WHAT’S NEW

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Seattle Opera to Produce The Ring in August 2013
The Seattle Opera will once again produce Wagner’s popular production, The Ring, in August 2013. The production celebrates nature and the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and has been nicknamed the “Green” Ring because of the amazingly hyper-realistic detail that went into creating scenic locations, highlighting the mountains, forests and rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Locations in Olympic National Park served as models for the Seattle Opera Scenic Studios as they created this production.

Unlike productions which play fast and loose with Wagner’s stage directions and set the action in some abstract or contemporary space, the goal of this production was to present the operas as Wagner envisioned them, and in a way that satisfies a modern audience’s need for psychological depth and visual spectacle. Those who are new to The Ring can rest assured that in this production, a sword is a sword, a mermaid is a mermaid, and the end of the world happens before our eyes.

This production has been extremely successful at past performances in 2001, 2005, and 2009, selling out and attracting audiences from every state and 33 countries. Tickets are on sale now at www.seattleopera.org/tickets/ring/. The Grand Hyatt Seattle is the official hotel of the summer 2013 The Ring, more specific info on that partnership to come.

Media Contacts: Jonathan Dean, Seattle Opera, (206) 676-5543; www.seattleopera.org.

Museum of History & Industry Re-Opened New Location on December 29
The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) re-opened in a new location on Lake Union. The restored Naval Reserve Armory is MOHAI’s new space with nearly 50,000-square feet of exhibition and program space. Temporary exhibits will rotate through MOHAI but the premier core exhibit on the second floor will feature thousands of artifacts and images on the Puget Sound’s culture and history. In addition, the new Center for Innovation is schedule to open in the fall of 2013 and will showcase Seattle’s role in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Facility rentals for private events, lectures, galas, fundraisers and wedding receptions are available at MOHAI. The venue options at MOHAI include the Grand Atrium Lakefront Pavilion, multiple meeting rooms, Lakeview Terrace and West Patio.

Media Contact: Jackie Durbin, (206) 324-1126 ext. 20, www.seattlehistory.org.

Chihuly Garden & Glass Exhibition Now Open on Seattle Center Campus
The Chihuly Garden & Glass exhibition opened May 21 on Seattle Center’s 74-acre campus. The exhibition showcases the most comprehensive collection of Washington-native Dale Chihuly’s artwork ever assembled. It includes a collection of glass, sculpture and other media displayed in both interior and exterior exhibits. The interior exhibit highlights the wide variety of Chihuly’s most popular works. The exterior features some of his large, signature works amid a lush garden. The exterior also includes a 40-foot Glass House structure with an expansive Chihuly installation flowing from the ceiling covering 4,500 square feet. The eight expansive galleries are accompanied by a Chihuly bookstore and the Collections Café. Tickets are available on the website.

Media Contact: April Matson, Chihuly Garden & Glass, (206)753-4924;
www.chihulygardenandglass.com.

New Exhibits Lands at Seattle’s Museum of Flight
The Museum of Flight opened a new Space Shuttle Trainer exhibit in the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery on Nov. 10. During the last year, the Museum of Flight team reassembled and refurbished the Space Shuttle Trainer after receiving it from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). For the past 30 years, the full-sized mock orbiter trained all astronaut crews for space travel at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Guests of the museum are now welcome to walk into the cargo bay, a unique experience restricted with real shuttles.The gallery will also house numerous other rare space artifacts that will be part of a one-of-a-kind exhibit about space and engaging the next generation of space explorers through hands-on learning.

Media Contact: Ted Huetter, (206) 768-7105; www.museumofflight.org.

EMP Museum Celebrates Jimi Hendrix’s 70th Birthday with Major Exhibit
The new EMP Museum exhibit opened on Jimi Hendrix’s 70th birthday, Nov. 17, 2012. The exhibit, Hear My Train a Comin’ honors the legacy of rock artist and Seattle native, Jimi Hendrix. The collection features extensive Hendrix artifacts including costumes, instruments, photographs, albums, hand written lyrics, oral history interviews and more.

Media Contact: Anita Woo, Experience Music Project, (206) 770-2700; www.empmuseum.org.


ATTRACTIONS & TOURS
Seattle Great Wheel Spins Over the Puget Sound
Located at the end of Pier 57 on the Seattle waterfront, the Seattle Great Wheel opened in 2012. The 175-foot Ferris wheel features 42 Euro style gondolas designed by Chance Rides, equipped with heating and air conditioning, offers views of Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains and the Seattle city skyline. The structure extends nearly 40 feet out from the pier, hovering over Elliott Bay. Tickets are $13 for adults and $8.50 for children 11 and under, and senior discounts available. Tickets can be purchased at the pier and online at http://seattlegreatwheel.com.

Media Contact: Adriana Pinegar, (206) 623-8600; http://seattlegreatwheel.com.

“Chef Walks: Seattle” with Tom Douglas Now Available on Kindle
Seattle’s most famous chef, Tom Douglas, has published an eating and walking tour of Seattle, “Chef Walks: Seattle” in Amazon’s Kindle Store. “Chef Walks: Seattle” (co-written by Shelley Lance), serves as a portable guide to navigating Seattle, useful to visitors and locals alike. The guide shares Douglas’ favorite spots to eat, drink, shop and get coffee in Seattle, as well as city information, including where to catch a ferry, see a great city view, or check out the local music scene. Accessible with a Kindle device or via the Kindle app on your phone, “Chef Walks: Seattle” is lighter and more portable than most traditional printed guidebooks. The first in an intended series of city guides, “Chef Walks: Seattle” is only $3.99 exclusively in the Kindle Store.

Media Contact: Amazon.com, Inc., (206) 266-7180; www.amazon.com.

Explore Vampire Country with EverGreen Escapes
EverGreen Escapes offers two Twi-hard tours. The “Ultimate Olympics,” a full-day tour to Washington state’s famous Olympic Peninsula, inspired by the best-selling Twilight book series. The tour begins with a ferry ride across the Puget Sound followed by a scenic drive to the town of Forks, home of Twilight characters Edward and Bella. Visitors and Twilight fans are invited to traverse the old growth, moss-filled Hoh Rainforest during a guided walk through the Hall of Mosses Trail. Additional tour destinations include La Push, home of the Quileute Native American Tribe and Jacob Black and First Beach, a drive-to beach known for occasional whale spotting. Plus, the tour stops for lunch at La Bella Italia in Port Angeles where Edward and Bella had their first date.

The “Twilight Overnight Adventure,” offers an overnight adventure with everything from the full day tour, including a visit to Hurricane Ridge. To find out more about these tours and others offered by EverGreen Escapes, visit www.evergreenescapes.com.

Media Contact: Jake Haupert, EverGreen Escapes, (206) 650-5795;
http://evergreenescapes.com.

Savor Seattle Food Tours Expand to Capitol Hill
Savor Seattle Food Tours now offers tours through Seattle’s eclectic urban neighborhood, Capitol Hill. Known for its bohemian, hipster residents, as well as some of the city’s best food and coffee, the two and half hour walking tour includes more than 17 ethnically diverse bites and sips, entertaining stories and more.

Additional Savor Seattle Food Tours include: two-hour Pike Place Market Tour, three-hour Gourmet Seattle Tour, two-hour Chocolate Indulgence Tour, three-day Gourmet Kayak Tour in the San Juan Islands and private and group events.

Media Contact: Angela Shen, Savor Seattle Food Tours, (206) 898-4418;
www.savorseattletours.com.


FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Taste Washington 2014
The 17th annual Taste Washington event will be held at CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle in March 2014.

The Taste Washington Grand Tasting, now a two-day event will include hundreds of Washington wineries and dozens of Northwest restaurants. The popular vineyards section will continue to feature growers pouring wines made from their grapes by wineries across the state, allowing attendees to discover a true sense of place from bottle to bottle and learn about some of the state’s most renowned vineyards.

The Taste Washington Seminars will feature renowned wine experts from across the nation leading in-depth explorations of Washington wine. Information on tickets, seminars and special Taste Washington hotel packages will be announced online at www.tastewashington.org.

Taste Washington is produced by Visit Seattle in partnership with the Washington State Wine Commission. Visit Seattle assumes primary responsibility for producing the event, including sponsorship and vendor arrangements, while the Commission manages winery participation and other wine-related activities.

Media Contact: Kauilani Robinson, Visit Seattle, (206) 461-5839; www.visitseattle.org.

Restaurant Accolades
The 2012 James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Restaurateur in the country went to Tom Douglas, owner of 11 restaurants in Seattle including Dahlia Lounge and Palace Kitchen to name a few. The foundation also awarded Best Chef Northwest to Chef and Owner Matt Dillon of Sitka & Spruce and The Corson Building in Seattle.

Seattle Spirit News
Along with wineries and breweries, distilleries are now growing in the city and throughout western Washington. Passed in 2008, the Washington State Distillery Law now allows smaller distillers to operate with a craft distillery license, the first time since prohibition. The new law lowered craft distillers’ licensing fees from $2,000 to $100 and raised the amount of spirits a craft distillery can distill from 20,000 to 60,000 gallons annually. The new law also allows for on-site tasting, bottle sales and facility tours. Dozens of new distilleries are now operating and distill absinthe, whiskey, grappa, gin, rum and vodka. Distilleries are required to use 51 percent state-sourced ingredients.


HOTELS
The Westin Seattle Updates Guest Rooms, Adds Meeting Space
The Westin Seattle’s $35 million renovation finished in May 2012 with a complete update of all 891 guest rooms, including the corridors and suites. The transformation of the 5th Avenue Café and Nikko Restaurant created over 10,000 square feet of new meeting space spread over six rooms. The next wave of renovation will conclude by summer 2013, as the Coldwater Bar and Grill morphs into a fresh new concept as the hotel’s main dining room.

Media Contact: Irene Lin, The Westin Seattle, (206) 727)-5890; www.westinseattle.com.

W Hotel’s 2012 Multi-Million Dollar Renovation
W Seattle’s recent renovation of the hotel’s “living room” bar and restaurant is complete. The hotel’s first floor re-opening revealed TRACE, the new trend-setting, urban cocktail venue helmed by Chef de Cuisine Steven Ariel. The restaurant, bar, and living room space redesign is all about what’s new and what’s next in hotel design. The 26-floor, 424 guestroom hotel is located in the heart of downtown near music venues, retail shops and Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market.

Media Contact: Lissa Gruman, (425) 445-5332, www.wseattle.com.

Seattle’s Red Lion Hotel Plans Major Renovation Improvements
The Red Lion Hotel on Fifth Avenue in downtown Seattle announced a $25 million renovation plan that will increase meeting space by 50 percent, add 22 additional guestrooms and remodel the dinning and outdoor entertainment venues. The hotel will remain open during the improvement projects and the full renovation is scheduled to be completed by 2014.

Media Contact: Red Lion Hotel Seattle, (206) 971-8000, www.seattleredlionfifthavenue.com.

Hotel Monaco Seattle Completes Full Renovation
In April, Hotel Monaco completed a $5 million renovation of each of the 189 guestrooms and suites with modern amenities and a stylish design with international influence. The lobby and meeting spaces have also received star treatment, creating light and bright spaces with modern furnishings.

Media Contact: Brandyn Hull, Hotel Monaco Seattle, (206 )340-6678, www.monaco-seattle.com/.

Courtyard by Marriott Opens New Hotel in Seattle’s Historic Pioneer Square
Courtyard Marriott has brought a historic building back to life as its new Courtyard Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square hotel. The 1904 Alaska Building, in the heart of Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square district, originated as a bank to accommodate prospectors flocking to Seattle during the Klondike Goldrush in the late 1800s. The building opened as a hotel on June 1, 2010 with 262 newly designed guestrooms, a restaurant with full service bar and over 4,600 square feet of meeting space. The hotel has 26 guestrooms dedicated to stays of 30 days or more, offering cooking amenities and sleeper sofas. The hotel’s location puts its guests within walking distance of Seattle’s sports stadiums, as well within close proximity to the city’s top attractions.

The hotel is also adjacent to the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, providing direct connection to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport via Sound Transit’s new Link light rail service.

Media Contact: Gerry Lamontange, Courtyard Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square,
(206) 409-7487; www.courtyardpioneersquare.com.


GROUND TRANSPORTATION
Link Light Rail Connects Downtown Seattle to Sea-Tac Airport
Sound Transit’s Link light rail line from downtown Seattle to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) reached completion on Dec. 19, 2009. Now travelers are able to traverse the 15.6 miles between downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac seamlessly. Downtown stations are located at Westlake Center, the financial district, Pioneer Square and the International District. The train makes stops in several neighborhoods south of Seattle before reaching the Sea-Tac/Airport Station, an approximately 37 minute trip. The Sea-Tac/Airport Station connects to the airport through the airport parking garage via a pedestrian walkway. The fare for the trip from downtown Seattle is $2.75 for adults, $1.25 for youths 6-18 and free for riders under six when accompanied by a paying adult.

Media Contact: Bruce Gray, Sound Transit Media Relations, (206) 398-5069;
www.soundtransit.org.

CONVENTION NEWS
Washington State Convention Center Refurbishment
The Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) has begun a $20 million refurbishment of its downtown Seattle facility. The updates will be completed in multiple phases throughout 2012 and 2013, concluding with updates to ceilings, lighting public spaces and the facility’s exterior. The largest portion of work will be scheduled during times when there are few if any events to have the last possible impact on them. Color palettes, finishes and carpeting were chosen to create an inviting environment for visitors while establishing a strong sense of place that is tied to the Pacific Northwest. The upgrade will incorporate sustainable materials, from carpet with 35 percent pre-consumer recycled content by weight to fabric wall coverings with recycled material, long-life toxin-free porcelain tile, Greenguard and NFS-certified solid surfacing material, low VOC paints, paneling and trim.

Media Contact: Brian Baum, WSCC, (206) 694-5151; www.wscc.com.

Washington State Convention Center Serves Up a New Catering Menu
The Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) released a new, interactive 68-page catering menu with user-friendly navigation features. The new menu includes beautiful food photographs of items created by WSCC chefs as no stock photography is used in the menu.

The WSCC specializes in creating a Northwest experience for banquets, receptions and meetings. Their Pro-Chef certified culinary team is renowned for a fresh, innovative approach to food featuring locally sourced ingredients delivered directly from local farmers.

An expanded wine list showcases 97 bottled wines from Washington State’s wine industry, with selections organized by the location of the winery within Washington's 12 American Viticultural Areas. This unique format provides an opportunity to learn more about the quality and variety of these wines while working directly with the WSCC catering staff to pair them based on specific menu selections.

In addition to the interactive menu format, a printer-friendly version is available as a workbook with no photos or interactive links. Key sections of the menu are also available for individual download and are broken out by breakfast, lunch, dinner, breaks, receptions, and wine. The Washington State Convention Center culinary team can provide box lunches for 20, an informal buffet for 200 or a banquet with French service for 2,000. To download the new menus, visit www.wscc.com.

Media Contact: Brian Baum, WSCC, (206) 694-5151; www.wscc.com.

Washington State Convention Center Garners LEED Silver Certification and New Green Accolades in 2011
The Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) received LEED Silver certification for its newest meeting and event space, The Conference Center (TCC) which opened in 2010. The Conference Center received the rating pursuant to the Commercial Interiors classification system promulgated by the U.S. Green Building Council. In addition to an eco-friendly design, TCC offers 71,000-square feet of high-end configurable space, award-winning catering services and a commitment to sustainability. A beautiful facility on its own, TCC connects seamlessly with the rest of the 344,000-square-foot WSCC.

The Washington State Convention Center was named Best Green Event Venue in Washington by Northwest Meetings + Events magazine and was listed as one of Washington’s Green 50 businesses by Seattle Business monthly.

Media Contact: Brian Baum, WSCC, (206) 694-5151; www.wscc.com.

 Visit Seattle Offers Two Visitor Centers
 Visit Seattle opened its second visitors’ center at the Market Information Center in June 2009 at the entrance to the Pike Place Market at First Avenue and Pike Street. A collaboration between Visit Seattle and the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority, the center facility serves the needs of Seattle visitors and locals, as well as the Pike Place Market neighborhood. The Market Information Center is open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Formerly the Citywide Concierge Center location, the Seattle Visitor Center and Concierge Services opened in 2008 and is located in the upper Pike Street lobby of the Washington State Convention Center. Open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the highly visible location allows the center to assist more visitors and convention attendees. The center features large plasma-screen displays of Seattle information and real-time Seattle-Tacoma International Airport flight information.

Media Contact: Kauilani Robinson, Visit Seattle, (206) 461-5839; www.visitseattle.org.

AIR TRANSPORTATION
New Delta Service from Tokyo-Haneda and Shanghai June 2013
Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport will welcome two additional international services from Shanghai and Tokyo-Haneda through a continuing partnership between Delta and Alaska Airlines. In addition to three other flights to Asia, Delta will run through Tokyo-Haneda and Shanghai starting June 1 and 17 respectively. In addition to these new flights, Sea-Tac has added eight other international services since 2007, including flights to Paris, Frankfurt, Beijing, Reykjavik, Beijing, Osaka, Dubai and Tokyo.

Media Contact: Perry Cooper, Port of Seattle, (206) 787-4923; www.portseattle.org.

Seattle to Salt Lake City Service Now Offered by Alaska Airlines
In April, Alaska Airlines began offering twice-daily flights between Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) and Salt Lake City, UT. Up until April, Salt Lake City was the largest market out of Sea-Tac that Alaska Airlines did not serve, and was a requested destination by their customers for years.

Seattle-Tacoma International (Sea-Tac) Airport Update
A record 32.8 million passengers passed through Seattle-Tacoma International (Sea-Tac) Airport in 2011, a four percent increase from 2010. Included in that number were nearly 3 million international passengers, the most ever in the airport’s history.

Media Contact: Perry Cooper, Port of Seattle, (206) 787-4923; www.portseattle.org.

Emirates Airlines Add Flights to Seattle
The Dubai-based airline, Emirates Air now connects Seattle to a new region of the world. Daily, non-stop flights began March 1, 2012 between Sea-Tac International Airport and Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Media Contact: Perry Cooper, Port of Seattle, (206) 787-4923; www.portseattle.org.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) Begins Non-stop Service to Seattle
All Nippon Airways (ANA) inaugurated nonstop service to Sea-Tac International Airport from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport in July 2012. ANA is one of nine airlines to offer international services to Sea-Tac since 2007.

Media Contact: Perry Cooper, Port of Seattle, (206) 787-4923; www.portseattle.org.

Iceland Air Offers Daily Flights from Seattle to Reykjavik
Currently, Iceland Air offers travelers nonstop flights between Seattle and Reykjavik daily. Beginning in November, Iceland Air will offer flights six times a week. As the only Nordic airline to serve the West Coast, the carrier serves as a gateway to Scandinavian countries, including connections through Reykjavik to Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, as well as other European destinations.

Media Contact: Perry Cooper, Port of Seattle, (206) 787-4923; www.portseattle.org.

Hainan Airlines Chooses Seattle as First United States Destination
Hainan Airlines, China’s largest privately-owned air carrier, began offering nonstop service between Beijing, China and Seattle, four times weekly, on June 9, 2008. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the first United States destination served by Hainan Airlines. Hainan Airlines inaugurated service with an Airbus A330-200 but has ordered Boeing 787s for future use.

Media Contact: Nyhus Public Relations, (206) 323-3733; http://global.hnair.com.

Lufthansa Now Offering Direct Flights from Germany
Lufthansa Airlines began daily nonstop service between Frankfurt, Germany and Seattle beginning on March 30, 2008. Lufthansa is the largest carrier of international passengers in the world and Frankfurt Airport is the eighth largest airport in the world. The route is served by a 221-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

Media Contact: Jennifer Urbaniak, Media Communications Manager, North America, (516) 296-967; www.lufthansa.com.

CRUISE INDUSTRY
Oceana Cruises from Seattle
Oceania Cruise Lines now offers Alaskan cruises from Seattle through June 2013. For the first time, the Port of Seattle will serve as a point of departure for the 684-passenger Regatta.

Celebrity’s Solstice Now Sailing from Seattle
Celebrity Cruises’ 2,850-passenger Solstice will make 19 calls on the Port of Seattle in 2013, offering mostly seven-day roundtrip Alaskan cruises. At 1,041 feet in length, the Solstice will be one of the largest ships to berth in Seattle.

Media Contact: Peter McGraw, Port of Seattle, (206) 787-3446; www.portseattle.org/.


Media contacts:
David Blandford; (206) 461-5806, dblandford@visitseattle.org
Kauilani Robinson; (206) 461-5839, krobinson@visitseattle.org

(Updated: 5/13)