Seattle Mag
How to Find Parking in Seattle
Helpful tips on finding a reasonably priced parking spot in Seattle (while you're still young).
With peak-hour downtown parking meter fees now as much as $4 an hour, Seattle is the sixth-most-expensive city in the nation in which to park a car, according to a 2011 Colliers International survey (an average of more than $24/day, behind Manhattan, Boston and Chicago). Savvy downtown parkers know that many local lots have “early…
Gotcha! 3 Parking Rules to Remember
These little-known laws will get you a ticket in Seattle faster than you think.
Every month, 97 Seattle Police Department parking enforcement officers print around 45,000 citations (about 7 percent of the city’s total population). While most tickets are for commonsense infractions—the most common: not paying or letting your time expire—there are a few lesser-known ways to end up with the dreaded envelope tucked under your wiper. Seattle Municipal…
Worst Traffic Spots in Seattle
Avoid these nightmare spots if you can, or bring a book-on-tape and make the most of the crawl.
It usually feels like the worst traffic spot in Seattle is the one you’re stuck in, but during peak traffic hours (6–9 a.m. and 3–6 p.m.), SDOT says these locations officially rack up some of the most stop-and-go traffic—sometimes minus the go. Check out King-5’s Jam Factor app (king5.m.mlnwap.com) and WSDOT traffic cameras (wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle) for…
Why the Monorail is Still the Best Ride in Town
The monorail's had its ups and downs, but some locals still love this retro rail rider.
Is there any form of transportation in the Northwest more bizarrely storied than the monorail? In a region famous for infamous means of travel—the barrel-rolling Boeing jet, Galloping Gertie crumbling into the Tacoma Narrows, the zombie ferryboat Kalakala emerging from the mist again and again, unidentified flying objects first called “flying saucers” near Mount Rainier…
The Big Idea: Transportation Edition
What locals would do to fix Seattle's transporation problems, if they had a blank check.
If money were no object, what single thing would you do to improve transportation in the region? We put that question to dozens of local transportation thinkers and limited their responses to 150 words—short answers to a long-debated question. Here are a few; add your own idea in the comments section below, or write to…
The Evolution of Seattle’s 520 Bridge
Big changes are under way on the 520 bridge, the longest floating bridge on Earth.
Just when you thought cross-lake commuting couldn’t get any more fun, tolling on the S.R. 520 bridge went into effect. Now, crossing the floating bridge can set you back as much as $5 one way, depending on the time of day and whether you have a prepaid “Good to Go!” pass affixed to your windshield….
The Monarch’s Tales: Behind the Scenes of Designer Luly Yang’s Couture Show
Between New York Fashion Week and the impending Academy Awards, it seems as if everyone has fashion design on the mind. In Seattle, our own renowned designer Luly Yang has her fashion mind in motion as she puts together her next couture collection set to debut at her April 27 show – and we are…
Seeing the Bigger Picture in Seattle’s Transporation Conundrums
Why the rest of Washington state is watching Seattle's every move.
“Seattle process” aside, most of the decisions we make around here are really driven by economic imperatives that are nearly impossible to ignore. Regardless of politics, regional and national economic pressures still ensure that the big transportation projects that matter most in Seattle will get done—eventually. But not without first encountering two major hurdles along…
Is Seattle its Own Greatest Road Block?
Here's hoping our battles over the Alaskan Way Viaduct and other transportation developments will le
It’s almost too good to imagine: The year is 2016, and burly guys in hardhats and blaze-orange vests have swept up the last of the dust from all of Seattle’s transportation construction megaprojects. The State Route 99 tunnel under downtown, the new State Route 520 floating bridge and the University Link light rail extension to…
The Must List, featuring Damien Jurado and a Doubleheader at the Frye
MUST HEARDamien Jurado Friday (2/17) – Beloved local alt-folk crooner Damien Jurado releases his tenth album this month, Maraqopa, which marks a new beginning of sorts, with songs that sound more psychedelic than ever before. It’s just more proof that Jurado’s talent runs deep—and is well worth hearing live. The album is officially released Tuesday,…
Shopping Date: Local Designer Trunk Show and Sale in West Seattle
Mark your calendars: Sweet West Seattle perfumery Knows is hosting not one, but two, Seattle designers this weekend in conjunction with their own sale. Owner Christen Cottman is marking down her wide array of candles, body care and perfume lines (which include ultra hot Penhaligons, Patch NYC and Sumbody) anywhere from 15 to 70 percent…