visited Seattle and King County. Between January and July 2023, 38.1 million trips were made to Washington. What kind of people are visiting the Evergreen State and its cities? Who feels that they can do so safely ..read more

I’ve recently gone on about puppy love on an ocean trip from SF to Taipei when I was eight, followed by some feelings I had about other military dependents I found there engaged in a go-cart cult. The news lately about the April 6 Taiwan earthquake and the April 8 eclipse here sparked some more Taiwan memories ..read more

In April 2021, Washington passed legislation reforming eviction laws and guaranteeing a “right to counsel” (RTC) for low-income tenants. These changes are, of course, controversial in the minds of landlords and property managers, much like the promise of public defenders probably was for prosecutors. For some “lords of the land,” the state committing to providing legal counsel for the poor is an extreme, unbearable injustice ..read more

At birth, I was named after my father, a man whose presence would be so faint in my life, it would only exist as a far-off memory. My mother and grandmother called me J.R., influenced by one of the main antagonists in the show “Dallas ..read more

In response to what they called a “hate rally,” queer and trans activists and supporters gathered at the Olympia state capitol, April 6, to celebrate gender nonconformity. Anti-trans legislation has popped up across the country in recent years, with 544 bills introduced so far in 2024, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker ..read more

The ordinance makes it a misdemeanor to camp in most areas of the city at all hours of the day. The “prohibited” zones are designated at the discretion of Adolfo Bailon, Burien’s city manager, who is responsible for day-to-day administration ..read more

While millions of African Americans were moving up North or to the Midwest to escape the South during the Jim Crow era, a small group of Black artists were more interested in starting afresh outside the U.S. — specifically, in Scandinavia. These Black musicians, painters, dancers and singers who moved to the other side of the world for a second chance are the focus of the National Nordic Museum’s latest exhibit, “Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century ..read more

I never thought the day would come when I would be thrilled about Chuck Schumer. But this week, he led the Senate to a vote declaring the Mayorkas impeachment articles unconstitutional, ending the impeachment trial before it could begin ..read more

Astrology is a thousands-year-old study practiced all around the world, connecting the movement of planets and stars in the universe to their effects on Earth. In Chinese astrology, the zodiac sign attributed to each year shares the flavor, lessons and opportunities of the year. This awareness can help us focus our expectations and actions so we can live in greater harmony ..read more

Let’s face it: If you’ve ever lived in Seattle, you’ve noticed it’s expensive here. Like really damn expensive ..read more