This time of year we have our own variety of kiwi available at the farmers market. Hardy kiwis, the size of a table grape, are grown in Port Townsend and available for only one month of the year from Green Water Farm. more ›

BOMBS BURSTING, ETC: Happy Independence Day! Grill up some zucchini, down a beer or three, and enjoy your day off. Ivars is doing their exploding chemicals thing after sunset, so if you're into that, sedate your dogs/chickens/goldfish and enjoy the 23 minute show over Elliott Bay. Or wherever: check here and here for your options. more ›

Port Townsend pop/rock trio New Faces have had a pretty damn good year, and with an upcoming West Coast tour and release of their debut full-length album, it's only going to get better. more ›

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The other week we enthused about the new passenger-only ferry to Port Townsend, read the post about the beer in Port Townsend, and put two and two together. The ferry is temporary, until January 6 last we heard, though you can sign a petition to keep the Seattle-to-Port Townsend run around. Here are the departure times. more ›

While there is plenty of good beer in Seattle to keep us busy, it is always nice to head out of town to visit some of the brewpubs spread around the Pacific Northwest. We try and do a trip as often as we can, which usually turns out to be one trip every three months or so. more ›

WSF is still dead to us, but Governor Gregoire could make our "holiday card" list if she keeps it up. First the viaduct course correction, now she's scrounged up $100 million to pay for three new ferries. Budget, schmudget! She's all action! Plus, the Port Townsenders, come January, will be reunited with their cars on ferry trips, says the P-I:

Pierce County has agreed to loan one of its boats to the Washington State Ferries, beginning in January, to resume car service between Keystone and Port Townsend.

When have you gotten your money back on a ferry purchase? After 20 years? 40? 60? How about 80? Washington State Ferries still had plans to fix at least three 80-year-old ferries before the magnitude of their decay was uncovered. Now, because WSF never imagined the day would come when the ferries would have to be replaced, it'll be a year or more before new ferries can be built and car-ferry service returned. Our favorite... more ›

It's a weekend full of "fests" this time around. A veritable festival of...fests. Including EndFest with the Smashing Pumpkins in a parking lot somewhere, Oktoberfest in Fremont with lots of tasty local bands and Decibel all over the place. Here's a video for Decibel participant Kill Memory Crash: more ›

Seattlest finally got around to reading Simon Winchester's The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary. It's been on our "to read" list for, oh, about eight years now. more ›

Reader, hesitate no further! At the close of last season, we penned a write up of western Washington's drive-ins, threatening to remind you again when the season re-opened. That time is now. This month, drive-in theaters opened. more ›

--Where did Rem Koolhass go after building our "leave-a-trail-of-breadcrumbs-or-you'll-never-get-out-alive" library. more ›

>>>Benaroya Hall, 7:30pm. Seattle Arts and Lectures brings prolific big shot and errant van survivor Stephen King by. Maybe you’ve heard of him? For the Constant Reader, it’s an event not to be missed. He'll talk about Lisey’s Story, his latest novel. Tickets $25 and $35. But, like many things in King’s Dark Tower world, they’ve already moved on. more ›

DIY isn't just for musicians and craftistas anymore. If the words "artisan cheese" kick your salivary glands into overdrive and and spur your desire to be that artisan, call the Mt. Townsend Creamery in Port Townsend and make plans for an August weekend workshop:

Vermont farmstead cheesemaking pioneer and renowned teacher Peter Dixon will be returning to Western Washington Aug 4-6 to teach two cheesemaking courses at the Mt. Townsend Creamery in Port Townsend. more ›

A new shuttle bus service is offering Port Townsend residents service to Seattle twice daily seven days a week. It seems that there's been local demand for some transport to the city from that area that doesn't involve cars and Olympic Bus Lines answered the call. Particularly interesting to Seattlest is the reverse ability to get from the city to Port Townsend without a car. more ›

You can usually get a good feel for an event by the media distributed to promote it. If you see a guy with a guitar on a flyer stapled to a tree you don't have to scrutinize the (no doubt questionably legible) text to have a pretty good idea whether the event is for you or not. You either rawk or you don't. Likewise if you drive past a Clear Channel monstrosity on the highway blaring an image of a scantily clad singer, you know it's going to be expensive and that there will be synchronized and choreographed dancing. That's either not your bag or it is, and Seattlest isn't going to judge you on that. (lame) Even event websites are distinctive. Some are flashy and arty and take a little effort to navigate and some are polished and clean and funnel you right to the ticket purchasing page. Either way their designs say a lot about the event they're promoting. In that light, check out www.kineticrace.info. more ›

Ah summer in Seattle. You never know what you might find around the bend. Whether it’s 19 cannons being fired off at Pier 36 this morning, bad traffic, or the Blue Angels screeching overhead, Seafair continues into August. So don’t forget to check the schedule to mark where you want to be or not be. Personally Seattlest can’t wait for the Parade of Ships on August 3rd. And guess what? You can actually take a cruise around the Sound on an aircraft carrier if you play your cards right. Here’s an interesting discussion going on about Seattlites’ feelings about Seafair in the PI. more ›

Anyone interested in olde schooly sailing vessels should get themselves to the downtown waterfront today. You may catch a glimpse as a whole bunch of them sail right on by Seattle on their way to Tacoma and the Tall Ships festival they're throwing down there. This is the first time the ships will visit Tacoma. more ›

Port Townsend is a favorite weekend getaway for many Seattleites, and it's easy to see why. The drive up is alone worth the price of admission (Seattlest likes Kingston ferry to Hood Canal to 19) but once there the food is good, the downtown is cute and there are plenty of activities to keep you going. more ›