Instagram Inspiration is a new column on Seattlemag.com that explores our favorite instagram themes each week.This week we were inspired to create–and we found some crafty Instagrammers to help expand our imaginations. Check out these quirky summer DIY projects for a fun way to bring out your artistic spirit. Whether it’s another use for those mason jars…

Cycling enthusiasts of all abilities can ride this month’s Tour de France mania at three new Seattle bike outlets. From high-end racing bikes to kitschy accoutrements, serious cyclists and casual bikers alike will find something to celebrate. Bonne chance, cyclistes!  Hit Miir for bikes and bottles  Photo Credit: Meredith Hunter Commuters with a conscience Seattle-based…

Seattle often is touted for its literary bona fides. We frequently top the list of America’s “most literate” cities (we’re currently number 3, following Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis). We’re also among the most-educated U.S. cities (Forbes ranks us number 6, above Boston). We’re home to a great bookstore, Elliott Bay Book Company, known nationally as…

Universal university restrooms: There’s a new demand for additional gender-neutral bathrooms at the University of Washington, thanks to some smart students who think the university’s current crop of universal spots to do your business is not enough. According to KING 5 News, “each new building on the UW campus includes at least one gender-neutral restroom,”…

Everyone needs a good laugh now and then, so we’ve rounded up some of the best improvisational shows in Seattle. Watch trained comedians come up with unique, on-the-spot material and see a show that’s guaranteed to never be the same on any given night. Improv is a great icebreaker for a first date, fun for…

Must RunLace Up Your Sneaks for Seattle Magazine’s Brunch RunSaturday (6/6, registration starts at 7:30 a.m.) Grab a friend and run, walk, or stroll this 5K course in Magnuson Park. Then join your fellow runners for a post-race sampling brunch food, mimosas and Bloody Marys from some of Seattle’s top restaurants. Must ListenLocal Contemporary Choral…

With warm weather right around the corner, there’s no better time to start staking out the best date spots in the city. And when it comes to romance, what’s sweeter than taking your sweetheart on a romantic picnic in one of the area’s many gorgeous parks?  It’s hard to go wrong when you’re picnicking out…

I just returned from a world’s fair in Milan, Italy. The fair, Expo 2015, is devoted to the subject of “Feeding the Planet.” Milan has long been an inspiration on its own. For example, it is the place that inspired Howard Schultz to turn Starbucks from a coffee purveyor to a seller of lattes to…

They say your home is a reflection of your identity—and if money allows, you can reshape your house (through a new coat of paint, a kitchen remodel, a second story) to more accurately reflect the person you are, or hope to be. But what happens when the relationship goes the other way—when a house transforms…