Turns out there’s another type of cold weather grief going on just down the road a piece – in Lacey.  Despite the freezing weather, employees at a local Pizza Time franchise are working without any heat.

Here’s the basic story as offered up over at Franchise Pick:

Luke Benjamin, franchise owner of Pizza Time in Lacey WA, got upset when his employees left the furnace on all night. So Benjamin shut off the heat, and point blank told employees that if they don’t like working there, to “find another job.”

He not only unashamedly agreed to be interviewed by King 5 news, but gave the camera crew full run of the Ice Station Zebra.

When asked about the chilly treatment of his workers. . . he stated  “If they can’t deal with it then there are plenty of other jobs out there.”

Now clearly there is more than one side to any story, and I’m sure that this one is no exception to that rule.  Take a look at the KING TV 5 story, and decide which side you come down on.

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A last look at New Year’s 2009 festivities. 

If you missed out on the Space Needle at midnight, plan to see it next year.  There are great vantage points all around the city – including your couch, where you can watch it from home.

Photo credit:  flickr

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Not that there’s anything wrong with those activities, but why not explore other ways to tap into their creativity, help them with the schoolwork, and give them a boost in college preparation?

826 Seattle, with the philosophy that the ability to express oneself in writing opens large doors, has programs designed to help kids aged 6-18 develop their creative and expository writing skills.  It operates both as a drop-in center for tutoring and offers more structured workshops and classes.

The programs range from coaching and support for advanced writers as they flex their creative writing muscles to basic skills for non-English speakers.  Kids can practicing writing everything from literature to a well crafted job or college application.

825 Seattle is a non-profit educational organization, and is one of the seven chapters of 826 National, founded by author and philanthropist Dave Eggers (author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius).  Other chapters are located in San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston.

Workshops have expanded and adult writing workshops are now being offered.  Check the schedule for available workshops for adults.

Location:  8414 Greenwood Avenue North (map it).  Enter through the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co.

Hours:  2:30 – 6 pm, Monday & Tuesday; noon – 6 pm Wednesday – Friday, 10 am – 6 pm, Saturday.  Drop in tutoring 3 – 6 pm, Monday – Thursday.  Cost:  Programs for kids are FREE, although donations are always appreciate.  Adult workshops run about $30.

Image credit:  SXC

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A new year full of dreams and life.  May it be your best ever!

Photo credit:  flickr

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And remember, I’m not claiming these are the BEST (although I think some of them are!).  This is my list of FAVORITES for 2008!

• Favorite special occasion restaurant:  Canlis.  Great food and great service.  If you’ve got a special occasion to celebrate, these folks will go out of their way to make sure it’s memorable.
• Favorite casual restaurant:  Via Tribunali.  Serving up pizza and more at two locations.
• Favorite fast food restaurant:  Dick’s Drive-In.  I think this is a permanent fixture on my favorite list, but nothing beats their burgers.
• Favorite steakhouse:  El Gaucho, Belltown.  Another permanent fixture on my list, but this old-style classic restaurant is terrific.  Their tableside presentation is still the best around. And with the El Gaucho Inn right upstairs, it’s a great place for a weekend getaway! 
• Favorite seafood restaurant:  Place Pigalle in the Pike Place Market.  Try the mussels.  To die for!
• Favorite ethnic restaurant:   El Taco Maestro, a small taqueria that reminds me of Guadalajara, Mexico (23646 Pacific Highway South, Kent).
• Favorite view restaurant:  Salty’s at Alki.  I still think they overprice and under deliver on the food, but the view is great.
• Favorite out of town restaurant:  Salish Lodge, Snoqualmie
• Favorite Hotel:  Hotel Vintage Park, a downtown boutique hotel with each room names for a wine or winery.  Lots of nice services including free wi-fi, nightly wine reception, and Tulio’s restaurant right next door. The hotel has been around for awhile, but I just recently discovered it.
• Favorite Museum:  The Frye on Capital Hill.  It’s FREE so you can go often to catch its wide variety of exhibits.  A great little cafe too.
• Favorite thing to do in Seattle on a sunny day:  Wander Kubota Gardens, wondering why yard doesn’t look like this.
• Favorite thing to do in Seattle on a rainy day:  Have a cup of tea and watch the world go by.
• Favorite place to take a child:  Woodland Park Zoo.  No matter how often you go, there’s always something new to see and do.
• Favorite drink after work bar: Purple Cafe & Wine Bar.  With so many wine choices, you can visit regularly and never have the same thing twice.  Good nibbles, too.
• Favorite nightspot: Triple Door.  Multiple options all in one place, with varied lineup of performers.
• Favorite music venue:   Benaroya Hall.  Hands down, some of the best acoustics around.
• Favorite touristy thing to do:   Watch fish throwers at the Pike Place Market.  You’ll see it in photos and videos, but whenever I’m at the market, I still need to stand around and watch for awhile, wondering if they’ll ever miss.
• Favorite day trip from Seattle:  Mud Mountain Dam, where you’ll find a great nature trail and picnic area.
• Favorite weekend trip from Seattle:  Las Vegas.  I’d stayed away for awhile, but in returning have found nicer hotels, good restaurants, and impressive entertainment choices.
• Favorite blog post:  An Angel Whispered to me “See Corteo.”  This year I fell in love with Cirque du Soleil all over again, and in addition to seeing this traveling show (it was excellent!), I managed to see two addition shows in Las Vegas (Ka and LOVE).

Feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree, and share a few favorites of your own.

See you in 2009!

Image credit:  SXC

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This highly regarded store is known for being a women-friendly sex toy shop.  Founded here in Seattle in 1993, the store serves up information and fun to thousands of satisfied customers.  You’ll find toys, books, videos, along with personal advice and recommendations from the helpful staff.

Babeland’s Annual New Year’s Sale (one of only two sales the store has) runs January 1st –4th, with nearly everything in the store marked down 25-40%.  This looks to be one of the biggest sales they’ve ever had.

Location: 707 East Pike Street, Capital Hill (map it)

Hours:  Monday – Saturday, 11 am – 10 pm; Sunday noon – 7 pm

In addition to the Seattle flagship store, you can also find Babeland in New York, with a shop on the lower east side, a shop in SoHo, and one in Brooklyn.

Image credit:  SXC

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The Anna Armstrong White Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) created Anna’ Ride Home to help make it a little easier for you for those times that maybe your planning was quite on spot. 

Anna’s Ride Home is a partnership between local bars and taxi companies with the sole goal of getting people home safely and off the road.  Bar staff is trained to recognize when a patron may need a drive home, and can offer up free cab vouchers.  The ride home program is confidential.

Currently, about 32 bars in the Puget Sound area are partners in the Anna’s Ride Home Program.  If your favorite establishment isn’t listed, you might tell them they should be.

• The Baltic Room Seattle
• The Central Saloon Seattle
• Cowgirls, Inc. Seattle
• Fado Irish Pub & Restaurant Seattle
• Horse and Cow Bar & Grill Bremerton
• Johnny’s Sports Bar & Grill Edmonds
• J & M Cafe and Cardroom Seattle
• Lady Luck’s Cowgirl Up Steakhouse & Saloon Tacoma
• Level 5 Seattle
• Liquid Lime Kirkland
• Marina Park Grill Kirkland
• McClouds Bremerton
• Mondo’s Pub Lynnwood
• MoonDogs, Too Port Orchard
• 19th Hole Tavern Bremerton
• Palmer’s East Redmond
• The Parlor Billiards & Spirits Bellevue
• Pyramid Brewing Seattle
• Rocksport Bar & Grill Seattle
• Romeo’s Bar & Grill Bremerton
• R Bar and Grill Renton
• R Place Bar & Grill Seattle
• Safeco Field Seattle
• The Shark Club Kirkland
• Tiki Joe’s Wet Bar Kirkland
• Time Out Kirkland
• 21 Central Kirkland
• Uncle Jack’s Billiards & Lounge Lynnwood
• Victory Lounge Seattle
• Wilde Rover Kirkland

The upcoming New Year’s Eve festivities has heightened awareness of drinking and driving, but Anna’s Ride Home is available 365 days a year. 

Photo credit:  SXC

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Details:  The Victorian Village and train set at Seattle Center’s Winterfest. 

The festival enters its final days.  Check out the full schedule to take in some of the remaining events.  Through December 31st at the Center House at the Seattle Center.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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1. Make reservations for dinner out.  Ok, all the really great spots may be booked up (or maybe not given the economy right now).  I’d suggest taking a look at Open Table and see what is available.  (This is a great site for reservations any time of year.)
2. Fireworks at the Space Needle.  You may still be able to get reservations for dinner or for one of the parties held there, but the real party is outside and it’s FREE.  The fireworks display at midnight attracts tons of viewers both in person and on television.  It’s great fun, even though it’s going to be cold, to be out on the street with friends and strangers welcoming the New Year.
3. Area casinos offer a variety of entertainment and parties, and although nowhere near as elaborate as what you’d find in Vegas, it should be fun for those willing to take a gamble on 2009.  Many have adjacent hotels, allowing you to stay close.
4. Check Ticketmaster for tickets to various venues around the city.  There’s comedy, music, and a variety of other performances, so chances are you’ll find something to snag your interest.  There are tickets to many performances still available, and if you can’t find decent seats, consider the General Admission option (standing only) at the Paramount for Presidents of the United States.  There is also reserved balcony seating available.
5. Catch one or two of the end-of-year new movie releases.  Fandango allows you to buy your tickets online in advance letting you avoid at least part of the lines. 
6. For the kids (grades 2-8), there’s a sleep over at the Pacific Science Center.  It’s a little bit science and a lot of excitement as 2009 is welcomed in.  At midnight the kids can watch the fireworks at the Space Needle from a kid-safe environment.
7. First Night in Tacoma is family friendly and alcohol-free, with a variety of events planned at downtown venues.
8. For a more reflective transition from one year to the next, many area houses of worship have special services and activities.  Giving thanks and praying for a better 2009 is not a bad idea.
9. Make hotel reservations, and combine a couple of these ideas for a festive night out.  If room rates seem a little high for your budget, and you don’t mind selecting an area to stay in without knowing the name of your hotel, Hotwire delivers great hotel bargains.  I use them a lot when I book a room downtown, and have never been disappointed.
10. Stay home.  Whether it’s by choice or because you didn’t plan early enough, there is a lot of New Year television programming.  Movies, sports, and you can watch the fireworks at the Space Needle or the ball dropping in Times Square all from the comfort of your own home.  And go ahead and go outside and bang pots and pans, or shout Happy New Year’s to your neighbors.  After all, it’s only one night of the year.

Image credit:  flickr

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Passports with Purpose was formed in recognition of the many benefit of traveling and travel blogging contrasted with the very real need in communities around the world.  An opportunity for those of us who love seeing the world to give back to it.  For it’s first fundraiser, PwP has chosen Heifer International as its recipient.

Heifer International is a non-profit organization with a very simple mission – to end worldwide hunger.  And they do it by helping people find a sustainable source of income and food.  Your donation to Heifer International not only help feed people today, but it provides food and sustenance for communities for lifetimes.

You can help out this GREAT cause, and also have a chance to win some fabulous travel prizes, by donating to Heifer International in increments of $10.

How does it work?

Check out the Passports with Purpose page and see a list of great travel products and prizes donated by travel bloggers and travel companies.  For every $10 donation, you can choose an entry into a drawing for the prize of your choice.  $10 gets you one entry.  $20 gets you two, and so on.  You can choose several entries for one prize, or spread them out.  Just remember, each entry must be accompanied by a $10 donation.

But you’re going to need to act fast – the deadline for donations for this giveaway is December 29th.  (Of course all donations at ANY TIME are needed and appreciated.)  Winners will be drawn and notified by email on December 30th.

It’s easy to walk through the giving process, just click on the appropriate links and put your prize choice in the comment field.

This is one time when it’s better to GIVE and RECEIVE, so please give generously to help end hunger.

Please join me in making a donation to this worthwhile effort.  Show the world that your passport has a purpose! 

Image credit:  courtesy of Passports with Purpose

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