The best part about The Big Picture was not eating popcorn from a Veuve Clicquot bucket, or the bar. The best part was listening to the two older couples behind us, who couldn't have been happier with having wine in their seats: "I can't wait to tell everyone that I saw a movie at El Gaucho and drank wine!" The only real negative: the sound system isn't as good as the rest of the......

No, this isn't George Orwell's sad tale. Seattlest is a professional on a closed course. Do not attempt. Afternoon starts at 0/8 in Bellevue with lavish spread and tasting of the entire Moët Hennessy portfolio. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label always gets you off on the right foot. Follow up with Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial Rosé. Outside, three bars sculpted from ice blocks. Sample a three-olive, Chopin vodka martini. Sample the Belevedere & Grand Marnier......

How bad is it? So bad that anybody, anybody, can open a storefront on First or Second; within an hour it will be filled with dozens of under-30 bodies. Cute, pulsating, throbbing 20-somethings. They come in all shades; the females invariably petite, wide-eyed, smartly dressed, the males chunkier, slovenly, indifferent. They sip brightly colored cocktails and pick at whatever the kitchen has delivered. (It could be grilled garbage, for they seem to care.) No pleasure,......