Arguably, the largest, most active Shinto shrine on the mainland U.S. is in L̶o̶s̶ ̶A̶n̶g̶e̶l̶e̶s̶ S̶a̶n̶ ̶F̶r̶a̶n̶c̶i̶s̶c̶o̶ S̶e̶a̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ Granite Falls, WA, pop. ~4,700. Why? And why (given Shinto's enduring popularity in Japan) so few shrines overall?.

Ft. Lawton, 1970. Native activists scale the fences and bluffs of an Army base in protest. The precursor events are nuanced, complex. The Seattle Times front-page coverage is not. We reexamine—and critique—that reporting here, in A1 Revisited:.

Unless newspapers are connected with and listening to the all communities they purport to serve, they cannot hope to understand the significance of major events in these communities. Case in point:.

4. Don’t even touch the Portland-vegan-strip-club situation. It’s a trap. (I mean, if you had 10,000 words, sure—go for it. But you don’t. So don’t.).

3. When eating, see and nod hello to knee-jerk skepticisms (“this can’t be as good as…”) to avoid getting tangled in them. Shut up and taste. Repeat. Do not feel obligated to clean your plate. Note when you do.

2. Listen carefully to people who fit the prevailing stereotypes (hippies, punx, Lisa Simpsons) but put a thumb on the scales for the words of those who don’t.

Assignment: Write about vegan restaurants in Portland. Rules of engagement (self-imposed):. 1. Banish clichés (“smug” vegans, “cruel” omnivores, etc.). Do not acknowledge, even in jest.

While working on a story involving Joan Mitchell and other Abstract Expressionists, I failed to answer the most obviously pressing question: Anybody ever heard a slam-dunk comeback to "my kid could do that"?.

"That hubris is such a part of the joy. The cinematography is great. The costumes are great. 'Showgirls' comes at you with a million-dollar look and then you’re like: 'Oh, this is filled with garbage!'" — @davidschmader.

(Also, that photo is kind of cheating. It's from a story I wrote about riding Alaska state ferries—which are not cruise ships—but you get the idea.).

Hello all. I'm working on a story about the 2021 return of Seattle-to-Alaska cruise ships—have you ever worked on a cruise ship? Anybody you know worked on a cruise ship? If so, give me a shout.

The remarkable history of one rambunctious Seattle fringe theater. Featuring: gleefully grotesque musicals, fond reminiscences from Paul Giamatti, brazen art crimes, and a wad of gum stuck in a urinal that made all the difference.

Sometimes, during the intensity of CHOP, I'd look around Cal Anderson Park and wonder: "What the hell was going on on this scrap of land 30 years ago? 50? 150? 300?" I got a chance to spend some time finding out.

Seattle ticketing company Brown Paper Tickets just ordered to pay $9M in restitution to 45,000 customers around the globe. Some are owed a few bucks. Some are owed tens of thousands of dollars.

RT @sydbrownstone: There have been at least *three* instances of local hospital systems giving donors or board members access to the COVID-….

Human composting: It's finally here, after nearly 10 years of research, design, changing state law, and—most importantly—people getting over their icks.

RT @sydbrownstone: Stunned to watch this and compare it to the rows of police in riot gear, armored vehicles, pepper balls, flash bangs and….

Seattle march passes US courthouse. Chant leader says from the mic: “You don’t get to choose which Black, trans, indigenous lives matter. They all matter! Crime is often poverty-based. Black criminals matter here! Black families matter here!”

The march leader stops to deliver a short lecture about the $2.25 million settlement King County paid for the killing of a teenager in a misguided sheriff’s sting operation: