This article originally appeared on Avvo.com. It’s a new year, and you’re ready to set out on a healthier lifestyle, complete with a shiny new membership at the local gym. Great! However, it is not uncommon for health clubs, particularly those with higher-than-average membership rates and dozens of amenities, to gouge patrons with fees, lock-in…

In this bi-monthly Seattlemag.com column, Knute Berger–who writes regularly for Seattle Magazine and Crosscut.com and is a frequent pundit on KUOW–takes an in-depth look at some of the highly topical and sometimes polarizing issues in our city. It’s possible to take this comparison too far, but with the Seahawks marching to the NFC Championship game…

It’s the first-ever Monday after the Golden Globes that I’m not sitting here in a haze from too much champagne. Let’s dive right in to what’s happening around Seattle! You’ve likely seen cyclist Alvin Graham Jr. outside CenturyLink Field or in front of Westlake Center riding his trainer in support of veterans. Saturday night during…

Paseo is back! New owner Ryan Santwire quietly reopened the doors of the original Fremont location yesterday for fear of the kitchen becoming overrun. Nonetheless, the legendary sandwich shop that closed suddenly last November amid allegations of unfair pay and other poor treatment for workers had 50 customers in the first half hour. The menu, suppliers and…

Must BravoSeattle Opera’s Opening Night of Tosca Saturday (1/10, 7:30 p.m.) A power-crazed chief of police. Fake bullets replaced with real ones. A fatal plunge off a parapet! Puccini’s Tosca is the archetypical opera, with more melodrama than an episode of Scandal and a spicy score that keeps things racing toward the foregone conclusion. Don’t…

As the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas speeds along for another day, we’re hearing inklings of some very cool innovations–Audi previewing a self-driving car, for one. And yesterday during the event, Microsoft unveiled the Nokia 215, which Fast Company reports is slated to retail in markets such as Africa, Asia and the Middle…

In a small, private Belltown event space, members of Seattle band St. Paul de Vence begin tuning a trumpet and strumming a banjo. As the audience settles in on this winter evening, there’s electricity in the air—a sense that something exciting is afoot, and the people here are lucky witnesses. Everyone is on “the list,”…

Need a good cuddle from a complete stranger? Make your way down to Portland, where a woman has turned the up-close-and-personal behavior into a profession. According to King 5’s Evening Magazine, professional cuddler Samantha Hess charges $35 for a 30-minute snuggle session and $60 for a full hour. And should you book her services, don’t…

Known for her wisteria-colored hair, cat-eye spectacles, regal composure and biting wit, Australian comedy goddess Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) has been entertaining audiences for nearly a half-century. But sadly, the empress of satire is calling it quits; this year, she embarks on Dame Edna’s Glorious Goodbye: The Farewell Tour (1/15–1/18. The Moore Theatre; stgpresents.org)….

It’s a new year—time to engage in the annual tradition of shaking yourself out of a holiday food coma and putting down the pecan pie in favor of an exercise plan. But first you must ask yourself: When it comes to working out, are you a loner or a joiner? Do you prefer to exert…

It’s 2015. You’re back in the office. Here’s what’s happening now around town. Weather: Severe windy and rainy conditions have done a number on the Puget Sound region last night and this morning, including causing school closings, mud slides and power outages. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for parts of Western…

This article originally appeared on Avvo.com. This is a great time of the year to make charitable contributions. Not only will you help out a great cause, but you may also be able to deduct the amount you contributed from your tax return in April. Here’s what you need to know about making tax-deductible charitable…

The holidays are over—baking, white elephant exchanges and all—and your social schedule has opened up again. There are various local ski options to level your January blues, but if snow sports evoke torture for you, here are some mostly indoor activities to pry you away from Netflix this winter. From board game stores that invite…