To Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO Jon Scholes, a vibrant, thriving city depends as much on its nightlife as its daytime business climate. “I think we were at least an 18-hour city before the pandemic knocked us off our game,” says Scholes, noting that DSA’s revitalization strategy has long focused on the city’s quality of life after dark. “Great cities of the world are 24-hour cities, and Seattle’s brand is more global today than it was 10 years ago. We have the ingredients.” As with many other large cities, Seattle’s downtown was struggling with crime and homelessness prior to ..read more

Once upon a time, during the halcyon days of network television, a Saturday night staple for many area residents was a Seattle sketch comedy show that aired on KING-5. Taped in front of a live audience, each episode began with the host delivering his opening monologue. As he walked out onstage, an “On Air” sign would be flashing behind him to indicate that the cameras had officially started rolling. Brad Holden Illustration by Arthur Mount Viewers would then be treated to a series of comedy skits that poked fun at local stereotypes and whatever the news stories of the day happened to be. A ..read more

A kindergarten teacher at Jefferson County’s Brinnon School will help shape the professional development of teachers across the United States. Lisa A. Johnston is among 12 teachers from around the country chosen to participate in the inaugural Teacher Fellows Cohort from children’s publishing, education, and media company Scholastic. The effort will help inform product development, design, professional title research, and various K-12 initiatives for Scholastic’s Education Solutions Division. Johnston says she “did not expect to be chosen.” “I live in a tiny, rural town. We live an hour from a ..read more

Seattle has never wanted to be cool — and that’s precisely what makes it so. When the grunge movement of the ’90s sprung to the forefront of mainstream American culture, Kurt Cobain’s ripped jeans and thrifted cardigans did so in direct opposition to perfectly over-tweezed eyebrows and super-synchronized boy bands. As Clark Humphrey writes in the introduction to the 1999 edition of Loser: The Real Seattle Music Story, “The ‘Seattle Scene’ … was never about clothes or images or rock stars. It always was, and still is, all about the (people) who loved music. At its most ambitious level, it wasn ..read more

Things have gone so well for popular Korean barbecue restaurant Baekjeong Lynnwood since its opening last fall that owner Michael Chon is planning several more in the Seattle area. The Los Angeles-based chain opened its first West Coast location outside Southern California to much fanfare last September. Two-hour wait times were common. While that’s died down, Chon, the owner of Kijung Hospitality Group/Baekjeong Korean Barbecue Restaurants, says a Bellevue location is next, followed by a third in downtown Seattle, and a fourth near Sea-Tac International Airport. “We have been simultaneously e ..read more

Seattle magazine has a strategic partnership with Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty.   On one hand, the greater Seattle area is experiencing a housing crisis because of lopsided supply and demand and a lack of affordable housing. On the other, now is a “once-upon-a-cycle” time to buy. Patient buyers have unprecedented negotiation power as pent-up demand is “already stoking the next gold rush for housing.” That’s according to the 2023 Forecast Report curated by Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty. The 78-page report is a treasure trove of information for buyers, sellers and tho ..read more

Author David Schmader Photo by Orlando Ramirez David Schmader lives in El Paso, Texas, now, but he’s no stranger to Pacific Northwest culture. Schmader is a former staff writer and editor at Seattle alt publication The Stranger, where he wrote the popular column, “Last Days: The Week in Review” for 18 years. He is also a performer, and his solo plays were performed across the United States for almost two decades. His first book, Weed: The User’s Guide, was published in 2016. His latest book, FILMLANDIA! A Movie Lover’s Guide to the Films and Television of Seattle, Portland, and t ..read more

Perhaps everyone has heard the saying that goes something like “to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results is the definition of crazy.” We all smile knowingly, perhaps even smugly. Of course, that’s true. But we shouldn’t be so smug because if that’s the definition of crazy, we are all more than a little bit loony. The fact is that most relationship conflict has a pattern, and it goes something like this: Person A says, “I was furious when you did that.” Person B says, “I did not do that;” or “don’t make such a big deal of it;” or “I’m sorry. It just happened.” Regar ..read more

Name a job in the Seattle Police Department, and Adrian Diaz has probably done it. Major Bruce Harrell officially named Adrian Diaz as chief of police last fall after he had served as interim chief since the summer of 2020, replacing Carmen Best. Diaz had been deputy chief for only a month when he found himself in the top role. He is responsible for 1,200 sworn officers and another 600-plus civilian employees. In his two-plus decades career, he earned acclaim as a patrol officer, a bike cop, an investigator, and an undercover officer working the streets. That experience proved crucial when he ..read more

Tickets are on sale for the Pacific Northwest’s largest 21 and over music and arts Pride Festival. The Queer/Pride Festival, held from June 23-25 in the heart of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, features national and local artists, musicians, drag queens and burlesque dancers. Tier 1 tickets sold out quickly, but single-day tickets are still available. The festival is sponsored by Burgess Hall Nightlife Group, owner of Queer/Bar and The Cuff Complex and co-owners of Elliott Bay Book Co. and Big Little News. Burgess last year bought the iconic Oddfellows building from restaurateur Linda Derschang ..read more