02.02.2024

SUBSCRIBE | REFER

Today’s Forecast

City

Meet Seattle’s sister cities

A view of Seattle's waterfront from across the bay.

Seattle’s regularly ranked as one of the US cities with the highest rents. | Photo by Garrett Morrow

Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista. That’s right — we’re talking to each one of Seattle’s 20 sister cities.

Seattle’s sister city program was founded in 1957 with Kobe, Japan. At that time, the partnership was one of the first of its kind in the world after President Dwight Eisenhower created the national program in 1956.

Since then, Seattle has added 19 other cities to our list of civic siblings:

Be’er Sheva, Israel
Bergen, Norway
Cebu, Philippines
Chongqing, China
Christchurch, New Zealand
Daejeon, Korea
Galway, Ireland
Gdynia, Poland
Haiphong, Vietnam
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Limbe, Cameroon
Mombasa, Kenya
Nantes, France
Pécs, Hungary
Perugia, Italy
Reykjavik, Iceland
Kampong Saom, Cambodia
Surabaya, Indonesia
Kobe, Japan

So what is a sister city, anyway? Let’s talk about it.

Two photos of the Galway Stone are shown here — the first is a close-up of the stone's marker that points through the Earth to Galway. The second is of the rock in its setting along Alaskan Way. — The Galway Stone sits in a little alcove next to the World Trade Center on Alaskan Way.
|
Photo by SEAtoday Staff

The love runs deep

The nature of a sister city relationship varies between each distinct partnership, but most involve an agreement to share cultural, financial, and educational resources with each other.

For example, the winners of Seattle and Kobe’s Jazz Queen try-outs get to fly out to perform in the respective sibling city.

And both Seattle and Galway share identical stone sculptures that point at each other through the Earth’s crust.

We’ve also invested in the buildings of school libraries and sponsored trade investment opportunities in Kampong Saom.

Where the program stands now

In 1996, the Seattle City Council established a moratorium on adding more locations to the sister city program. This was done to conserve the city’s resources and make sure that we’re contributing meaningfully to the partnerships we already have.

But the 20 partnerships are still plenty fruitful today. Check back as we dive into each one of our sister cities in the months to come.

Asked

Which was the most recent sister city relationship that Seattle formed?

A. Reykjavik, Iceland
B. Mombasa, Kenya
C. Kampong Saom, Cambodia
D. Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Quiz yourself

Events

Friday, Feb. 2

“House of Hearts” | Friday, Feb. 2-Sunday, March 3 | Times vary | Can Can Culinary Cabaret, 95 Pine St., Seattle | $69-$105 | During this cabaret performance, things get a little saucy at the Broken Hearts Ball when a princess falls in love with the town fool.

Saturday, Feb. 3

Wing Luke Museum’s Lunar New Year Fair | Saturday, Feb. 3 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle | $10-$17 | Enjoy lion dances, ceramics classes, crafts, snacks, raffles, and calligraphy courses.
Board Game Night | Saturday, Feb. 3 | 4:30-7:30 p.m. | North End Makerspace, 12317 15th Ave. NE, Seattle | Free | Grab your friends or make some new ones at this gaming hangout.
Layer Cakes, Buttercream, Fillings, and More | Saturday, Feb. 3 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | The Pastry Project, 165 S. Main St., Seattle | $150 | Learn how to make a yummy, fluffy chocolate cake with a Swiss meringue buttercream.

Sunday, Feb. 4

Small Dogs Meetup | Sunday, Feb. 4 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Dog Yard Bar, 1546 NW Leary Way, Seattle | $16 | Bring your under 30-lb pup for a little dog party.
Afternoon on the Trails | Sunday, Feb. 4 | 12-4 p.m. | IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Ave NE, Bainbridge Island | Free | Traverse the park’s miles of trails on a self-guided map tour.
Fruitful Yoga | Sunday, Feb. 4 | 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Vulpine Taproom, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park | $25 | Bring your own mat for a relaxing yoga sesh followed by cocktails and good conversation.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Sports

There’s a Storm gathering on the horizon. The Seattle Storm have signed veteran point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith to a two-year deal in one of the WNBA franchise’s biggest free agent acquisitions. Diggins-Smith has appeared in six All-Star Games and was an Olympic gold medalist. (Seattle Times)

Traffic

Gov. Jay Inslee and the Washington Department of Commerce announced $85 million in grants to help pay for thousands of new electric vehicle chargers. Seattle will see a high percentage of the funds that prioritize areas of high pollution levels and few existing chargers. (Seattle Times)

Closed

Ballard vegan restaurant Cycle Dogs has closed after nine years of business. What started as a popular food truck turned into a full-fledged restaurant at 5410 17th Ave NW in May 2021. The owners cited financial troubles as their reason for closing. (My Ballard)

Today is

Groundhog Day. This morning, Punxsutawney Phil gives his unofficial weather prediction. Remember: Legend says that if the groundhog sees its shadow, six more weeks of winter lie ahead. If not, an early spring is expected. Don’t trust Phil? You can always reference our winter weather outlook, too.

Number

86%. That’s the percentage of Seattle area adults that are planning to take at least one vacation during the next 12 months, making us the No. 1 trip-organizing city in the US per the Nielsen ranking. Most respondents (38.4%) said their vacations would likely lead them to a beach or lake. (Seattle Times)

Civic

The City of Seattle is hosting a listening session for local developers and owners of brick buildings about a new program to fund earthquake resiliency upgrades. The meeting will be held Feb. 27 at 3:30 in Seattle City Hall.

Announced

Congratulations to our survey winner, Rachel M., for winning $500! Thank you to everyone who took the time to take our survey. We’re excited to continue providing positive news and events in our free newsletter.

Holiday

❤️ Get shopping, sweetheart

The best Valentine’s Day gifts for 2024

A graphic with cartoon candy hearts that have different gift categories written inside, like "Home Goods" and "Books."

Six & Main’s snacks, cards, and home goods might just be our love language. | Graphic by 6AM City

Consider this your official reminder that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. We’re making it easy for you to find the sweetest, most unique gifts for friends, family, and significant others. Bonus: These gifts ship right to your door. Scroll and shop your favorites.

Share this satisfying 12-piece bonbon gift box with someone special.
This sore muscle massage oil has chamomile and lavender essential oils for a fragrant, relaxing massage.
City Editor Alina’s pick: “I think the most romantic gift is something that allows you two to have more fun together. These cards are just a promise of the hundreds of exciting nights you both have to come. What’s sweeter than that?”
City Editor Gabe’s pick: “Get this Secret Seattle book, bookmark a few pages with sticky notes about great restaurants nearby, and plan your next local adventure with your partner.”
A punny “Yoda one for me” tee is the perfect casual and cute gift.

More sweet ideas

The Buy

The Buy 2.02.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

A portable phone charger that’s credit card-sized and fits right on the back of your smartphone. Choose your color and store the slim, lightweight device in your pocket or bag.

Answered

How are you feeling about the Seahawks’ head coach hire?

New Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald in a blue blazer and black t-shirt — The Seahawks signed Mike Macdonald as their new head coaching hire on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
|
Photo by Edwin Hooper, courtesy of the Seahawks

Earlier this week, the Seahawks announced that Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was taking the reins as the head coach — so, we asked what you thought about it. Of those who voted, 52% were feeling pretty pumped about the hire with 34% feeling unsure and only 7% feeling pessimistic.

Read about the new coach

Share SEAtoday

Share the good news. Get rewarded.

Have someone who needs to stay in the know? Get amazing rewards for every new subscriber you bring by sharing your unique referral link (below).

Facebook

Twitter

{{profile.vars.rh_totref_26}} friends are looped into all things local because of you.

Claim your rewards

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alina

From the editor

I tried something I haven’t done since sixth grade this week — I went rollerskating. It was my friend’s birthday on Wednesday, so we all met up at Southgate Roller Rink for some good, groovy fun and I had a blast. It was certainly a lot more of a workout than I remembered, but I only fell three times. I’m really proud of that.

It was pretty packed for a Wednesday, so it definitely holds up as a really cool late night activity if you want to do more than just sit at a bar. Check out our other recs.

Missed our previous newsletter?

›

Send Us A Scoop, Question, or Feedback

Content marked with an * is paid advertising. Content marked with an ^ is created by our content studio. The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602

ADVERTISE | CAREERS | ETHICS | PRIVACY | THE BUY