BUMBERSHOOT LIGHT

TO BLOCK PARTY ORGANIZERS: I hate to say it, but I think I’ve
attended my last Capitol Hill Block Party. What was once a celebration
of local music with the occasional touring headliner thrown in has
become Bumbershoot light. This year, there were so many people in such
a confined space that I was tempted to call the fire department halfway
through Friday. If there had been any kind of panic around the main
stage, a lot of kids would have died. There was no way out, no way to
get around, completely atrocious planning.

And… the sound sucked. Really, really bad.

I have a lot of great memories from Block Party over the years. And
though it’s lost me as an attendee, I implore the powers that be to fix
the following three things for the kids who will keep going no matter
what you do:

1. Downsize draw power. Les Savy Fav and the Hold Steady are plenty
big to fill this place (Hold Steady verges on too big).

2. Fix the sound. It was unbelievably bad around the main stage.

3. Crowd flow. Before something terrible happens. Please.

Hope ya’ll get it together.

Keith Kyle

HERR SAVAGE

TO DAN SAVAGE: I am an avid fan of your fantastic and important
podcast [Savage Lovecast, online only]. I just this instant
heard you mention that my favorite book is also your favorite book, and
I want you to know that I, too, have read The Rise and Fall of the
Third Reich about 10 times cover to
cover—unabridged—only I’m WAYYYY too slow a reader to read
that thing even ONCE in my lifetime, which is why like six years ago I
got the BOOK ON TAPE (it was I think like 47 90-minute cassettes) from
the Santa Barbara Public Library. I paid tons of fines on it because I
listened to it over and over again when I would drive back and forth
from L.A. to Santa Barbara. It’s two HUGE volumes that come separately.
Don’t get just one—it’s so frustrating! It’s read by someone
excellent, and for the life of me I can’t remember who it was. Could it
have been BY THE AUTHOR? I think not. But maybe. Is Shirer even still
living?

Anyway, just thought you might like to know. Probably the most fun
thing I can imagine listening to on my iPod while walking my dog every
day, other than your show, of course.

Take care and keep up the wonderful work.

David Ackerman

RAZING THE BAR

DEAR DOMINIC HOLDEN: I am disappointed by the lack of fact gathering
you did for your story [“Cut Off,” July 24].

A simple public disclosure request at DPD will fill you in on some
important details. The subjects of your story have been to the city for
intake of their project twice, once in March and again in July. They
did not show cocktails on their menu, only beer and wine. Their
building is part of a town-house project. The entrance is not off of
Union Street, but off of the more residential 25th Avenue.

“DPD’s decision to oppose a neighborhood-friendly restaurant in the
Central District conflicts with the department’s recent support for
mixed-use density and street life in other neighborhoods.” This quote
is a misrepresentation of the facts. A restaurant would be allowed in
the proposed space; a bar has to go through a different process before
the city can determine whether or not it would be allowed.

I thought journalism’s first obligation was to the truth. What
happened to it in your story?

Please, go the city, get your facts straight, and then rewrite the
story.

Citizen of Seattle

DOMINIC HOLDEN RESPONDS: While the city could have called Tryst a
restaurant, it decided instead it was a bar—a designation that
would have required a permit the owners couldn’t afford.

The ruling was based on the hours of food service, the layout of
the establishment, and the fact that the restaurant would be restricted
most days to patrons 21 and over. However, a spokeswoman for the
Washington State Liquor Control Board said Tryst may have been slated
to be 21 and over (except for a weekend brunch) because it was too
small to include an all-ages section. Tryst had planned to serve a full
menu, unlike many bars. In the end, the city’s decision was arbitrary,
and it conflicted with the wishes of the neighborhood. City rules allow
food and alcohol service on that block. Restaurants like Tryst are good
for neighborhoods. And the fact is, the city could have allowed
it.