Finding the Beautiful | Belltown Bugle Issue #2
August 2nd neighborhood news, events, and musings about the beauty that surrounds us.
I walk a lot. 8 miles a day on average — it’s how I process things. In fact, I’m writing these words right now on the waterfront promenade.
So it came as no surprise to anyone that knows me that, on the morning after the 2024 election, I set off on the Elliott Bay Trail with no aim but to figure out what happened and what would come next.
As I walked I looked not at what was in front of me, but rather at blurry visions of a chaotic future. What of my job? What of my friends? What hope was there for any of the policies I cared about? And my thoughts tend to loop when I walk if I’m not careful, so these visions played like a gif on repeat.
Until I saw my friend, Jess. She was making quick steps herself, no doubt shut off from the world with her headphones tuned to KEXP. So I called out to her and we talked. We walked and we talked not mainly about the election but about everything else. I showed her pictures from our cabin trip taken the weekend prior in Wenatchee, she shared recommendations for places we could go in the future.
But eventually we ran out of stories from the past and plans for the future and we were left with the present day. Which was, honestly, the kind of idyllic late-fall Seattle day that made me fall in love with this city.
And in taking in a deep breath of the crisp fall air, I found comfort in the present moment. The future was uncertain — and indeed many horrors were to come. But I was reminded in that moment that Trump could not take the Sound or Rainier or Cyclops or the Crocodile or the Mariners or my conversations with Jess. And try as he might to influence politics and change on a local level, a hell of a lot still remained in our hands. But that’s hard to see when most headlines are national.
Which is one reason we started the Bugle. Not in service of escapism, but rather the opposite: to force us to see more clearly what is right in front of us. Be that a neighbor, a building, or a punk show — even and especially in difficult moments for the community.
Anyways, welcome to the second issue of the Belltown Bugle.
- William
In The News:
Ballots are out! As a reminder, we published a summary of election endorsements for the candidates on your Belltown ballots. Check it out here, and share with a friend!
Demolition of the Lexington-Concord building at 2nd & Battery is well underway.
Common Area Maintenance held work parties in June and August to begin rehabilitating the El Rey building. The org purchased the building for $20 and is currently fundraising to convert the building into permanently affordable housing for artists, alongside two retail spaces, a performing arts venue, and an art gallery. Sign up for their August 15th work party here.
Seattle breakfast joint Biscuit Bitch plans first expansion since 2019 @ 2nd & Lenora. | Access via Library
A note on source accessibility: Often, the best articles on local businesses come from sources like DJC or the Puget Sound Business Journal which feature paywalls. But you can get free access via the Seattle Public Library, so we will try to provide that link as well when available.
More housing could be coming to Belltown | Access Via Library: A recent upzone has, for just the next three years, increased the height limit by up to 100 feet depending on the parcel for new housing construction. This is one attempt by the city to make it more economical to build in an era of rising construction costs and higher interest rates that has seen the citywide new housing pipeline fall 31% YoY after an already anemic 2025.
From The Urbanist: SDOT Prepares to Roll Out the Route 8 Red Carpet on Denny Way. Project improvements will begin August 1st, with project completion targeted for the end of this month in an effort to relieve the route 8 bus from traffic congestion.
Per DJC, Plymouth Housing plans to replace two low-income housing buildings at 1st and Blanchard | Access Via Library: The buildings are old — built between 1910-11 — and they currently house 99 people alongside the ground-level restaurants of Ohana, Villa Escondida, Queen City, and I believe Just the Tap as well. In replacing the buildings with a new, 7-story permanent supportive housing building, capacity will expand to 123 units. While the plans have been established, the timeline is uncertain as a demolition permit has not yet been requested. Should the demolition plans proceed, the restaurants will have to move.
Beautiful Belltown | By Matthew B.
Welcome to Beautiful Belltown, a column dedicated to the musings of everyday beauty around our neighborhood.
Today’s Beautiful Belltown is a local flora spotlight, featuring a plant that can be found around our lovely neighborhood. Cities are full of beautiful and interesting flora if you take the time to stop and smell the… you know the expression :)
I have loved learning about all of the native berries that can be found in the Pacific Northwest. Every time I go on a hike in the spring and summer, I scan the green borders of the trail for little spots of black, red, and orange in the hopes of finding a tasty snack fresh from the forest. Imagine my surprise when, one day in late June, I was making my way along the winding path of the Overlook Walk and caught a familiar little spot of red amongst the greenery. Looking closely, I saw that it was my absolute favorite of all the native berries: thimbleberry!
A lovely little bramble with large, fuzzy leaves and red, delicate fruit, thimbleberry resembles a raspberry with a slightly wider and more shallow cap, which fits perfectly on your fingers like a thimble! Thimbleberries produce fruit from July through August. They are very sweet on their own, and they also make a great jam, if you can gather enough of them.
Ever since I noticed the thimbleberries on the Overlook Walk, I have begun to see them in other places: young thimbleberry brambles are part of the new native landscaping in Myrtle Edwards and Centennial parks, likewise in the nearby Olympic Sculpture Park. Thimbleberries feel like summer to me, and seeing them around our beautiful neighborhood brings me so much joy.
Note: Roads and industrial areas can pollute areas and affect the safety of eating plants that grow nearby, so exercise caution.
Get Off the Couch:
TODAY (Aug 2) from 10AM-9PM: Summer at SAM Festival @ Olympic Sculpture Park featuring games, performances, an art market, food trucks, and more.
Also - Mini Golf at Olympic Sculpture Park: Running noon-8PM until September 7th, the Olympic Sculpture Park is now set up with artist-designed mini-golf holes. Tix $15.
Belltown Blast: Aug 15th, Noon-Late. This event was SICK last year — please come out if you’re around. Truly something for everyone. From the flyer: “There will be bands!! There will be skateboarding!! There will be wrestling!! There will be live murals! There will be a dog show!! There will be bmx stunts !!”. Volunteer here!
Belltown Art Walk: Aug 14th (2nd Friday), 6-9PM
Trivia at Here Today: Mondays at 7:30PM hosted by Head in the Clouds.
Summer Outdoor Movie Series hosted by Base Camp Studios at 1st & Battery. Featuring an art market from 5-8PM and the movie 8-10PM. Aug 5: The Terminator, Aug 12: The Iron Giant, Aug 19: Blade Runner, Aug 26: The Matrix.
Also at Base Camp…through August they are exhibiting Humans vs Robots, a show that “features artworks in any and all mediums addressing the tension between humans and machine technology”. 1st & Battery.
Free concert at Bell St Park on August 14th from 4-6PM by Canadian Electro-Folk duo Moontricks!
The Comedy Nest — described as a “womxn, trans, queer POC, and disability focused” open mic. First and last Tuesdays every month @ 7:30PM, at Common Objects (1st & Vine). We went last week and had a great time!
Sunday Soundtrack | ☕
Origin: Brooklyn, NY
Varietal: Synth Pop, Cold Wave
Notes of: Bleachers, Surf Curse
Best Enjoyed: On the floor of your apartment at 1AM.
Next Delivery: Friday, Aug 28th, 6pm. @ The Crocodile
What’s Going on at the Old Zulily Office on Elliott?
Keen observers on the waterfront will have noticed some action inside the former office of Zulily at 2601 Elliott Avenue. Originally a factory for the American Can Company (which also owned Pier 69 across the street for shipping — it is now the Port of Seattle HQ), it later became an office building with prior tenants ranging from RealNetworks to most recently Zulily.
Now, per DJC:
Vanbarton and architect Gensler filed an early plan for seismic and structural improvements to the century-old complex. After that work, conversion to about 262 apartments is planned.
And a few days ago they noted that the project is currently moving forward under phased permits, with the building undergoing a soft interior demolition before it receives full permits from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Board.
While there is a broader nationwide trend of office-to-housing conversions, opportunities and starts have been slow (but not unprecedented) in Seattle, in part due to the difficulty in converting offices built after WW2 (2601 Elliott is pre-war).
As a bonus, the parking garage across the street is also for sale, with potential for housing construction as well.
My Most Important Kitchen Tool | By Parker L.
If I tell you something, do you promise to keep it between you and me? I’m not very confident in my ability to sort waste on my own. Even as a lifelong practicing recycler, the rules can still be confusing when you’re trying to offload your latest coffee cup or pastry wrapper. And to make matters worse, Seattle ships some of its garbage 300 miles away to Oregon. Every pound diverted saves us money and energy on shipping.
Accordingly, I present the Where Does It Go? Tool. A digital font of waste disposal knowledge and my current kitchen obsession. It may not be the current cool thing to stop and look up where your trash should go, but it is cool to imagine a future where half finished vanilla lattes don’t pollute whole apartments’ worth of recycling, right?
This handy tool from our local legends over at Seattle Public Utilities will help you more than I ever could. Say you forgot your reusable bag and you’re already halfway through your grocery shopping. I won’t begrudge you for buying a plastic bag to carry your fruits home in, but what do you do next? The tool can direct you to reuse them, trash them at home, or find the nearest participating recycler (Target or Safeway if you’re a Belltown local). And, for the record, the slogan goes REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE from most to least preferred.
The tool’s use doesn’t end there. Seattle recycling requires each item to be clean and dry. For lifelong recyclers like me, this may be different than what you’re used to, but this change means keeping our recycling mold- and moisture-free and better recycled goods in the future.
Our waste sorting duties do not end with the glass, plastic, and metal bindings that our food comes in. In fact, a third of residential garbage in Seattle is still food. With that in mind, Seattle requires all residences (including apartments) to offer composting. There are all sorts of tips to avoid pests and odors that may accompany compost, and I encourage you to seek out what’s sustainable ;) for you! I keep a bowl on my counter to collect waste as I cook, and then I can take it out to the compost bin when it gets full. In sight, in mind.
Just remember that every berry and bottle diverted from the garbage means you’re giving to the land, rather than the landfill. Specifically, a landfill 300 miles away in Oregon!
Spread the Word!
We now have a flyer! Consider printing it out for your apartment lobby, condo, or business.
Also, we have an Instagram (@BelltownBugle) where we post occasionally about events and musings not quite fit for a full article or Substack note.
Thank you for reading.
We’re currently working on a number of columns & articles that I’m very excited about, so stay tuned! Expect our next newsletter in two weeks. Please consider emailing us feedback at William@BelltownBugle.com — tell us what you want to read more of!
- William