<a href="http://www.seattleweekly.com/" target="_blank">The Seattle Weekly</a> is a free-distribution alternatively weekly that  prides itself on having <strong>traced “Seattle’s cultural arc” </strong>since the days  before Microsoft, grunge, double-tall lattes, Amazon.com, soaring  downtown condos and fusion cuisine. It was founded in 1976, back when,  it says, “Seattle was a dreary little blip on America’s radar, best  known for airplanes, clinical depression, acres of clams and rain — lots  and lots of rain.”

Founded by David Brewster, The Weekly initially focused on arts,  culture, politics and an ongoing re-examination of what Seattle might be  if it grew up. The Seattle Weekly moved from paid to free circulation  in 1995 and was sold in 1997 to Village Voice Media, which was acquired  by <a title="New Times Media" href="http://www.newtimes.com/" target="_blank">New Times Media</a> is 2005.

Today it offers a steady print diet of <a title="Best of Guides" href="http://www.seattleweekly.com/bestof/" target="_blank">“best of” guides</a> (including  Best of the Web), extensive entertainment news and the occasional meaty  cover story. Online it offers <a title="The Daily Weekly" href="http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/" target="_blank">“The Daily Weekly,”</a> a general interest  news blog, <a title="Reverb" href="http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/" target="_blank">“Reverb,” </a>a music bog, and <a title="Voracious" href="http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/" target="_blank">“Voracious,”</a> a dining blog. It  introduced a <a href="http://www.seattleweekly.com/flipbook/" target="_blank">Flipbook format</a> online in July 2009.