Need to know

Can’t miss

Outdoors

• Pioneer Square Habitat Beach | This little beach is meant to operate as a natural shorelines would with ~1,400 species of native plants.
• Waterfall Garden Park | This 22-foot manmade waterfall sits on the UPS’ original office location (before the company moved to Connecticut in 1975). Enjoy the view from the two-level patio.

Arts + culture

• Central Saloon | This dark music venue bills itself as the birthplace of grunge music. World class acts such as Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden have all graced its stage.
• First Thursday Art Walk | Local art fanatics will find this an excellent time to explore the neighborhood with free entry into a variety of gallery exhibits and various pop-up markets. Expect a new experience every month.

Where to live

• 312 First Ave. S. | 2 BD, 1 BA | $555,000 | Talk about some sweet city-living. Enjoy exposed brick walls, an open floor plan, and newly installed rain shower features.

• Snowflake Lane | Tuesday, Dec. 12-Sunday, Dec. 24 | 7-7:30 p.m. | Bellevue Square, Bellevue | Free | The nightly winter wonderland of a parade is back with drummers, dancers, floats, and falling snow.
• Break-even Bottle | Tuesday, Dec. 12 | 4-9 p.m. | The Cottage, 10029 NE 183rd St., Bothell | Free | Try a taste of a rare libation until it’s all gone.

• Puff Pastry Baking Class | Wednesday, Dec. 13 | 6:30-9 p.m. | Batch Baking Company, 808 12th Ave., Seattle | $75 | Learn how to make the versatile pastry that can be used in many sweet or savory baking recipes.
• “The Office” Christmas Episodes Trivia | Wednesday, Dec. 13 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Wildrose, 1021 E. Pike St., Seattle | $6 | Questions cover the Christmas episodes from seasons two through nine.

• “MJ The Musical” | Thursday, Dec. 14-Sunday, Dec. 17 | Times vary | Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle | $44.50-$145 | Follow the behind-the-scenes story from Michael Jackson’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour.
• Capitol Hill Art Walk | Thursday, Dec. 14 | Times vary | Capitol Hill Neighborhood, 1635 11th Ave., Seattle | Free | Tour the neighborhood, meet artists, and maybe take home something new for your wall.

• Another Barbie is on her way to town — chart-topping rap artist Nicki Minaj will be performing at Climate Pledge Arena on March 10, 2024 as part of her “Pink Friday 2" World Tour. Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 15 at 9 a.m. (KING 5)

• After last week’s atmospheric river filled our local reservoirs, Seattle Public Utilities is no longer asking residents to conserve their water. During the week, 4.4 billion gallons were dumped into the reservoirs in the Cascades.

• In other weather-related news — three local ski resorts have announced their opening dates. Summit at Snoqualmie is up and running, Stevens Pass opens today, and Mt. Baker opens up to season pass holders on Wednesday, Dec. 13. (Seattle Times)

• A new connection between the 520 bike route and the Eastrail is now complete. The Northup Connector ramp will allow pedestrians using the trail to connect with public transit more easily in Downtown Bellevue. (Downtown Bellevue Network)

• Downtown’s Bar Solea announced it will be closing — at least until office workers return in greater numbers. The Exchange Building restaurant, owned by chef Brendan McGill, will have its last day of service Dec. 23. Downtown office traffic continues to be ~50% of pre-pandemic levels. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

• According to recent data from the US Census Bureau, a quarter of King County’s population is now made up of foreign-born residents. Over the past decade, the county has seen an increase of ~320,000 residents — of that, half were international immigrants. (Seattle Times)

• We know what you Googled this year — Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour.” That was the top Seattle trending search term for tours. “Pawn shops near me,” “The Last of Us,” and “Dillon Danis vs. Logan Paul” were also very popular search queries. (GeekWire)

Gabe’s picks

Alina’s picks