When my husband and I first bought our home, we felt somewhat banished in pre-cool Ballard. (This was 2001, and the sleepy Scandinavian burg was the most affordable neighborhood closest to Lower Queen Anne, where we’d been happily living in an apartment.) But then we stumbled upon Ballard Market and discovered that the humble-appearing grocery…

MUST SEEMaster Harold…and the boysOngoing (thru 4/21) — Apartheid, class issues and ballroom dancing blend in South African playwright Athol Fugard’s acclaimed Broadway drama. Longtime local theater fans will be thrilled to learn that this contemporary take is directed by Burke Walker, founding artistic director of the dearly departed Empty Space Theatre, and stars another…

Franz Kafka was a master at crafting absurd yet convincing scenarios (perhaps most famously in his man-turns-cockroach story, The Metamorphosis) and capturing the particularly human feeling of existential dread. You might have experienced a similarly surreal sense of displacement if you ever had the misfortune of being an immigrant detained for days or weeks at…

You’ve swung the West Coast swing, spiced up your salsa and topped off your tango—what’s next? Time to kiss up to kizomba. This Angolan dance style first caught fire in the 1980s, and has since spread across Europe and recently landed in Seattle, at venues such as Century Ballroom (centuryballroom.net), which offers drop-in classes for…

Those little waving kitties have become ubiquitous good luck trinkets in Seattle shops—but what exactly do their upraised paws tell us? With Maneki Neko: Japan’s Beckoning Cats—From Talisman to pop icon, Bellevue Arts Museum provides both context and cuteness, exhibiting 155 vintage cats made from ceramic, papier-mâché, wood and stone, as well as several contemporary…

April 1 — Seattle’s booming South Lake Union is about to get taller. In anticipation of a neighborhood up-zone, a developer has dusted-off Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1956 idea of a mile-high tower to handle density. The building will be more than 18 million square feet.  As word of the 500-story skyscraper leaked, officials were quick to react….

When reporter Leslie Helm (editor of Seattle mag’s sister publication, Seattle Business) began the process of adopting a Japanese baby in 1991, he had no idea that his quest to have children would lead to an intimate acquaintance with his forebears. In his new book, Yokohama Yankee: My Family’s Five Generations as Outsiders in Japan…

MUST REFLECTMirrorSeattle Art Museum’s new permanent installation by video artist Doug Aitken is a magnetic mystery. A two-story-tall outdoor LED screen that wraps around the northwest corner of the museum, the high-tech display plays video footage that Aitken filmed around the Northwest. Somehow (magic spell?) the flow of images constantly shifts according to changes in…

Last month West Seattle’s own Metropolitan Market grocery bagger Andrew Borracchini, 18, claimed the hotly contested title of “Best Bagger” in 23 states—along with $10,000—in a bagging competition held as part of the National Grocer’s Association convention in Las Vegas. Tonight (Monday, March 25) at 11:35 pm,Borracchini has a chance to show off his gleaming…

It’s been 10 years since choreographer Donald Byrd alighted in Seattle to take the helm at Spectrum Dance Theater. Previously, he gained acclaim for his work as founding artistic director (1978–2002) of the Los Angeles–born and later New York City–based Donald Byrd/The Group. Once here, he continued to garner notice, thanks to his daring, dark…

MUST MARVELMoisture FestivalOpens Thursday (3/21–4/14) — It’s another welcome sign of spring when Hale’s Palladium in Fremont suddenly fills with contortionists, comedians and a variety of clowns. This marks the tenth year of the Moisture Festival, which showcases a veritable circus of audacious, hilarious, gravity-defying and sometimes risque vaudeville acts. A few highlights among over…

Alongside our signature Best Restaurants story, which hones in on the most memorable meals of the year, you’ll find something totally new in the April issue of Seattle magazine: an experiment in collaboration. We teamed up with the editors at Crosscut.com (one of our favorite local sources for thoughtful political coverage and analysis) to co-produce a feature…