When we look back at Seattle in 2014, the words that might come to mind include aPodment, gentrification, pot shops and Seahawks. But were those the talking points of Curbed Seattle's most popular stories of the year? Not entirely. Discounting posts carried over from previous years (keep on keepin' on Bill Gate's mansion), here are 2014's posts that Curbed readers considered reading the most. From marijuana to Macklemore, we sure did cover a lot of ground.
Photo: Chas Redmond
10) All The Seattle-Area Pot Stores Open For Business Tuesday
Remember the anticipation in the air in the days leading up to the first day that marijuana was legal in Washington State? It was all slightly anticlimactic when some of the pot shops to receive licenses didn't open and deliveries to those who did were delayed. In the end, we made it and now there's something else altogether in the air...
9) Macklemore's Capitol Hill Home Purchase Was No 'Thrift Shop'
2014 was the year Macklemore put Seattle back on the hip-hop map, for better or worse. It's also the year he bought brand new digs in Capitol Hill, a 2,920 square feet 2-BR that isn't all that far from Dick's Drive-In. $2.1M well spent.
Photo: Hobvias Sudoneighm
8) 7 Seattle-Area Spots To Catch Free Outdoor Flicks This Summer
Fact: Seattleites like watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off on a big screen outdoors.
Photo: Alejandro Forero Cuervo
7) Mapping Seattle's 21 Marijuana Retail License Lottery Winners
Crazy to think that in the initial group of 334 marijuana retail licenses granted in Washington, 21 were allocated in Seattle. Here we are nine months later and only a few of them are actually open.
Photo: Benjamin Benschneider
6) Here's a Mt. Baker House For Two People and 18 Bicycles
Between the bike share and the bike lanes and the bike-friendly apartments, we live in the golden age of bike love here. So it's probably not too much of a surprise to find out that Chadbourne + Doss Architects created this house in Mount Baker made specifically for two people and 18 bicycles. The lower level includes a garage and bike shop that opens on to an enclosed yard for when the bikes need washing and/or repair.
5) This Judgmental Map Of Seattle Probably Offends You
It was a good year for judgmental maps and Seattle wasn't spared from the treatment. We're partial to "White Joggers" for The Elliott Bay Waterfront, "Dog Poop Farm" for Magnolia and "Let's Get Stabbed" in Downtown.
4) Cannabis City Will Be Seattle's First Marijuana Retail Store
We've already gotten used to the idea of pot shops around here but it wasn't that long ago the news that a marijuana retail shop was coming soon was akin to news that Disney was opening a new theme park in Puyallup.
3) This $465K Bellevue Home Incited A 44-Offer Bidding War
It was a big year for real estate bidding wars around Puget Sound. In Bellevue, a normal-looking 4-BR asking $395K was in the right neighborhood at the right time. 44 offers later, it sold for $465K, 18% above ask. Considering Bellevue home prices were up 10% and inventory was down almost 31% from 2013, perhaps we shouldn't have been so surprised.
2) Where To Watch Seattle-Area July 4th Fireworks, 2014 Edition
Remember this post's placement every time you wonder why people love fireworks so much. Because they do.
Photo: Tom Wright
1) 15 Free Views Every Seattleite Should Know About
Anyone can pay to go to the top of the Space Needle to get a view of Seattle or Puget Sound, but any Seattleite worth their weight in coffee beans needs to know the special places that they can visit any given moment for free in order to get the requisite inspiration that's so easy to find here. The question is, how many of you actually went looking for that little bench in Fremont?