03.20.2025

From our friends at

Today’s Forecast

🌸 Cherry nice

An aerial photo of the University of Washington quad shows all of its cherry blossoms in peak bloom. A smattering of people are also gathering below to take in the blooms under a sunny sky.

All of this whimsical magic will be here in just a few weeks. | Photo by @vloquality

Know what’s got a spring in our step? The cherry blossoms are almost ready to pop.

Peak bloom — which is considered to be when 70% of a tree’s blossoms have emerged — is likely to arrive at the end of March based on the current stage of the buds.

Whenever the trees hit peak bloom, they’ll stay bountiful for about two weeks — assuming no major storms roll through. So, it’s time to scope out the best places to view the dainty flowers (that also symbolize life’s fleeting beauty) in Seattle.

Pssst... You can also check out the Seattle Department of Transportation’s interactive tree map (under the Explore Street Trees tab) to see what’s near you.

University of Washington Quad

The university’s collection of 29 cherry trees makes this a flower lover’s dream. The U District Cherry Blossom Festival also runs Friday, March 21-Sunday, April 6.

Washington Park Arboretum / Japanese Garden

You’ll find the cherry blossoms along the arboretum’s Azalea Way, which is free to walk through. However, if you want to use the opportunity to cruise the Japanese Garden, there are other beautiful displays.

More bloom-tiful spots

Events

Thursday, March 20

Friday, March 21

Saturday, March 22

Ballard Wine Walk | 5-8 p.m. | Ballard Neighborhood | $40+ | This festival is a sure sign of spring — enjoy sips from 15 local wineries while perusing local shops.

So True Live with Caleb Hearon | 8 p.m. | Moore Theatre | $56+ | Caleb Hearon very well may be one of the funniest rising comedians in the US right now — go expecting to leave with aching abs.

Monday, March 24

Artist Closing Ceremony | 4-6 p.m. | Lucy’s Bottle Shop | Free | Grab a glass of wine and introduce yourself to local artist Kri Yamada and her stunning fashion work.

Wednesday, March 26

BurlesKARAOKE: You Sing, They Tease! | 7 p.m. | Queer Bar | $15+ | Belt your heart out while a team of flirty dancers perform to your stellar ballads.

There's plenty more to do

Click here to have your event featured.

Jobs

💼 Hiring, simplified

Find candidates who want to work right here, right now. | Gif by 6AM City

Small business owners, employers, and hiring managers — we understand that finding the right candidate can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. That’s why we designed SEAtoday Job Board to reduce hiring barriers and seamlessly connect you with top local talent.

To get started, create an account and post your first listing for free — it takes less than five minutes. Bonus: Level up your listing with a Featured Job Post and your job will be featured right here in the SEAtoday newsletter.

Get started for free

News Notes

Concert

Drum roll, please. The line-up for Capitol Hill Block Party has been released, along with some other changes. Headliners include Porter Robinson and DJ Pee Wee; the festival will now only last two days (July 19-20) instead of three; and only attendees 21+ and up will be allowed entry. Presale is now open.

Edu

Seattle Public School (SPS) Superintendant Brent Jones announced his plans to depart the school system in September 2025. SPS will begin looking for its next superintendant, who will be charged with addressing a $100 million budget deficit and potentially union negotiations. (Seattle Times)

Sports

This one perked our ears. Pitchbook has made a deal to extend its sponsorship of the Seattle Kraken for another six years, buttttt also included a request to get a head start with the Seattle SuperSonics should the team return as a pivotal part of the sponsorship deal. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Family

Get the little ones ready to learn — applications for the Seattle Preschool Program are now open. The city has also announced it will invest $3 million to add nine new classrooms for the 2025-26 year, creating space for 169 more seats.

Closed

You’ll have to get your cookies elsewhere, Nordstrom shoppers. Milk Bar’s first and only Washington location — found within the Bellevue Nordstrom — has closed. However, you can still order their sweet treats online. (Downtown Bellevue Network)

Opening

But if Milk Bar’s closing is too sad for Eastside sweet tooths, Doce Donuts has announced that it will soon be opening another location in downtown Bellevue. The shop uses 24-hour raised brioche dough, and features Latin American-inspired flavors like churro dulce de leche. No opening date has been announced. (Downtown Bellevue Network)

Listen

The Seattle Kraken and the Minnesota Wild seem to be having similar roster problems. Hear from the local experts of both teams on how the problem might be remedied with Locked On’s daily, Kraken-focused podcasts.

Small Biz

Good things come in small packages. We’ll be celebrating Small Business Week, an initiative to highlight our city’s local enterprises from Sunday, May 4 to Saturday, May 10. If you own a local small business, join us by filling out a form about your business.

Try This

Looking for a maker community? Escape to Camp ThunderCraft, a three-day retreat on Vashon Island designed for creative small business owners. For a weekend in April, enjoy business and craft classes, roundtable discussions, and networking. Psst… This getaway is a tax-deductible expense. Learn more + register to elevate your biz.*

Community

New Seattle Restored pop-up shops Ekadesma (1322 5th Ave.) and Seattle Chainstitch Massacre (611 2nd Ave.) are bringing new life to vacant storefronts in Seattle. Swing by to support these woman-owned small businesses and shop local (hint: more pop-ups are coming this spring).*

Outdoors

With spring comes outdoor concerts + music festivals — luckily, these hearing aids are the world’s first with multi-stream processing, designed to help you engage in conversations effortlessly (even in noisy environments, like that must-see show).*

Stat

Every six seconds. That’s how often a pet owner spends $1,000+ in unforeseen care costs for their fur baby. Pet insurance could cover up to 90% of these costs — find the right plan.*

Fact or Fiction

Fact: Some credit cards can actually help you get out of debt faster. (It sounds wild, but it’s true.) The secret: Find a credit card with a “0% intro APR” period for balance transfers. This one even offers 5% cash back on your purchases.*

Biz

Calling all business owners. For a limited time, we’re offering 15% off your first advertising purchase on our self-service ad portal. No long-term contract required — simply use the code NEW15 at checkout to redeem the discount.

City Guide

Break in those boots

A view of a lake from Rattlesnake Ledge in Washington

Rattlesnake Ledge is rigorous, but pays off. | Photo by @absolutelybacon

Lace up your hiking boots. We’ve compiled a curated hiking guide for the Seattle area with 27 trails and routes to help you plan your next adventure.

Key: Easy = 🥾| Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾

Rattlesnake Mountain Trail to East Peak, Rattlesnake Mountain Scenic Area, Snoqualmie

Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
Length: 8.6 miles out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet friendly: Yes, leash required

Want a challenge? This hike with a 2,500-ft elevation gain will give you the chance to get some miles in with great views along the entire trail. There’s an easier Rattlesnake trail that’s about half the length, but it gets crowded during nice weather days.

Lushootseed Whispers Trail, Woodinville

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 3.0 miles out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet friendly: Yes, no leash restrictions

Check this option out if you consider yourself a non-experienced hiker but still want that forest trail experience. This route is known to have tons of forageable mushrooms.

25 more hikes

Asked

What is most important to you when choosing a hike?

A. Level of difficulty
B. Time to complete/number of miles
C. Unmatched views
D. It’s all about the hiking

Consider our curiosity peaked

The Buy

A highly-rated callus file to remove dead skin and calluses so feet are ready for sandal season.

More worth The Buy

The Wrap

Those UW cherry blossoms really are something. I’m not a big crowds person, but they’re totally worth it if you’ve never been. There’s just nothing quite as magical as the moment when a strong breeze comes through and suddenly the air is filled with pink petals.

If you go, grab some snacks and pastries from one of the nearby U District businesses and enjoy the beauty.

Send us a scoop, question, or feedback

† Disclaimers and Legal | * Advertising Policy

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