I hosted my Dad's memorial here. Frank the owner helped me every step of the way. He and his wife…read moreMolly are kind, professional and very experienced! I was able to host both an in person and Zoom memorial. Frank helped me out a lot with coordinating my slide show, setting up the Zoom meeting, and streaming music with bluetooth. My guests and I loved the serenity of the garden.

From the owner: Afternoon Garden Parties, Off-site Work Space, Micro Weddings and Elopements. FranMo Urban Farm is…read morea daytime outdoor garden venue, available year-round. Exclusively hosting events with up to 30 persons. Site Visits and Bookings by Appointment Only. FranMo Urban Farm in Seattle was created with smaller social gatherings in mind and is about providing an epic environment to host smaller get-togethers. This spacious 25,000sf park-like setting is laid out in a way that various spaces can be incorporated into an event by utilizing staged and themed outdoor spaces for Pre-function, Mix & Mingle, and Interactive Activities. What you eat and drink, that's up to you. Our open catering policy allow you to DIY, have food delivered, or hire a professional. Garden Party Receptions and Employee Picnics always welcome. Wedding Packages? Yep. FranMo also offers complete Elopement (up to 8 guests) and Micro Wedding packages (up to 24 guests). And for couples who want to keep it private, a simple civil union courthouse-style wedding is also available at the Wedding Studio on FranMo Urban Farm.

It's Not Just For Stoners' Anymore :)…read more SITREP Nowadays, if it's mi mamasita's birthday, it's time for HEMPFEST! I always get a kick spending a week or so with my mom back in Seattle! THE SETUP I always have fun here with the music and DJ'ing, with the food, with the people, and with the energy. THE PARKING Okay. Let's deal with the bad stuff first. PARKING SUCKS. And if that's not bad enough, the fact that it's in a rather remote location on the sound at both the Elliot Bay and Myrtle Edwards parks makes it's a CONSIDERABLE HIKE to get to in the first place. THE AMENITIES & HYGIENE STANDARDS Okay. Not terrible, but consider the crowd this attracts: Hippies. Alternative Rockers. Punks. Gypsies. Free Spirits. Free Spirited Alternative Punk Hippies That Don't Bath. You get the idea. And since this is outdoors, in August, and it's hot, and people are moving around, and DANCING, AND SWEATING, you can get some pretty pungeant aromas. FUN Still, there is so much to see, so much to do, so much to eat, so much music to listen to, so many vendors to check out. And it's IN Seattle. I usually have to travel hundreds of miles away to be in a big group of smelly people with smelly paraphenalia. However, with Hempfest there is the extreme convenience of all THAT.... coming to YOU! MUSIC Grab a schedule, check out the bandstands, and enjoy the music. Also check out the tents because that is where some of the best DJs hang out. I really enjoyed my first time I ever went to Hempfest precisely because of the DJs. This is where I saw some really talented individuals introduce to the whole concept of "POWER MIXING" - using no more than a 30-second / 1 min segment of a song before moving on to the next track, but in a seamless stream of musical-construction that built beautiful musical pieces. These guys did it really well too. DON'T WORRY, MARYJANE! Though public perception may be otherwise, there is significant relegation of smoking at these events, and if you find it, it will be mainly on the perimeter and/or on the waterfront itself on the rocks. SECOND FUNNIEST MOMENT I couldn't stop my mom in time from buying and eating a brownie from the fairy princess gal. She was impossible to deal with the rest of the afternoon with her goofiness. This was the first time I took her. She's learned her lesson and been a good girl the 2-3 other times we've been together. THE FUNNIEST MOMENT This was just too sublime. A group of skater dudes were mosing through the asphalt path, between gaggles of giggling girls and some families with their screaming kids. Getting *bumped around* accidentally is going to happen. A small packet of *something* dislodged itself from a pocket of one of the guys. Perched on the side of the grassy rise were 4 police on horses overlooking the path, the groups of people, and the crew of skater dudes. I happened to be close enough to see it was a baggy of joints. I'm sure these 4 Horsemen of the Seattle Apocalypse noted that too. EVERYONE froze when the joints hit the ground. Then the mounted policeman who appeared to be the most senior of the group nonplussed just said to the skater dude, "You dropped something, son." After a pregnant pause, the dude picked up his baggy, waved and the police, and said, "Thank you!" THE LOWDOWN I LOVE THIS FESTIVAL! [Survey Question - "Good for Kids?" Uh. I'm saying "YES".]

Seattle Hempfest is the world's largest annual cannabis festival, drawing in hundreds of thousands…read moreeach and every year. The 3 day festival occurs during the second to last weekend of every August across Olympic Sculpture Park, Myrtle Edwards Park, and Centennial Park...Spread along the Seattle Waterfront....The event was founded in 1991, self described as a "humble gathering of stoners," by 500 Mary Jane enthusiasts congregating to advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana. It was truly a civil struggle to establish such reform and cannabis culture throughout it's 27 year lifetime.... as 60 people were cited for illegal marijuana use in 1997 while attending. The following year, about 20 were arrested for the same offense. Since then, local authorities have gradually looked the other way... which is what prompted peak attendance in 2008 to grow to over 310,000 people....2008 was the first Hempfest I personally attended, and I've been to every one since. Until about 2014, the festival was more of a celebration exercising local liberal NW behaviors to freely consume weed. It focused on the theme of social justice activists working to bring cannabis knowledge to the world at large ....Unfortunately over the last couple of years following recreational legalization, Seattle Hempfest has become a business avenue focusing exclusively on making as much profit as possible. It's apparent that money has become the focal point, superseding it's original purpose to expand knowledge and to educate...Vendor booths range from $1,000-2,000....staff members heckle attendees for 10 dollar donations at the entrances, while scolding with derision if you choose not to 'donate.' They also used to be pet friendly, but have decided to harass any and all attendees with even service animal verification. Yet they couldn't care less about people bringing babies and small children around other event goers smoking. Security also now yells and harass people who smoke blunts or joints, yet are okay with people smoking from recently purchased pipes and bongs from vendor booths....I wonder why that is.....Overall, I feel that Hempfest has taken a turn for the worst- falling into the hands of greedy businessmen while regressing back to strict social confinements and politics.........Consequently, the turnout has diminished noticeably....This year's attendance was abysmal to say the least.... "Sponsorship is the best way to maximize your vending and information display presence. Show you are a strong Hempfest-supporting brand to all our audiences, from the masses at the festival to our year-round online community and the larger markets Hempfest licensed events reach. Pricing ranges from $1,500 to $30,000 for full packages. This includes premium vending placements, information displays in a range of print and online media, and additional exposure opportunities that are only available exclusively to our sponsors. This includes banners on our stages and/or logos on all our collateral materials." On a positive note....peep this vid..!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJcHjj2awT0

The Bellevue gardens is a pretty quiet and secluded little spot to relax and take in some nature…read more It's not a huge place, but it's big enough that you can spend an hour or two there, casually strolling about. No trouble with parking, and it is free to enter, so you really should stop by if you are nearby. It's worth it.

BOTANICAL GARDEN @ BELLEVUE…read more Parking is available right out front, which makes this place super accessible. There are also designated handicap parking spots. My friend and I visited on a Friday around 2 PM, and there were a few spots open, so getting in was really easy. I loved how simple everything was to navigate, there's even a map available when you enter. Entry and parking are both completely free, which is a huge plus. We walked along the trail and I'd recommend spending about 2-3 hours here if you want to take your time and fully enjoy it. We had to speed-run our visit because we had another errand afterward, but it was still incredibly beautiful. I highly recommend stopping by the bridge, it was very therapeutic and relaxing to walk across. There are plenty of benches and seating areas along the way, perfect for taking breaks or just soaking in nature. The quality of the space is amazing, with a wide variety of rocks, trees, and scenery that make the whole experience feel peaceful. There are also bathrooms located at the front, and you're never too far from other people, which made it feel comfortable and safe. Overall, I definitely recommend stopping by this place.

We did a gray whale watching tour in puget sound--the captain mentioned early on that every trip is…read moredifferent, like a safari on the water--we found gray whales feeding in shallow water off Whidbey Island across from Camano. Very cool trip, great boat, awesome staff and good coffee to boot! Definitely recommend!

Had a great experience. Captain was very knowledgeable about where to locate a couple different…read moreareas for viewing. We saw orcas and a grey whale in May. Staff was friendly, boat was clean and comfortable. No concerns at all. Great trip

I had a horrible experience there. Let's just say I won't be back for a very long time. But here's…read morethe thing....not only will the theatre lose my business, but whenever I went -- which was often -- I would swing by the new bookstore to check out the merch, I would buy a beer or two at the brewery across the street, I would indulge in whichever food truck cuisine happened to be parked in front, or instead of beer, I would buy a cup of coffee across the street. Now? They have all lost my business because there is no reason to be in that area without the theatre. People just don't know the trickle down effect of bad customer service. Maybe in a year, they'll have different staff.

I love that this theatre is small and has real butter on their popcorn. Also appreciate that they…read morehad the volume turned down during the preshow. Wish the bathrooms were a little bigger though.

Kiddo loved the freedom, I loved the flexibility. We are planning to try out the winter experience…read morecoming up.

From the owner: Since 1980, Steve & Kate's Camp has put kids in charge-allowing campers to choose from a variety of…read moreactivities in real-time, including sewing, stop-motion animation, coding & gaming, sports & recreation, maker crafts, water play, baking, and more. As children are empowered to make their own choices at camp, they discover new reserves of confidence, resiliency, and creativity as they learn to make course corrections & trust themselves and as they go. Families can buy any number of days, to use at any time-no weekly reservations required. Or, buy a Summer Pass, which covers the whole season. Either way, any unused Passes are automatically refunded at summer's end.Ages: 4-12 | Lunch, snacks & all hours (8am-6pm) included. Save your spot at Steve & Kate's Camp this summer by registering today.

This is an amazingly well-equipped _nonprofit_ maker space. I drive all the way from Redmond to…read moremake stuff. Before I get into the stuff, I want to point out that the greatest strength of the place is that it's a community. I'm a regular member, and in awe at the work that the volunteers do to make it great for everyone. I try to do my part too. Most of the good stuff is for members only, but they also have regular classes that are open to non-members. Membership covers rent on the space, use and maintenance of equipment, and lots of basic supplies. It's well-equipped enough for advanced makers, and supportive and welcoming enough for newbies. Here's my descriptive tour: The space is in a building with businesses on the ground floor, and apartments above. The front door leads past some salons. The door to the space is on the left near the end of the hall. To get in, members use an RFID key; visitors are let in by a member or just walk in on open house days. There's a large multi-purpose room with big tables and lots of tools and supplies along the walls. The biggest tool in the room is a heavy duty sewing machine; I think it can stitch through leather. There's a door to a deck where members can do outdoor work. The front room opens into a lounge area with more tables and quite a few bookshelves full of books and board games. In the hall, there's a space for members' lockers. Just beyond that is the wood shop, which has all sorts of useful hand tools and power tools. There's a large CNC milling machine that I really want to learn how to use. There's a cool dust-removal system. About the only wood shop tool that I can think of that's absent is a lathe. There's a bathroom with a cool light fixture and the necessary facilities. Around a corner, there's a space for some typical office equipment. Opposite, the 3D printing room has enough filament 3D printers that I've never heard of all of them being busy or out of service at once. There's a resin 3D printer that builds layers through a high-resolution optical process, inside a booth that contains the fumes well enough that its weird smells are imperceptible through the rest of the space. There's a 3D scanner that I want to try out. (Unlike most stuff at the space, 3D printers have a per-hour cost to use, which covers filament and maintenance.) Next is the electronics room. I don't know much about the stuff in there, but every time I've asked about something electronic, someone has told me, "Yeah, we have that." People make cool robot stuff there. The fiber arts room has a computer embroidery machine that I'm looking forward to making stuff with. There's a projection system for cutting fabric from projected digital patterns (instead of old-fashioned tissue paper patterns). There's a lot of other sewing equipment, and stuff for other fiber arts, such as knitting. Across from the fiber arts room is a kitchen, more like an office break room than a full-featured kitchen, but great for making tea or coffee, or warming up snacks from the Safeway across the street. Around another corner is the laser room. It has a Mira 9, a fast, powerful laser cutter with a large workspace (two by three feet). There's also a Glowforge, a desktop sized laser cutter. (Laser cutters have an hourly fee because they're maintenance is expensive.) Finally, there's the Wazer room. What'a Wazer? It's a waterjet cutting machine, which can cut through metal, ceramic, glass, possibly even kryptonite. It uses water at extremely high pressure, with a slurry of garnet abrasive. I want to learn to use it! (It has a fee because maintenance and the garnet are expensive.) The Wazer room opens to a small deck. About the only maker department that isn't well covered is metalworking. A _few_ of the woodworking tools can also be used on metal, the Wazer can cut metal, and the Dremel in the craft zone can be used on metal. But if you want to do welding, forging, heavy-duty bending, casting, and so forth, there aren't a lot of options in metro Seattle. It's also not a ceramics shop. I've been a member for quite a while, which is about as strong an endorsement as I can offer.

Amazing community of makers. I was excited to use CNC…read morerouter, Laser cutter, different 3D printers - something that you often just couldn't have at home. But community is the best part - they are taking care about every member and make everyone welcome. Social events are my favorite - people are sharing ideas, technics and helping each other with projects.

The pool of daters was pretty meh and it's hard to remember all the conversations. The venue was…read morereally loud. I've been to other mixers that were much better run.

The event setup was professional and prompt. Billing and customer service was excellent…read more The match response by e-mail was as advertised and truthful. I attended the event to try a different approach than online dating since it never worked. I decided to see what kind of women are attending if I went 5 times. Not a huge loss if I get nothing. Result: 3 to 4 will flake. 2 to 3 are rude or drunk. Remainder are overweight and desperate. I did meet 3 women and they all trun out with mental issues. Advise: Attend a sport or hobby club event you personally like and make real friends w zero expectations. Goes a long ways. People are normal and you network for other people as well if they get to know you well. So far I met 3 female friends in 2 weeks with little effort or akwardness on the women. Relationship is not something that occurs overnight and be based on a 8 minute conversation.