Seattle Represent!

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has officially declared today as “Seattle Sounders FC Day” to commemorate the Sounders’ first playoff game! Catch the game tonight at 7pm on ESPN2. More info from the Sounders FC Blog.

The first thing that people probably assume about an experience involving the examination of, and close proximity to, preserved bodies is most likely that it is for ghoul loving Goths and assorted weirdos.  I happen to have a rather morbid curiosity and don’t find myself squeamish around blood and guts (except smells, I can’t do smells, taking out the trash makes me want to vomit.  But I digress…..).  So when I was offered the chance to attend the pre-opening media event for the Bodies exhibit currently in town, I was actually very excited. Continue Reading…

After Saturday’s exciting 3-2 win, the Sounders clenched a berth in the MLS Playoffs, the first expansion team to do so since the 1998 Chicago Fire. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday at 10am PT via TicketMaster.com.

The Sounders will be part of the conference semifinals, a two game series that is decided upon by the final goal tally of each team. Here’s an explanation from the  Sounders official site: Sounders FC will play at Qwest Field either October 29 or November 5. This semifinal would be a “home and home” series with the winner advancing on the aggregate goal total. A “home and home” is a two match series in which each team hosts a match. The team with the most total goals scored advances. The opponent is still undecided and will remain so until after the last games of the regular season which take place this next weekend.

Season ticket holders (myself included) have already had their chance to claim their seats for playoff games. Prices for each ticket are very similar to the prices of regular season tickets with a slight increase on each seat. The Sounders will most likely open up the top sections of the XBOX Pitch at Qwest Field, like they did with the Barcelona and Chelsea FC games, to allow more tickets to non season ticket holders.

“All we care about is brewing a malt liquor that will really mess you up!” Almost live hits it right on the nose with this classic sketch.

FishTacoBlog.com is a new website with plans to review the best fish tacos in the nation. The starting cities will be New York and Seattle with plans to expand to other cities across the nation. Each restaurant (or hole-in-the-wall) is reviewed with appropriate meta information and pictures of the fish taco goods. Eat away!

Remember Seattle in 1993? You may not, if you’re in the target age range of this site, but nevertheless is was pretty amazing. Grunge was at its peak, Amazon.com would start in Jeff Bezos’ garage in a year, and Almost Live was an funny as ever with the recurring lame list skit featuring members of Seattle’s heavy metal community. Look for Kim Thayil of Soundgarden in this clip.

From Bainbridge Island’s decades’ old annual Paint Night to countless pictures chalked on sidewalks during local festivals, the Seattle area is no stranger to so-called guerrilla-art. In January 2001, for example, someone even placed a 350-pound steel slab nicknamed the “monolith” in Seattle’s Magnuson Park only for it to be stolen and relocated to Duck Island in the middle of Green Lake.

Seattle’s most recent guerrilla-art is a papier-mâché collection left at Gas Works Park. Unofficially dubbed “The Spirit of Awakening” for words inscribed on upon it, the Seattle Parks Department has announced it will allow the art pieces to remain until Labor Day unless proper permits are obtained.

According to The Seattle Times, a plaque attached to the sculpture reads “Anew is gifted to the citizens of Seattle in the spirit of awakening. Each of us has shells to break through, parameters to look past and wills to exercise. Arise and stand and then start moving.”

Originally displayed at the Critical Massive annual arts event in July, the Awakening’s artist wishes to remain anonymous according to the event’s organization Ignition Northwest.

Photo Credit - Mónica Guzmán at seattlepi.com

Remember back when Bill Nye was an Almost Live cast member, before he made millions and was nationally known? Here’s a funny sketch starring the Science Guy on Almost Live.

You can help name one of two twin baby snow leopards born to Woodland Park Zoo on Memorial Day. Voting is open through Zoo.org or at thezoo in person. Vote now, as voting is open open till Aug 12th!

Tickets went on sale at 10am today for the Seahawks 2009 season. Tickets are still available (at the time of writing this article) for all dates except the home opener. Seats are priced $49 and up. Tickets will likely sell out before the season starts, so visit Ticketmaster soon to purchase yours.

Starbucks is planning on making some of its Seattle stores more like your neighborhood coffee shop. Several Seattle locations, including the 15th Ave East store on Capitol Hill, will be remodeled, sell beer, and have live music. The locations will also be renamed to reflect the neighborhood and may not have any indicator that the location is in fact a Starbucks. While having a beer and catching some music at Starbucks is something that I would enjoy, does Starbucks really need to pretend it’s not a Starbucks? The full story from the Seattle Times.