Belltown Messenger - FRONT PAGE FODDER

This month Belltown's world-famous Crocodile Cafe turns fifteen. The venue continues to infuse Seattle with live music, rotating art shows, the monthly I Heart Rummage sale, and more. To celebrate their decade and a half they've booked a month of special events beginning with a free show (Panda and Angel, The Young Sportsmen, Math & Physics Club and Ghost Stories) June 1. Highlights include Mudhoney (June 10), Girl Trouble (June 2), Harvey Danger (June 9), Aqueduct/Slender Means/Siberian (June 16), The Cops/Pink Mountain Tops/Thee Emergency (June 17), Dudley Manlove Quartet (June 23), The Pillows (from Japan)/The Stereo Future (June 24), and more, including a few all-ages shows. For more information go to thecrocodile.com.

As we head into the summer solstice and the sunny season, more people are out and about, later. And as a result of the smoking ban more people are outside, adding to the sidewalk cafŽ ambiance when out walking around. It's noisy, but it's fun. We live in the densest neighborhood in Seattle for flats-sake, ya gotta expect some rigmarole. Get out, take an evening stroll, and enjoy it.

The most amazing sink in Seattle, possibly the world, is in the women's room at Spitfire, situated in the former Sit and Spin, 2219 Fourth Avenue. The second re-do of Belltown's legendary beer-and-laundry utopia (the only coin-op machines left in the neighborhood are at the 5 Point-a similar set-up, but it's more of a Jagermeister-and-Tide affair) calls itself "a lounge where the food is as important as the sports." Technically it's the only sports bar in Belltown-exactly half way between Fisher Plaza's Sport and the Fox Sports Grill. The southwestern-spiced sort of place is open for lunch and dinner and offers a late-night happy hour.

Who else has noticed the profusion of chalk drawing along Belltown's Second Avenue (and beyond)? There are hopscotch grids, giant donkey drawings, fat crabs, chalk shadow people, random arrows and sayings, flowers, cheese, just about everything. It's one way to tell how long its been since it rained. The Messenger isn't sure if it's an anonymous guerilla art project-like the "angel of Belltown" who stands bravely above Mama's watching over the neighborhood-or the whimsical work of harmless fun-havers. Eyewitness reports include giggling, cha-cha-cha-ing, and one chalker saying something about a pork festival.

The Pike Place Market's cheese festival was a huge success last month; each day had an estimated 40,000 attendees. And no neighborhood does it better (or cheesier) than Belltown. Between the Market and the Space Needle there are about six cheese specialty shops. It makes one ponder l'importance du formage. It isn't like this everywhere (in America). We'll spend $60 on cheese. What does cheese say about a person? Are these the same people who go to Folklife?

Alas, we must say goodbye to Messenger contributor Grant Cogswell. The veteran cab driver/political activist has announced he's written his last "Grant's Broiler" column. He writes: "Sorry, I got overwhelmed, frankly, by my hopelessness as regards this city. I have nothing to say to the people of this city anymore. I'm moving to Mexico in the fall. Thanks to you for keeping up the good fight."

-ML and CH

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A BELLTOWN MANIFESTO
31. Even among misfits, you're misfits.