Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The willow is too close to the house.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Infrastructure week. at last.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Let’s finish the job.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Meetups and social events / Readership Capture Open Thread: Seattle Meet-Up, First Weekend in May?

Readership Capture Open Thread: Seattle Meet-Up, First Weekend in May?

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From commentor PirateDan:

Since I will be in Seattle on business for two weeks, I thought it might be nice to see if anyone was interested in using that as an excuse to stage a Seattle Area meetup that Friday or Saturday (or even Sunday) (May 3rd, 4th or 5th).

I know bupkis about Seattle, so I would defer to the locals as to when and where, if there is a when and where. I will have a rental set of wheels so I can be lured where the whimsy takes the group, as long as there is parking…

What say you, Seattle jackals?

Reader Interactions

149Comments

  6. 6.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I won’t be anywhere near Seattle, alas, but I will be in the Boston area next weekend for a nice ecumenical time: Passover Seder on the Friday and Easter dinner on the Sunday. Recognizing that it’s a holiday weekend and people may be busy with family and entertaining and food prep, would there be any interest in a quick meetup on Saturday, in the Watertown area?

    The friends I’m staying with are old friends of EFGoldman (whose memorial service was held this afternoon) and Mrs. EFG. Some of you met them five years ago when I visited.

    No worries if the resident Massholes have other plans for that day, but if you think we might arrange a Gathering of the Jackals, please say so in the comments. Cheers!

  7. 7.

    Philbert

    I’m in, And honestly, it’s the Soggy City but that didn;t pass the tourist bureau!

  11. 11.

    opiejeanne

    I’d love to but we are going to hear Bill and Hillary talk on the 3rd, and I’m not sure if we’ll be in town the rest of the weekend. Escrow is supposed to close on the 8th or 9th and we have a bunch of stuff at the cabin that has to get moved out. We will know soon, though and I hope we can be there.

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @mrmoshpotato:

    One thing’s for sure – it was during Dump being a racist POS since he’s been that his entire life.

    Oh yeah, that goes without saying. Kind of like the way we know for sure he’s lying if his lips are moving.

  13. 13.

    piratedan

    looking for a local to take charge, because you know if a tourist like me sets the agenda…. hell we could end up on a ferry to Prince Rupert :-)

  14. 14.

    CaseyL

    Hi, PirateDan!

    I’m in – always delightful to see my fellow Seattle jackals, and doubly delightful to welcome a visiting jackal!

    As to when or where: Saturdays are always best for me, and where depends on who else is coming. The Seattle metro area is fairly large, and we often have people coming up from the Tacoma area (about 40 miles south of Seattle proper) and not wanting to travel too far north.

    Traffic and parking are additional constraints, as both are awful in any central/downtown areas.

    Just let us know where you’ll be staying (if you know that yet) and we can plan from there.

    AL has been the central contact point for previous meetups, and might be willing to do so again. If not, my email is celeichter [AT] gmail.

  18. 18.

    opiejeanne

    @SiubhanDuinne: It was a Christmas gift from Middle Kid.
    I feel lucky that I got to hear her speak during the campaign when she came to Seattle. We got there early and many people couldn’t get in. The people in line farther back were harassed by Bros while they waited. Hillary was great and the enthusiastic crowd was made of all ages, genders, and ethnicities.

  19. 19.

    mrmoshpotato

    I hope it doesn’t snow in Microsoftland during the meetup.

    Wunderground forecasts 2″ of snow for tomorrow for Sinatra’s kind of town. Ugh.

    April snow means May Mexican husk tomato?

  22. 22.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @opiejeanne:

    Well, it should be a memorable evening (and what a cool middle kid you raised!)

    The people in line farther back were harassed by Bros while they waited.

    I find myself completely unsurprised by this.

  24. 24.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Raven:

    IIRC, you managed to snag Masters tickets a few years ago. For an avid sports fan like you, that must have been a thrilling opportunity!

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @mrmoshpotato:

    You’re right, of course. The people who track his lies, do they count his tweets, or just the lies that he actually utters with his mouth?

  29. 29.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @raven:

    When I told the boss we were going she said “why would I want to go there?” “Because it’s a garden!”

    LOL.

    Is she back yet from her European adventures, or still traveling?

    ETA: P.S. That is just a gorgeous, billinglendale-worthy photo!

  31. 31.

    opiejeanne

    @mrmoshpotato: The Angels are playing the Cubs tomorrow. They may get snowed out.

    May 3 in the PNW it could rain but it’s also not too late to snow, but that’s unusual. We had a surprise! snowstorm in early May a couple of years ago. Wet, heavy snow; bent some of our birches to the ground and one of them never straightened up.

  32. 32.

    Dan B

    @mrmoshpotato: It’s gotten cold in the Emerald City (formerly Queen City, sigh). It will be down to the mid 40’s tonight. Latest snow I’ve seen here was first week of March – a dusting.

    I’m in the south end so know restaurants here. It’s reasonably close to Tacoma but a little farther for Opiejean and her Mr. O. But if they’re in SoCal …

    There are two good quiet Thai restaurants in Columbia City and a good Mexican on Beacon Hill, plus other options. All are convenient to the freeways and downtown and parking. They’re open Friday, Sat., and Sunday. Friday evening traffic can be horrible so Saturday or Sunday early would be the best bets.

  34. 34.

    opiejeanne

    @SiubhanDuinne: Yeah, she’s totally cool. She runs the raclette booths at the local farmers markets: Fire and Scrape.

    Those Bros online weren’t all Russian trolls.

  35. 35.

    mrmoshpotato

    @SiubhanDuinne: Not sure. I think the Post or the Toronto Star has an entire database.

    Obligatory “Daniel Dale is an American national treasure even if he is a Canadian.”

  39. 39.

    NotMax

    @raven

    Perhaps you could find time to spit on the plaque honoring tournament co-founder Clifford “As long as I’m alive the golfers will be white and the caddies will be black” Roberts.

  45. 45.

    raven

    @NotMax:

    Olowalu Massacre

    An incident that came to be called the Olowalu Massacre occurred off Honua’ula, Maui. Captain Simon Metcalfe anchored his trading ship the Eleanora off shore, probably at Makena Bay, to barter for necessary provisions. A chief stole one of Metcalfe’s small boats and killed a watchman. Angered, Metcalfe sailed off toward Olowalu to barter for hogs while Chiefess Kalola, knowing the explosive nature of the situation, declared a three-day kapu on all canoes approaching the Eleanora. When the kapu was lifted and Kalola’s husband Kaopuiki returned only the stolen boat’s keel and the watchman’s stripped thighbones, an enraged Metcalfe encouraged trading canoes to approach the Eleanora and then opened fire with the ship’s guns. Over 100 Hawaiians were killed in the incident with over 100 others wounded. Hawaiians referred to the slaughter as Kalolopahu, or spilled brains.

    You moving soon?

  48. 48.

    raven

    @Steeplejack: Yea, it’s nasty. They blew the siren and stopped play yesterday but I don’t know where the hell thousands of people go, I guess to their cars. Of course they are mostly white so if the die it’s no big loss.

  52. 52.

    Steeplejack

    @raven:

    I can’t believe Tiger is in contention. He’s an all-time great, but his back has taken such a beating over the years.

  58. 58.

    B.B.A.

    Dem leadership is constantly trying to be the Adults In the Room, trying to suck up to the referees, but THERE ARE NO MORE REFEREES. You don't get any points for being more civil or having more evidence; there's no one to give points. There's only the fight now. — David Roberts (@drvox) April 13, 2019

    But it’s actually worse than that – what referees still exist (the judiciary, mostly) are on the enemy’s side. So we can complain to them all we want, and they’re going to rule against us every damn time.

  59. 59.

    Raven

    @NotMax: Well this should cheer you up.

    At age 83, Roberts had been in ill health for several months with cancer and had a debilitating stroke. On September 29, 1977, a year after stepping down, Roberts killed himself via self-inflicted gunshots on the banks of Ike’s Pond at Augusta.

  60. 60.

    Steeplejack

    @raven:

    Damn, they are even doing the “two tees” thing! Are they expecting bad weather or a meteor strike?

  61. 61.

    opiejeanne

    @Dan B: I can’t find the photographic evidence that it snowed here in May so maybe it was earlier. We had so much heavy snow that the power lines came down and we couldn’t run the heater with the generator, so we used it for the fridge. We wrapped up in blankets in front of a fire in the fireplace, the cat joined us, we read our e-readers, and dozed. There was no signal for Dish, there was no internet or phone. Nothing worked. Thankfully it was only about 10 hours.

  62. 62.

    Raven

    @Steeplejack: His performances last year indicated he was back in the game. They say the “THE MOST DIFFICULT DISTANCE IN GOLF IS THE 6 INCHES BETWEEN YOUR EARS”

  65. 65.

    NotMax

    Oy. Half watching something which features Telly Savalas as a Mongolian warlord, complete with Fu Manchu style ‘stache.

  68. 68.

    opiejeanne

    @Barbara: Another buyer. A married couple of realtors. We would be down there right now clearing everything out if the first sale to the older gentleman had gone through. Now it looks like it will close on May 7 or 8, and we have 48 hours after that but we’d like to be out the day it closes.
    They have asked for a detailed list of what we’re taking and what’s staying. She says she loves our decor and wants all of it. That’s nice but she can’t have it all. Anyway, I have to scrutinize photos of the place to figure out what’s on the walls and shelves. We did stage the place and we took a lot of stuff out that we did not want to leave there, but I need a reminder.

  69. 69.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @opiejeanne:

    In 1954 I travelled by train from Chicago to Regina, Saskatchewan. Arrived in Regina on, I think, April 28 or so. There was a fucking blizzard going on.

  71. 71.

    J R in WV

    @raven:

    I just can’t go those lawns. I hate grass, and mowing grass. Mowing fields of brush or hay, no problem, but lawns are just not my thing at all. Not a garden, and too much spent on care.

  74. 74.

    germy

    Police say they found ‘Trivago’ pitchman passed out in a car in a moving lane of traffic

    Timothy Williams, best known as the pitchman for travel site “Trivago,” was arrested this week after Houston police say they found him passed out behind the wheel of a car in traffic.

    “He was passed out with his foot on the brake in a moving lane of traffic,” said Houston Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva. Police got the call Wednesday afternoon.

    Williams failed a field sobriety test and submitted to a blood draw, she said.

    https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/11/us/trivago-actor-arrest-trnd/index.html

  76. 76.

    J R in WV

    @opiejeanne:

    Glad your cabin sold quickly. My realtor cousin always says if you aren’t getting any offers, you want too much. But: If you get lots of offers, you didn’t ask enough, but it’s too late to learn about it.

  78. 78.

    opiejeanne

    @Barbara: It’s a seller’s market right now where the cabin is, and the cabin stands out when compared to most of what’s for sale.

  79. 79.

    Barbara

    @J R in WV: And if you drop the price your house is totally jinxed and no one will buy it. As I get ready to put my mother’s house on the market.

  82. 82.

    SiubhanDuinne

    This is all kinds of off-topic (though it is an open thread!), but I just thought it was worth mentioning that today — April 13, 2019 — is the 500th anniversary of the birth of the famous/infamous Catherine de’Medici: daughter of Lorenzo II de’Medici, wife of one king (Henri II of France), mother of three kings (Francis II, Charles IX, and Henri III), and mother-in-law of Mary Queen of Scots.

    A remarkable woman, especially for her time. Her cousin Cosimo de’Medici was born just two months later, on June 12, 1519.

  84. 84.

    Barbara

    @SiubhanDuinne: It is also Thomas Jefferson’s birthday and Emancipation Day. I think Catherine de Medici had 9 children, which is not always ideal for a king’s family.

  85. 85.

    opiejeanne

    @mrmoshpotato: The year before, if you’re talking about the PNW. But the only photos I can find of it are the following year in February and March, and they certainly aren’t what bent down those trees. We gave them an extra year to recover and they didn’t. We had the big one cut down in 2018. :-(

  86. 86.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    Curiosity from the mid-sixties. TV movie named “Fanfare for a Death Scene.” James Bond-esque plot, shot in a film noir style. Heckuva cast, tepid script. The first roughly three minutes, though, are enough to raise goosebumps on anyone’s arms (and surprisingly graphic and disturbing for the time).

  87. 87.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @opiejeanne: We had an ice storm in NC similar to that I think in April. There was a foot of ice between us and the cars and even if we could get to the cars they were encased in a block of ice. We had no power so we used the generator to power the stand alone double burners, kettle, etc. Luckily we had a fireplace so I kept the fire going with anything I could. I learned that worthless video tapes make really good fuel, they burn hot and for a long time! They heated the house for a week while we were trapped.

  89. 89.

    Dan B

    @opiejeanne: I remember you said you would travel to south Seattle. Columbia City is fun and has a combination small town and cosmopolitan feel – 58 languages spoken in the zip code. Hillman City a few blocks south is gentrifying fast but still has African restaurants. The big issue (ha!) is the density of two year olds.

  93. 93.

    opiejeanne

    @J R in WV: We thought we’d like to get $245-250. The realtor said to list at $260. We got $247, so we got what we wanted. This is the 8th property we’ve sold in the last 48 years.

    There are two listings for it on Zillow: one with the zip code for Blue Jay and one with the zip for Lake Arrowhead even though it says on the listing that it’s in Blue Jay; the two towns have become fused on certain maps because Blue Jay is not incorporated. Along the side of the listing where Zillow shows a rough average of what it’s worth, the Blue Jay zip says $243-254 (partly because the zip has become conflated with Twin Peaks which is a cheaper neighborhood) and the Lake Arrowhead zip says $292. The cabin does not include lake rights and no one is under the impression that it’s in Lake Arrowhead. Blue Jay has the fancy grocery store, Jensen’s, and the movie theater. Lake Arrowhead has a Stater Brothers. The cabin is just a few hundred feet from town so we walk to the store or to see a movie a lot when we’re there.

  94. 94.

    Dan B

    @NotMax: I’ll send up the warning alarms to Palm Springs. Friends have retired to Tieton, very close to Yakima, because of the expense of Seattle. They’ve got an artist colony.

  95. 95.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Barbara:

    If it weren’t for the fact that it’s such a nice round number (500), I probably wouldn’t pay much attention to the Medici lady. Thomas Jefferson’s birthday is more worth celebrating IMO, despite his messy slave-holding history in hypocritical opposition to his fine words in the Declaration, and other admirable actions. But nobody ever said history would be tidy.

  96. 96.

    opiejeanne

    @Barbara: Not entirely true, but just be careful not to set it too high thinking it will give you room to negotiate.

    These buyers wanted to low-ball us with the first offer and our realtor talked them out of going that low, so they only lightly low-balled us. (eye-roll).

    Yeah, no. We’re not going to be paying for YOUR landscaping and decorating.

  97. 97.

    Gin & Tonic

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    EFGoldman (whose memorial service was held this afternoon)

    And a very nice memorial it was, indeed. I only have a couple of minutes, so maybe more later, but, fittingly for efgoldman (still can’t call him by his given name) it ranged from baseball and hockey to Monty Python’s dead parrot skit to Mahler’s Resurrection symphony. His daughter spoke beautifully, of course, his wife told a story about how they met, and some other friends and relatives told stories. B-J was well represented by Anne Laurie, who almost but didn’t quite say his favorite exclamation out loud, and gave a glimpse into his on-line character.

    I passed along your message to Marilyn.

  98. 98.

    Dan B

    @opiejeanne: You may have had snow in May where you are. The city is much milder than your location. Puget Sound keeps it warmer in winter and cooler in summer. There was research on growing grapes for wine in Western WA. The conclusion was to plant as far from the sound as possible, close to the mountains where summer and fall were 5 to 10 degrees warmer.

  99. 99.

    Baud

    @Gin & Tonic:

    I know it’s inappropriate to take video during a funeral, but I really wish I could watch the one for his. Glad to hear Juicers were there in force.

  100. 100.

    opiejeanne

    @NotMax: Uh, no. They may think so but I don’t see it. I’ve spent considerable time in Palm Springs (damn! it gets really hot there as early as April) and only a little time in Yakima, but no. Nope.
    Yakima gets hot in the summer but it still has a more hospitable climate in the warm months, and far fewer wealthy and celebrity types.
    If you start talking about culture, I’m not sure about either place but Palm Springs used to have a very lively theater and concert season. I performed at several fancy venues with a choir when I was in college back in the Dark Ages. I don’t know what it’s like now, and I have no idea about Yakima. It’s in the red part of Washington so God knows if they spend any extra money on the arts in their community. Palm Springs has so much money that they used to just support the arts through charity foundations.

  101. 101.

    Dan B

    @SiubhanDuinne: My mother’s birthday was April 26th. We had snow most years. One year it snowed 3 inches on June 3rd, last day of school. This was 10 miles west of Akron. Lake effect snow because we were about 500 feet higher than Cleveland. When the wind came from the north we got it.

  102. 102.

    Bonnie

    It sounds fun. But, I live in Tacoma and don’t have a car. Perhaps, another time–maybe my status will change.

  104. 104.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Dan B:

    Yeah, the Great Lakes bring their own brand of joy. I remember one summer day in Chicago — maybe 1956, 57, 58? — when the temperature dropped 40 degrees in about an hour. From around 78° to 38° on a nice June day, in basically no time at all.

  106. 106.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I remember one summer day in Chicago — maybe 1956, 57, 58? — when the temperature dropped 40 degrees in about an hour. From around 78° to 38° on a nice June day, in basically no time at all.

    If memory serves, it was the first time I had conscious awareness of the concept of “a front moving through.”

  110. 110.

    Steve in the ATL

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Thomas Jefferson’s birthday is more worth celebrating IMO, despite his

    Founding UVA. Other than that, not a bad guy.

    Steve in Augusta. That’s right, you’re jealous.

  111. 111.

    Dan B

    @opiejeanne: The arts venue in Tieton, WA is Mighty Tieton. It’s got some great crafts and art spaces. Trimpin is one of them, the wild Rube Goldberg musical devices creator. Wild story about the Seattle publisher who bought most of the deserted downtown. Still, Yakima is no Palm Springs but the wineries are a plus.

  117. 117.

    Dan B

    @SiubhanDuinne: I spent some years in Cincinnati and Chicago, plus some time in NE Arkansas. Chicago was the coldest winter and spring ever – 40 below with 40 mph wind. I guess it hasn’t been as ferocious since. And the NW Arkansas August day when it hit 95 before the dew burned off and 104 by 1 PM. No AC, just delirious on wet sheets in the fan. And the weather changes in between. Memories!#@&×!!

  118. 118.

    trollhattan

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    In pre-internet days I left CA for Denver dressed for the 22 F low as predicted by the teevee weather. I was puzzled on approach when the pilot reported the current temperature in metric, because “Zero” meant Celsius, right?

    Nope. In the time it took to fly there some damn front shifted and the overnight low went from +22 to -18. You’d think the locals would be able to shrug it off and still get stuff done, but not really. Not a productive trip.

  119. 119.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Gin & Tonic:

    B-J was well represented by Anne Laurie, who almost but didn’t quite say his favorite exclamation out loud, and gave a glimpse into his on-line character.

    I wanted to read about a chant of “fuckem fuckem fuckem” to rival “lock her up! lock her up!” or “USA! USA! USA!”

  123. 123.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steve in the ATL:

    Founding UVA. Other than that, not a bad guy.

    He lived at Monticello. If he had been smart, he’d have named the place after himself. If you don’t put your name on it, no one will ever hear of you. SAD!

  127. 127.

    Wayne Marks

    @SiubhanDuinne: I feel you. I went to college in upstate NY. Also, in a Canadian Government political science class, in a role-play group, I was the Premier of Saskatchewan — the #1 producer of peat moss in the world (at the time).

  129. 129.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Wayne Marks:

    I adore Canadian superlatives! For many years, maybe many decade, Own Siund, Intario (where my cousin lives, and where I visit as often as feasible) was the Toothpick Capital of the World :-)

    ETA: Please note that “Own Siund, Intario” was typed as, and meant to be, OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO. Jesus Fucking Christ, autospellcorrectcheck, give it a rest.

  132. 132.

    sphouch

    Lurker here – I’m about 25 miles north of downtown Seattle. It really does depend on what day and what folks are interested in doing. Flatstick can be fun – drinks and mini golf in a couple different areas (Pioneer Square, South Lake Union, or Kirkland on the East Side. For those insistent on getting some tourist stuff going, there’s Old Stove brewery at the north end of Pike. Rhein Haus is more for millenials (bocce ball, shuffleboard, etc.), but a fun time. In the U District, I’ve heard good things about Ravenna Brewing. I remember we went to a nice bar in Capitol Hill in the Oddfellows building, but I can’t remember the name now. (ETA: The Whisky Bar in Belltown is not bad, either, for folks who like their water of life)

    If folks are keen on something outside of the city, it comes down to what area folks want to gather in.

  136. 136.

    Dan B

    @sphouch: I believe one important consideration is quiet enough for conversation. Our last meetup had a private room and there wasn’t enough time to get to talk to everyone.

  137. 137.

    Mike J

    Ever want to race a sailboat? I’ll be (low key beer can) racing on the 4th and I can tell you “pull that line”.

    I’m always up for meetups too.

  141. 141.

    Wayne Marks

    @SiubhanDuinne: SUNY Oneonta. That was cold enough for me. Took summer classes one year and the summers are gorgeous up there. Also have a friend whose family had a camp on Lake Placid and an Aunt and Uncle, cousins who had a dairy farm in VT. Used to ski up there too occasionally with a friend whose family had a lodge near Okemo (one day we went, it was -40 degrees at the top of the mountain). Pro tip — don’t do that.

  142. 142.

    Dan B

    @sphouch: Doesn’t help Opiejean and Mr. O if they’re in SoCal…. kidding.

    I’ll look it up. I’m lactose intolerant so some restaurants are tough for me.

  143. 143.

    Inspectrix

    @SiubhanDuinne
    Regarding Boston area meetup… yes, please! I am relatively new here so I’m not part of the group who gathered for EFGoldman. I’d welcome a chance for a meetup when the time is right.

  144. 144.

    Dan B

    @sphouch: If the “folds” can be made without cheese there’s one I could eat. Are these guys from Wisconsin or Carnation?
    Note for non Seattle: Carnation, WA is near this restaurant / brewery. They’re the namesake of Carnation Milk.

  147. 147.

    opiejeanne

    @Dan B: Yes, the wineries. Especially the ones around Red Mountain.
    Not too many wineries near Palm Springs. Temecula has quite a few but the summer temperature is a little less harsh.

  148. 148.

    opiejeanne

    @Dan B: Uh, not exactly: Settled in 1865,[6] Carnation was officially incorporated on December 30, 1912, as Tolt. The name was changed to Carnation in 1917, back to Tolt on May 3, 1928, and finally back to Carnation again on October 29, 1951. The name Carnation was chosen to honor a nearby research farm operated by the Carnation Milk Products Company

  149. 149.

    cain

    well shit, y’all. I’ll be driving past Seattle on the 28th of April. If you made it a sunday then I could stop by on my drive back to Portland. Just a thought.

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