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🚋 Ride the *what* now?
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🚋 Ride the *what* now?

RIDE THE WHAT NOW?

ABOUT THAT ACRONYM … Although the city leaders behind efforts to build a streetcar servicing South Lake Union realized they shouldn’t call their mass transit vehicle a “trolley,” the damage was already done.

Before the South Lake Union Streetcar (its official name) took its first trip in December 2007, Seattleites Jerry Johnson and Don Clifton created t-shirts reading “Ride the S.L.U.T. — The South Lake Union Trolley,” which were sold at the now defunct Kapow! coffeeshop. The shirts were a lighthearted protest “designed in fun, and also to remind people that their neighborhood’s historic name, Cascade, was rapidly being eclipsed by the broader [re-]branding of the entire South Lake Union/Cascade area,” HistoryLink reports.

STREETCAR FACT: Seattle’s first streetcar opened for service in 1884 and operated on literal horsepower. The first electric trolleys opened in 1889, and by the early 1900s, Seattle was home to nearly 50 miles of electric streetcar tracks.

USAGE: “Your cousin is coming to check out Seattle colleges? Make sure he gets to ride the S.L.U.T. to downtown, LOL.”

“Dude, no.”

Know of a Seattleism that we should include in our new glossary? Hit reply or email us at [email protected]. We’ll be sharing out the Seattleiest terms we can find over the next several months.

NOW HERE’S WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR CITY

Can we save The Showbox? On Wednesday, news broke that developers planned to build a 44-story skyscraper in place of The Showbox, an iconic music venue near Pike Place. Reader Eva Conner wondered: “How can we move the conversation beyond, ‘what a shame! evil developers!’ to ‘that is such a cultural touchstone and so important to me and my community that I want to get creative in helping to save it?’”

We asked if y’all knew any ways to help, and we wanted to share back what we heard.

  • Reader Brittany Rosenau shared a Change.org petition to turn the place into a historical landmark. It quickly reeled in thousands of signatures.
  • Another petition seeking the same historic status took off here.
  • Reader Stephanie Pure sent us this handy video explaining how buildings actually get that landmark recognition.

So, what else should we know? Better yet, what questions do you have? We’ll do our best to help you find answers. 🙏

Bunk bike lanes? Yesterday, we shared an op-ed published by Crosscut that called on Seattle’s “bike lobby” to step back to examine their privilege. Why? Because bike lanes hurt small businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods, Nina Martinez, board chair of Washington’s Latino Civic Alliance, wrote. But local bikers and transportation activists are calling B.S. In a fact-check of the op-ed, reporter Erica C. Barnett said Nina’s piece suggests “that low-income people and people of color don’t want or need safe places to ride.” But that’s far from the truth, Erica reported. “This isn’t about minority-owned businesses — it’s about business owners who feel, contrary to what the law actually says, that they own the public streets in front of their establishments,” she wrote. Thanks to readers Amy Cash and Justin Resnick for the tip. (The C Is for Crank)

‘An electoral bubble.’ If you’re a masochist and want to look back on the 2016 presidential election in near-excruciating detail, The New York Times has the map for you. The map compiles voting precinct data from all over the country and shows “hidden diversity” in some of the country’s reddest and bluest political bastions. Seattle, not surprisingly, is deep blue. But scroll north to the Woodway neighborhood north of Richmond Beach, and you’ll find an island of red where Trump narrowly edged out Hillary voters, sitting in a sea of blue. It’s fascinating stuff — and these are some of the researchers’ biggest takeaways.  (The New York Times)

We can’t cake this up. Have a hankering for a big ol’ slice of cake? Head to Georgetown’s Deep Sea Sugar & Salt bakery where you can satisfy a demanding sweet tooth with desserts like a London Fog cake “with Earl Grey syrup and bergamot-mascarpone cream” or a “9-pound Porter” cake infused with a neighborhood beer. Bonus: The bakery’s housed inside a century-old building that was once home to a rowdy roadhouse. 🍰 (The Seattle Times)

PARTNER EVENTS

🍸  TODAY: Dance, drink, and discover at Theory, Pacific Science Center’s big summer bash. (Queen Anne)

💪  Wednesday, Aug. 1: Workshop your perfect content marketing plan at this Impact Hub Lunch + Learn (Pioneer Square)

AROUND TOWN

TODAY

🍷  Sip on award-winning wines and beers (Queen Anne)
🎈  Stroll to a community playdate with your little ones (White Center)
🍹  Dance and learn the science behind cocktails at this Evergrey partner event (Queen Anne)
👋  Try not to get spooked at this cemetery tour (Capitol Hill)
💃  Cheer on Latin, Brazilian, and Caribbean performers (Columbia City)


TOMORROW

🎈  Take the fam to the Torchlight Parade (Downtown)
👋  Honor the work of two black women community leaders (Central District)
🎈  Check out art, food trucks, and bands on the beach (West Seattle)
🍴  Get the scoop at an ice cream social (South Lake Union)
🎈  Celebrate how water shapes our culture (West Seattle) 🆕
🎶  Sway the night away at a R&B bar crawl (Pioneer Square) 🆕


SUNDAY

🎈  Peruse local art on Alki Beach (West Seattle)
☕️  Unleash your inner caffeine fiend at CoffeeCon (Fremont)
👋  Learn about Filipino culture and food at Pista sa Nayon festival (Seward Park)


Going to one of these? Take us with you! Email a pic to [email protected] or tag #theevergrey on Instagram. See more upcoming events on our events page, and add your own events with an Evergrey membership. Is an event sold out? Hit reply to let us know and we’ll update the listing in tomorrow’s newsletter.

CALLING ALL POLITICAL WONKS

Town Hall is looking for a 2018 Election Correspondent to help them “foster civic discussions that are richer and deeper than the sensational daily news cycle” during the 2018 midterm election. 🇺🇸 Sound like your kinda thing or know a good candidate? Apply here.

Have a good one, folks. – The Evergrey

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