06.05.2024

Today’s Forecast

⚡️ It’s electric

The first routes to get these new hybrid vessels will likely be Bainbridge-Seattle and Clinton-Mukilteo. | Photo by Takeshita Kenji

The old ways of Washington State Ferries (WSF) are electric sliding over to make room for its fully hybrid-electric boat fleet — setting sail by 2040 with an ultimate goal of becoming entirely emissions free by 2050.

Why?

WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States — and with its efforts to transport over 20 million passengers each year, it uses 19 million gallons of fuel. Yeesh.

By electrifying its systems, WSF hopes to save some major bucks and drastically reduce those harmful greenhouse emissions.

Let’s chat about the specifics behind this plan.

Untitled design (22).png — The upper graphic shows upgrades that will be made to each of the converted vessels, while the lower graphic shows how the vessel charging system will work.
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Graphics via Washington State Ferries

Planning it out

The entire Ferry System Electrification program entails converting six of the currently operating vessels, retiring 13 others, building 16 new boats, and adding charging capabilities to 16 of the ferry system’s ports.

The first two hybrid vessels should be up and running by 2028, with another three operating by 2030.

WSF is currently on the hunt for businesses to build out these new ships (it announced its invitations for bids along with its hybrid plan).

Once in place, boats will connect every time they reach a port, where they’ll need to charge while passengers disembark and reboard. The vessels will only need about 20 minutes to charge, which is about the same amount of time they spend at the dock between crossings.

The full build out of boats and charging systems has an estimated cost of $3.98 billion, with $1.68 billion already in the coffers from a mixture of grants + state and federal funding. The remaining funds will be secured further along in the process (we are talking about a decades-long plan here).

As WSF builds out these new ships, make sure to keep an eye out for opportunities to name them. The first ship has already been named Wishkah.

Events

Wednesday, June 5

Unstreamable: “The Linguini Incident” | Wednesday, June 5-Sunday, June 9 | Times vary | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle | $7-$14 | David Bowie takes the lead in this film about an English man who needs a green card and a woman who wants to be a professional escape artist.
Kitchen Sink Comedy | Wednesday, June 5-Wednesday, July 3 | 7:30-9:30 p.m. | The Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., Seattle | $10 | You never know what you’ll get out of this show, from standard stand-up performances to clown routines, burlesque, and powerpoint presentations.

Thursday, June 6

Single Hill Brewing Beer Tasting with Pizza | Thursday, June 6 | 6-8 p.m. | The Wine Alley, 14276 SE 176th St., Renton | $15 | You have one important mission at this event — figure out which beer pairs best with that cheesy slice of pizza. You in?
Tapered Candle Sculpting | Thursday, June 6 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Volunteer Park Cafe & Pantry, 1501 17th Ave. E., Seattle | $65 | Make four wavy candles, snack on bites, make friends, and leave with two candle sticks for your home.
“Coppélia” | Thursday, June 6-Sunday, June 9 | Times vary | McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St., Seattle | $30-$210 | A dashing young lad falls in love with a human-sized doll that’s been perched atop a toymaker’s balcony — did we mention he also has a girlfriend?

Friday, June 7

Silversmithing Level 1: Meet The Butane Torch | Friday, June 7 | 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | NW Rockhounds, 2720 NE 115th St., Seattle | $60 | Learn beginner steps for working with fire to make beautiful jewelry.
National Day of Sweden Dinner | Friday, June 7 | 5-10 p.m. | Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave. N., Seattle | $11-$44 | Celebrate the National Day of Sweden with live musical performances + a menu of options like herring with pickled beets, salmon, and a berry tart.
Pride in the Sky with House Wine | Friday, June 7 | 4-7 p.m. | 450 Alaskan Way S., 450 Alaskan Way S., Seattle | $24 | Wear your most colorful garb for some rooftop wine drinking.

Saturday, June 8

Chihuahua Meetup | Saturday, June 8 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Dog Yard Bar, 1546 NW Leary Way, Seattle | $16 | Bring your spunky little guy and let him run around with some other yappers.
State Park Free Pass Day | Saturday, June 8 | Washington | Free | Here’s a reminder that you can visit all state parks without needing a Discover Pass in recognition of National Get Outdoors Day.

Events calendar here

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News Notes

Film

A Seattle Center building that once housed Crosscut and KCTS 9 is now being re-purposed as the M5 Creative Building, a hub for film producers who need a temporary base camp for production. The effort, managed by City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, is intended to help lure filmmakers to the area. (Seattle Times)

Arts

A new art exhibit celebrating graffiti art and culture is opening at King Street Station. “COMPLEXITY” features more than 20 artworks that depict the history of aerosol expressionism, along with several contributed pieces from local artists. The exhibit will stay open until Saturday, July 20, with live demonstrations planned for Saturday, June 6.

Real Estate

The Low Income Housing Institute (LHI) is in the process of purchasing Bellevue’s Aventine Apartments to make sure affordable housing is available downtown. The 68-unit complex at 211 112th Ave. NE is located near Sound Transit’s Light Rail Line 2 and will cost the LHI $29.2 million. (Downtown Bellevue Network)

State

Turns out it kinda pays to eat canned chicken and tuna. Today is the last day for Washington residents to submit a claim for either a $50 or $120 check from a $40 million settlement the state reached with food producers over illegal price fixing. Checks are delivered via mail. (Seattle Times)

Biz

South Lake Union’s Pan Pacific Hotel is about to get a new name as the hotel transitions to new management. In 2025, the Pan Pacific will become the 1 Hotel Seattle, with a focus on “sustainable luxury” and the “restorative power of nature.” (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Community

The National Nordic Museum is gearing up to bring back its free summer outdoor movie series that will start with “Fantastic Mr. Fox” on Thursday, June 27 at 8 p.m. Future dates have not been announced yet, but chosen films all showcase a different movie that has a strong Nordic connection. Bring your own chairs. (My Ballard)

DYK

Vashon Island got its first record store in January, but do you know who’s behind Side Stack Records? None other than the former lead singer of alt rock band The Fray, Isaac Slade. The tiny shop at 17637 Vashon Hwy SW has more than 6,000 records and another collection of vintage toys. (Seattle Times)

Sports

It looks like the Mariners may have a pretty aggressive trading strategy ahead of the 2024 trade deadline and mentioned names like Luis Robert Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, and Bo Bichette as potential targets. Hear from the local experts on the Mariners with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.

Finance

You know a restaurant’s good if other chefs eat there, and you can trust a gym where athletes train. So, we’ll trust this rec: This card recommended by The Ascent has no annual fee and offers up to 5% cash back, a sign-up bonus, and 0% intro APR into 2025.*

City

Finally going somewhere

Seattle’s Highway 520 “ramps to nowhere” to become a local park

Montlake's ghost ramps sit idly by above a pool of water.

The “Ramps to Nowhere” were once used as risky diving boards by locals. | Photo by Nikky Southerland

Ready for a ghost story? It’s not very spooky, but it does lead to us getting a new park in the Montlake neighborhood.

Seattle’s famous “ramps to nowhere” have been mostly demolished while the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) makes improvements to the SR 520 on-ramps, but a portion of them will soon become a signifier of the “Freeway Revolts” that led to their ghostly creation.

Back in 1963, the city was building a freeway to connect Highway 520 to the R. H. Thomson Expressway. However, the plans for the road would have significantly segmented the Central District. So, a segment of the Black Panther coalition, UW students, and local architects protested and successfully stopped the project, leaving the already built ramps to sit alone for decades.

But now, the city plans to turn the area into a park sometime in the 2030s dedicated to the Freeway Revolts.

The Buy

The Buy 6.05.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

The ultimate summer grill accessory: a wireless smart thermometer. Stick it in your food, cook as usual, and the thermometer will notify your smartphone when your meat has reached the ideal internal temp. Hello, perfectly cooked steaks…

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alina

From the editor

Without knowing the history behind the “ramps to nowhere,” they do look pretty spooky. But it is so much cooler to know that they’re result of Seattleites coming together to support the community.

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Washington State Ferries share plans for new hybrid-electric fleet

Planning it out

Seattle’s Highway 520 “ramps to nowhere” to become a local park

The Buy 6.05.24 (Affiliate + Six & Main)