautiful place to live. Well, that image has been replaced by gray skies and insurance claim agents racing around the region. We are getting......

On Tuesday, the American -ists will be celebrating democracy and hitting the polls, letting politicians know what they really think. It just made us wonder: if it were up to the -ist-a-verse, what would we be voting for? Londonist votes for better skincare, alternative spaces for art, cute little birds and the men who keep them, and concrete. Lots of concrete. Shanghaiist votes for one of the Bee Gees and Air Supply (it's a double-ticket),......

Are we more Lake Forest Parkish or Minneapolisesque? Four-foot rules exist in Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park and Tacoma, according to city reports. Burien requires dancers to be at least 10 feet away from patrons, while Renton prohibits off-stage performances altogether. Cities that don't ban dancers from getting near customers include Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and San Diego, according to another city report. Los Angeles and Portland also lack such rules,......

Rumors abound early this week concerning a most ghastly notion, a dark vision that has kept us sleepless: reportedly, both the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies called Mariners GM Bill Bavasi over the weekend to inquire about a potential trade for Ichiro. Candidates for the swap included Roy Oswalt from Houston and some insulting combination of Bobby Abreu, Cory Lidle, and Arthur Rhodes from Philly. Abreu and Lidle finally landed with the New York Yankees......

A quick rundown on where our beloved Husky basketball types are now. Brandon Roy: Averaged 19.0 ppg for Portland's Vegas Summer League team. That's 8th in the league. Here's video, and a podcast interview with Roy and Jarrett Jack. Want to smile? Here's Roy swatting Jordan Farmar in last year's UCLA-UW game at Hec Ed. Marques Johnson's comment: "Woooooooooo! Get down, young fella!" Bobby Jones: The Philadelphia media is making much of Jones' similarity to......

Sometimes you need to clean yourself up, get serious, and move in with daddy for a few months before you head to Latin America for a new gig. The District bids Jenna Bush adios. D.C.-based television shows have an elderly audience and DCist has some suggestions to fix that. They're also throwing Butterstick the panda bear a birthday bash. Yeah, we may have a few issues with our World Cup broadcasters here, but this guy......

There's a whole wide world out there, and here's the proof: DCist revels in The University of Maryland's basketball triumphs, marvels at Metro's security strategy, and applauds DC local Katie Couric's new gig. Phillyist is all about the Philadelphia Film Festival. OK, not all about -- they still have time for loitering, underage sex, and random wacky news. LAist would have to send a camera around the world to get shots as bizarre as Katie's......

Former Rainier Beach and UW basketball star Nate Robinson scored 34 points last week against Philadelphia. Pretty good, huh? Robinson's coach, the legendary Larry Brown, didn't think so. Brown's not happy that Allen Iverson burned Robinson for 78 points in two games. And he's not happy with what he perceived as showboating by the mighty mite. Here's what Brown told Newsday: "To me, to be [showboating] when a guy who you're guarding is having that......

Red Mill closed early one night last October so the staff could attend the Rolling Stones concert, and they’ll close early again on Super Sunday so the staff can watch the Stones’ halftime show (and the Seahawks). This was called to our attention by Red Mill’s recent Stranger ad (which confidently ran before the Panthers game), an amusingly awesome conflation of the Stones and Seahawks logos... Like Red Mill, we too love the Rolling Stones,......