Seattle, WA

Soaking in Seattle (and Tacoma)

Published

2 years ago

February 10, 2024

Israel recently experienced more than 14 straight days of rainfall throughout the country for the first time since February 1992 – but it’s still not as rainy as Seattle.

While in Jerusalem, it typically rains around 4.8% of the time, in Seattle, it’s rainy 9.4% of the time. While Jerusalem sees about 59 cm of rain per year, in Seattle, it’s 94 cm on average, though climate change is causing both more dry spells and heavier downpours.

So if you’re planning a visit to Seattle and/or its sister city, Tacoma, it’s best to come equipped with foul-weather gear because it would be a shame to spend all your time indoors, even though you could – the Seattle area has more than 40 museums.

If you’re in a hurry – for example, you’ve only got a short stop in Seattle before setting off on an Alaska cruise – it’s possible to take in Seattle’s “greatest hits” in just one day.

Start at the top – at Seattle’s iconic Space Needle. It stands 184 meters tall and was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. Once the tallest building on the West Coast, it’s now dwarfed by downtown skyscrapers.

In keeping with the Fair’s theme, “The Age of Space,” the Needle is topped with what looks like a flying saucer.

The upper level of the saucer offers panoramic views of downtown, Mount Rainier (aka Mount Tacoma), Puget Sound, and the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges – if they’re not obscured by clouds.

Point Ruston, with Mount Rainier (Mount Tacoma) in the distance (credit: LAURI DONAHUE)

The lower level has a glass floor and rotates – which is great for making videos and very bad if you suffer from vertigo.

Tickets for the Space Needle start at $35 but are around half price if you invest in a Seattle CityPASS, which will also get you into several of the other attractions mentioned below.

You can avoid waiting in line by booking your timed visit in advance on the Space Needle website using your Seattle CityPASS.

The next stop is just a few steps from the base of the tower: Chihuly Garden and Glass, dedicated to the work of Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly.

More than a million visitors saw the Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem 2000 exhibit at Jerusalem’s Tower of David Museum from 1999-2000, and some of the same works are on display in Seattle.

A SHORT stroll away is MoPOP – the Museum of Pop Culture. The distinctive building, clad in sinuously curving multichromatic stainless steel and painted aluminum shingles, was designed by star architect Frank O. Gehry – born Frank Owen Goldberg – who was told by teachers at USC’s School of Architecture to change his name if he wanted to get ahead.

The MoPOP Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. (credit: LAURI DONAHUE)

MoPOP is a shrine to pop music and pop culture, with an emphasis on modern music (from Hendrix to hip-hop), science fiction, fantasy, horror, and video games.

(By the way, Jimi Hendrix’s first gig was as a teenager in 1959, on the stage of Seattle’s Temple De Hirsch Sinai. The legendary guitar player was fired before the end of the first set for playing too wildly.)

MoPOP’s science fiction collection includes more than 150 artifacts, including a Ghostbusters Proton Pack, a Klingon Bat’leth, Ellen Ripley’s flamethrower from Alien, and Rick Deckard’s pistol from Blade Runner.

Many of the exhibits are hands-on, allowing visitors to experiment with animation, video game design, and making music.

Just across the street is the more serious-minded Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center, with exhibits on programs to fight poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. An exhibition opening in late February is entitled A Better Way to Go: Toilets and the Future of Sanitation.

The most fun way to get from the Seattle Center, where the above attractions are located, to downtown Seattle is via the elevated monorail, which runs right through MoPOP. Built for the World’s Fair, it takes two minutes to travel the 1.4-km. route. At night, the lights inside the cars are lowered, allowing a voyeuristic view into the windows of passing third-floor offices.

One of Seattle’s architectural landmarks is a nine-minute walk from the monorail stop. The Central Library is an 11-story glass and steel structure that looks something like a wireframe model of a Tesla Cybertruck. It was designed by Rem Koolhaus (known as “the World’s Most Controversial Architect,” according to Smithsonian Magazine) and Seattle native Joshua Ramus.

Another nine-minute walk takes you to the Seattle Art Museum, with its 15-meter-tall mobile sculpture – Johnathan Borofsky’s Hammering Man – honoring working-class men and women.

The Pike Place Market offers a plethora of restaurant options

AT THIS point, you’re probably more than ready for something to eat. Luckily, the Pike Place Market is only a six-minute walk from the museum.

The Market, founded in 1907, encompasses restaurants, food stands, specialty food shops, retailers, and a farmers’ market selling local produce. It smells strongly of fish.

The Market can be very crowded, especially on weekends, and one of the longest lines is likely to be outside the original Starbucks. Tourists from around the world make a pilgrimage to this standing-room-only coffee shrine to collect branded souvenirs only available at this location.

If you still have any energy left after this busy day, you can finish up in the hip Capitol Hill neighborhood, about a 10-minute cab ride from Pike Place, where you can find Blade & Timber, Seattle’s premier axe-throwing bar, alongside drag clubs, vintage boutiques, and comic book shops.

Tacoma, Seattle’s sister city (they share Sea-Tac Airport, located midway between them) is about a 40-minute drive from Seattle (with optimal traffic) and is also accessible via train or bus. It’s not as popular with tourists, but it’s less expensive than Seattle and can be a convenient base of operations for exploring the area.

If your taste for glass hasn’t been sated by the Chihuly Museum, you can also visit the Tacoma Museum of Glass and the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, topped by what looks like two enormous stalks of Brussels sprouts.

Nearby, next to the Tacoma Dome and the train station, is the LeMay Car Museum. With more than 3,000 cars, it’s one of the largest automobile museums in the world.

Also near the Tacoma Dome is the Tacoma Book Center, the biggest used bookstore in the state of Washington, with a particularly large collection of children’s books.

Back downtown, Tacoma’s Antique Row is located around Broadway between 9th and 7th. Hands-on nostalgia is available by the quarter at Dorky’s Arcade, with its collection of vintage and modern video games and pinball machines.

When you’re ready to brave the elements – or take advantage of the rare sunshine – the Ruston Way Waterfront is a 3.2-km. paved walking path connecting downtown Tacoma with Point Defiance Park and the Dune Peninsula.

One section of the path commemorates Frank Herbert, the Tacoma native who authored Dune. The trail is dotted with quotes from his work and features a sculpture of sand trout (baby sandworms).

The Seattle-Tacoma area has dozens of Jewish congregations, including about 25 Chabad centers.

A handful of kosher dining options include the Gold Schnitzel (Meat) Restaurant, Pabla Indian Cuisine in the suburb of Renton, and Einstein Brothers Bagels in University Village. The QFC grocery stores in University Village and on Mercer Island offer kosher rotisserie chickens, sushi, deli meats, and side salads.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Kraken fall to Mammoth 5-3 for 7th loss in 8 games

Published

6 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Seattle Kraken fall to Mammoth 5-3 for 7th loss in 8 games

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dylan Guenther scored a go-ahead power-play goal in the third period and the Utah Mammoth beat the Seattle Kraken 5-3 on Friday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

Utah Mammoth 5, Seattle Kraken 3: Box score

Nick Schmaltz had a goal and two assists, and Kailer Yamamoto, JJ Peterka, and Lawson Crouse also scored for the Mammoth. Kevin Stenlund had three assists and Karel Vejmelka stopped 32 shots.

Mason Marchment had two goals and Ben Meyers also scored for the Kraken in their seventh loss in eight games. Phillipp Grubauer had 26 saves.

After a scoreless first period, Marchment put Seattle on the board with a backhand shot at 3:35 of the second.

Schmaltz tied it at 8:09 with an unassisted goal. He attacked off a breakaway and chipped the puck over Grubauer’s shoulder from close range.

Yamamoto then gave Utah its first lead with 6:36 left in the middle period.

Seattle had several shots at an equalizer during a two-man advantage lasting nearly two minutes, but the Kraken came up empty.

Marchment then got his second goal of the night and fourth of the season at 7:50 of the third, slapping the puck home from long distance to tie it.

Guenther gave Utah a 3-2 lead with 7:05 remaining, successfully converting a power play.

Peterka and Crouse added empty netters over the final three minutes, and Meyers scored for Seattle with 43 seconds to go for the final margin.

Up next

Kraken: Host Buffalo on Sunday.

Mammoth: At Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Seattle Kraken dealt another tough blow on the injury front

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Seattle, WA

Brock: How rookie DL can fit in Seattle Seahawks’ defense

Published

18 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Brock: How rookie DL can fit in Seattle Seahawks’ defense

The Seattle Seahawks focused heavily on their offense during the draft this past spring, using nine of their 11 selections to pick players on that side of the ball.

Just two of their picks were defenders: safety Nick Emmanwori and defensive lineman Rylie Mills.

Seattle Seahawks waive 2 players, have options to fill their roster spots

After returning from an injury suffered in the season opener that forced him to miss three games (and essentially four since he played on four snaps in Week 1), Emmanwori is making his case to be in consideration for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Mills, on the other hand, has yet to play a snap while recovering from an ACL tear suffered last December during his final season at Notre Dame. But the fifth-round pick appears to be nearing his NFL debut. Mills, who was designated to return to practice from injured reserve Nov. 26, was a full participant in practice for the first time last Friday. He was ruled out of Sunday’s game against Atlanta, but practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday as Seattle prepares for a matchup with Indianapolis this Sunday.

The Seahawks have until next Wednesday to decide if they will activate Mills to the 53-man roster or place him on IR for the rest of the season. So it may be another week until he makes his debut, and it’s no guarantee that he will play this season. If he is activated to the 53-man roster, how will he fit the Seahawks’ standout defense? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard shared his insight about the role the Notre Dame product could play during his Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Thursday.

“I do remember watching him a number of times and just, gosh, he was a good college football player,” Huard said. “He’s big now. He’s 6-5, 290 (pounds), and to be honest with you, you know where he fits a little bit more? He would fit a little bit more in a traditional, kind of old school Pittsburgh Steelers 3-4 defense. He would be that five-technique defensive end that could play that spot and be very stout.”

Mills is similar in size to star Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who measures in at 6-5 and 310 pounds. But one key difference is Williams has more length, which is a concern Huard has about Mills.

“The challenge and what I’m anxious to kind of see in how they utilize him eventually is he’s not real long (Mills had 32 5/8 inch arms at the draft combine)” Huard said. “He’s not like Leonard Williams with that length. He’s not necessarily like a (Quinton) Bohanna and a (Brandon) Pili at 330-plus pounds either. (He’s) 6-5, 290, fairly athletic, super smart, super savvy, but he’s a little different than all the rest of these D-linemen.

“He’s certainly not an edge player and he doesn’t have some of the size or the length of some of the interior (linemen).”

Every Rylie Mills sack (17.0) 👀💪
The best of @ryliemills99 ➡️ https://t.co/tBCRILE4Eh#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/kdxRT6F6c5
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) March 21, 2025

However, Huard is confident the Seahawks can figure out the best way to utilize Mills’ skills just like they have with another player on their defensive line who lacks some of the ideal measurables: 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy II.

“Like they’ve done with Murphy, who also is not prototypical in some of the size, they will play to his skill set,” Huard said. “(Mills’) greatest skill set, frankly, might just be his brain.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

Seattle Seahawks coverage

• What to expect if Colts start Philip Rivers at QB vs. Seattle Seahawks
• Seattle Seahawks Injury Report: OL starter may be nearing return
• Daniel Jeremiah: Seahawks rookie Grey Zabel ‘an elite guard now’
• Date and time for Seattle Seahawks’ Week 17 game at Carolina announced
• Seahawks Notebook: Coach leaves team; two players designated to return

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Seattle, WA

Seattle weather: Drier skies Friday, some rivers remain above flood stage

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Seattle weather: Drier skies Friday, some rivers remain above flood stage

SEATTLE – High river levels continue this evening after the heaviest showers came to an end Thursday with only a few lingering showers. A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for the Mount Vernon area due to flood risks if local levees fail, which remains possible through Friday afternoon.

Our FOX 13 Weather Team is closely watching for potential flash flooding concerns over the Skagit River.

A Flash Flood Watch is posted until late Friday: there is a possibility of dike/levee failure. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Landslide and localized flooding will still remain an issue into the end of the week.

High river levels continue this evening after the heaviest showers come to an end Thursday.

We have seen three rivers in Western Washington reach record level heights, making this a historic flooding event for the state. We still have the likelihood of seeing record heights for the Skagit River at Mount Vernon this evening into early Friday morning as it crests. Most of our area rivers will continue to decrease overnight and throughout Friday.

We have seen three rivers in Western Washington reach record level heights, making this a historic flooding event for Western Washington.

Rainfall totals Thursday were significantly lower compared to Wednesday, which will help to lower river levels over the next few days.

Rainfall totals Thursday were significantly lower compared to Wednesday, which will help to lower river levels over the next few days.

Temperatures this afternoon were also significantly warmer compared to average, with highs in the mid to upper 50s.

Temperatures this afternoon were also significantly warmer compared to average, with highs in the mid to upper 50s.

What’s next:

Skies will be much drier Friday as we see the atmospheric river move out of Western Washington. High pressure will slowly build back in for Friday and Saturday, aiding in the rivers receding and for the soil to dry out.

Skies will be much drier Friday as we see the atmospheric river move out of Western Washington.

Highs will remain very mild through the weekend, reaching the mid 50s. We will see dry skies and even some sunbreaks for Saturday. Our next round of showers return Sunday with scattered rain, then heavier showers and lowering snowlevels by the middle of next week.

Highs will remain very mild through the weekend, reaching the mid 50s.

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The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Claire Anderson and the National Weather Service.

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