Red Mango in Bellevue Square Now Open

Red Mango, the authentic frozen yogurt dessert shop opens its doors to customers this week in Bellevue Square. This store will be one of Seattle's four Red Mango stores. Saturday will mark the grand opening, which will feature giveaways and free yogurt for guests.

Red Mango prides themselves on providing options that, "are not only good, but are good for you." Dan Kim, President of Red Mango gives a sense of the stories ambiance, "Red Mango brings the coffee house experience to the world of yogurt, providing the perfect escape for Seattle's health-conscious consumer." They serve soft service yogurt and allow you to add some fabulous fresh fruit and other healthy toppings.

The Red Mango opening in Bellevue Square comes a month after the closing of Mora Iced Creamery right upstairs from its Red Mango's current location.

Red Mango is located on the first floor near the tug boat, and a couple of doors down from Jamba Juice.

Halloween in Downtown Bellevue

If you are looking for something to do to celebrate this Halloween, Downtown Bellevue is certainly not at a loss of events to take part in:

Vertigo Halloween Bash
Vertigo Lounge & Grill, the newly opened hot spot in Bellevue will celebrate Halloween a day early on the 30th. Vertigo's Halloween bash is a costume party; so don't be caught without being dressed up to this event. The event starts just before 8pm, and costs $15 at the door.

Halloween Family Fun Fest
Looking for something a bit more family centric? Bellevue Square is hosting Trick or Treating inside the mall for children starting at 5:30 until candy runs out! Other activities such as a Mad Science booth, free pictures inside of Halloween decorated photo booths, arts and crafts booth, and more will be available on Wednesday evening.

Maggiano's Little Italy's Jack-o-Lantern Jubilee
Right across the street at Lincoln Square's Maggiano's starting at 4:30pm the restaurant will be hosting the viewing of the winning pumpkins from Jack-o-Lantern Jubilee.

Trick or Treat on Main Street
A couple of streets down on Main Street will be treat or treating for children from 4pm-6pm. Retailers on Main Street will participate handing out goodies to children dressed up in Halloween Costumes.

There is something for everybody in Downtown Bellevue this year, don't miss out on the fun!

Seattle Area: Most Stable Housing Market says Forbes

In a study performed by Forbes on stable housing markets across the United States, Seattle is listed as the most stable housing market across the country. With 8.9% increases since 2006, and an average median home price of 395,000 the area continues to revolt against the national trend of dropping home prices.

The Eastside and Bellevue in particular have seen even more significant increases in the past year. With the strong Seattle economy and even more companies choosing to do business and open offices in the Pacific Northwest more working professionals continue to migrate to the area!

The article projects an increase in 2008 of 3.09%.

108th Ave NE Closed between 4th & 2nd St Friday - Sunday

108th Ave. NE will be closed from 4th to 2nd street Friday through Sunday.

Tower 333 will be dismantling their crane over the weekend. To do this, a larger crane must be brought in and assembled to take apart the original crane.

Tower 333's project has been moving quickly and almost has the exterior completely covered with glass at this point. Even interior lights seem to be installed in the building already.

Although being so far along in the project, it is projected that Expedia, which will be taking over a majority of the building will not move in for over a year, until November 2008.

Movie Passes Giveaway!

We're doing our first Giveaway and it's all centered around Downtown Bellevue. Did you expect anything else?

You might have seen the Seattle Times Article featuring three Bellevue teenagers who've been creating and directing movies as a passion in their free time. Their latest feat is finishing a movie titled, "The Lincoln Project". Lincoln Square Cinemas will play host to their premier screening on Saturday night.

We're giving away two tickets to the first person who sends an email to: info@downtownbellevue.net!

Movie Synopsis
A highly classified document regarding the United States Federal Reserve System has been stolen. The document is code-named The Lincoln Project. Now the entire criminal underworld is competing with one another - and the FBI - to get their hands on the documents, which have a value estimated at over two hundred million dollars In this explosive tale filled with action, drama, and deceit. It really is all about the money.

Who: Jeff Prahl, Zach Wittman, Devin Greger
What: A black-tie requested screening of The Lincoln Project; an independent full-length feature film
Where: Lincoln Square Cinemas
When: Saturday, October, 27th, 7pm
For Tickets: Contact Jeff Prahl; 425.802.7108; jeffprahl@gmail.com; www.bfbsite.com/tlpmovie
Movie Trailer

The Spot Off Main - Grand Opening!

The Spot off Main, is well...Spot On!

Welcome to your neighborhood bar! A first of its kind, and Downtown Bellevue will have a chance to experience it tomorrow, Friday, October 26. The highlight here is that The Spot is offering up Bellevue's longest continuous Happy Hour, from 4-8pm. Beat that!

The Spot off Main opens with much anticipated hype! With Billiards tables, Dart Board Alley, the Lounge, an arcade, and Ladies Choice Television, there is something here for everyone. And everyone is what The Spot had in mind when putting the venue together. With the target demographic pretty wide in range, The Spot off Main is looking to attract business professionals in their late 20s-60s and local residents.

Here are the current events they are hosting:

• Monday - Local Residents Night (discounts for those in the 98004 zip code)
• Wednesday - 8 Ball Tournament Night
• Thursday - Ladies Night
• Sunday - Service Industry Workers Night
  

As for the details, Ladies Choice Television is a specific plasma in the bar that will never play sports unless the ladies have agreed to it. Ladies - if you choose to watch something else, just ask the bar! Dart Board Alley is just that and with dart boards lined up, there's plenty of room for all to play! Our favorite, is the arcade. Ms. Pacman will keep anyone occupied forever. The lounge off to the side of the bar is perfect for an intimate conversation for those that choose not to play on one of the pool tables in the main area.

Chair and tables were plentiful with much room to move around and the service was exceptional.

If we had to choose one word to describe The Spot, it would be intimate. Located right next to Amazon Fresh and the 7-11, The Spot is comfortably nestled in the heart of Old Bellevue!

Be sure to check out their grand opening tomorrow night! They're open seven days a week, from 4pm-1am.

The Spot Off Main Address
20 - 103rd NE
Old Bellevue, WA 98004
425-646-6434

Movies & Mothers

That's right. Movies and Mothers. Lincoln Square Cinemas is offering Mother's Day Thursdays.

The story here is that every Thursday at 10:00am, the cinema will host movies that are designed for parents and their infant children. Parents can bring their strollers and watch the movies with like minded couples. Great way to build a community if you ask us!

Movies will be presented with the lights up a bit and the sounds down a bit. Check the site for showtimes. Box office opens at 9:45am.

Just another way they are attempting to differentiate themselves from other theaters that are in the area or are planning on opening up in the area.

Hillary Clinton Visits Downtown Bellevue Westin Today

Hillary Clinton has been in the greater Seattle area since Monday. She will continue her trip in the area with a stop in Downtown Bellevue campaigning for the presidency at the Westin.

Senator Clinton's stop in Bellevue will consist of a fund raising breakfast event, which isn't cheap, at $2,300 a person.

Before she leaves the state she will make one final stop at the Redmond campus to talk to a group of Microsoft Employees in Redmond.

Hillary's trip comes just two months after President Bush stopped in Bellevue at the Hyatt campaigning for Dave Reichert's 2008 re-election campaign.

Downtown Bellevue Network Launches New Web site and Infrastructure

With less than six months under our belt we are launching our 3rd major update to the "Downtown Bellevue Network" Web site. We hope you enjoy the site's new style. We feel it more appropriately reflects Downtown Bellevue's personality (Yes, Downtown Bellevue has a personality!).

The blog, news, stories, or whatever you have called it up until this point will now be known and branded as the "Bellevue Beat". We will continually keep you updated with the happenings in and around Downtown Bellevue, don't expect this to change.

Our team here at the "Downtown Bellevue Network" have a lot neat things planned for the future, and this new site will allow the infrastructure to do so! The "Bellevue Beat" is just the tip of the iceberg for what is in store for the future.

We still have an area for comments in each post, you must now click through into the individual story to access it.

We would love to hear comments and feedback on the new site and what other types of content you're interesting hearing about. Leave comments in this post, or email us at info@downtownbellevue.net!

We have a very loyal reader base, and know the enthusiasm and passion we have for this city, and our site wouldn't be possible with you!

Yahoo! opens up about move to Bellevue

Yahoo! was waiting until third quarter earnings were released before discussing their move to Downtown Bellevue and that's exactly what happened. The Puget Sound Business Journal broke the news Friday afternoon, followed by the Seattle Times early this morning.

Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and other tech companies can officially say hello to their new neighbor - Yahoo! And the company isn't moving in quietly. Those frequently driving up and down Interstate 405 will know it well as the exclamation will be seen clearly. While Yahoo only has 40-60 employees in the area (from an acquisition of a local data mining company), the space they are moving into will be able to hold 500-600. The space, formerly occupied by Nortel, will be remodeled to fit the company's culture.

While Yahoo claims they are moving to Downtown Bellevue for the technical talent available in the area, many are speculating that they are looking to hire talent away from jaded employees at other tech firms.

One wonders what their strategy to hire will be considering Yahoo's job search yields three open positions in Downtown Bellevue. Should be interesting to see as the move takes place and the strategy becomes clear.

One Main Street Condominiums Open Presentation Center

One Main Street Condominium presentation center at 136th & 102nd Street in Old Bellevue opened its doors Thursday night. Even through windstorms and some power outages in Bellevue One Main Street presentation center was full to capacity.

The 62 luxury residential units went for sale yesterday, and have already had several deposits on units. The condos mainly range in price from $400,00 - $800,000 and top out around $1.2 Million. The condominiums on Main Street will have all of the traditional luxury amenities such as hard wood flooring, granite countertops, tile back splash in the kitchen, and more.

The traditional and classic look of One Main Street Condominiums will fit seamlessly into the culture of Bellevue's Main Street. The projected completion date for the project is December 2008.

Amazon Fresh Now Delivering to All of Bellevue

It is the day we have all been waiting for! You can sit back and order your groceries (again) online, and have them delivered to your doorstep. Amazon Fresh has announced that they will begin delivering groceries to all neighborhoods in Bellevue.

Recently the Downtown Bellevue Network reported that Amazon Fresh was only available for delivery if you had been invited to the initial pilot group. Recently a retail front on Main Street where you are able to schedule a pick up of groceries was opened to all.

Bellevue was chosen as the first retail front, and continues to being among the first city chosen for delivery citywide. The service offers a wide verity of over 17,000 groceries, which is expanding every day.

Go to Amazon Fresh Web page and start ordering your groceries to your Bellevue home today!

Underground Tunnel at Bellevue Collection Connects

A project was headed months ago to bring an underground tunnel to and from Bellevue Place's parking lot and Lincoln Square's parking lot on the 3rd floor parking level.

The project will allow for those not wanting to walk through the street level traffic to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city. Pedestrians will be able to walk to and from Bellevue Place and Lincoln Square soon. The construction of the tunnel has just reached the point where the construction workers have now connected the two sides.

New Kemper Development Co's projects such as "The Bellevue" and "Shops On 5th" have plans as well to connect underground and have ample parking for visitors to the Bellevue Collection.

Vertigo, Bellevue's First Nightclub Opens

After much anticipation Vertigo Lounge and Grill is now open to customers.

At the base of 989 Elements Building at, 989 112th Ave NE opens Downtown Bellevue's first true nightclub!

The venue offers a first class restaurant, bar, and lounge. Vertigo’s lounge promises to occasionally offer live music. Owner Bill Khanna has made sure Vertigo is musically equipped, including a grand piano right off the bar, a customized DJ booth, and a vibrant sound system.

Vertigo is like nothing Downtown Bellevue has seen to date. The interior design is elaborate and attractive, yet still simple and fun. No more crossing the bridge necessary, Vertigo has brought Belltown to Bellevue.

Downtown Bellevue’s nightlife has been begging for a venue such as Vertigo for some time now. Vertigo being a restaurant by day, and a club by night will offer comfort foods such as steak, lamb, pasta and more. This classy adult playground will indeed become a hot spot in Downtown Bellevue for some time to come.

Vertigo Lounge & Grill Address
989 112th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
425-467-6767

Yahoo! moving to Bellevue

This our third story about Yahoo! in Downtown Bellevue. The Daily Journal of Commerce broke the news that Yahoo! Inc. has agreed to lease 115,000 square feet in the One Twelfth @ Twelfth office complex in Bellevue, a move that could bring nearly 600 new technology employees to that city. This had been speculated for some time now.

Yahoo will:

• lease four floors
• they will move in phases (January, August, November)
• take on a seven year lease
• put their name on the East building (you'll see the sign from 405)
• will not comment until after its earnings release

The article went on to quote Director Tom Boham of Cushman & Wakefield saying, "It's just further validation of the Eastside as a high-tech mecca."

This is in line with other companies such as Microsoft (leasing 1M+ square feet in Bellevue) and Expedia (35,000 square feet in Tower 333) who have also moved into downtown.

Bohman got one thing right. If you're working on the Eastside, it's a pretty exciting place to be right now!

New "The Bellevue" and "Shops on 5th" plans and images emerge

Plans for new Kemper Development Co. projects have been outlined in some images below.

"The Bellevue" and "Shops on 5th" are two projects in which Kemper Development Co. have outlined to start construction following the holidays. "The Bellevue" will consist of a high end hotel consisting of over 200 rooms along with other boutique shops . It has been speculated that the Ritz Carlton might fulfill the hotel spot where currently the JC Penny's and Macy's parking lot lies.

Across the street Safeway currently occupies an area, which will eventually become a part of "Shops on 5th", a residential condominium, and an office building. The images show an all enclosed skybridge which transitions people from "The Bellevue" across the street to continue their shopping. Plans have not yet been publicly announced or officially nailed down, but expect this to happen in the coming months!

The Bravern to add Wild Ginger to Downtown Bellevue

Wild Ginger, what is currently known as one of Seattle's finest Asian restaurants will expand into Downtown Bellevue. In a news release announced Wednesday, Wild Ginger and Schnitzer West (Developer) stated that the restaurant will occupy 14,000 square feet on two floors at The Bravern opening in September 2009.

Wild Ginger will occupy space at the base of "Two Bravern Court" one of the two 29-story condo residences. The Bravern project has gained popularity due to the announcement that Neiman Marcus will open its first store in the Northwest in Downtown Bellevue at the Bravern, along with many other upscale shopping boutiques.

This announcement comes recently after El Gaucho laid down plans to open up the street at the City Center Plaza building, which is currently under construction.

As these major projects such as Washington Square, Bellevue Towers, and The Bravern begin nearing completion there will begin to be a flurry of announcements concerning retail plans at these buildings.

With the many Microsoft employees occupying The Bravern's office space, the high end clientèle shopping fashionable stores, and affluent homeowners at the Bravern Signature Residences, Wild Ginger promises to have a high potential for success!

Bellevue Square Nordstrom Under Major Construction

If you hadn't noticed, the Nordstrom in Bellevue Square is under major construction for a serious remodel.

The remodel has been done in phases and all the men's sections and some of the women's sections are now complete. Images shot within the last week, and show how aggressively Nordstrom is pushing to redesign from the ground up.

Although some areas are currently in shambles you can surely bet that Nordstrom will have the store complete and in pristine condition going into the Holiday season. The departments, which are finished, are what you would expect from a luxury retailer such as Nordstrom.

Bellevue's a Big Deal says Puget Sound Business Journal

The Puget Sound Business Journal asks the question, What city is No. 1? They recently posted an intriguing story about how, "Hot" Bellevue is right now, implying they are No. 1. (not that we didn't already know this)

Proof the article uses to back its case:

• Neiman Marcus chose to locate its first Northwest store in Bellevue over Seattle.
• Downtown Bellevue has the tightest vacancy rate in the country at 3.8% according to Cushman & Wakefield.
• Bellevue's average office rent top's Seattle's.
• Recent New York Times Sunday article was written about Bellevue.
• 4,000 new residences in the works for Downtown Bellevue (another 4,000 in the works).
• Biggest office lease in Puget Sound area history was 1.3 million-square-foot lease for Microsoft in The Bravern and Advanta office projects.
• Expedia leased 348,000 square feet in Hines' 333 office tower.
• Civica Office Commons in Downtown Bellevue was the highest price per square foot of any office building sold in the Puget Sound region for two years now, selling for $462, and later for $575.
• Downtown Bellevue's office space rents for $35.59 per square foot ($2.80 more than Seattle).
• 14 Major commercial real estate projects under construction
• 12 Projects in permitting.
• 4 Projects in the pipeline.

Hyatt to Host Culinary Extravaganza!

And now for something different.

With their unique twist to an evening, YWCA of King & Snohomish County is offering what has been a sell-out event for the past three years! Imagine, if you will, enjoying food and drink from the finest chefs and wine makers in the Northwest.

But there is an added bonus: the money from this event goes to help YWCA serve more than 3,600 low-income and homeless women and families on the Eastside.
The event is called Chef's Fest. It is an annual event that will be held this year, October 29, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue in Bellevue Place.
We will definitely be there to cover the event. Grab tickets while they are still available!

Update: Bellevue crane accident

Quite possibly the biggest news in Downtown Bellevue last year was the crane that fell killing Matthew Ammon, an attorney at Microsoft and resulted in many Bellevuites looking up for the next couple months as they walked the streets of the city.

Last night Komo TV 4 reported that the parents have filed a lawsuit against the general contractor, Lease Crutcher Lewis and the designer Magnusson Klemencic Associates. The contractor is working on the Tower 333 project in Bellevue.

The defendant firms have not filed a response to the lawsuit. Trial has been set for March 23, 2009.

Microsoft Holds Up Traffic in Downtown Bellevue

You might have noticed NE 8th Street was temporarily closed Wednesday at the corner of NE 8th St and Bellevue Way NE out in front of Lincoln Square.

This was due to Microsoft "branding" the outside of Lincoln Square with their logo. Microsoft has officially put their mark on Downtown Bellevue. Microsoft which had their original offices in Bellevue before moving to the more well known Redmond location has slowly started to migrate back to Bellevue.

New office space has been locked up at The Bravern, and also a new development in Eastgate to add to their collection of already existing locations in Bellevue (Civica, Lincoln Sq, Bellevue Place, etc.).

What's going up on SE 8th St & 114th Ave SE?

The site: the corner of SE 8th St & 114th Ave SE. You know right across the street from the Park & Ride?
Many people have asked us, "What's going on over there?" Well, we're going to tell you. It's a hotel! And not just any hotel, but another Marriott. That makes three for Marriott! They've already got the Courtyard on 110th and NE 8th, we wrote about the new full service Marriott that's going up, and now this - the Residence Inn by Marriott.

Technically it's outside the boundary of Downtown Bellevue, but it's close enough.

PS - The land right next to the hotel is for sale!

Galleria Cinemas will Move

Remember the news back in early August about the changes at the Bellevue Galleria?

Well, the owner definitely wants to bring in office space and get the cinema out of there! The news was reported in the Puget Sound Business Journal. "Even I have my price," said Ray Hallett, founder and owner of the cinema. "If they get someone to come forward who wants it for office space, there is definitely a number that will take care of it."

The cinema is family owned and revenues took a dive when the Lincoln Square Cinemas opened up. These days, the Galleria is playing films and Hallett does claim he's happy with how the cinema is doing. But one can only question whether they're getting the same traffic they used to.

Hallett definitely won't disappear. If he loses the 11-screen theater in the Galleria he will be looking to open up elsewhere on the Eastside.

As far as Downtown Bellevue goes, the Galleria Cinemas definitely seems out of place these days. With Class A office space scarce, that would be a gold mine if converted! Microsoft, care to pick some more space?

Big Plans for Bel-Red Road

The Seattle Times reported today the big plans that the City of Bellevue's steering committee have suggested for the Bel-Red Corridor.

The Bel-Red Corridor is full of run down shopping and industrial complexes. It hardly fits in with the exponentially growing areas of Downtown Bellevue. Because there is so much land in this 900-acre corridor it could potentially be the last time for a long while that the City of Bellevue gets an opportunity to create major change in a large area so close to the heart of Downtown Bellevue.

Some of the highlighted and potential upgrades to the area would include high-rise buildings, a recreational sports complex, and an arts district. Many of the ideas such as recreational sports complex which would include ballfields, an aquatic center, an indoor sports facility would support the many people that will be living Downtown in the coming years.

The plans aren't final, the council likely won't sign off on a plan until next spring or summer.

See the City of Bellevue Steering Committee Recommendation

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Ruth’s Chris Eliminates Late Night Happy Hour

“Ruth’s Chris Steak House Inc.” purchased the Ruth’s Chris in Downtown Bellevue, along with the Seattle and Portland restaurants from the private franchise owners.

This would most likely be insignificant news, but the new corporate owners have taken away what is argued to be the best late night happy hour in all of Bellevue. The $3 burger, $2 salad, and the other wide array of inexpensive drinks and food made Ruth's Chris a sure bet during Happy Hours.

When contacted, the Bellevue Ruth’s Chris informed us that the decision was made by the new owners to discontinue the 9pm – close happy hour.

With other steakhouses such as El Gaucho announcing future openings, Ruth's Chris should be making attempt to help their image and create loyal and reoccurring customers. Surely eliminating something many customers enjoyed is not going to help with this task. (Why not just alter it, instead of eliminate it all together?)

Ruth’s Chris can guarantee losses from 9pm through close now going forward. Other restaurants close by with Happy Hours such as McCormick and Schmick’s, Manzana, and The Parlor shall surely expect a rise in business at night.