Elliott Bay Book Company’s move was a blessing in disguise for Pioneer Square (Crosscut)
The Main Street program is coming to Seattle, and a new move to revitalize the neighborhood puts the onus of success on the Square’s little guys, which some argue is right where it should be.

More police hit street to tame Seattle’s rowdy night scene (Seattle Times)
In an effort to quell the alcohol-fueled violence in Belltown and Pioneer Square, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Police Chief John Diaz announced a plan June 22 to keep more officers on the streets until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through the summer.

Rangers make downtown parks safer, but by how much? (Seattle PI)
New city report says crime and aid calls have fallen in Westlake, Victor Steinbrueck and other parks

‘Incubator,’ a petri dish to grow small businesses (NWCN)
This weekend the non-profit officially opens a “small business incubator” — a store called “Ventures” in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Part boutique, part petri dish, the store is a space where dozens of budding entrepreneurs can grow their businesses by having a place to sell their stuff at no cost to them.

Seattle police shut down Naked Bike Ride (Seattle Times)
A group of about 15 bicyclists in various stages of nakedness rode through Belltown, Pioneer Square, and the Pike/Pine area on Friday night, where they were stopped by Seattle police, according to one of the organizers.

BLOGS

The Line at Tat’s is Ridiculous (The Turkey Sandwich Report)

The Food at the Elliott Bay Books Cafe Cafe is Consistently Excellent (SLOG)
They were out of arugula so I couldn’t have the pear-and-arugula salad. I reluctantly ordered the greek salad—I’ve never had a greek salad that didn’t taste like a cliche—but this thing is amazing. That is all.

Elliott Bay Cafe (The Green Den)
When I was in Seattle recently, I came across a very good example of sustainable business in action. The historic center of Seattle in located in Pioneer Square and tucked away in a little corner is the Elliott Bay Café – which is most commonly linked to the TV series Frasier, great coffee and good food. It can be very easily missed if you don’t actually look for it. Luckily for me, I was.

Bodytonic Pilates, Seattle Wa

Pioneer Square currently has ~700 on-street parking spots, shown in the map below:

(click here to view the full sized pdf)

SDOT’s press release says that the addition of parking is “in response to a recommendation from the recent Pioneer Square Revitalization Project, a city-community partnership, to free up parking spaces for shopping and visitor use.” When I read that, I went to check the report that came from the city-community partnership because I didn’t remember parking being a part of the conversation.

Sure enough, it says that the City will “Effectively Manage Parking Supply and Demand,” which includes reviewing the quantity and location of on-street parking spaces.

But it begs the question — is there enough parking in Pioneer Square and do we need more?

I did some checking (contacting developers, parking garage owners, and even counting open lot spaces in google earth) and came up with the following map of private parking in Pioneer Square:

(click the map or here to view the larger PDF version)

I was shocked when I tallied the number of parking spots:

5,233 private
+
700 on-street
+
20 new on-street
=
5,953

Ever since we moved into the neighborhood, I’ve wanted to count and map out the parking, but have been reticent to do the leg work for it. When I finally started to research this, I never thought that we would be close to 6,000 parking spots in our small neighborhood. But is it enough?

There seems to be a perception that parking is hard to come by in Pioneer Square. Peter Aaron, the owner of Elliott Bay Book Co, has stated multiple times that parking was one of the reasons that they had poor sales. Commenters on Pioneer Square articles frequently mention a parking problem.

Pioneer Square has worked to change the misperception of parking, including offering free parking at First Thursday with a Parking for Peanuts program. The new Saturday Market partnered with Diamond Parking to offer free parking to vendors, as well as with the Merrill Place Parking Garage to provide free parking for market volunteers, and shoppers. It seems to be successful, with the parking garage being utilized at every event.

Mayor McGinn’s proposal to increase the parking tax and to add a $20 car tab fee has been controversial, and people are beginning to question if such actions will hurt downtown Seattle and possibly lead to more people and businesses to Bellevue (where, for example, you can find free parking at Bellevue Square and many other businesses).

But if you look at just the Pioneer Square neighborhood, it really is  “one of the city’s most accessible neighborhoods.” (link) If you look on the private parking map above, you can see all of the different transit methods individuals can use to get to the neighborhood — Pioneer Square has light rail, the bus tunnel (in the free bus zone), many bus lines, the West Seattle water taxi, ferries, a connection to the waterfront (including the free Waterfront “Streetcar” Bus) and is within biking and walking distance to other downtown neighborhoods. Not to mention that it will soon be services by the First Hill Streetcar.

So I would question those of you who live, work, or visit Pioneer Square — is it that we don’t have enough parking spaces, that people want free (or cheap) parking spaces and can’t find them, or is it that not enough people are utilizing public transit?

Market hopes to reinvigorate area (Seattle Times)
Shannon Carney of Seattle looks through screen-printed patches at Kitchen Ink during the first day of Seattle Square, Pioneer Square’s new outdoor market. Between 1,200 and 1,500 people came throughout the day, organizers said.

Pioneer Square supporters debuting outdoor market Saturday (Seattle Times)
The latest wave of reformers in Pioneer Square will debut a Saturday market this weekend that’s meant to bring more visitors to a neighborhood they say is misunderstood. Called Seattle Square, the market will include a couple dozen vendors of crafts, housewares, clothing and furniture, along with a handful of food trucks and disc jockeys spinning music from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Storefront art project aims to revitalize Seattle (King5 News)
The Storefront Project is accepting applications from artists to decorate empty storefront windows and occupy empty retail spaces in Pioneer Square and the International District.

King Street Station work unveils hidden beauties (Seattle Times)
Hanging wires show where 1,600 tiles were suspended in a false ceiling that was removed recently, revealing the original, ornate plaster in the waiting room at King Street Station. The city is renovating the station, built in 1906.

Seattle store helps low-income entrepreneurs launch businesses (MyNorthwest)
At first glance, Ventures simply looks like a nice boutique, tucked into Seattle’s Pioneer Square. You’ll find unique jewelry there, as well as handmade garments, artwork and specialty foods. But the Seattle store also serves to help low-income entrepreneurs launch their own businesses.

Accused attacker of homeless man pleads not guilty (KOMO News)
One of three men accused in a brutal beating of a homeless man in Pioneer Square pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Free fun during the Seattle summer (Seattle Times)
Seattle is known for its outdoor markets, notably the ones in Ballard, Fremont and the University District. But a new one just cropped up at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square, featuring locally designed clothing, vintage wares, housewares, mobile food and DJ music.

Pioneer Snare: Occidental Park’s Summer Music Series (Stranger’s – Line Out)
DJ James Grindle has organized a weekly series of DJ and live sets called Music In Seattle Square; it starts July 17 and will run every Saturday through Sept. 25 in Pioneer Square’s Occidental Park.

Hidden challenges of Highway 99 tunnel (Seattle Times)
For the past year, “overruns” has been a buzzword in Seattle politics because of worries about the cost of the tunnel to replace the Highway 99 viaduct. Worldwide, tunneling projects routinely come in about a third over estimates. Will Seattle’s? The answers mostly wait underground.

BLOGS

Another Cutie Pie in the City (Captured by Emi)
Pioneer Square Photoshoot of a… wedding party? engaged couple? Nope, an adorable little girl.

Beer Blotter: Delicatus. (Beer Blotter, Seattle PI)
If you are walking through Pioneer Square and you spot that sign…go in and eat…no matter what.

Elliott Bay bookstore owner: ‘We were dying in Pioneer Square’ (Big Blog)
The Elliott Bay Book Co. was troubled one year ago. So troubled that owner Peter Aaron thought he’d have to close its doors for good. Now, his thoughts are a little different. He’s thinking the store will be OK.

Two downtown markets debut this week (Big Blog)
Olympic Sculpture Park (Thursdays through Sept 9) + Seattle Square Market (Saturdays through Sept 25)

Hopefully a Reason to Visit Pioneer Square (SLOG)
No, it’s not a huge cash injection or a bunch of growth initiatives, but you have to start somewhere: Starting July 17th, Pioneer Square will be hosting an outdoor market on Saturday afternoons.

Police May Have Nabbed Prolific Downtown Taggers (Seattle Crime)
Seattle police say they have arrested three people believed to be connected to a prolific graffiti group, which has plastered the tag “Zeb” all over numerous buildings in Downtown Seattle, Belltown, and Pioneer Square over the last few weeks.

An Art Walk stroll through the story of immigration (Seattle Times)
A selection of galleries highlighted in this month’s Seattle Art Walk — “The Poetics of Space,” Shift Collaborative Studio; “Temporal,” Vetri Glass; PULP reception, Gallery 110; “TXT,” James Harris Gallery; “Summer Selections,” Linda Hodges Gallery and “Detained,” Gallery4Culture.

Lines between nature and artifice blurred in outdoor exhibit (Seattle Times)
In Seattle, two outdoor art exhibits play with urban and park environments. In the Pioneer Square neighborhood, Occidental Park is hosting “artSparks 2010,” a series of art installations and performances.

Would World Cup games or art make you hang out in an alley? (DJC – subscription only)
Since the World Cup games started, crowds have gathered daily in Pioneer Square’s Nord Alley to watch soccer matches. The idea behind the viewing parties is to show Seattleites that alleys could be usable, livable space.

BLOGS

Salumi: Cured meat goodness in Seattle (Chris Around the World)
Salumi has benefited from the current wave of attention placed on cured meats. But Salumi has a draw that few other restaurants can beat: The owner is Armandino Batali, father of celebrity chef (and meat guru) Mario Batali.

Where was Seattle’s gay culture born? (Big Blog)
Gay life in Seattle may be headquartered on Capitol Hill these days, but the roots of gay Seattle once lay in the heart of Pioneer Square. In fact, what claims to be Seattle’s oldest gay bar, the Double Header, still provides a glimpse into the rich and colorful past of Pioneer Square’s gay life.

Things we love: “un-tours” (Budget Travel)
A list of un-tours to enjoy, including a nine-hour Seattle adventure for $214 per person. On this walk, bike and kayak excursion, travelers saunter through historic Pioneer Square, sample the local fare at Pike Place Market, and enjoy the artistic scenery at Olympic Sculpture Park.

Pioneer Square riding on new hotel’s success (King5 News)
A brand-new hotel opened its doors in Seattle, just in time for the summer tourist season. But unlike other new hotels, there is an entire neighborhood riding on its success.

Marriott hotel opens in Pioneer Square (DJC – subscription only)
Marriott has opened the Courtyard by Marriott Seattle Downtown/Pioneer Square. The 262-room hotel is in the 106-year-old Alaska Building at 612 Second Ave. The hotel also has a restaurant and bar called The Bistro, a pool/fitness center, 4,600 square feet of meeting space in nine rooms, a business library and lobby. Guests can use a 52-inch touchscreen in the lobby to find maps, weather, news and local information.

More Round-the-World Places to Watch the World Cup (The Lobby)
Seattle: This West Coast city is offering what is undoubtedly one of the neatest and most unusual ways to watch the World Cup: in an alley. The International Sustainability Institute, which has worked with Seattle to green up its alleys, is hosting a live screening of one match each day at 11:30am – on a 100-inch screen.

Instead of vacant lots, how about dodge ball, gardens, film fests? (Seattle PI)
One idea includes a public event space at Occidental Avenue South and South Washington Street in Pioneer Square.

Celebrate in Seattle! (Running Competitor)
What to do after running the Rock n’ Roll Marathon (which was awesome, by the way!) — suggestions include a driving tour in a mercedes SUV that starts in Pioneer Square.

The Alleyway (Thrillist)
“A Theatrically Dingy Shopping Spot” – After moving their food-service-inspired gear store into a new spot downtown, the dudes from Deli have turned its old space into an accessories shop/art gallery done up to look like a downtown alley by staging hats, shoes, watches etc. on wood pallets, in LED lit garbage cans, and in dumpsters; topping it off is a cardboard-box-wrapped dressing room, and walls decked with old window frames and screen doors, all of which you’re free to tag, though you may want to come up with something better than “Property of Bobby Whelan”.

BLOGS

Neodandi Leaves Seattle for New York (Seattle Weekly)
An announcement on Neodandi’s Facebook fan page confirms it, the original Pioneer Square location will be closing at end of this week.

Pioneer Square Fire Festival 2010 (Affordable Seattle)

Caffe Umbria (Follow Your Heart)

Become a fan of Pioneer Square on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!

And don’t forget to check out the calendar to see upcoming events this week, including Out to Lunch, First Thursday, and Dancing til’ Dusk

I have been training for about 6 months for this year’s Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon. Although I was waylayed for over a month because of a stress fracture (replace your running shoes often!), I am excited to be running in it for the second time in a row. I’m even more excited that after I run through the finish line, I only have a 3 block walk to make it home.

If you haven’t heard of the Rock n’ Roll Marathon + 1/2 before, this is only their second year in Seattle. There are close to 30,000 runners that will participate this Saturday, June 26th, which is close to 5,000 more than participated last year. It is an absolutely beautiful course, and covers many different neighborhood areas in South Seattle/South Downtown.

All neighborhoods that are a part of the course, however, should be aware of the difficulties in getting to or leaving your home on Saturday:

Beginning at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 26th, police and event personnel will implement a soft closure along the entire race course, with roads closing at 6:00 a.m. unless otherwise noted. The races begin at 7:00 a.m. and streets will reopen on a rolling basis as soon as the last participant has passed and all the course support materials have been removed. Most road closures and detours will be in effect between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m, with roads near the start line opening earlier than roads near the finish line.

“It’s a beautiful course that really showcases what Seattle has to offer,” said Elizabeth O’Brien, Event Director. “However, it’s critical that our neighbors plan ahead, anticipate delays, and be aware of alternate routes that are available. Once the roads are closed, vehicles may not be able to cross the route.”

Both the full and half marathon start together at Gateway Corporate Center on Interurban Ave in Tukwila, south of downtown Seattle. The course runs through Tukwila and makes its way to the scenic shores of Lake Washington for miles 4 through 9. Full marathoners split off for 2 miles on the floating Lake Washington Bridge. After 2 miles, both courses meet again and run next to each other on the Interstate 90 Express Lanes.  All participants head into downtown Seattle, where the half marathon splits off and finishes downtown outside Qwest Field.

The full marathon continues north onto the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Hwy 99, with views of Elliott Bay, passing the Space Needle and Lake Union as the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Hwy 99 becomes Aurora. Runners will u-turn and head back toward downtown on the highway before finishing outside Qwest Stadium in downtown Seattle.

In addition to a number of road closures, several freeway ramps will also be affected, including:

•     Highway 599 Northbound & Southbound off-ramp to Interurban Avenue

•     Highway 599 Northbound on-ramp from Interurban Avenue & S. 133rd Street

•     Interstate 5 Northbound off-ramp and on-ramp to and from Martin Luther King Way

•     Interstate 5 off-ramps to Interurban Avenue/S. 133rd Street

The I-90 Express Lanes will be completely closed during the event. Regular traffic on I-90 will be allowed. For a complete list of road closures, visit http://wwww.competitor.com/community.

The race will finish outside Qwest Event Center in Pioneer Square, where participants and spectators can enjoy a finish line festival and free headliner concert featuring “Tonic.” Live bands will also play nearly every mile of the course. A complete list of bands is available online.

Downloadable Course Map:

http://seattle.competitor.com/files/2009/04/SEA_10_CourseMap-2.pdf

Specific Road Closure Grid:

http://seattle.competitor.com/files/2009/05/Road-Closure-Grid.pdf

Globe from Elliott Bay Book Co. is for sale (Seattle Times)
If you’re mourning the loss of Elliott Bay Book Company’s Pioneer Square location, now you can forever own a memento from the old store. This ancient world globe, available at the RE Store, used to frequent the window displays at Elliott Bay. With the store’s recent move to Capitol Hill, staff couldn’t find space for it, says store manager Tracey Taylor.

Water main break leaves some Seattle residents dry (Komo)
A break in a water main in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood left area residents and businesses without any water for a night, and a big, gaping sinkhole in the middle of a busy street.

Q&A with chef Anthony Bourdain (Seattle Times)
Bourdain says Salumi (owned by Mario Batali’s father) in Pioneer Square is one of 13 places folks should eat at before they die.

Why I continue to oppose the deep-bore tunnel (Cary Moon on Crosscut)
It induces and concentrates a high volume of car traffic in Pioneer Square and the central waterfront, because of the location of the on and off ramps, which is not what anyone had in mind. It puts a lot of historic buildings and private property at risk, especially in Pioneer Square, because of the complex challenges of boring a 56′ diameter tunnel in bad soil with a high (and tricky) water table and brittle, rickety underground structural supports.

BLOGS

P-I photo archives: Classic Seattle taverns and bars (Seattle PI – Big Blog)

The entrepreneur behind Cashmere’s Fashion Earrings -N- Thangz (Central District News)
Entrepreneur got his start by selling polaroids to clubbers in Pioneer Square

Mike & Jennifer’s Engagement Session (Amore Studios)
(Sigh) yet another engagement session in Pioneer Square — I just love the photos.

Waterfall Garden in Pioneer Square (Metropolitan Gardens)

Pioneer Square Engagement | Amphone + Nguyen (Red Box Pictures)

Alley Stroll (HDR Photo of the Week)

Pioneer Square pergola (Flickr)

Foto Friday – Pioneer Square (Cam’s Blog)

Group withdraws appeal of Real Change’s move to Pioneer Square (Seattle Times)
The dispute has ended over the Real Change newspaper’s relocation to Pioneer Square. On Friday, the Pioneer Square Community Association released a joint statement with Real Change that they had “resolved their issues” over land use.

On Shaky Ground: Built to Last? (KUOW – NPR)
The earthquakes touched off a debate in the Northwest about how well our buildings will do in a mega earthquake. So far, the jury is out.

Farewell to Howard House gallery and its smart, engaging exhibitions (Seattle Times)
Seattle gallery Howard House is closing after 13 years in business as one of the leading contemporary-art galleries in the city.

Getting the right fit for Seattle police chief (Seattle Times)
Diaz gets kudos for a recent, sophisticated sweep of drug dealers in Pioneer Square that involved heavy planning and coordination with the prosecutor’s office.

Seattle sign law shouts ‘stop’ at city opportunities (Crosscut)
+ a reference to the bad idea to place an Automated Public Toilet (APT) in Pioneer Square.

New Pioneer Square store ‘Venture’ supports local entrepreneurs (Greater Seattle on the Cheap)
Washington CASH recently opened the retail store Ventures. Over 40 Washington CASH clients are selling their products in the beautiful Pioneer Square store. Plan to visit the store soon and support local entrepreneurs!

Woman punches cop, earns trip to jail (Seattle Times)
Surprise, surprise — another act of violence + arrest after someone left a bar down here.

BLOGS

Espresso Nights: One Thousand and One Links (Seattle Weekly – Voracious)
#10 on the list – Zeitgeist Coffee (calls out as her #1 coffee pick from the neighborhood). Do you agree?

Your unofficial Seattle World Cup viewing guide (Sounder at Heart)
Nord Alley: Near Occidental Park in Pioneer Square. It looks like all the 11:30 a.m. games will be shown, as well as the quarters, semis, third-place match and championship. Included in that group is the U.S.-England match. Admission is free and there are supposed to be food vendors there as well, but it will be a dry event.

Amy + David Wedding Sneak Peak (Jerome Tso Photography)
(I just love when people do weddings + engagement photos down here — the photos are always so great). Amy + David’s wedding was held and catered by the Court in the Square in Pioneer Square by Qwest Field.

Don’t forget to check out the community calendar for upcoming events this week.

As a reminder, you can check out the 11:30 world cup game every day in Nord Alley

NEWS

McGinn Pegs the Square (Seattle Weekly)
McGinn drawing attention to the new tunnel’s potentially negative effects on the neighborhood.

Starbucks leases part of Pioneer Square building, sells coffee on NYSE floor (Seattle Times)
Nuance Communications leases 1/6th of the building space; more on the move in a DJC article (subscription only).

BLOGS

First Thursday Pioneer Square Art Walk, June 3rd 6-9pm (Culture Mob)
What to see on First Thursday

Photos of Seattle’s First Fire Crew (Seattle 911)
Photo from 1931 of an exhibition in Spokane; compared to what the firefighters do now at the Fire Festival (coming up July 10th!)

As a reminder, you can check out upcoming events on the Calendar

Tat’s tawks pastrami, takes bigger bite out of Pioneer Square (Seattle Times)
Tat’s moving and expanding their store — new grand opening set for July 2nd.

Mike McGinn’s Latest Anti-Tunnel Bogeyman is the Impact on Pioneer Square (Seattle Weekly)
McGinn has concerns on the tunnel’s impact on Pioneer Square — and while the neighborhood has concerns that feel like they haven’t been answered, WSDOT has been working with the neighborhood to address concerns and keep residents and businesses informed.

Watching the World Cup in Seattle (Sounder at Heart)
You can catch the world cup in Nord Alley in Pioneer Square every day at 11:30am. Click here for more details.

Howard House Art Gallery closing, last chance for a field trip (Examiner)
Due to the economy, apparently, not enough visitors to the Howard House Art Gallery have been buying the artwork, so it will close at the end of the current exhibit.

Comparing Spokane St., Alaskan Way viaducts (Seattle Times)
A Bellevue resident wonders why there are a number of intersections along First Avenue South in Seattle’s Pioneer Square area without “walk” lights for pedestrians.

Book review: History of totem pole is a story of near-death and rebirth of an art form (Seattle Times)
Authors  of “The Totem Pole: An Intercultural History,” Aldona Jonaitis and Aaron Glass apparently have quite a tale to tell about how Seattle acquired its famous Pioneer Square pole from an “abandoned village” in Alaska. Unfortunately, the reporter doesn’t mention what that story is.

BLOGS

Seattle was sexy long before the Lusty Lady, will it be after? (Seattle PI – BIG blog)
Seattle has had a long and uneasy relationship with the sex industry. As early as the 1860′s, dance halls (that promised much more than just dancing) sat atop of the sawdust piles of Yesler’s mill in Pioneer Square.

Elliott Bay Book Company says business booming since move to Capitol Hill (Capitol Hill Seattle)
A month-and-a-half since the Elliott Bay Book Company relocated to 10th Ave from Pioneer Square, it appears that the first Capitol Hill chapter of the independent bookseller’s saga is a happy one.

Here’s the beef (Edible Joy)
A review of Chuck’s Hole in the Wall BBQ