Convention City Seattle

The Convention City Dispatch

Reports from Seattle's geographic center — the intersection of Downtown, Capitol Hill, First Hill, and Denny Triangle

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Wayfinding kiosk at Pike and 8th, with the Arch building behind
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You Are Here (Approximately)
New wayfinding just dropped! Follow at your own risk
May 18, 2026
The service entrance on 9th Avenue between Pike and Pine — vehicle clearance 8 feet 8 inches, across from the Paramount Theater stage door. May 6, 2026.
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Please Tell Me There's Nothing to Worry About
It's all just a big misunderstanding, right? This isn't what it looks like, isn't that so? Hello? I even made you a sign.
May 8, 2026
The WSCC Arch interior — 435,000 square feet of underactivated public space
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Fell on Black Days

A utilization analysis of Seattle Convention Center, based on their own records.

May 19, 2026
Read dispatch →
WSCC Public Facilities District board of directors, organized by appointing authority. Stamps show appointment history across two governance eras.
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Convention Center Board Majority Up for Grabs as Six Seats Open This Year
Ferguson fills empty seat with Roundtable CEO -- five other seats expire July 30.
May 13, 2026
810 Pike Street. The address is the only marking on the door. Behind it, propped open with a wedge — construction, May 6, 2026.
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What's Behind the Door at 810 Pike?
On June 1, a new federal coordination facility opens inside the Seattle Convention Center. It's called C-STAR. What else do we know about it?
May 6, 2026
Earlier dispatches
May 1, 2026 You Can't Have Hospitality Without Hosts →
April 30, 2026 DISPATCH: Week of April 27, 2026 →
EVENT RAP freestyled the commons argument at the Arch. The op-ed landed in The Urbanist. And a GeekWire piece from Sammamish asks a question that lands closer to home than it looks.
April 15, 2026 Two Buildings, Two Kitchens →
How convention center food works
April 8, 2026 It's a Mountain Day →
Eleven works of Pacific Northwest art just joined Seattle's collection of hidden gems.
April 7, 2026 Game On →
Playing games at Sakura-Con
March 30, 2026 Shadows on the Wall →
Seattle Convention Center claims $1.4 million in profit following a $1.9 billion investment. Let's do the math.
March 26, 2026 Sports Book →
Who needs sports bars when we have the Arch?
March 24, 2026 Olive Branch →
A one-bedroom on Pike Street rents for $2,444 a month. You can see the Summit building from your window. The PFD pays $2,426 a year to own the empty lot on the other side of it.
March 16, 2026 Summit 2030: Big Balloon Bailout →
Convention center debt service nearly doubles in 2030. To cover it, Seattle hotel revenue would need to grow 9% every year for six years straight.
March 15, 2026 The Big Tent →
Our circus. Our clowns. Our tent.
March 13, 2026 State of Downtown 2031 →
A neighborhood finds its spine.
March 11, 2026 Let's Put On a Show →
The door to contemporary theater in Seattle is locked. Not a metaphor.
March 5, 2026 Three Trails from Emerald City Comic Con →
25,000 fans will pack the convention center this week. Here's what's outside the doors.
February 28, 2026 Fourth Friday: Downtown Art Walk →
One Friday a month, downtown Seattle finds its rhythm. A dispatch from the February Fourth Friday art walk through the convention district.
February 27, 2026 Pacific Place Activated for SEA 2026 Fan Zones →
The Seattle Sports Commission's Region Ready program is turning Pacific Place into a stadium annex. What that reveals about downtown activation — and who does it.