“When used well, design can solve problems,” says Linda Norlen—and she has proof. The associate director of Design in Public (designinpublic.org), a new nonprofit devoted to showcasing our region’s wealth of innovative architecture and graphic, interior, industrial and urban design, Norlen is helping to coordinate the organization’s second Seattle Design Festival (in partnership with several…

Beacon Hill-based artist Klara Glosova doesn’t worry when people wonder, “That’s art?” She invites the question at adventurous happenings she hosts regularly at NEPO House (her living room turned pop-up art gallery). It’s also a driving question at NEPO 5K DON’T RUN, an art walk truly like no other in the city. The second iteration…

When it’s finished this fall, the Bullitt Center (bullittcenter.org) will be the greenest commercial building on the planet, using solar panels, geothermal wells, composting toilets and rainwater collection, among other innovations, to achieve “net zero” energy use. The six-story, $30 million building, on Capitol Hill at 15th Avenue and McGilvra Place, will serve as a…

After growing up in Seattle and earning her biology degree from the University of Puget Sound, Victoria MacRae-Samuels has spent more than 20 years in the spirits industry. Starting as a chemist with Jim Beam, she’s currently vice president of operations at renowned bourbon distillery Maker’s Mark, overseeing all bourbon production from selecting grains to…

MUST SING ALONGRentJonathan Larson’s rock musical about starving artists living in the shadow of AIDS in New York’s East Village won the hearts of countless audiences when it debuted in 1996. Fast-forward to now, as the 5th Avenue Theatre presents an exciting, renewed rendition that manages to both accurately capture the early 1990s and still…

Nihonmachi Nite is this Saturday (August 11; 4-9pm). A free community event celebrating the history of Seattle’s Japantown, several shops, restaurants and the Wing Luke Museum are offering special programming or discounts throughout the evening. Most intriguing among those is probably Momo Seattle’s second annual Spam-O-Rama musubi-making contest. Local chefs, including Trace W‘s Steven Ariel,…

This week’s ripe with super-fun and mostly affordable eating and drinking dates, whether it involves watching chefs duke it out at the farmers market or sipping some swell suds at a neighborhood brewfest. On Saturday, Palace Kitchen’s Dezi Bonow will battle Serafina’s Josh Green in an Iron Chef-like showdown at the U-District Farmers Market. Ready,…

Tonight is National Night Out! That means many Seattle neighborhoods will close residential streets and host festive block parties, all in the name of taking a stand against crime and building stronger communities (August 9, 6-9pm). After all, you don’t have much of a community if you don’t know (or like) your neighbors. Visit the…

Who doesn’t love sitting by the pool with a fruity cocktail on a hot summer’s day? It’s hard for us to imagine a better afternoon, but it’s pretty much impossible to have a yummy-looking drink in hand without the kids begging for a sip. Make everyone in the family happy by creating one of these…

INGREDIENTSFor the peppers:½ lb. padron peppers3 tablespoons olive oilcoarse salt, like Maldon or fleur de sel For the burgers:1 lb. ground chuck beef1 lb. chorizo, casings removed2 cloves garlic, finely dicedKosher salt and pepper Toppings:Mayonnaise, sliced jack cheese, 4 burger buns (buttered and toasted, if desired) DIRECTIONSOn a baking sheet, toss the padron peppers with…

On National Root Beer Float Day, I cannot help feeling a little bummed. Getting in the car to drive to A&W just isn’t going to cut it. As far as I can tell, the nearest old-fashioned soda fountain is 260 miles away, at Lincoln County Pharmacy in Davenport, one of those sleepy towns on Highway…