🚢 This beached barge is no sight for sore eyes

Plus, free N95s are coming to Seattle and why Washington skiers are having a tough winter.

By Hannah Myrick

Welcome to Thursday!

Good news for all you hikers, tree huggers, and nature lovers out there — a new King County initiative is working to make sure 65,000 acres of western Washington green spaces are permanently protected. The park’s initiative is meant to widen accessibility to open space for all, help prepare our region for the impacts of climate change, and save billions of dollars in the county budget along the way. 

They’ve developed all sorts of tools you can use to track their progress. My personal favorite is the list of project highlights that shows off the natural areas they're working on and what makes each one special. It feels good to know that our county is working to preserve land for everyone to use and enjoy in the years to come.

With that out of the way, keep on scrolling to learn more about what’s happening across our state today…

What Seattle is Talking About

⛷️ It’s been a tough season for skiers. Snow didn’t hit the slopes until early December, all four of Washington’s mountain passes had to close earlier this month, and COVID-19 has caused all sorts of staffing issues for mountain resorts. Nearly every ski spot has faced some kind of obstacle, ranging from ridiculously long lines to power outages. It’s unclear what can be fixed in the short-term, and where these problems leave Washington’s ski season in the long run. (Seattle Met)

😷 The Biden administration plans to send out 400 million N95 masks across the country at the end of this week. Masks will be distributed to pharmacies and community health centers, where they’ll be available for pick up at no cost. As we know more about where and when you can pick up your masks, we’ll let you know in the newsletter! And ICYMI, you can now order four free at-home COVID-19 tests shipped directly to your home. (NPR)

📒 We’ve entered the second week of Washington’s legislative session, and things aren’t showing any sign of slowing down. Among items of interest are a new housing proposal that would tell cities statewide what kind of housing developments they can allow, and a senate bill proposing an “asynchronous” day of school each week, giving students more flexibility and autonomy in their education. Find out more about what is happening in our state capitol by listening in. ➡️ (KNKX)

🏗️ If an earthquake hits Seattle, many of the city’s buildings won’t have what it takes to stay standing. Across Seattle, there are more than 1,100 “unreinforced masonry” buildings, 75 of which are classified as critical risk. A recent City Council resolution aims to put money behind the effort to retrofit the buildings to modern safety standards, although the timeline for commencing construction and improvements has yet to be determined. (Capitol Hill Seattle Blog)

🚢 Sunset Beach in Vancouver, B.C. is a great place to see the ocean as well as beautiful birds and now… a massive barge. When extreme rains hit the Northwest in November, heavy currents took the barge out into the open water where it crashed ashore in the city’s West End. It’s become a popular destination for people to take selfies and even propose. Although it’s unclear when and how the barge will be moved, it’s found a nice place to rest in the meantime. (Seattle Times)

Things to do

Today

🎶 Listen, dance, workshop and jam out at the Bellingham Folk Festival, through Sunday, Jan. 23 (Bellingham)

 🎤 Get your singing voice ready for a Totally ‘70s Sing Along at Central Cinema, complete with 30 subtitled music videos/live performances (Central District)

Macrame your way to a fancy mason jar lantern and learn basic knotting techniques for all levels (Ballard)

Tomorrow

🎼 Listen to the the Seattle Symphony’s legacy of Aretha Franklin featuring a powerhouse vocalist and full symphony orchestra through Sunday, Jan. 23 (Downtown)

💦 Join the fun of Punk Rock Aerobics for all bodies and fitness levels, hosted by Cafe Racer (Capitol Hill)

Saturday

💄 Enjoy one night of a seven-part drag show series at Queer/Bar, featuring performer Eureka O’Hara (Capitol Hill)

💃 Dance the night away at The Crocodile’s Soul Music Dance Party, where they’ll be playing 100% vintage vinyl (Belltown)

🏃 ​​Swing on by for free parkour lessons at Pier 62, family-friendly fun, rain or shine (Downtown)

Sunday

🎲 Bring out your best game face for board game night at Mox Boarding House (Ballard)

✨ Go pinball-ing at the Ice Box’s Split Flipper Sundays for $5 per two person team (Fremont)

🎹 Join NYC organist-pianist Brian Charette for an evening of Jazz at the Royal Room (Columbia City)

👋 Get schooled in all things gnocchi with Chef Ethan Stowell and have a hand at making it with friends over light refreshments (Downtown)

Monday

📕 Join author Bernadine Evaristo as she talks about her latest book “Girl, Woman, Other” and her upcoming memoir “Manifesto” (Online)

Tuesday

🍸 Learn about Seattle's dive bars, taverns and psychedelic experiences of the past with author Brad Holden (Downtown)

Wednesday

🐱 Get your heckle on at Central Cinema’s showing of Cats, and send your heckles to the big screen using your phone (Central District)

💃 Learn the Tango in a six-week course at the Lowdown Ballroom, running every Wednesday through Feb. 9 (Capitol Hill)

One more thing….

☔ If you never bring your umbrella anywhere or hardly ever wear a raincoat in Seattle, you’re not alone. But nothing captures the joy (and ridiculousness) of being umbrella-less like this video, which puts a backing track to us Seattleites walking through the wetness without rain gear.

Thanks for keeping it consistent no matter how little sense it makes, Seattle. We’ll see you tomorrow! 

— Hannah at The Evergrey

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