tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49311444590551445592024-02-21T17:16:33.721-08:00PugetopolisThinking about the Puget Sound region's dirty wordKnute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-75697490952743710752010-03-01T15:10:00.000-08:002010-03-01T15:26:26.261-08:00Joining the chorus of Literary Voices<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFdym0BMw9K8Fk7q2wIqdFm70cELDKu9GwMXDMNmTS4359B_gqc2nYg7dst7bvdxu62JOcXXlo28r1n0jdrrFUiVDQk7AMXsOiT-ShcJb9-dYaUsB1htdTYDtx3Vyrf2IlQaD9N6Sz1Q/s1600-h/timothy_egan.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 110px; height: 110px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFdym0BMw9K8Fk7q2wIqdFm70cELDKu9GwMXDMNmTS4359B_gqc2nYg7dst7bvdxu62JOcXXlo28r1n0jdrrFUiVDQk7AMXsOiT-ShcJb9-dYaUsB1htdTYDtx3Vyrf2IlQaD9N6Sz1Q/s200/timothy_egan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443810821346806066" /></a><br />I'm delighted to have been asked to participate in this year's Literary Voices fundraiser for the UW Libraries. The keynote speaker is author and <i>New York Times</i> columnist Tim Egan (who also wrote the intro for <i>Pugetopolis</i>). The event features a group of other Northwest writers dining with guests at "literary roundtables," including me, Paul Bannick, Nicolette Bromberg, Ellen Dissanayake, Curtis Ebbesmeyer, Karen Fisher, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Lesley Hazlelton, Jim Lynch, Heather McHugh, Doug Nufer, Art Thiel, Col Thrush, Sasha Su-Ling Welland, and David B. Williams. The date is: Saturday, April 24 at the UW Faculty Club (a fabulous NW mid-century gem). The time is: 6pm. And the donation is $100. Hope you can make it and support the UW, writers, and the importance of books. Plus, you'll hear a great talk from National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tim Egan, whose latest book, <i>The Big Burn, </i>is gripping and insightful, a disaster story with an important legacy and lessons for today. Hope to see you.<br /><br />For more info, check <a href="http://www.lib.washington.edu/support/literaryvoices.html">here</a>.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-12793552751154251062010-01-07T08:55:00.000-08:002010-01-07T08:56:36.576-08:00Will the book survive?And I'm not just talking about my book. Seattle is a good place to look at the dynamics of how the book business is changing (thanks, largely, to Amazon and Jeff Bezos), and the effects of technology, competition and the economy on book reading and retailing. In a recent interview with <i>Newsweek</i>, Bezos said he expected the ink-on-paper book to die out and hoped he would soon do all his reading on Kindle. I'm not against e-readers (in fact, <i>Pugetopolis</i> has been <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pugetopolis-Mossback-Addicts-Weather-ebook/dp/B001ULD0SC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2">Kindled</a>), but really? Do we want a bookless world? What are the differences between e-readers and the printed page? Some of my thoughts are laid out in <a href="http://crosscut.com/2010/01/06/mossback/19489/">this story</a> on Crosscut.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-76409636379050757632010-01-05T10:10:00.000-08:002010-01-05T10:46:32.425-08:00Turkey hunt is on for 2010!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-c3rWTl4LkqAUnjsjqafTqoYJT4aAgjqWZr2xiRdec4tuHdUcp2yz-16UUNOQ473DvhLvTAgHVpmzMU1Kb_8dybVfaa9nR2jbi5VVllQxBJpJ3w-40XBiH3AGIFx8p7MLWQsgpTYjm7k/s1600-h/St.Edward.Church_fit_300x300.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-c3rWTl4LkqAUnjsjqafTqoYJT4aAgjqWZr2xiRdec4tuHdUcp2yz-16UUNOQ473DvhLvTAgHVpmzMU1Kb_8dybVfaa9nR2jbi5VVllQxBJpJ3w-40XBiH3AGIFx8p7MLWQsgpTYjm7k/s200/St.Edward.Church_fit_300x300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423328660897588690" /></a><br /><div>When my book <i>Pugetopolis</i> was compiled, I was just getting into reporting on historic preservation. One of the final chapters in the book is about the battle over the Ballard Manning's/Denny's, a controversy that I broke on Crosscut that wound-up generating national headlines. The fight was about more than preserving a "Googie" diner from the mid-1960s; it was a debate over what is important about the past, present and future in a changing urban landscape. Throughout my work, I try to get at what kind of people we are here in the Pacific Northwest, what makes us different, what makes us tick.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our troubled relationship with our history and heritage is a great place to investigate our internal battles. Are we utopians for whom the future is all that matters, the people who built idealistic anarchist communes and Century 21 and who seek world-class status on Puget Sound? Or are we a people with a past, a young but rooted culture with traditions, baggage, customs and habits that have evolved uniquely in our specific place? Historic preservation is where these personalities sometimes clash over the fundamental questions of what we value.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the West, it's our tradition not to value our history much. We're a place of reinvention, of starting over, of keeping our eyes on tomorrow. But Seattle, at times, has been at the forefront too of historic preservation. The commonly cited examples are the Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. But the job of preservation in living landscapes is never done: Pioneer Square is challenged by economic and social problems, having once been a paragon of urban development but now being eclipsed by the buzz of "newer" redeveloped neighborhoods (South Lake Union, Pike-Pine, Columbia City). Some are suggesting that the Square needs a major makeover, including loosening restrictions on changes property owners can make to historic properties. Some owners also seem to practicing "demolition by neglect," a tactic of letting old buildings decline so they can be demolished as too far-gone to save.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of 2009, I decided to compile a "Heritage Turkey Awards" list to recognize some of the significant challenges, and forces, faced by historic preservationists. This is not a cheery list of success stories but a grim reminder that even when a building's historic significance is unquestioned, it can still be demolished, neglected, and vandalized. It also reveals that while the public process (both federal and state laws) recognize the importance and desirability of preserving historic properties, it is often government or public entities themselves that are responsible for some of the worst fiascos. School districts, ports, city councils, federal and state agencies. Trite to say, but the enemy is us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, it's not too early to begin compiling nominees for the 2010 Turkey Awards. I truly hope they will be harder to find next year. But the good news is that the list begins to get at the scope of the problem in the wider region. We are not alone in trying to be good stewards of the past.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the 2009 <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/12/29/mossback/19463/">Heritage Turkey Awards</a> list.</div><div><br /></div>Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-27784975982908752512009-11-12T16:12:00.001-08:002009-11-12T16:18:37.589-08:00U.S. approves Salish Sea name<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XgGpF4eW9bI4BpHACO5OR4_54FxWrlvEMvAzEUqAhFc4IIlCENOgGflodO0vqaMs-HoU3VWiy2QCEY5v-DNb71UvY2awjQHBYkeo1Q0xnpW1kRKSAsHV08S8u4W0Q6RLhgyxJ2qGEVM/s1600-h/salish_sea_fit_300x300.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3XgGpF4eW9bI4BpHACO5OR4_54FxWrlvEMvAzEUqAhFc4IIlCENOgGflodO0vqaMs-HoU3VWiy2QCEY5v-DNb71UvY2awjQHBYkeo1Q0xnpW1kRKSAsHV08S8u4W0Q6RLhgyxJ2qGEVM/s200/salish_sea_fit_300x300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403375926140887922" /></a><br />I've been covering this story for months. It's now a done deal: the inland salt waters of the Pacific Northwest from southern Puget Sound north to Desolation Sound are now called the Salish Sea. The U.S. government approved the name on Nov. 12, and the scoop is <a href="http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/19183/">here</a>. The move doesn't necessitate new maps because it changes no existing names (many people still don't understand this). It's an overlay term, like "the Great Lakes." Anyway, it's a big victory for scientists and ecologists who wanted recognition for the ecosystem, for native tribes who are honored by the name, and for tourism promoters looking for a catch-all trying to attract people to the Cascadian region.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-51497280263406909462009-11-02T09:47:00.000-08:002009-11-02T10:21:48.183-08:00Reading at Seward Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xMV_h1IdWt6yX1VbgJ1nZQS0hlopbP9RPgTNXEzw_bUzekrcH2txfrZFfbbQReOeKwlMzKvzDN_M1NVKQ-eziKmqxU5_8rq-d6-sYiUSLHbDIOsBJGGn2itEHUaNKg_3X1YUMxj_6LM/s1600-h/DSC00829-2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xMV_h1IdWt6yX1VbgJ1nZQS0hlopbP9RPgTNXEzw_bUzekrcH2txfrZFfbbQReOeKwlMzKvzDN_M1NVKQ-eziKmqxU5_8rq-d6-sYiUSLHbDIOsBJGGn2itEHUaNKg_3X1YUMxj_6LM/s320/DSC00829-2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399572569909629650" /></a><br />My last scheduled reading this fall is this week, on Thursday, Nov. 5. I'll be reading at the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4931144459055144559"> Seward Park Audubon Center</a> at 7pm.<div><br /></div><div>Seward Park pops up often in my columns and essays. I've been going there for more than half a century, and I frequently walks its trails. I plan a reading skewed to the park, and I also plan to read from a cycle of poems (not in the book) that have been inspired by experiences in the park. Yes, Mossback writes poetry sometimes, and Seward Park has been a frequent inspiration. (Note: the photo above is not Seward Park! It was taken on Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island.)</div><div><br /></div><div>If you haven't been to the nature center at the park, check it out. They completely refurbished the old cottage there (it used to be a restaurant and food concession) near the park entrance. They now teach nature classes, guide walks, have a library, and you can post wildlife sightings on a chalkboard outside. Seward Park played a huge role in the appreciation of nature in my life and I'm happy to support that for the next generations.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-13286451071974066552009-10-27T08:29:00.000-07:002009-10-27T08:59:56.149-07:00Seattle Bookfest, and trickling down in Eugene, OR<div>I had a busy weekend. I went down to Eugene, Oregon on Friday to participate in a Society of Professional Journalists conference at the University of Oregon on "The Future of Journalism." I was on a panel with other bloggers discussing the challenges of shifting from print to electronic journalism. We had a great audience, mostly journalists and j-students. It was actually helpful to hear how other people are dealing with the struggles of making a living doing what we love to do in a media arena that is wide-open, unformed, and has not revenue model that is sustainable for most people. (Photographic evidence I was at the conference can be found <a href="http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2009/10/26/i-was-supposed-to-go-to-jantzen-beach-today-to-mc-a-costume-contest-for-dogs">here</a>.)</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the points I made was that influence, money, audience: everything seems to some in trickles. There's no one way to fund a website, but if, like Crosscut.com, you derive some revenue from <a href="http://www.url.com">donors</a>, membership drives, advertising, grants, foundations, you might just be able to get enough from each stream to make a river. Same with readers: each link, each person drawn by a single story or a niche focus, adds to the whole. As a writer, you freelance for different outlets (in my case, Crosscut, Seattle Magazine, Washington Law & Politics) and hope that is adds up to a modest living. It's a very different mindset than working as a staffer for an established media outlet. </div><div><br /></div><div>I drove back on Sunday in time for a Pugetopolis reading to close the Seattle Bookfest on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 25). The Bookfest was great, held in an elementary school in Columbia City and in the classrooms there were tables for browsing books for area bookstores, authors and publishers. I attended a highly entertaining reading by Robert Ferrigno, the noir author who has written a trilogy about the Islamic take-over of America. In the first, short excerpt he read, there was one hand-job and three slayings. Not for the kiddies. But he shared some interesting insights about faith and fundamentalism, and also about his own writing methods.</div><div><br /></div><div>My reading at 5pm was standing room only and people were very responsive. Some old Mount Baker friends came and we went out for drinks afterwards at Lottie's. Columbia City restaurants and bars were hopping, even on a rainy Sunday eve. One thing I love about the district is that it embraces change but within the context of the past: the old buildings there have been preserved and give the whole commercial district great character. The places I remember as a kid (the old post office, the five-and-dime, the men's shop) have been adapted to new uses and they look like they're working beautifully.</div><div><br /></div><div>Congrats to the people who put on the Bookfest. I heard nothing but good things about it and appreciate the chance to read there.</div><div><br /></div>Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-69354629360381424812009-10-22T19:06:00.000-07:002009-10-22T19:34:44.873-07:00Tim Egan, Elliott Bay's crisis, Audubon talks and more<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJALsoXIg-vzfJj_x72MwJ6MnqEmwGXW1mgCNpN64gtxXx9bKga7-Ioe7cjjqk-x98Ks8UISGkZpq7S_wLyHGBE0zNVB4IDNibrim7u7Ymulq5jEAozDIWpXIv2SFh8568GRj7JAOJKk/s1600-h/Pugetopolis.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJALsoXIg-vzfJj_x72MwJ6MnqEmwGXW1mgCNpN64gtxXx9bKga7-Ioe7cjjqk-x98Ks8UISGkZpq7S_wLyHGBE0zNVB4IDNibrim7u7Ymulq5jEAozDIWpXIv2SFh8568GRj7JAOJKk/s320/Pugetopolis.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395618234797196562" /></a><br />A couple of things.<div><br /></div><div>First, I attended Tim Egan's Elliott Bay Book Co. reading for his new book, <i>The Big Burn</i>, which I finished last week and it's terrific, another saga of man-against-nature (wildfire) and the consequences of government action and inaction. It's a compelling short course on the creation of the conservation movement, tracking the careers of Teddy Roosevelt and the eccentric and passionate first head of the Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, all against the backdrop of one of the worst forest fires in American history. It all has resonance today, of course, as the forces of resource exploitation are still at work, and the courage of the people who created our National Parks and Forests is something we should never take for granted because the task of keeping them is never done. Tim, by the way, wrote the introduction to <i>Pugetopolis</i>. He's now off on a national book tour.</div><div><br /></div><div>And speaking of Elliott Bay, I've <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/10/18/mossback/19306/">written a piece for Crosscut</a> about the implications of their possible move from Pioneer Square to Capitol Hill, which is being motivated by financial difficulties. I think the move could be a real plus, perhaps rejuvenating their business model, though it would also be tough on the Square. But most of all, I do not want to see Elliott Bay go down. It's a tremendous institution and nationally respected and a fine damn bookstore.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second, I had a great time in Tacoma this morning, rising in the wee hours to catch the Sounder train at 6:10. I was the keynote speaker for the Tahoma Audubon Society's annual early-bird fundraiser breakfast. There were some 300 people there and they were amazingly awake. I reminded them that that great Tacoma writer Murray Morgan once described waking up on a damp, Tacoma morning as feeling like you were inside an oyster! Anyway, the Tahoma Audubon Society is doing great things in Tacoma and Pierce County, the speech went great and I sold out of books (they ordered 50 and we took orders for 10 more). All proceeds to the Society. Anyway, my thanks to the Tacoma greens who got out of their shells and gave Mossback such as warm and friendly reception. </div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of Audubon, I will be reading at the Seward Park Audubon Center on Thursday, Nov. 5th at 7pm</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, this Saturday (Oct. 24) I'll be on an SPJ Panel at the Communications School at the University of Oregon in Eugene, sharing time with Josh Feit of Publicola and others discussing making the transition from print to online journalism. </div>Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-78997010621648862062009-10-05T14:59:00.000-07:002009-10-05T15:01:14.019-07:00Reading at Columbia City's Seattle Bookfest<div>The old Northwest Book Festival is being revived in Columbia City, which has to be one of the great ideas of the year, not only for Seattle book-lovers, but for the neighborhood. One of the chief organizers of <a href="http://www.seattlebookfest.com/index.php">Seattle Bookfest 2009</a> is Paul Doyle of the Columbia City Cinema. It's a volunteer effort. The festival will be held the weekend of October 24-25 at the Columbia City Event Center, a short walk from the new light rail line.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be appearing, along with some <a href="http://www.seattlebookfest.com/authors.php">100 other authors and speakers</a>. I'm slated to read from 5pm-6pm on Sunday, Oct. 25th. My publisher Sasquatch will also have a booth at the fest. </div><div><br /></div><div>For me, the event us doubly exciting because I grew up not far from Columbia City. It is part of my old stomping grounds. The wonderful old library there was my first public library and I still can smell the oak and dust. It is also forever part of my internal landscape and remains the archetype of "neighborhood library." (It's been restored and expanded, but retains much of its character.) </div><div><br /></div><div>I plan to share some work related to growing up in the Rainier Valley. I hope you can make it Oct. 25th. Admission to the event is a $5 donation.</div>Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-85144496602853841992009-09-24T03:44:00.000-07:002009-09-24T04:06:46.489-07:00Fall Readings and Events for "Pugetopolis" and Beyond<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqRr5Zn5xPX4Q-UsvBJUAqocifLROeXhMnY-JZiF2MB78ebw6wXe_Fqyj55Y82eHYV1TmHGELMxe_wKvBCJW1Q2mvrt4Jm6U0DBY3WIA6c7RdjJj0g7y4tv3gz79i8mjpsff_x_AFKFc/s1600-h/Pugetopolis.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqRr5Zn5xPX4Q-UsvBJUAqocifLROeXhMnY-JZiF2MB78ebw6wXe_Fqyj55Y82eHYV1TmHGELMxe_wKvBCJW1Q2mvrt4Jm6U0DBY3WIA6c7RdjJj0g7y4tv3gz79i8mjpsff_x_AFKFc/s320/Pugetopolis.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384988565876806210" /></a><br />I have a number of Fall readings and events coming up for my book "Pugetopolis," and also some panels on the topic of changes in journalism. Here's a quick run down.<div><br /></div><div>For "Pugetopolis":</div><div>I'll be talking about my book at the "Hospitality Mixer" at The Rainier Club in Seattle on Tuesday, Oct. 6, which mixes, among other things, my book and drinking, always a good thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be speaking at the Tahoma Audubon Society fundraising breakfast in Tacoma, at 7:30 am (!) on Thursday, Oct. 22.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be giving a book reading in my natural habitat as part of the Northwest Authors Series at the Seward Park Audubon Center in Seattle on Thursday, Nov. 5. A number of essays in "Pugetopolis" are based on events at Seward Park, which I have been exploring since I was a tot. For those of you who haven't been able to make a Seattle reading, this is a great chance in a wonderful setting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Journalism events:</div><div>It seems like this fall is full of media navel gazing, and I'm gazing along with everyone else. I've been asked to share my perspective on being an independent journalist and blogger on a variety of panels, including:</div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://www.barrymitzman.com/the_future_of_news/">"Future of News Conference"</a> at Seattle University, Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9am. I'll be on a panel with Michael Parks of Marple's and Art Thiel, formerly of the <i>Seattle Post-Intelligencer</i>, discussing "Building Your Brand as an Independent Journalist." The all-day conference features an all-Star cast of Northwest journalists. Admission is $50; $15 for students and the unemployed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Panelist on "Life after print" at the SPJ journalism conference, Saturday, Oct. 24 in Eugene, OR.</div><div><br /></div><div>Panelist on blogging for the Public Relations Society of America's non-profit seminar on Thursday, Nov. 5 at the Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center at Noon.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you can make it to one or more of these events.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-size:13px;"><ul style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.25em; padding-left: 15px; text-indent: -15px; line-height: 1.5em; "><br /></li></ul></span></div></div>Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-57844343309844403652009-08-22T06:27:00.000-07:002009-08-22T09:51:08.929-07:00Pugetopolis' first year in the big leagues<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsQgzTASi1avmLheGkDZfqxTcL4aqJtVU1S8VOTEuwWX0iYBPTD3GGimUG3oW0EwELbkhwVhI96LodpBr-QZpVmQKeTUhrNsdoKsItwA3c0GNc3rFZUON13iSxOGtiMee79zp3ivdjgE/s1600-h/sc00070f0b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsQgzTASi1avmLheGkDZfqxTcL4aqJtVU1S8VOTEuwWX0iYBPTD3GGimUG3oW0EwELbkhwVhI96LodpBr-QZpVmQKeTUhrNsdoKsItwA3c0GNc3rFZUON13iSxOGtiMee79zp3ivdjgE/s320/sc00070f0b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372787424120840514" /></a><br /><div>This summer I've been working on a project for the Museum of History and Industry taking a look at Seattle's modern history, that is the events and trends of the past 30-40 years. One of the themes that keeps coming up is Seattle's yearning to be a "big league" city, a phrase used before "world class" city came into vogue during the '90s and '00s.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our big league status has been in flux of late: We lost our NBA franchise, the Seattle Supersonics, to Oklahoma City, but we gained a major soccer team with the popular Sounders. Turns out that part of major-leagueness is flux: Look at cities like New York and Los Angeles and you see that teams come and go. There's nothing permanent in the changing world of sports, where careers can be over in an instant, where teams can appear and vanish within a heartbeat.</div><div><br /></div><div>An example of the latter is the Seattle Pilots, our one-year wonders and first major league baseball franchise that played here in 1969, only to go belly up and find themselves reincarnated at the Milwaukee Brewers. I <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/08/20/sports/19178/">wrote about this</a> for Crosscut this week because on August 29, there will be a Pilots reunion of sorts in Bellevue, Seattle and at Safeco Field. Those of us who are old enough have been remembering Woodstock and the moon landing this summer, but for me, the big event was the coming of the Pilots. My dad and I went to the opening game against the Chicago White Sox at Sick's Stadium and it was a big deal for father-son relations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pilots (and former Yankees) pitcher Jim Bouton wrote a classic baseball memoir about his year with the team, and in it he captured some of the difficulties a sports franchise in Seattle would have, one being that it is so beautiful and so ideal as a jumping off place for outdoor activities, that sports might have a hard time getting a grip here. In his book, <i>Ball Four,</i> he describes how Seattle's natural setting could be both a distraction and a consolation to Pilots players.</div><div><br /></div><div>"That's the great thing about our ballpark," he writes of Sick's Stadium. "When a home run hit off of you disappears over the fence your eye catches a glimpse of the majesty of Mt. Rainier and some of that bad feeling goes away," he says of dealing with the pressures of baseball. In Seattle, nature itself is Big League, and it's tough for anything to compete with it.</div><div><br /></div>Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-2215604731877817582009-08-15T14:26:00.001-07:002009-08-15T14:46:12.056-07:00Summer Pugetopolis update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwz3Svz6i1EQts2hzvQk4d4fl_WM-R8RJfzuMdabfgmjO_M7N8gC3P92rlyrIlBU71IIgl4JK04I_89_Ea7F4esVVlQb_wbfUKrXZNtjJJ3gJGq6Ymere6rS2U2E8bDho47HdNTNsObNw/s1600-h/Pugetopolis.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwz3Svz6i1EQts2hzvQk4d4fl_WM-R8RJfzuMdabfgmjO_M7N8gC3P92rlyrIlBU71IIgl4JK04I_89_Ea7F4esVVlQb_wbfUKrXZNtjJJ3gJGq6Ymere6rS2U2E8bDho47HdNTNsObNw/s320/Pugetopolis.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370309402402797554" /></a><br />Not much to report on the book front. I've taken the summer off from readings and events, but the fall calendar is starting to fill in a bit. A couple of things of note:<br /><br />I'll be part of the Northwest Authors Lecture Series at the Seward Park Audubon Center in November, which will include a reception, reading, discussion and signing. As readers know, Seward Park has been a hang out of mine since I was a toddler and experiences there form the basis of a few chapters in the book. I'm thrilled to be part of the program.<br /><br />In October, I'll be appearing at the Rainier Club's "Hospitality Hour" to talk about Pugetopolis and wander the halls of a club that my grandfather belonged to. It's been all downhill since.<br /><br />There's also some talk of an appearance at my alma mater, The Evergreen State College, in the fall. No date set yet.<br /><br />I have done a few pretty cool things this summer. I served on the citizen's panel for AIA Seattle's Future Shack awards, selecting projects that represent the best ideas and practices Washington architecture. The results will be published in the <i>Seattle Times</i> in September. You can see my story about the process <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/07/14/mossback/19106/">here</a>.<br /><br />I also had a chance to speak to the Museum of History and Industry's Summer Teacher's Institute, where I did a presentation called "Googie, globes and atomic power," a look at what can be learned about local history from three, modern architecture preservation projects. It was an honor to get to talk to teachers and share what I've learned from reporting on the Ballard Denny's, the P-I Globe and the UW's Nuclear Reactor Building.<br /><br />Another project: Getting on Facebook. I've been warned that it's "the world's biggest time suck," but if you want to find me there, I am ready to receive friends.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-53422828773923658042009-06-28T17:09:00.001-07:002009-06-28T17:23:03.424-07:00Books are trumping the tube<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXJ6nPXLTzXaa88HykfDsjuqENq6xLYMW7N9qIQFY9yvfsdDZTgHN1czDULr-a6p_X2WlUdtF2fGTJP1-SJ7ntRR-alw_4MdkNN8BtHVuSlnDKJnYtN_ZuXeYM8gHpFrXzncUnJMR454/s1600-h/Large_Glass_Fishing_Float_with_Net_1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXJ6nPXLTzXaa88HykfDsjuqENq6xLYMW7N9qIQFY9yvfsdDZTgHN1czDULr-a6p_X2WlUdtF2fGTJP1-SJ7ntRR-alw_4MdkNN8BtHVuSlnDKJnYtN_ZuXeYM8gHpFrXzncUnJMR454/s320/Large_Glass_Fishing_Float_with_Net_1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352538226083345122" /></a><br />I've been writing on Crosscut about my decision to not go digital and allow my broadcast TV to fade to black. I'm watching more DVDs, but less TV. If you want to read up on my decision and updates, you can find posts <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/06/09/mossback/19049/">here</a>, <a href="http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/18982/">here</a> and <a href="http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/18995/">here</a>.<br /><br />Less tube-time has also been good for my summer reading, and I thought I share some thoughts about a couple of books I've read recently.<br /><br />The first is not yet published, but I had a chance to look over the uncorrected galleys of a book slated to come out this fall from my "Pugetopolis" publisher, Sasquatch Books. It's called "The Collector," by Spokane author Jack Nisbet, and it's a stirring account of the naturalist David Douglas's expeditions to the Pacific Northwest in the early 19th century. <br /><br />Douglas, whose name is attached to our region's iconic Douglas fir, was in the enviable position of being one of the first men of science to get to roam and explore the region at will. He was a horticulturalist sent to find plants that would delight English gardeners, but his discoveries and contributions to science did so much more than that. A pleasant, energetic Scottish bachelor, he kept extensive journals from which Nisbet has been able to reconstruct his journeys. Keep your eyes peeled for this book if you have any interest in seeing the Pacific Northwest as it was, with its bison herds, grizzly bears and giant condors. The only meaningful density issues back then: thick forest and rivers choked with giant salmon.<br /><br />I also greatly enjoyed Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Eric Scigliano's "Flotsametrics and the Floating World," which I reviewed on Crosscut as the ultimate in <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/06/03/mossback/19025/">beach reading</a> this summer. Ebbesmeyer is a Seattle oceanographer who has made important discoveries by become the world foremost authority on flotsam and jetsam by studying how sea-borne junk moves around the planet. If you are interested in weirdness, like why do Nike sneakers float and what to make of those tennis shoes with feet in them that have been washing up in our region, this book has the answers. One piece of good news: you still have decades to look for those classic, old Japanese fishing floats because Ebbesmeyer's computer model predicts they'll continue to wash up for years to come.<br /><br />A footnote: Ebbesmeyer sings the praises of legendary Northwest beachcomber Amos Wood who was the father of Japanese fishing float collectors and whose works have proved invaluable to those studying flotsam, jetsam and ocean currents. Back in the 1980s, Wood gave me a magnificent large float that he'd found, much like the one pictured here. When I edited Washington's Almanac years ago, I used the float as a crystal ball to make predictions with. It still sits in my study as I write. Thanks to Ebbesmeyer, I have a better sense of the journey it took to fall into Wood's hands.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-34227508020925365802009-06-16T19:59:00.000-07:002009-06-16T20:11:54.236-07:00KUOW listeners weigh in: More like 6,000 things you can't say about SeattleMy recent story, <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/06/11/mossback/19017/">"Six things you cannot say Seattle"</a> generated a lot of response, evidence of the story's Twitterability and that it seems to have struck a chord. Seattle's famously mushy discourse has resulted in a build-up of verboten opinion. The culture of consensus is discomfited by disagreement.<br /><br />My list was short; I gave six examples, which isn't to say these are the <i>only</i> things that are no-nos. Not by a long shot. The best part of the feedback is that almost everyone had something to add to the list. You can see some of the debate in the comments thread following the original piece, but the discussion continued in a number of forums.<br /><br />We devoted a lot of time to it on KUOW's "Weekday" journalists' <a href="http://kuow.org/program.php?id=17746">roundtable discussion</a> (June 12). Instead of discussing healthcare reform, we got swept away as listeners called-in and emailed their own additions to "six things." If you want to know what Steve Scher, Art Thiel, Eli Sanders, and David Horsey have to say, listen in. "Weekday" producer Katy Sewall also kindly collected some listener suggestions and passed them along, noting that some seemed rather confessional. So, according to Seattle public radio listeners, you cannot say:<br /><br />Kurt Cobain had nothing to do with Courtney Love's success<br /><br />Tim Eyman is awesome! (that would cause a public lynching!!)<br /><br />If the salmon can't fend for themselves that's their own problem<br /><br />I like clearcuts<br /><br />I drink Folgers<br /><br />I prefer wine from a box<br /><br />Why do I have to learn Spanish?<br /><br />Composting is GROSS<br /><br />I don't like salmon<br /><br />I missed two episodes of Jon Stewart<br /><br />WaRshington<br /><br />"Ballard hipster" is just a variation of "Bellevue yuppie"<br /><br />I eat at McDonald's<br /><br />I don’t like KUOW<br /><br />Density is good<br /><br />Soccer is BORING<br /><br />I don't buy organic<br /><br />I like Budweiser<br /><br />I don't own Fleece<br /><br />I don't like coffee<br /><br />I'm from Tacoma<br /><br />Whole Foods is a waste of money<br /><br />A public hearing will just bog down the project<br /><br />Anything remotely critical about KEXP<br /><br />Yeah it's in Seattle, 2 bedroom and nice lot...and I paid less than $250,000<br /><br />I was born in Bellevue<br /><br />The Space Needle is tacky!<br /><br />Lake Union isn't really a lake, it's a lagoon<br /><br />J.P. Patches is a tired old clown<br /><br />The Puyallup Fair is better than Bumbershoot<br /><br />Put your dog on a leash<br /><br />Baseball is boring<br /><br />I’m on dial-up<br /><br />For more response, including from Portlanders, see the <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/06/16/mossback/19063/">longer version</a> of this story at Crosscut.comKnute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-31857174182915796702009-06-12T19:29:00.000-07:002009-06-12T19:43:53.631-07:00Six things you cannot say in Seattle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOzUydXlaU9va0i2rntXfHbOdYD1ALI4PJBs-X1UxHDWHaKRGEorLE376Ku4GszEv88nHmnV7GPkRpuhQWJXvA1M19MeE4XHo3t6P1q7QQot8bGsx5SJvgURI2KbxMsOZxW4LDnqXCTQ/s1600-h/BN19482_15-FB~Pike-Place-Market-Neon-Sign-Seattle-Washington-USA-Posters.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOzUydXlaU9va0i2rntXfHbOdYD1ALI4PJBs-X1UxHDWHaKRGEorLE376Ku4GszEv88nHmnV7GPkRpuhQWJXvA1M19MeE4XHo3t6P1q7QQot8bGsx5SJvgURI2KbxMsOZxW4LDnqXCTQ/s400/BN19482_15-FB~Pike-Place-Market-Neon-Sign-Seattle-Washington-USA-Posters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346637007984914114" /></a><br />Today on KUOW's "Weekday," <a href="http://kuow.org/program.php?id=17746">we talked about my story</a>, "Six things you cannot say in Seattle," which has been getting tons of hits and response on Crosscut. The calls and emails flooded in to the show, and Steve Scher, Art Thiel, Dave Horsey, Eli Sanders and I had fun talking about the city's taboos. I plan to do a follow-up piece based on listener or reader response. Clearly, the piece struck a nerve. Some of these topics are tackled in a different way in my book "Pugetopolis," like the whole "Seattle nice" myth, but there is clearly much more. Below, I am running the piece so you can read it here:<br /><br /><b>Newcomers to Seattle quickly find that we’re a cultural minefield</b> of prejudice and political correctness that can blow up in your face if you misstep. So here’s a list of conversation stoppers — things you just can’t say in polite company. Clip and save this column; it may save you from social banishment or worse.<br /><br />1. “Recycling is a hassle.” Oops. You mustn’t complain about sorting cantaloupe rinds from Kleenex. Anyone who yearns for the good old days when garbage was garbage is rooting for planetary death. Seattle is a city of dedicated recyclers — it’s one of the things that makes us morally superior to everyone else. Sort your trash into 50 different containers and do it with a smile, otherwise you’re as suspect as an SUV owner.<br /><br />2. “Bellevue’s pretty cool.” People in Seattle might sneak over to Bellevue Square for shopping once in awhile, but you’d never tell anyone. And despite Bellevue’s attempt to become a dense, gay-friendly, smart-growth city, Seattle will never see it as anything but an example of trashy, car-loving sprawl that is causing, yes, planetary death. The Eastside is Orange County with rain, and Bellevue is Anaheim without Disneyland. For true Seattleites, it does not exist save as a dark, eternal “other” (with a great mall).<br /><br />3. “Would you like to come over for dinner?” I’ve previously written about the “Myth of Seattle Nice.” We’re friendly, but not so friendly as to actually want to get to know each other very much. Recently, a newcomer told me that his new Seattle friends dumped him when he became too “needy” after the death of his partner. Another said that when he moved out here he invited his new neighbors to a get-to-know-you barbecue. Only one person showed up. (I’m surprised anyone came.) We have a word to describe people who invite strangers over: “stalker.” Blame it on our Scandia-Asian roots or the fact that Ted Bundy or D.B. Cooper might be next door, but being too friendly could result in a restraining order.<br /><br />4. “I like driving better than biking.” What is it with you and planetary death? First, people here consider cars a necessary evil at best. You don’t wash it, trick it out, or show it off. No gals in bikinis lolling on the hood. Cars are colorless (gray, silver, light blue) and practical (’84 Volvo wagon). Even better, you drive your car as little as possible and when you do drive, don’t have fun. Second, cycling is good for you. Your weight loss will take a load off of Mother Earth. If you have a coronary riding up a hill, be reassured that Seattle is the “Best Place to Have a Heart Attack,” according to the <i>Journal of the American Medical Association.</i> This is the town where the bike anarchists beat up a guy who tried to get out of his parking space. So bike it and like it, see?<br /><br />5. “Your dog just shit on my shoe.” Look, in Seattle, pets are people, too, even Labradoodles. Dogs at the store, in the bar, under the seat, in the next cubicle: You have no right to complain because that would mean you’re being cruel to animals— and possibly even demeaning someone’s disability, if a pet owner has deemed Fido a service dog. Hair, dander, allergies, drool, snarling, defecating: That’s no different than what you experience from people on Metro every day. So be mindful that the pooch under your seat could be a lawsuit just waiting for you to open your mouth.<br /><br />6. “I’m a Republican.” There is no surer ticket to the Mental Hospital for the Criminally Insane than to make this declaration in Seattle today. Republicans haven’t been a factor here in 40 years. Most people in Seattle have never met a Republican, let alone voted for one. To admit to being a Republican is to declare war on the sensibilities of the recycling, biking, companion-pet-owning, suburban-hating loners you live among. If you are not involuntarily committed, you will be advised to move to Bellevue, where you can speed the way toward planetary death with your own kind.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-41099592297173105672009-05-30T09:30:00.000-07:002009-05-30T09:36:19.522-07:00Snohomish and the alternative history of Pugetopolis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZJ3dIn6Mc_YJ8VS-iZujSfEweJSbMG9rrzKgjca4_0g3H8Ouy9Zqaeg42Oq57J-Ve1VXpdNrLsvW4v72z0DwJc9kmos2ji26JF6L9_17BcayavIgjdPMESP8upESAWIIBuRG53PKhhg/s1600-h/200905-place6053.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZJ3dIn6Mc_YJ8VS-iZujSfEweJSbMG9rrzKgjca4_0g3H8Ouy9Zqaeg42Oq57J-Ve1VXpdNrLsvW4v72z0DwJc9kmos2ji26JF6L9_17BcayavIgjdPMESP8upESAWIIBuRG53PKhhg/s320/200905-place6053.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341656647217791602" /></a><br />I just returned from a two-day conference in Snohomish where I met many kindred spirits when it comes to historic preservation. The event was the Historic Preservation and Cultural Tourism Symposium, a first-time event hosted in honor of the city of Snohomish's 150th birthday. I was a speaker and moderator of the event.<br /><br />Snohomish is a gem of a town when it comes to preservation, with lovely restored homes and a downtown main street that looks in many ways remarkably the same as it did in the late 19th century. Like Seattle, much of the original commercial strip burned in the 1800s and most of the wooden store fronts were replaced by brick structures (though not all, a few originals remain). It's a bit like Port Townsend, but on a smaller scale, and even on a weekday, the downtown bustles. It's a place that's lived in. One sound the provides background "music" when you walk along through the commercial district: the constant rumble and grumble of the operating mill across the river. Snohomish was founded to make timber fortunes, and hasn't entirely turned into a museum yet.<br /><br />One of the speakers at the conference was David Dilgard, a history specialist who works for the Everett Public Library. He spent part of an evening telling stories about the history of Snohomish County, from Native American animal tales to the shenanigans of early settlers who seem to have scammed Snohomish into existence. They fooled the the government into thinking that a road to town was passable by wagons. The military was looking for a way to move troops and supplies north in case of war with Britain (the Pig War). The road through Snohomish was was not yet passable, but local boosters made it seem better than it was bringing a wagon up the river by steamboat and parking it in town so inspectors would think the road was fully operational. A con job, or salesmanship?<br /><br />Dilgard said Snohomish was really a speculative dream of a powerful clique of pioneers from Steilacoom, an early power on Puget Sound and in the Washington Territory. One reason for growth was it was thought that the military road would be good for business, so the site was an early example of the influence of the defense industry on the territory's growth patterns (military and defense spending continues to be huge in the region, a cornerstone of Puget Sound prosperity and jobs). Snohomish didn't boom from defense, however. The road became unnecessary when cooler heads prevailed and it was decided not to go to war with Britain over the death of a single swine.<br /><br />One thing Dilgard's anecdotes reminded me of, however, was that there was nothing particularly inevitable about the ascendency of certain cities on Puget Sound. As I write in <i>Pugetopolis</i>, there was a tremendous amount of competition in the early days to determine which cities would dominate in the region. It is entirely possible that instead of Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Olympia, for example, being regional power centers, an alternative history might have seen Snohomish, Mukilteo and Steilacoom as the dominant regional cities.<br /><br />I plan to write more on some newsworthy things I learned at the conference at Crosscut.comKnute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-84856342398476933462009-05-21T12:02:00.000-07:002009-05-21T12:19:57.715-07:00Fighting "civic dementia" in Seattle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOp4z-RZkrbKsIhzTX9rQg-cVY-Jb06baDllcssglIshIFJLGiZbWfmHUoE7y2PUOdBa2Zyuuw6oyCOqO4-hWJ2Mleumv10EWdZsR7C7aXTRHNIief_oaX3c4lrMsyIIdwSbiibaXdAw/s1600-h/Seattle_-_Arctic_Building_-_walrus_02.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOp4z-RZkrbKsIhzTX9rQg-cVY-Jb06baDllcssglIshIFJLGiZbWfmHUoE7y2PUOdBa2Zyuuw6oyCOqO4-hWJ2Mleumv10EWdZsR7C7aXTRHNIief_oaX3c4lrMsyIIdwSbiibaXdAw/s320/Seattle_-_Arctic_Building_-_walrus_02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338358872490568322" /></a><br /><i>I gave the following speech as the keynote of Historic Seattle's 35th Anniversary and Awards Ceremony held at the Arctic Club Hotel in Seattle, May 20, 2009. This is a slightly edited version without a few off-the-cuff remarks. The evening honored Historic Seattle, the non-profit, public development authority established to save and find new uses for historic structures in Seattle.</i><br /><br /><br />It's great to be here with you this evening under the stained glass of the Arctic Club Hotel. This historic building looms large in my mind because of its walrus "gargoyles," the faces that line the outside of the building and look like Mike Holmgren. <br /><br />These made a great impression on me as a child, and I think they made an impression on my father. He was born and raised in Seattle too, the second of four Knutes. As a young boy, his family lived on the east slope of Queen Anne Hill above Lake Union, in a bungalow on the edge of the woods right near where Aurora is now. My grandfather, bestafar, was a tough Norwegian, and did what most Scandinavians do. At bedtime, he read stories to my dad...stories that scared the living daylights out of him. <br /><br />Yes, my father's lullabies were terrifying tales of trolls and witches and monsters of the dark forest, a most Lutheran preparation for life. As a result, my father was reluctant to walk through the woods to school at the top of the hill having become convinced that a giant walrus lay waiting for him. Nothing his parents could do would shake him of this belief. I am sure this idea must have been put in his head by the walrus totems decorating this building, as walruses are not native to this area. My ability to be here is testament that a bloodline can overcome its fears of rampaging forest walruses, with the passage of time.<br /><br />The subject of time brings me to what I want to talk about, which is the battle we fight against "civic dementia."<br /><br />That's not an easy fight in Seattle. "Civic dementia" is everywhere. We're losing our historic brain cells one bungalow at a time. How can this be happening in a city that became a national model for proving the economic vitality and value of saving historic neighborhoods, a town that rescued Pioneer Square from decay and the Pike Place Market from being converted into a parking lot?<br /><br />It's because Seattle is a city that is actively engaged in forgetting who it is. We may dream of being a big city, a green city, a world-class city. But we are still a city of the far West, a frontier city. As such we're restless, utopian, future-focussed, money-crazed, and our town is filled with newcomers and short-timers. We attract many people who believe Seattle is the place you come to to escape the past.<br /><br />Historian and novelist Wallace Stegner once wrote that the hallmark of the West was its transience. He wrote that the West invented ghost towns, dust bowls, and motels. Our obsession with the new and with change is, ironically part of our past, and part of our discontent. You build something in the West, then you move on. Psychically, we're not the Arctic Club Hotel. We're a motel on Aurora, a city of one-night stands.<br /><br />Just look at our shifting identities. Seattle's founders dubbed us New York Alki and our first real tourist attraction was, appropriately, Madame Damnable's, a brothel. We soon became the Gateway to Alaska. Just in my half-century of life we've been the Queen City, the Jet City, the Portal to the Pacific Rim, the launch pad for Century 21's Space Age, the capital of Pugetopolis, the Emerald City, and the Silicon Forest. Tacoma claims to be the City of Destiny but Seattle is Sybil, the city of multiple personality disorder. <br /><br />This is what makes the work Historic Seattle does--and the accomplishments of tonight's award winners--all the more significant. Because while you and I cherish Seattle's up-and-down, back-and-forth history, while we relish finding a new use for an old house or church or school, many of Seattle's citizens view historic preservation as holding us back, as an exercise in nostalgia, as something only old people and rich people care about.<br /><br />They have a point.<br /><br />Historically, preservationists have often been biased toward saving the homes of the wealthy or large public monuments. They've shown a tendency to reward architectural virtuosity, anything with spires, cupolas or gingerbread. The rap against preservationists is that they don't like change and want to turn back the clock. And we all know a few moss-covered souls like that. Although, the amusing thing is that the critics of preservation are also often people who tout things like streetcars, small neighborhood shops, walking, cycling to work. This fall I saw two downtown Seattle policemen on horseback wearing capes. Giant wooden nutcrackers stood outside downtown shops, like cigar store Indians of old. Now, just who is turning back the clock?<br /><br />Many citizens are happy to allow historic preservationists their snobbery--to allow granny and grand dad their bottle of sherry now and again. Let them save a few mansions if they must, but the rest of the city is ripe for erasing. Keep the bar high on historic landmarks, keep the bar low for developers who are eager to swing the wrecking ball, in the name of progress.<br /><br />Seattle is filled with people who act as if we were a blank slate.<br /><br />And it's not just developers. It's those of us worship nature too. A professor I know said the reason so many Seattleites don't go to church--we are among the least religious, least churched people in America--is that we have never been able to build a sanctuary that comes close to matching the awesome magnetism of Mt. Rainier. <br /><br />By that measure, our built environment will always seem second rate. We'll rally to save a forest before organizing to create a new historic district.<br /><br />My current interest in historic preservation was sparked when I wrote about the impending demolition of the Ballard Manning's/Denny's restaurant a couple of years ago. The argument was over whether this 1964 roadside diner was significant enough to save. Most experts and the city's landmarks board thought that it was. <br /><br />But many people thought the whole idea was preposterous because it was a Denny's, not a grand hotel or theater. When built, it was called the Taj Mahal of Ballard, which says more about Ballard than the building. It was touted as a unique example of "Googie" architecture. One architect dubbed its style as "Scandagoogienesian." The press coverage was extensive. Channel 9 called it the battle as "Googie versus Goliath."<br /><br />What really struck me, though, was the hostility the effort to landmark the diner engendered. I was told by people that Seattle "has no history." Another wrote "There is NOTHING worth saving--blow it up." But you can't really blame these people: we are the city that built the monumental Kingdome at public expense, then blew it up before we'd even finished paying for it. That sent a message: Seattle is disposable.<br /><br />The problem with viewing the city as a blank slate is that it is not. We call this landscape "Metronatural" but it has been extensively altered to suit our needs. We washed away hillsides, changed river courses, built canals, pushed the sea back. The last 150 years of extensive development and settlement has created not only manmade landmarks, but a living fabric that has bound us to this place. The natural and built environments are inseparable really. Together they help form civic memory, embodied values, our very sense of reality. And it's literally how we find our way around. Who here has not given a direction like, "Go down the the Pink Elephant sign and turn right?" We all know you never ask a native Seattleite how to get somewhere by naming the streets.<br /><br />So, how do we combat civic dementia? There are several things that can help.<br /><br />One is that preservation now means more than mansions. It includes Sears catalog homes, Denny's diners, old nuclear reactors, the P-I Globe, even a bulletin board in Chinatown. The preservation movement needs to continue to broaden its definitions and find creative ways to pursue and encourage the shaping of the city without reliance on simply saving major landmarks. Preservation is a key component of livability and should be part of every- day policy debate.<br /><br />Preservation also needs to have fun. I think back to seafood entrepreneur and folksinger Ivar Haglund stepping in to save the Smith Tower and fly a victory [salmon] windsock over it. I can't help but think if Ivar were with us today he might have saved the Wawona in its final hours or turn the Kalakala into a floating Acres of Clams. Ivar operated with humor and hustle and a brilliant PR sense for the absurd. Scandinavia tends to produce people who take things a bit too seriously, but Ivar managed to make Seattle laugh even when doing something important. We could learn from that.<br /><br />We need to educate the public that preservation is more than architecture, more than "the Doc Maynard slept here...or lay drunk here." We need to save the nuts and bolts of the city. I think of the row of wonderful brick retail and apartment buildings along Broadway that were demolished last year by Sound Transit. They weren't landmarks, but they were beautiful, affordable, and well-built. Much of what needs to be saved isn't special by itself, but it has earned a right to stay with us, and the civic cost of wrecking and replacing is often too high. I'll bet you that whatever replaces that Broadway stretch will be less well built and more expensive too.<br /> <br />We need to spread the word about recycling. Seattleites love to recycle but that ethic disappears during building booms. Much of the growth is done in the name of the environment: We're putting up green towers downtown to increase walkability and density. But the carbon footprint of new construction is huge. As they say, the greenest building is one that is already built. Historic Seattle and its supporters know this and live by this ethic, but most people still believe that new is greener or greenest.<br /><br />We also need to stand up to free market arguments by recognizing that the dynamics that drive development are not free. They are the products of specific tax and land-use policies. They are the outgrowth of federal and state decisions, incentives, and mandates. As we're learning in these post-boom times, markets are made and unmade by people, and not always good people. It is no more interference to pass laws to protect our built environment than it is natural to allow it to be bulldozed.<br /><br />A city that knows its history is a city that knows where it is and who it is. Change, we know, is inevitable, but Historic Seattle and historic preservation helps us answer questions about what kinds of change are desirable. It embraces and invites change as it tries to shape a city of rich cultural layers. It teaches us the love of place, it helps newcomers learn the lay of the land and put down roots.<br /><br />During the Ballard Denny's controversy, one of the people arguing to demolish the diner told me he had just come back from Europe, from Prague, and that there was a city with real historic buildings worth saving, they were hundreds of years old. <br /><br />Of course, I helpfully explained that the reason he could gush over 300 year-old buildings is because when they were as old as the Ballard Denny's, no one tore them down.<br /><br />If Seattle doesn't do something to halt the process of civic dementia, it will never be like Prague or London or Boston or San Francisco or any other city that resonates with the contributions and legacies of those who came before.<br /><br />That's why what you here do, is so important.<br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br /><i>Award winners this year included The Northwest African American Museum, the Wing Luke Asian Museum, the Arctic Club Hotel, Top Pot Doughnuts, the Magnolia library renovation, the Seattle Church of Christ (for the Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist), and the new book "Seattle Architecture, a Walking Guide to Downtown."</i>Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-76658578043412217852009-05-14T17:30:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:36:53.446-07:00Mossback and Mayor Greg Nickels, together at last<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2_2ZoKHGXp6Bh3SrD7GFKtBstYuDwo4Pdz-1gcGKbFb2HULzUsv6sJWi5OPoR094hl-LJ6ntLBYWO7MA7S7qEa82nWWUpqb8wc9WuboOrAQoyaBo8tC_wF2vWiAxzOYtH0AoO6XkZ4I/s1600-h/invite2-1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2_2ZoKHGXp6Bh3SrD7GFKtBstYuDwo4Pdz-1gcGKbFb2HULzUsv6sJWi5OPoR094hl-LJ6ntLBYWO7MA7S7qEa82nWWUpqb8wc9WuboOrAQoyaBo8tC_wF2vWiAxzOYtH0AoO6XkZ4I/s320/invite2-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335843138767235858" /></a><br />Mossback and Mayor Greg Nickels sharing the same podium! What could possibly bring us together? <br /><br />I'll be the keynote speaker for Historic Seattle's 35th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Ceremony, Wed., May 20, starting at 5:30 pm.<br /><br />The awards portion will recognize a number of truly worthy historic preservation and heritage projects around town, and this is a chance to meet folks who have been at the forefront of adaptive re-use: restoring historic structures and finding new uses for them. (It's the sustainable way to go, and it preserves architectural heritage too). The event will be held in the Northern Lights Dome Room of the newly restored Arctic Club Hotel, the newly refurbished downtown landmark with the iconic walrus "gargoyles."<br /><br />Oh yes, and the mayor will say a few words too.<br /><br />It's a celebration, a fund-raiser ($60 for the general public, includes free drinks), an awareness builder, and a chance to acknowledge some great work. Hope you can make it.<br /><br />Order tickets at www.historicseattle.org or call (206) 622-6952.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-63048377663122573162009-04-24T17:23:00.000-07:002009-04-24T17:48:18.730-07:00Frost/Nixon: Discussing Politics and MediaThe Broadway play <a href="http://www.stgpresents.org/artists/?artist=912"> Frost/Nixon</a> is coming to the Paramount Theatre in Seattle May 6-10 with <a href="http://www.stacykeach.com/index.htm">Stacy Keach</a> in the Nixon role. You may have seen the Oscar-nominated movie last year. For my money, Frank Langella was the best screen Nixon yet, but Keach is a vet at playing strange, magnetic characters. Perhaps he'll draw on his inner Mike Hammer to give Dick Nixon a thuggish edge.<br /><br />As a lead-in to the play, there will be a panel discussion on Saturday, April 25 called "Political Spin: A Conversation about Frost/Nixon and the Role of Media in Politics." My friend and KUOW Weekday host Steve Scher will moderate a panel that includes me, the <i>Seattle Times</i>' Lynne Varner, and University of Washington political science professor Mark Smith. It will be at the downtown main branch of the Seattle Public Library, 2-3pm.<br /><br />There certainly is a lot to talk about: A growing scandal around the Bush administration's torture memos and whether or not to investigate and prosecute wrongdoing. A print media that is morphing out of its post-Watergate swagger and literally disappearing before our eyes. Impeachment has been seriously discussed or pursued for each of the two presidents immediately preceding Obama. Will the next Woodward and Bernstein be bloggers who Tweet their way to movie stardom or a Pulitzer Prize? And why is it that so many Watergate players have a Seattle connection? Was it something in the water? Join us for a free-ranging discussion of why Frost/Nixon is relevant today.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />:Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-60128323056583142312009-04-16T20:51:00.000-07:002009-04-16T21:09:57.041-07:00Darvills and going to the dogs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEac-Rfud4SVwDA5zqMZYuQYYqEGHWMUgtyqC35-decNbr5fqLdSf_ZsjITXSxzcbV_i9o0dpu5lHYEq55w9uFztT-W5H2WY-Nm_EqS7XLUPk-xTgBhcTRXR2K6Cd1GcCSCWTFttII7UM/s1600-h/Knute+article-2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEac-Rfud4SVwDA5zqMZYuQYYqEGHWMUgtyqC35-decNbr5fqLdSf_ZsjITXSxzcbV_i9o0dpu5lHYEq55w9uFztT-W5H2WY-Nm_EqS7XLUPk-xTgBhcTRXR2K6Cd1GcCSCWTFttII7UM/s320/Knute+article-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325507461680860498" /></a><br />I'm headed up to the San Juans for a reading at Darvill's tomorrow (Friday, April 17). I had a great interview today with Margie Doyle for her <a href="http://orcasissues.com/mossback-writer-comes-to-darvills-to-warn-of-pugetopolis">Bullwings blog</a> which deals with island issues. <br /><br />Also this week in your copy of Real Change ($1 from a vendor near you) is a <a href="http://www.realchangenews.org/index.php/site/archives/2103/">lengthy interview</a> with me conducted by Robin Lindley. Robin has done quite a few long-form Q&A interviews with Northwest writers, and this one was a real pleasure.<br /><br />Also (see photo provided by Steve Shay) is a piece on my appearance at the Ballard Library. I haven't got my hands on the hard copy yet. Not sure what the dog's name is either, but perhaps he looks content in part because of the story I did recently on how cats are damaging to the environment.<br /><br />I know it's a long shot, but Orcas island offers many attractions other than my book reading, so if you've been looking for an excuse to get up to the islands, here it is. With a little regional cultural enlightenment thrown in. Darvill's, 7pm.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-9628656850230389952009-04-10T19:24:00.000-07:002009-04-10T19:28:11.905-07:00Newcomers, Orcas Island, and back on the Northwest bestseller listI had some good Pugetopolitan events this week. Have you ever heard of the Seattle Newcomer's Club? Me neither. But I spoke to the group, which is so popular that some members some have been in it for 30 years. It's a social network of women who've moved here from elsewhere, a great place for people to shake off Seattle "nice-o-lation" or the so-called "Seattle Freeze."<br /><br />I spoke at their monthly luncheon at Third Place Books' pub in Ravenna. As much as I hate to say it, these people mostly seemed like assets to the community, but I would have liked it better if each had passed the lutefisk tasting test. We had a great time talking about the quirks of Seattle culture and politics and they proved to be an enthusiastic audience.<br /><br />I also learned this week that Pugetopolis is back on the <a href="http://www.bookweb.org/files/open/docs/indiebound/regional/090408pn.txt">Pacific Northwest Indie Bestseller list</a> (Trade Paperback Nonfiction), outpaced by gardening, weather and Tim Egan.<br /><br />Next reading is on Friday, April 17 at <a href="http://orcasissues.com/pugetopolis-author-comes-to-darvills">Darvill's Bookstore</a> at Eastsound on Orcas Island. I'm excited about this reading because I have a sentimental attachment to Darvill's dating from the times my family spent on Orcas back in the 1950s and '60s when we often summered there at Sea Acres. My dad collected prints and old man Darvill had a marvelous collection. He also sold various odd bits, like a pamphlet he'd written on ventriloquism and Darvill's Perpetual Calendar by which you could find the day of the week for any date in history. Or my favorite: an all-black postcard that purported to show "Orcas Island at night." At that time, the shop seemed like something out of a Twilight Zone episode, old, dusty, a little spooky. Today it's a first-rate bookshop.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-55304595497081696452009-04-04T09:15:00.000-07:002009-04-04T09:47:21.636-07:00Metronatural is bunk!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSdWSuK1CGbRic9nc9NDD29jxQjrCRm79o986QCbULWOSqaziAGuEvZ2SUM2IlIBoNNZ276l2S-y5aE3XBLKO9iVfiYIg7GdDJZqTy6RnBNaMtBpUUvZKLnwOnpETuBpQFLPqaW8a0vY/s1600-h/Library-5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSdWSuK1CGbRic9nc9NDD29jxQjrCRm79o986QCbULWOSqaziAGuEvZ2SUM2IlIBoNNZ276l2S-y5aE3XBLKO9iVfiYIg7GdDJZqTy6RnBNaMtBpUUvZKLnwOnpETuBpQFLPqaW8a0vY/s320/Library-5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320878721231952050" /></a><br />The <i>Ballard News-Tribune</i> has an <a href="http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/2009/04/02/features/authors-book-challanges-seattles-metronatural-vision">account</a> of my reading at the Ballard Library last week and focusses on my comments about the contradictions between wanting to live in pristine nature and inhabit a "world class" metropolis in its midst. So far, especially if you're a salmon or an orca, that isn't working out too well. I try to describe why our civic glass is half-empty with some humor and perspective in Pugetopolis. But our conflicting desires and the contradictions of life here are, I think, a fascinating window on local culture and character and worth exploring. Needless to say, I share some of these contradictions even while pointing them out.<br /><br />It is sensitive turf, however. In an <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/04/02/mossback/18925/">article this week </a>on Crosscut I raised a number of issues about he environmental impact of cats on Puget Sound. The response was strong: Mossback hates cats! Let's get rid of fat people, not pets! The fact remains that while we debate the damage plastic bottles and grocery bags do to the environment, the sheer number of pets we have also has a huge impact in the spread of disease from cats to otters, for example, or the consumption of wild fish runs, or in the depletion of our songbird populations. Our pets have a big impact on Puget Sound. It's something to think about; it's damage we might want to try and mitigate. Cats, dogs and other lovable creatures are not the only or even the major threat (neither are grocery bags or Evian bottles), but if we're going to get into the details of what's environmentally problematic and what's not about our lifestyles, let's talk about some of the stuff that's taboo. It's easy to criticize Hummer's, but are so many pets really green?Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-25223926665613113492009-04-01T10:29:00.000-07:002009-04-01T10:42:17.284-07:00Pugetopolis a bestseller at Elliott BayThis is nice. I spotted the book on the Elliott Bay Bookstore <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2008923425_localbestsell29.html">bestseller list</a> in the <i>Seattle Times</i> (no April Fools).<br /><br />By the way, I had a great reading at the Ballard Library last night which has inspired me to work on a piece on things I've learned about Seattle from Ballard over the years. I used to live in Ballard, but realized as I prepared for last night's reading that in living and covering stories there over the years, I'd learned a few things about life in Seattle. So one thing good about readings is that they seem to inspire new work as well as give an author an opportunity to, as one blogger snarkily put it, "pimp" my book.<br /><br />Thanks to all those who turned out for the pimping...er, reading and to the Elliott Bay johns,,,uh, customers, who pushed me onto the list.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-39019024902579540432009-03-26T20:02:00.000-07:002009-03-26T20:09:59.358-07:00Reading in Ballard, scene of a condo crime<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKmjblK6OM3_h7bt-8u_AnlFtY6CbhxUcIUphcSVZXwBXKGj5RlZY8dKJKgzRGy06E1zX_Z8UBgrLPaoRb2MbxV64bfqwyMEMQsq4Jm2pmodOkpOsBKvQCi66pnNZMTnB63Zq515Wq60/s1600-h/Mossback.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 117px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKmjblK6OM3_h7bt-8u_AnlFtY6CbhxUcIUphcSVZXwBXKGj5RlZY8dKJKgzRGy06E1zX_Z8UBgrLPaoRb2MbxV64bfqwyMEMQsq4Jm2pmodOkpOsBKvQCi66pnNZMTnB63Zq515Wq60/s320/Mossback.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317699428573166370" /></a><br />As many of you know, I wrote extensively about the effort to "save" the Ballard Manning's/Denny's diner in Ballard. I even included a column about it in Pugetopolis. I'm still pained when I drive by the vacant site at 15th and Market today. The diner was designated a city landmark, then bulldozed. A new monstrosity is planned to replace it, a pile of condos with a tower that's supposed to suggest a lighthouse. It looks more like a modern version of Joliet prison.<br /><br />But all that is new is not bad in Ballard. And one of the cool new places is the Ballard branch of the Seattle Public Library. It's a really interesting building and has more playfulness than some of the other new libraries around town that seem designed to suggest warehouse space where you might launch an ephemeral dot-com. The Ballard branch has a lot more personality than that. It's not Manning's/Denny's Googie, it doesn't have that Paul-Bunyan-meets-Polynesian-Scandinavian-stave-church-longhouse look. But it's distinctive and clearly will be, I hope, solidly defended by preservationists when Greg Nickels in his 10th consecutive mayoral term attempts to tear it down in 2041.<br /><br />Anyway, my last scheduled public reading in Seattle will be at the Ballard Library next week, Tuesday, March 31 at 6:30 pm to be precise. I hope you can make it. They don't serve booze like the Swedish Club (I may ask the new city librarian to rectify that problem: why not libraries with bars to help pay for them?), but there are plenty of establishments in the neighborhood where you can get likkered up before the reading. And it should be a good venue to discuss lutefisk and other important Ballard topics, new and old.<br /><br />I checked the Seattle Public library catalog and all their circulating copies of Pugetopolis are currently checked out or on hold. No worries. Ballard's Secret Garden Books will be selling copies. See you in Buh-LARD.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-1806179808143020382009-03-20T20:53:00.000-07:002009-03-20T21:25:26.331-07:00Berger/Egan on TV, plus a "nice" discussion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWChvHr9jjoX4JWNMYVFf4Tkb944JM4L2pNhjCUq86GLLw5oLIwu_UMrYWPz0b1sSTuwYR_N65bjnKLrYr6IzL20oePOv7Hl17n6Je_aWLMaYizo4AY4Nvcl30Otc0f9m-f5zJ6lsunM/s1600-h/Town+Hall-1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWChvHr9jjoX4JWNMYVFf4Tkb944JM4L2pNhjCUq86GLLw5oLIwu_UMrYWPz0b1sSTuwYR_N65bjnKLrYr6IzL20oePOv7Hl17n6Je_aWLMaYizo4AY4Nvcl30Otc0f9m-f5zJ6lsunM/s200/Town+Hall-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315491936331541906" /></a><br />I have had a bit of a respite from Pugetopolis readings, which is a good thing. Spring may be here but my chest cough is still around. I was sick with the flu during my Town Hall debate with Tim Egan last month and the bug has been sloooow to leave. My next public reading will be March 31 at the Seattle Public Library Ballard Branch, just a lutefisk toss from the old Ballard Manning's/Denny's which is now an ugly vacant lot filled with rubble, And they said <i>not</i> tearing it down would blight the neighborhood!<br /><br />One thing coming up for those who missed the great Town Hall discussion with Egan (or those who want to relive it again and again): the event will be shown on the Seattle Channel (cable Channel 21), the station that keeps on giving. The Berger/Egan evening will air first on March 26 at 9:20 am and again at 4 pm. And then it will be in rotation for a few days, or longer. You can find the schedule <a href="http://www.seattlechannel.org/schedule/programDetails.asp?title=5210906">here</a>. It is also available for online viewing at your convenience on the Seattle Channel website. It is well known that once you are on the Seattle Channel and their Website you are permanently part of Seattle's collective unconscious. That is why Maximum Leader Greg Nickels will be with us forever.<br /><br />Another bit: Virginia Smyth, my editor at <i>Seattle</i> magazine is now blogging, and she came to my reading in Kirkland at Park Place Books. The audience there got into a great discussion about Seattle nice, whether it's a myth or not, and I shared some of the theories I've been collecting on why we locals are thought to be so standoffish once we get to know you. Anyway, she shares her thoughts <a href="http://www.seattlemag.com/0p179b16be3/knute-berger-and-seattle-nice/">here</a>. It brings to mind a conversation I had the other day with a French journalist who is based in New York City. He's a devoted urbanist, but doesn't much like living in Manhattan. One reason, he said, was that in the 18 months he's lived there, no one he's invited to dinner has ever reciprocated. Sound familiar? He's living in nice-olation in the Big Apple.<br /><br />This pokes a hole in one theory put forward at one of my readings that Seattleites are New Yorkers turned inside out. The theory goes that in New York, people are crusty on the outside, warm on the inside. In Seattle, it's just the opposite: superficial smiles and then avoidance of intimacy. Apparently, Seattle and New York have something in common. Or at the very least we have data that suggests that in Seattle, we treat all newcomers like New Yorkers treat Frenchmen!Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4931144459055144559.post-87645165236989016172009-03-11T08:08:00.000-07:002009-03-11T08:43:15.539-07:00Pugetopolis Kindled and other newsWe readers are in the middle of a revolution as daily newspapers seem to be vaporizing before our eyes and new electronic forms are taking shape. Pugetopolis is now leaping from print and being <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pugetopolis-Mossback-Addicts-Weather-Seattle/dp/B001ULD0SC/ref=ed_oe_k">Kindled</a>. My publisher, Sasquatch Books, tells me Pugetopolis is the first book they've made available in an electronic format for Amazon's Kindle electronic reader. So it's now available for wireless delivery. I'm planning to buy a Kindle 2 (the new version) myself when I save up the money (they run about $360).<br /><br />Some people have criticized Kindle and Amazon for trying to corner the market on electronic books, or undercutting the sales of rights for audio books, etc. (Kindle has a feature that will read electronic books aloud). Also, the electronic version of the book is much cheaper than the print version: $9.99, which is roughly half of the retail price of an actual book. I certainly don't want to hurt the sales of the book book. But I think being available in multiple formats is good for readers, and I know as an avid reader and book buyer myself that getting books in more ways is a good thing overall. I buy books online, I buy in independent bookstores, I read stuff for free online, I use libraries, I buy from catalogs and specialty dealers...if there is a way to get or buy a book, I will likely use that channel. I'm excited to see how the electronic version changes the perception of the book, whether or not is finds an audience in that format, and whether the ease with which books can be downloaded helps sell more books.<br /><br />In other news, Pugetopolis is <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123673662900091009.html">mentioned in the Wall Street Journal</a> today in a story about the recession hitting Seattle.<br /><br />Also, last night I had a really great reading at Park Place Books in Kirkland, with a great discussion in the audience about the dynamics between natives and newcomers and what it's like for people who move here. I got more theories on why Seattleites are particularly sociable to add to <a href="http://crosscut.com/2009/03/03/seattle/18886/">my list</a>.Knute Bergerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01215624148443858580noreply@blogger.com0