The Georgetown Garden Tour this year was exciting and another success. Hundreds of people came out and enjoyed the walk, plants, and activities. Even though the garden tour is officially over some specials are still available including lots of hen and chicks plants. Arrangements can be made to ship out of state or local pickup is available. Read and learn more about hen and chicks here.
Powered by Comcast, The Bite Of Seattle runs today (15th) to Sunday (17th). Each year approximately 450,000 people show up for the weekend event. The Bite of Seattle has free admission which is great for the family. Some food vendors have very small portions you can pay just a little to try out, however, the majority of it is full cost. Inside The Bite of Seattle there are about 60 or so restaurants. They also have live entertainment like music, cooking lessons/demos, and wine tasting. If you’re concerned about the alcohol, they do have a family friendly area. This is probably the largest food festival each year in Seattle. What is also great is that you’ll see many of the local food talents cooking. Chefs just getting starting in the culinary business.
If the weather holds up it could be a great time to experience The Bite Of Seattle 2011 at the Seattle Center this weekend only.
The Bite Of Seattle opens at 11AM everyday starting today (Friday).
Having been in both Pioneer Square and the heart of Belltown at 2AM, I have experienced the Seattle nightlife scene first hand. The alcohol flows almost to the point of club closure and then the security steps in and yells “Everyone get the hell out!”. Just like cattle the patrons are pushed out the door. In some clubs in Seattle, that is saying it nicely. As the Seattle nightlife drowns their sorrows (and the just acquired $8 drink or two) they stumble to the streets by the hundreds. The sidewalks are filled with the sober, drunks, wannabe gang bangers, and pan handlers dodging the next vomit location. Just outside of some clubs you can’t even walk on the sidewalk because of the crowds. Getting a taxi is almost impossible and lines are formed on every corner with the nightlife folk waiting to pay for their delicious $5 dollar hot dog (they really are good). A lot of the crowd just hangs around smoking and/or hoping to meet a new “friend” to go home with. Unfortunately, there is nowhere to go after hours so many just jump in their cars and drive home drunk.
I have personally talked about extended Seattle nightlife hours for a good year or more now. It’s an obvious fix that needs to happen. We simply can’t have hundreds of people forced out of the Seattle clubs with nowhere to go but home (driving drunk). The city probably does pretty well since the average DUI will cost you about $10,000. I must say the police presence is pretty good due to several incidents this year.
With the support of the Seattle Police Department and Mayor Mike McGinn, the proposal of extending the Seattle nightlife club hours is in the works. Right now Seattle clubs must close between the hours of 2AM and 6AM (that is not exactly true – I know one nightclub in Belltown that is open until 5AM). This proposal may allow bars to remain open longer or 24hrs. My understanding is that the proposal is also supported by Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes and some of the Seattle City Council Members already. The State Liquor Control Board will most likely take their time with a decision and use their power of authority to hang it over the heads of many business owners. New rules will be created by the Liquor Board only to complicate the matter even more. It should be a no brainer decision, however.
Let me make it simple. The proposal should be that the alcohol stops at 2AM (as it does now) but the clubs may remain open for as long as they like. They may continue to play the music, serve non alcoholic drinks, and food. This will allow the patrons to stay in the club (spending money and generating more tax revenue) and give them a natural way to sober up. It also stops the flood of people getting pushed onto the streets all at once. There you have it, write it up, problem solved. You’re welcome.
Yet sooner or later everything changes, nothing ever stays the same. Once in a great while a change is a good one but the change the Seattle Times Newspaper made is really ticking a lot of people (mostly seniors) off. For almost a month during June it was on TV and in the paper that the TV section would be changing. It would be so easy to find our favorite programs or something similar. I admit I did not pay a lot of attention to what they said but they said to watch for the big change that would occur in July. The change was they DO NOT HAVE A TV SECTION ANYMORE. I searched and searched and finally got ticked off and a mailed. They were very courteous and answered my a mail explaining that very few people used the TV section and they would help me get a reduced price to subscribe to TV weekly. I tried to Google TV weekly to find the price but they want to send you a free copy so you can decide to subscribe. The Seattle Times raised its subscription rates too. I know there are fancy phones, fancy remotes, all kinds of gadgets that if one knew how they could find out what time a program was coming on. But for me, that’s a different story. My routine was to spread out the TV section. for example I would see on the page what time Dancing with the Stars would be on. Sometimes 8, sometimes 2 hours, sometimes 1 or 3 hours. I could compare what shows would be on the same time and decide. I don’t even know what shows are on and have no way to compare anything. Go ahead and say that’s the price a person pays for getting old and set in their ways BUT everyone I know that are royally ticked are just cancelling their subscription to the paper. I am still dickering with them, because they offered to send me a free subscription for awhile to see if I like TV weekly. If you call the number they give it is automatic answering saying they realize you are upset etc etc, but you cant talk to a human, so they did not put that recording on just for me.
After thinking it over I think they wanted people to stop taking the paper, and that was sure one way to do it. They want you to subscribe on line. They don’t want to print a paper at all. Why would you need to subscribe to it even on line? You can get the news on TV, you can get the news on the internet. You can print out your free coupons on line. It just boggles my mind. I looked forward to putting on my old bath robe, shuffling to the porch to get the paper. Then I either take it back to bed with me or on my deck with my cup of coffee. What will I use in the bottom of my bird cage? What will I use to start my fire with on a cold winter morning?
“The Seattle Times”, pretty well put themselves in the position they put the PI in and it went belly up. The changing of the times this time was not an improvement at all.
Their (Seattle Times) official response to me personally about the removal of Seattle TV Times Magazine is below:
Thank you for taking the time to contact us and let us know about your concerns for this recent change in the TV listings publication.
There were two primary reasons for this change.
With the increasing use by consumers of cable directories, relatively very few people continue to use a printed guide, so in essence we have been spending resources to provide to all readers a product that is not utilized by the majority of our subscribers. It makes more sense, given limited resources, for us to focus resources on content that is much more widely read by our audiences.
Secondly, our TV Times magazine was limited, but due to the relatively small audience for this product, we were unable to provide enhanced content in this product for those who value it. Our partner, TV Weekly is an experienced organization with a track record of providing an excellent product for over 25 years. While this will be a paid subscription, it will be available at a significant discount to our Seattle Times subscribers. In addition, our plan is to work with TV Weekly and provide value added coupons that will save you more than the weekly subscription cost.
As with all change, the new format and style of TV weekly is different than what you are accustomed to, however given a try it might become friendlier and easier to navigate. If you will decide to reconsider your subscription, I can offer you a courtesy subscription to TV weekly, should you like to try it for the next 26 weeks at no cost to you. It would give you additional time to explore and use the TV weekly, to see if it’s something you might like to subscribe to in the future.
Please let me know if you’d like to take me up on this offer, so I can process your request; or get back to me to process a STOP.
Sincerely,
Customer Service Specialist
The Seattle Times
LLL
The weather this spring has been the worst gardening weather possible, but no one told the weeds not to grow. I have attended the garden tour since its beginning but it is changing every year. Used to be hundreds of gardens open but this year it will be new businesses showing what they do, arts exhibits and I believe 19 gardens. One garden down the street from the Hat and Boots park always has the neatest little plants for sale. She plants them in cut off water bottles and everywhere you walk you will see people with a box of little plants. Its really interesting to see the new ones she has each year. Hope she is listed on the map this year but you will get lots of new ideas of what you might do in your yard by looking at other peoples yards. Georgetown has gotten a bad rap over the last few years and has really changed but you cant go wrong by looking at the mistakes others make.
Related Posts:
Big Assortment Of Hen and Chicks Plants Here….
There are two words that cause us more grief and waste more of our time than any others. They are “IF ONLY”. We waste more time trying to change the “if only’s” we wish had done that we cannot move forward. First of all you can not change a thing that has already happened, no matter how many prayers you say, how many obscene words you say, or how much wishing you do. Once you say or do something you wish you had said or done a different way its to late. Below is an example I took from an old book I picked up to read. I am not pushing books to sell and doubt you could ever find this one, it is an old “dog eared” book I got from some yard sale or junk store. The name of it is, A Touch of Wonder, by Arthur Gordon. He describes it as a book to help people stay in love with life. Its just full of quotes and things that give you goose bumps, but here is the prime example .
A writer could not get his articles published. They just came back REJECT. He would say. IF ONLY that article had been sent in sooner, IF ONLY I had sent it to a different paper, IF ONLY had been longer or shorter and on and on. He finally was just hung up on his IF ONLY articles. He could not write a thing. He thought of committing suicide, but thought of his wife and children so he went to an old doctor friend after hours and just poured out his grief. The doctor listened and went and got three files of people who had came in feeling just like this man. The Doctor had him read the three files where these people were absolutely to the end of their rope and ready to end it. When he finished reading the doctor asked him what was the common thread(all the patients were completely different). The man did not know until the doctor pointed out that everyone was full of IF ONLY they had or had not done this or that. Once you get stuck there you cannot move forward, you are in the same position as being hung up on a speed bump in a parking lot. You cannot back up or move ahead. The doctor told him to never use those words again and it would all start to look different to him. He and the doctor left the office and the mans bus just went by. He missed it. His face got red, he got agitated and started to say IF ONLY WE HAD LEFT SOONER, but stopped and started to laugh and said. NEXT TIME I will either leave earlier or have a bus schedule and a huge weight was lifted from him and he had the courage to go home and really write articles. We are not failures when something we do is rejected or refused. It is just time to do it different.
Ever since I read that book I have looked at everything completely different, and I hope you do to. I felt it was worth sharing with independent readers for sure. /ll
Years ago there was a cute old song that anyone under 50 years of age probably never heard of but the first two lines go something like this. “First you say you will, and then you wont”. “Then you say you do, but then you don’t” You’re undecided now, so what am I gonna do.? Those may not be the exact words but close enough. Now for why I thought of it when Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-NY, stood all teary eyed and said he had lied when he said his Twitter account was hacked. He admitted he has been sending lewd pictures of himself for a long time. This was not even a one time lapse of judgment. This is just disgusting and he is a newlywed. Obviously he is a borderline sex offender or has some bizarre warped brainwave.
John Edward’s, did even worse but still says he broke no laws. He would not plead guilty to using campaign funds for his mistress and his baby. While his wife and little kids were home he was out in fancy hotels in various countries taking care of his sex meetings with his lover. He is saying now he had no idea where the money came from and he was not using it to promote his “good family man image”, he was using it to protect his wife from getting hurt when she was dying with cancer at home. Don’t you think he had to wonder how this lover and baby of his were able to afford all of the perks they had? If he didn’t then he is dumber than I give him credit for. He says if he goes to jail(and no one deserves it more)” it would be a disaster for his family”. HE ALREADY HAS BEEN THE DISASTER for his family. He and Elizabeth have a grown daughter that can take care of the younger kids.
Elliot Spitzer, had to stand up there with his wife beside him like a prop at a school play and admit he is a sexual deviant, a liar and a cheat.
Bill Clinton, finally after squirming with every excuse in the book finally had to fess up to his family and admit on TV he a complete liar, cheat, and a sexual sicko.
Even Arnold Schwarzenegger toppled off his throne as a family man, after his wife helped him all thru his ambitions to be the Governor of California. The list goes on and on.
This brings me to the question that is asked so many times. Do you think a man who will lie to his wife will lie to you? I always have thought absolutely they would. But if you ask it that way people can pooh pooh it away by saying well lots of people cheat and are sorry or don’t get caught and they are good otherwise. Well I don’t know what the otherwise means to them. So instead of asking that question when someone runs to be elected lets make a list of qualifications.
Because to cheat on his wife he has to be the following:
A sexual sicko
Acts bizarre
Acts disgusting
Is a liar, and a cheat
Stupid
Reckless
Arrogant
Lack of self discipline
If you were given that list would you vote for the man? But of course they are such good liars that even “us smart” voters actually believe them when their wife will trot out beside them and stand by them and lie for them to help get them elected. But for sure be prepared to be surprised when they dig into their backgrounds and get them boxed in a corner, then they are sorry. But they are only sorry they got caught. Read John Grisham’s book “The Broker”, to see how votes are bought and sold and lies told. It should almost be a required read in school.
So the theme song “I’m Undecided Now” sure fits. Should they fess up to their lies or stay undecided as to what to do until they are totally boxed in a corner.
Did you know that Georgetown has what they call a Garden Walk the second Sunday in July. This year it will be July 10th. If you don’t know a lot about Georgetown you might think it’s a real dump. But come see for yourself. People get a map at the Hat and Boots Park on Corson. Do you remember the old Texaco Gas Station on the corner of Corson and East Marginal Way? That icon has been moved and placed in a lot and made into a park. Some years they have a barbecue there, sometimes music, but always you can go up and down the streets and there will be a sandwich board with a number (number is on your map) and you can go thru their yard. You would be amazed at what people have done with plants. It’s all free! The homeowners will answer your questions and you will have exercise for sure. Try it, you might like it.
Some people will have plants for sale too.
Seattle’s Rick Strip Club will soon be on the auction block by the Justice Department. By doing so it will give it the opportunity to jiggle again. As you know, the Seattle strip club was seized in a racketeering allegation (prostitution) which shut down all the clubs owned by Frank Colacurcio Sr., Frank Jr. (his son); and their associates. After years of investigating and thousands and thousands of dollars (16K of tax money ) spent by a detective buying lap dances at the club they all were indicted and charged. No arrests were made during the lap dances they were buying. This activity lasted for years by the Seattle police department to build their case. Once the four clubs were seized the owners above forfeited 1.3 million dollars and all the clubs to the Justice Department in an attempt to lessen the charges and basically make it go away, however, that didn’t work out so well. Since prostitution as involved, they charged them with racketeering, money laundering, mail fraud, conspiracy etc. Basically, anything they could charge them with when someone accepts payment via a credit card at the strip club. It’s a common method of payment at any strip club and continues to be a major form of payment at the local Deja Vu’s in the area. The Government also wants 25 million from the strip club partners.
The government was “finally confident they would convict these guys” now they said. After months and months in court, however, nothing really happened or was resolved except the millions of dollars in the “investigation” and attorney fees that were wasted. All the associates/partners settled for probation and walked out the door. Frank Jr gave up his interest in the strip club and pleaded for a one year term (he’ll serve a few months). Frank Sr. died before trial before a conviction could be completed (he was 93 years old). Due to his age, some have argue how much participation he really provided to the business. Due to the nanny behaviorship of Washington State, many of the associates have already moved to California and started over again.
Tonight, May 19th, is the Taste Of West Seattle. If you haven’t got out today and enjoyed the sun then this a great opportunity for you and your family. The Taste Of West Seattle runs from 6-9pm and you can get tickets online or when you get there. The event continues to grow every year and this is going to be another big one. It features dozens of food vendors and plenty of entertainment. All proce