Convention City Seattle

The Convention City Dispatch

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

Game On
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Game On
Playing games at Sakura-Con
April 7, 2026
LET'S PLAY SEA 26 — the Region Ready Summit at Climate Pledge Arena, February 24, 2026. The Seattle Sports Commission's vision for the city.
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Sports Book
Who needs sports bars when we have the Arch?
March 26, 2026
Doug Kyes, Mount Rainier — oil on canvas
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It's a Mountain Day

Eleven works of Pacific Northwest art just joined Seattle's collection of hidden gems.

April 8, 2026
Read dispatch →
The WSCC Arch interior — 435,000 square feet of underactivated public space
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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 30, 2026
The Summit reflected upside-down in a puddle on the 920 Olive Way parcel — a fully entitled tower site, fenced and flooding.
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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 24, 2026
Earlier dispatches
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.