Ballard's Sunset Bowl is gone. The George Benson Waterfront Trolley and the Fun Forest are all but doomed. And rumors abound that Archie McPhee may close up shop within a few years. Which beloved city institution would you chain yourself to, in order to defend it against forced extinction? Tell us what and why in our forum, where community links that last are forged every day.

Restaurants
Dining Out for Life
Thursday evening, dine at How to Cook a Wolf (pictured) or one of 149 other Seattle restaurants, and a portion of your bill will go toward fighting HIV and AIDS in the Northwest.
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Recreation
Jump into Parkour
The world is a jungle gym to practitioners of this urban sport. Find out where you can watch the traceurs do their thing, and how you can learn the sport yourself.
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Restaurants
Cirque du Soleil's 'Corteo' comes to town
If you've long desired to see one of Cirque du Soleil's half-dozen Las Vegas shows but haven't been able to make the trip, look no further than Marymoor Park this weekend.
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Nightlife
The Dray in Ballard
It doesn't offer hard liquor or "small plates" -- just beer, wine, coffee and a few sandwiches. And it's the most genuinely Seattle bar to open its doors in a long time.
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Restaurants
A bigger, better Virginia Inn
This venerable pub now has more seating, but the real news is an expanded menu, featuring new favorites like grilled wild salmon and wild mushroom pasta.
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Music
Candlebox glimmers again
Remember "Far Behind"? The Seattle band that scored several 1990s modern rock hits plays a leukemia benefit at King Cobra. All the original members return, though they've gotten haircuts.
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More in NWsource
Raise money to save our fine feathered friends through Seattle Audubon's Birdathon.

Ziggurat Quartet, Matt Jorgensen, the Hadley Caliman Quartet and many more make the Ballard Jazz Festival kick.

Three of the city's most unusual musical acts -- the Circus Contraption Band, Buttrock Suites and Awesome! -- share a bill at Neumos.

The Stranger's Gong Show brings together all manner of cute and terrifying variety acts. David Schmader hosts, and there's no cover.

Beyond the weekend
Mary Roach discusses her book "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex" Monday at Town Hall. (Isn't the word in question actually "boink"? I guess that's not scientific.) Tuesday finds the wonderful Jill Cohn Band at Nectar, science fiction author Ursula K. LeGuin reading at Elliott Bay and "Puppetry of the Penis" debuting at ACT. (I would have said something here, but I pretty much used up my editorial leeway with that "boink" riff.)

The first phase of the Lake Union Park revamp opens Wednesday with boat rides and a salmon bake. Two bizarre stage productions open Thursday night: the zombie/Shakespeare mashup "Living Dead in Denmark" and Wing-It Productions' improvised rock opera, "Seattle: The Musical." Also, next Thursday is First Thursday, which means new stuff in downtown galleries, free admission to SAM's regular galleries and art vendors in Occidental Park. After all that, mes amis, you'll be ready to face another weekend.

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