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14 Seattle-Based Podcasts for Your Daily Commute

A roundup of local podcasts designed to ease commuting doldrums

Podcasts

You’re now donning a cold weather scarf or shaking the just-out-of-storage dust from your winter wear; it’s time to gear up for more chilly commutes. Whether you’re taking planes, trains, automobiles, the eco-friendly bike option or catching that always-late bus to get to work, you need some new mental floss to supplement your daily journey. Thus, we present: Podcasts.

Much like restaurants in the city, there is a Seattle-based podcast for every taste, whether it be music, tech, or local news—or taste itself. Grab your earbuds and listen to this collection of our favorite local podcasts.

Spilled Milk: Seattle’s sweetheart (and our favorite author/blogger/pizza connoisseur) Molly Wizenberg teams up with writer Matthew Amster-Burton each week to discuss a different food-related topic (think: baked beans and pudding cups). It’s a local favorite that’s been making its mark on the airwaves for nearly seven years running. Foodies can also check out the similarly-themed Your Last Meal or Seattle Kitchen podcasts.

The Seattle Files: It seems that no one knows Seattle history better than Chris Allen. Each week, he shares a Seattle history lesson with local comedians, offering a little-seen look inside the city’s past, like the background of the 1962 World’s Fair or women’s suffrage in Washington.

Sound Effect: Described as a “tour of ideas, inspired by the place we live,” this weekly series hosted by KNKX’s Jennifer Wing features a mixed bag of interesting topics, like a 30-plus-year game of tag or an interview with a fluent Klingon speaker.

Rise Seattle: Two local real estate brokers who explore local topics, like coffee and homelessness.

Seattle Public Library: As if an offering of more than one million books, movies and music weren’t enough, the SPL offers comprehensive podcasts featuring audio recordings of in-library author readings and talks, debates, panel discussions, seminars, and award ceremonies.

GeekWire: For those with their finger on the pulse of Seattle’s tech trends, John Cook—who’s in our Hall of Fame—and Todd Bishop (and their featured guests) offer listeners a look at the city’s latest local tech news.

It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: For the fans of the four-legged, host Shawn Stewart dicusses cats and dogs on his weekly show, joining with expert guests and taking listener calls to address topics like behavior and health.

The Bittersweet Life: Discussions of the expat life and the experiences of living abroad from Seattleite Katy Sewall and friend Tiffany Parks; new episodes air every Monday. (Bonus: we chatted with Sewall for our November issue – see the convo here).

From the Margins: Bookworms will appreciate this Girl Friday Productions podcast that features host Devon Fredericksen’s look behind the scenes at the bookmaking industry, like gender norms in publishing and the difficulty of fact-based writing.

Dirtbag Diaries: Writer Fitz Cahall and his team help outdoor enthusiasts embrace the dirt as they presents stories about “dreamers, athletes and wanderers,” like expedition kayakers and a goat named LeeRoy.

Beyond This Point: Creative discussions with artists, business owners, leaders and designers, hosted by Gabriel Stromberg, the creative director of Seattle design company Civilization. Conversations focus on different ways of thinking, seeing, and making.

Still looking for more? Try KEXP’s Music That Matters for indie tunes, The Barbershop for sports talk, or Here Be Monsters for explanations of the unknown.

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way. 

What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common?  According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot.  “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.

The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture.  This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.

Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…