SAVE THE DATE: Two weeks from tonight – Wed., Feb. 15th – we’ll be holding a special launch party for SoKing Internet Radio, our new, locally-driven radio station, rockin’ the Tin Theater (at 923 SW 152nd in Olde Burien) from 5:30-7 p.m.!

The radio station will “go live” on the air in the theater at 6 p.m. sharp, so please arrive before then for the best experience – we’ll all gather around a computer, say a few words, acknowledge some peeps, perhaps do some weird chanting, then click a button and the station will magically come alive.

All our Readers and Advertisers are invited to this free event, which should be a blast – we’ve been working hard behind-the-scenes building this new media venture, setting up servers, learning new software, collecting and programming local music and beta testing the stream. So far everything’s working great, so we think it’s time to actually go live!

Some interesting anecdotes about this project:

• Far as we know, we’ll be the first local blog in the Northwest (perhaps the entire U.S.?) to have its own internet radio station! We’re doing this for a variety of reasons – because we love music, because we want to help local musician types, because nobody else is really doing it right, because we think it’s a great community service, and because it’s really flippin’ COOL to run your own radio station!!
• It’ll be available over the internet only, which means you can only listen to it through your computer, phone or mobile device. However, this also means that anyone anywhere in the world can listen. And just you wait – there will be a day not too far from now that you’ll have wi-fi internet in your car!
• It will feature all local music from area bands, musicians and songwriters like:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Castbound, a group of 15-year old guys from Normandy Park and West Seattle:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jordan Biggs, another local singer/songwriter:

Click here to view the embedded video.

BenniB, a B-Town boy turned rapper:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Treehouse Dreamers, which includes King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg (yes, that’s him singing in the video below):

Click here to view the embedded video.

KT & HOOPS, a local folk duo:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Trip Like Animals, a psychedelic/grunge band featuring Michael Molner, a bartender at The Tin Room:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Boomerang Summer, headed by Trevor Ras, a Highline High grad:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Noah Gundersen, another great Seattle songwriter:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lark vs Owl, an amazingly talented Seattle pop duo:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pacific Nomadic, a Seattle Indie rock band:

Click here to view the embedded video.

But wait…there’s more!

• DUI Joe, a Burien-based DUI Attorney that we bet you didn’t know could sing. Or talk – he’ll also be doing a talk show for us shortly!
• Kyle R. Andrews, a pop acoustic local singer
• Tupelo, a local, classic country rock band that has played Yo’s Bistro
• Morris Can Fly, a power-pop trio from Seattle
• The Thoughts, a thoughtful small band from Seattle
• Two Buck Chuck, a kitschy cover band with two brothers that plays Mick Kelly’s often
• Dirty Malkovich, aka Luke Krom, formerly of Skwish
• The Pink Torpedoes, which includes local Yellow VAN Handyman Roger Gee
• Manooghi Hi, a Seattle band that collides Indian music with Grunge
• Sly Mr. Y, a pop-influenced power singer aka Chris Yates
• Beau Robinson, another local songwriter/singer
• Classic northwest 80s music from The Heaters, The Cowboys (R.I.P. Ian Fisher), The Eagertones and even one of Scott’s personal faves – the late great Billy Rancher and the Unreal Gods (now out of print)!
• And there’s much much more, with new tracks being added every day!
• We’ll also feature regular “shows,” but when we launch it will be a mix of just great local music.
• We’re going to tie our six local blogs into it as well, so we’ll feature local news from our sites, and we’ll also feature local music on our blogs. That’s what the big media boys like to call synergy.
• The station will be fully ASCAP/BMI/SESAC/Soundexchange licensed through Streamlicensing.com, which means that we’ll be paying out royalties to affiliated artists.
• Listeners will be able to rate songs as they listen to them. We’ll also have a Top 20 chart of the highest-rated songs.
• We’ll do occasional newscasts, mostly when news warrants it. We’ll also do fun stuff like play computer-voiced versions of the best Comments from our blogs, just because we think that’d be a pretty fun thing to hear.
• We are planning on doing a Kickstarter fundraiser campaign to help us build a small radio studio in Burien where we can do interviews and perhaps even record live music. If you’ve got some spare audio studio gear to donate, or know where we can get some, please email us!
• This project was the brainchild of Publisher Scott Schaefer, who, upon seeing several great local bands at Burien’s Wild Strawberry Festival, thought that the area could use a “truly local” radio station that showcases local talent. He then ran this past his resident tech guru, who foolishly said “sure, sounds fun…why not…?”
• The station would not exist if it wasn’t for the expertise of said guru – Michael Brunk – who has spent countless hours setting up things, learning software, finding music and helping program it!
• Another shout-out is in order for biz partners Todd Christensen and Wendy Quesinberry of design firm Quesinberry & Associates, for designing the logo and helping find music.
• And even more shout-outs to the rest of our team, all of whom you’ll soon hear “on the air”:
• Joy Steele, Columnist/Sales Manager
• Ralph Nichols, Senior Writer
• Jack Mayne, Associate Publisher
• Mark Neuman, Writer/Sales
• Bryan Charles, Intern Animator

So there ya go – the brief history of SoKing Internet Radio in a nice bullet point presentation, including videos!

Oh, and be sure to “Like” SoKing Internet Radio on Facebook here.

We look forward to rocking out with you at the party! And thanks in advance for your support!

The Sea-Tac Airport Music Initiative, Experience the City of Music is a comprehensive program that enhances the traveler’s experience by utilizing speakers and screens airport-wide to feature a diverse variety of northwest music from the soulful sounds of Quincy Jones to the poignant lyrics of Eddie Vedder. Travelers will also hear artist-read public announcements, enjoy curated videos on terminal and baggage claim monitors, and listen to a multi-channel web radio player available through the free airport Wi-Fi network.

“The Port is pleased to be a leader in this effort to promote the region’s music industry and to increase the visibility of local musicians at the airport,” said John Creighton, Port of Seattle Commissioner. “From Jimi Hendrix to the Wilson sisters, Chris Cornell and many others, the Seattle area has a strong music heritage. Over 32 million passengers pass through Sea-Tac Airport each year, giving us a unique opportunity to introduce a new generation of local musicians to travelers and tourists.”

“Seattle is known around the world for its music culture, so it’s great to see this identity embraced and showcased to all the travelers going through the airport,” said Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.  “Jet City, meet Music City.”

This campaign will launch dynamic media elements curated and developed by branded entertainment specialist PlayNetwork, including:

• Overhead  music featuring local emerging artists like Fences, Beat Connection and Allen Stone with legends like Ray Charles, Heart and Nirvana
• Overhead safety and informational announcements read by local musicians such as Ben Gibbard, LeRoy Bell, Macklemore, Jerry Cantrell and Sir Mix-A-Lot
• Video segments on terminal monitors throughout the airport featuring exceptional original content from KEXP, EMP, MTV, Chase Jarvis, the Seattle Channel’s Art Zone, Light in the Attic Records and The Seattle Band Map
• A web-based multi-channel music player available via the airport’s free WiFi
• An Android mobile app, developed by Front Runner, which will feature access to the PlayNetwork music playlist, videos and KEXP concert listings; iPhone, Windows Phone 7 and Blackberry apps coming soon

Sea-Tac Airport will also be holding a Music Initiative Launch Party on Saturday, Jan. 28!

To kick-off and celebrate the Sea-Tac Airport Music Initiative, an Experience the City of Music Launch Party will be hosted on January 28, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Time in Sea-Tac’s Gina Marie Lindsey Arrivals Hall at the south end of the baggage claim area. The event will feature live performances by Seattle artists including:

• 6 p.m. – Dusty 45’s (upbeat rockabilly, swing and jump blues)
• 5 p.m. – Fly Moon Royalty (electro-soul duo)
• 4 p.m. – Carrie Clark & the Lonesome Lovers (roots, Americana, sass-a-frass)
• 3 p.m. – Recess Monkey (catchy, energetic kids rock)

Additional performances by local musicians will take place onboard Sound Transit’s Link light rail trains from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn will kick off the event alongside Seattle Music Commissioner Marcus Womack.  The event is free and open to the public. RSVP now for free.

“We are incredibly proud of our city and it’s an honor to be working on a project that will touch the lives of 80,000 passengers every day,” said Nadine Zgonc, VP of Client Management for PlayNetwork. “From licensing to creative, our team is excited about the work we’re unveiling. It’s been an amazing opportunity to collaborate with such a talented array of community leaders that share our commitment to the region’s artistic culture.”

“This project has been so much fun to work on because of all the community support and excitement to show off our music culture in such a significant way,” said Seattle Music Commissioner Marcus Womack.  “I am proud to be on the Seattle Music Commission and drive this forward.”

Additional support for this project comes from The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and other valued Seattle-based organizations.

Click here to view sample audio and video elements.

Click here to learn more about the Sea-Tac Airport Music Initiative.

Here’s the video for the song, with lyrics to follow.  It’s the kind of song that those frustrated with City government might sing, metaphorically…

You ask me how I feel, well suddenly this is all for real
It hasn’t seemed like that till now, it’s as if you were still mine somehow
I hope you’ve realised just how I’m being so civilised
But it’s nearly time I went, we’ve got one last chance to have an argument

And watching you walk back to your car
Was the lowest point of my life so far

Don’t stare into my eyes, I couldn’t bear for you to realise
That I’m still desperately in love with you and darling that’s all I can think of
It’ll get easier every day, well I’ll be five thousand miles away
And I’m good at hiding pain but now I really should get on that plane

And watching you walk back to your car
Was the lowest point of my life so far

As if you still could ever do a single thing
That’d make me hate you

by Greg Wright

What new insight could I possibly add to your experience of Dead Poets Society?  Very little, I imagine.  My own history with this classic film is long and deep, having been a fan of both star Robin Williams and director Peter Weir long before they collaborated on this tale of an inspirational (if incautious) new professor and alum of a historically stuffy and conformist Ivy League prep school.

Most adults, of course, seem to have very little memory of what being a teenager is like; the normal result is a lack of sensitivity and understanding, much as we see with the parents of Neil and Todd in Dead Poets (played brilliantly by Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke).  However, in his passion for flipping that insensitivity the opposite direction, John Keating (Williams) equally forgets the impressionability of youth—and with tragic unintended consequences.  Keating is not the catalyst for the tragedy, of course; but he’s not entirely unaccountable, either.

Here’s a smattering of the historical critical consensus on Poets:

• Williams, who has comparatively little screen time, has come to act, not to cut comic riffs, and he does so with forceful, ultimately compelling, simplicity. (Richard Schickel, Time)
• Hurrah! Poetry and passion, comedy and tragedy are fused into one absolutely marvelous affirmation of independent spirit in Dead Poets Society. (Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle)
• The picture draws out the obvious and turns itself into a classic. (Pauline Kael, The New Yorker)
• Nothing about this film sounds, as described, novel. Yet it grips, because it has been made with plentiful feeling and vigor.  (Stanley Kauffman, The New Republic)
• Williams is impressively restrained as well as funny, so fans need not fret. It only means that instead of Good Morning, Preppies, we’re given a bittersweet, even eerie Goodbye, Mr. Hip. (Mike Clark, USA Today)

Now, this is not a perfect film.  It’s not even Weir’s or Williams’ best (those honors would probably go to (Gallipoli and The World According to Garp, respectively).  But both are at the top of their game here, easily overcoming the more maudlin and contrived aspects of the script.

And while there’s nothing new on the new Blu-ray release (all the bonus features have shown up on previous editions) a look behind the scenes gives some insight into the craft (and mindset) of Weir’s singular art.  As early as Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Last Wave, Australian Weir was establishing himself as an auteur of note—and his oeuvre backed up that promise.  Every element of a Weir film is both deliciously out of control yet precise: the perfect blend of Orson Welles’ anal retentive planning and Stanley Kubrick’s freewheeling unpredictability.  Sometimes the package didn’t work so well (Mosquito Coast or Master and Commander) but who can forget films like The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness, Fearless, or The Truman Show?

The greatest legacy of Dead Poets, of course, is that it is the contemporary standard by which all ensemble-cast prep/high school films are judged.  Weir’s casting and direction of the Welton Academy kids was uncanny, and beyond Leonard’s and Hawke’s stunning turns, characters like Knox Overstreet and Charlie Dalton are forever etched in a generations’ memory.

“Gotta do more.  Gotta be… more!”

Seize the day.  Seize the Blu-ray.

Rated PG.  128 minutes.  Directed by Peter Weir.  Stars: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke. Dead Poets Society is now available at Netflix and Amazon.

If you register now to run in the 4th annual Cove to Clover fundraiser (coming up March 9-11), you’ll save some serious ¢lover, ‘cuz registration rates are at their lowest right now!

South King Media be a Sponsor for the fourth consecutive year (learn more about becoming a Sponsor here), and we encourage all our Readers to find a way to participate – even if you’re not a runner – as this is a great, fun, local fundraiser.

The race starts near the cove in Normandy Park, then winds its way up ‘Snake Hill’ through Burien before ending up in front of Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub. The 10k will start at the Normandy Park Towne Center and catch up to the 5k route (click here to see a map of the race course).

Last year over $37,000 was raised and distributed to these local charities:

• Highline Area Food Bank: $16,000
• Highline Schools Foundation/Schools: $12,500
• Hospitality House: $3,000
• Para Los Ninos: $2,250
• YETI Club: $1,550
• Emergency Family Relief: $500
• Hi-Liners: $500
• Girl Scouts: $350
• Boy Scouts: $350

There are several new elements this year, including a 10K run and a Talent Show, along with the usual 5k race and Pub Crawl.

“Cover to Clover is unlike any other 5K or 10K,” reads a note on the C2C website. “For one thing, it is very hard. So hard in fact that it is fast becoming a test piece for NW runners. For starters, “Snake Hill” rises nearly 1000′ in the first mile of the course. Around mile 2 you’ll encounter ‘The Uprising,’ a runner obstacle that has been constructed in the middle of a live Celtic battlefield. For your suffering, you will be rewarded with on-course Celtic pipers and a finish line festival that delivers the goods (2 beer gardens, 2 stages with live entertainment, free root beer garden and free hot dogs for children).”

The Cove to Clover is a 501(c)(3) umbrella charity which distributes all proceeds to local charities. The organization is very lean and run by passionate volunteers.

“Be assured, your participation will be making a positive impact on your community,” the website adds.

This year there will also be a ‘Corporate Team Challenge,’ where companies can participate by registering their employees; here’s more info:

“It’s easy to do; just have each member of your team use a ‘Registration Code’ representing your company’s name. Also, be sure to email us at

“'The Uprising' will be at least double in size and absolutely impossible to scale. I suggest organizers begin working with City officials on a solution to help the estimated 2000 runners that will likely be stranded. This year you are mine…ha, Ha, HAAA!"

corporate_teams@covetoclover.com to let us know the code you are using so we can insure you get proper credit for each registration. We’d also like to have a team captain’s name and email address, so that we can pass on the information of who joined your team. Then all you have to do is promote the race at your company and encourage your co-workers to register online using your ‘Registration Code.’

The team with the most team members (registered with your unique code) will be recognized with a special award at the finish line. Cove to Clover will throw an extra special catered party for the winning team at a later date. We don’t want to be pinned down to a location, since the size of the winning team may require a bigger venue.”

Also, the sponsorship window will be closing relatively soon, so if you’re with a business that wants to do good and get great local exposure, contact sponsorship@covetoclover.com ASAP to let them know of their interest.

by Greg Wright

Ultimately, I think will stand by my original assessment that Roland Joffe’s latest feature film is “a somewhat stylized cross between Doctor Zhivago and, well, Fried Green Tomatoes”… as long as you understand that the latter reference is not intended as complimentary.  And it’s worth noting that I might well have said “Fried Green Rotten Tomatoes,” as the film has been blasted with a rank 11% fresh critic’s rating on the tomatometer (though it fares much higher with audiences at 68%).

“It aims for epic scope in its ill-fated romance between a communist partisan and right-wing spy,” I wrote in June last year, “and it succeeds admirably, coming off on that score much like a rather less poetic Atonement.”  I elaborated:

Like Becket, the film really works not because its core is polemic, romance, politics, or teaching, but because it pits two charismatic characters against each other.  …  Subplots are all relevant, casting superbly highlights all the right characters with all the right beats, and Joffe never pursues any particular story thread past its welcome.  I was deeply moved by this film, and even provoked intellectually and theologically to consider to what extent I have harbored or released resentment toward my Heavenly Father for the perceived injustices in my life.

What I didn’t mention in my review (because other critics had not yet weighed in) was my suspicion that the film would get largely panned by reviewers and audiences alike—and not because it’s a bad film per se, but rather because it’s far too ambitious, complex, and challenging for its own good.  A great many things about the plotting and construction are out-and-out confusing—and without the awkward and stilted voiceover/montage sequences that intrude in the late going (and which are frankly never a good sign), audiences would likely miss a great deal of the film’s symbolism and meaning.  And that presumes that audiences have even stuck with the slowly-paced film long enough to get that far.

I dropped a great number of film titles in my original review as points of comparison, but I missed probably the most relevant touchstone: Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America, which was butchered upon its initial theatrical release in the U.S.  The home video release of Dragons comes equipped with a literally almost endless collection of deleted and alternate scenes, and it’s not hard to see that Joffe intended Dragons to play something like Once Upon a Time in Spain—a detailed saga of boyhood friendship resentment gone epically awry—and that the film’s producers were as impatient with Joffe’s vision as Leone’s producers were with him.  As filmed, There Be Dragons is a sprawling tedious mess, and a screening of the deleted material yields a great deal of insight into the finished film’s deficiencies.

They also almost make me want to reneg on my original review of the film.

Almost, but not quite.  And here’s why.  Even though Joffe overreached himself here, and made it nearly impossible to patch together a coherent cut of the film, what Joffe was aiming for was so much more worthwhile than films like Avatar, The Dark Knight, or Inglourious Basterds—to name just a few.  And while those films are ultimately far more finely crafted (and, uh, successful) than Dragons, ultimately empty, self-referential, pseudo-profound popcorn flicks like those don’t hold a candle in my book to less successful films that are about ideas that really matter.

Josemaría Escrivá didn’t infiltrate romanticized blue-skinned alien cultures, deal with his inner demons by donning a cape and mask in highly improbable fashion, or work out the problem of evil in a violent alternate-reality fetish fantasy.  No; in the context of the very real Spanish Civil War, which literally pitted brother against brother, Escrivá worked out his commitment to “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” in a practical and lasting fashion.  And Joffe tells that story in a way that just might—just might, mind you—radicalize your faith just a little.

So I’ll still recommend the film… but also recommend you skip the deleted scenes!

Released to home video January 10, 2012. Starring: Dougray Scott and Charlie Cox. Director: Roland Joffe. Genre: Drama. 122 Minutes. There Be Dragons is available at Amazon, Netflix, and Redbox (come February 7).

“We are committed to making it easier to walk and explore,” said Todd Cutts, city manager. “SeaTac’s Neighborhood Sidewalk Program is building a network of sidewalks and paths creating access to schools, transit and trails. This new map helps discover access to healthy living whether you are walking to a local park or to the corner store.”

The SeaTac Walking Map is available online here (PDF file), as well as at City Hall, the Community Center and the Seattle Southside Visitors Center. The map was made possible by a grant from Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work program.

Here’s what the map looks like – click image to see a larger version (or download the PDF here):

“This is an exciting opportunity for residents and visitors to SeaTac to make healthy choices and better enable residents and visitors to discover our wonderful community,” said Mia Gregerson, Councilmember Gregerson and member of the Highline Healthy Communities Coaltion.

Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) is a national initiative to prevent chronic disease and promote health through policy, systems and environment changes. Public Health – Seattle & King County is one of 55 sites throughout the United States awarded grant funding through the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). The initiative is tackling obesity and tobacco use, the leading causes of preventable death in our nation.

As many of our Readers may recall, we’ve covered previous events extensively, and we’re asking everyone to email us pics (or video) if they’re going to participate and drop trou.

We sent our crew out in 2010, and here’s a video we produced of the event (read our coverage of previous year’s events here), starring the frequently-pantsless Bart Bryan along with numerous other whimsical locals:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are the event details:

WHAT: 3rd annual No Pants! Link Light Rail Ride.

WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 8th from 2:00pm – 4:30pm.

WHERE: Most are meeting just before 3pm at Westlake Center in downtown Seattle, but that’s not a requirement; in fact, we discourage our Readers from starting there, as you will have to wait to board the trains, plus, you’ll be stuck with dozens, if not hundreds, of other “No Pants!” riders.

If you board from the SeaTac or Tukwila stations, we think you’ll most certainly garner a stronger reaction from unsuspecting riders.

This event is sponsored by Emerald City Improv, and is an annual global event started by Improv Everywhere in New York in 2002 (find out more about them at www.improveverywhere.com and more about Emerald City Improv at www.emeraldcityimprov.org).

According to the event’s Facebook Page, here are the requirements for participation:

1. Take your pants off on light rail
2. Stay in character and don’t say what’s going on (keep a straight face- or at least try!)
3. Wear non-offensive underwear
4. Pay your fare
5. Bring a small bag or backpack to put your pants in during the event.

WHERE TO MEET:
MEET AT WESTLAKE PARK at 4TH AVE AND PINE ST, across from Westlake Center. We will meet here at 2PM, and the event will run until 4:30pm. Then, at 5pm we will meet at Fox Sports Grill for a No Pants after party! Fox Sports is at 1522 6th Avenue (on 6th between Pike and Pine). The past couple years they have been really cool and have let us use their event room in the back.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
You may NOT wear any revealing or “skimpy” clothes. If deemed too revealing, we will ask that you put your pants back on. This includes thongs, jock straps, ass-less chaps, whitey-tighties that can be seen through etc. Please use common sense. You are responsible for obeying the law.

ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO:
We know it’s super tempting to take tons of photos of you and your friends and your new friends and the guy wearing the cute pirate boxers, but please try and refrain from doing so. The event works so much better when everybody stays in character. There will be plenty of people taking pictures. If you’re a photographer or videographer and would like to volunteer to photograph or film the event, please contact kelsey@emeraldcityimprov.org

Previous No Pants Light Rail Rides:

• 2011: https://www.facebook.com/events/112901408778534/
• 2010: https://www.facebook.com/events/245032682628/

The Des Moines Rotary Club will be presenting the 8th annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival from March 2-4, once again in the historic and grand Landmark Event Center in Des Moines.

Guests will enjoy live music and great food while tasting wines from 20 Northwest wineries.

The festival kicks off on Friday, March 2 at 5:00 p.m. The fun continues on Saturday and Sunday, with more wine tasting, food, and live music.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Corky Cellars in Des Moines (206-824-9462) or at www.dmrotary.org.

All proceeds fund the service projects of the Des Moines Rotary Club, including college scholarships, grants to local schools, safety and recreation programs for children, yard projects for elderly residents, support for the local food bank and the homeless, and projects to assist needy people as far away as South Africa and the Philippines.

HOURS:

• Friday: 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
• Saturday: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
• ?Sunday: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

MUSIC:

• Uncle Ernie – Friday, 6:30-9:30
• All Stars No Stripes – Saturday, 3:30-6:30
• Ambience – Sunday, noon-2:00
• Stephanie Porter – Sunday, 2:30-4:30

For more information, please visit www.dmrotary.org.

Welcome to a bold, new year… if you’re reading this you successfully made the transition with the rest of us. Hope the hangover isn’t too bad!

The biggest celebration in town happens at the Seattle Space Needle, and while photog Michael Brunk isn’t keen on on crowds or traffic, he does like fireworks!

With that in mind he wandered up to the West Seattle side of Elliott Bay just before midnight last night looking for a vantage point to make photos of Seattle greeting the New Year. We think you’ll enjoy the results.

You can click individual thumbnails to view the full-size photos.