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Freediving to an Otherworldly Place
Taking the plunge on a 7,000-year-old practice in the cold waters of a Northwest lake.
On a crisp, clear day, this spring, I stood at the edge of Lake Washington, ready to slip into the water and do something I’d never done before. Wrapped in thick neoprene, with goofy tight-fitting goggles on my face, and long, powerful fins on my feet, I felt as prepared as I’d ever be. Along…
Opening Night: Wallingford’s Janta Is Exactly What a Cafe Should Be
The Indian coffee and chai shop from the Spice Waala team hits all the right notes.
Spice Waala’s owners have just opened a little cafe in Wallingford, and to understand why I’m so excited about it, you first need to know what’s so great about Spice Waala, which is that it’s one of the last restaurants in Seattle that feels like a deal. You can get a chicken or lamb roll…
Seattle’s Dancing Zombies Return This Saturday for 20th Annual Thrill the World
No brains required, just a little rhythm. Performers head to Woodinville for a Halloween dance synchronized across eight countries.
Maybe you’ve had the pleasure of stumbling upon a group of zombies dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” somewhere around Seattle. With their tattered clothes and sunken faces, they’re just the sort of wonderfully strange encounter I think we’re all secretly hoping for when we leave the house in October. These flash-mob-style performances can seem to…
A San Juan Island Home for All Seasons
With an eye toward the future, Prentiss + Balance + Wickline helped two Seattle professionals design a house perfect for weekend getaways now—and permanent living during their post-retirement years.
It was early 2017 when a Seattle-based empty-nester couple started searching for a property in the San Juan Islands. They still had jobs in the city, but were nearing retirement and wanted a home they could use on weekends, and eventually settle in after they left the workforce. Initially, the two weren’t planning on a…
A Fresh Start for Seattle’s Shelter Pets
Bringing home a newly adopted pet is exciting. It’s also a quick lesson in how little control you actually have over your routine. There will be muddy paw prints where there weren’t any before, water mysteriously making its way across the floor, fur settling into places you didn’t know fur could reach, and, yes, the…
Seattle Breaks New Ground: Where Supercars, Superyachts, and Collectors Converge
Photos and video courtesy of Terminal One Seattle. On the shores of Salmon Bay, a new waterfront destination is bringing architecture, automotive culture, and the art of collecting together. Terminal One Motor + Yacht Club introduces a new category of luxury real estate with private condominium garages and future dockominiums. Forget everything you thought you…
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
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…
Restaurant Roundup: 3 Pearls and Restaurant Week Redux
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
When something tastes good, you gotta go back for seconds—and that’s exactly what we’re doing for this fall’s Seattle Restaurant Week, Oct. 18-31. Building off a successful spring spread, this edition brings back curated menus at various price points ($20, $35, $50, and $65) at restaurants, bars, cafes, and pop-ups across the greater Seattle area….
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,…
House Special: A Taste of Ecuador at Bad Chancla
Chef José Garzón brings a coastal Ecuadorian classic to his 335-square-foot Capitol Hill kitchen, where he hopes to introduce more dishes from home.
There is not much room at Bad Chancla. The bright pink walk-up on East Olive Way seats a handful of people elbow to elbow, mostly outside, and the kitchen behind the counter is small enough that chef and co-owner José Garzón can talk to you while he cooks. Garzón grew up between Guayaquil and the…
Mónica Guzmán: Curiosity’s Great Connector
What happens when we get curious about people we disagree with? Journalist, author, and podcast host Mónica Guzmán has made that question central to her work, drawing on her own experience navigating political differences with her Mexican immigrant parents, who support Donald Trump. In this episode of the Seattle podcast, Seattle magazine publisher Jonathan Sposato…
Opening Night: GoodMart Makes Lunch Feel Like Luxury
Victor Steinbrueck, owner of Fremont’s acclaimed Local Tide, opens his second seafood-centric restaurant in the heart of Ballard.
On a Thursday afternoon I was able to walk right up to the counter at GoodMart on Ballard Avenue and order lunch, which surprised me. GoodMart is owned by Victor Steinbrueck, who opened Local Tide in Fremont during the height of the pandemic (August 2020) and built it into one of Seattle’s most acclaimed seafood…
Where to Warm Up With a Drink This Fall and Winter in Seattle
From swanky speakeasies to a cozy literary bar, these spots serve inventive cocktails and zero-proof options.
Seattle’s drearier days are slowly arriving, but it’s not all gray and gloom from here. Finding a cozy spot to warm up is part of the trick to enjoying the darker, colder months. The right place lets you bring a friend, a book, a journal, or simply yourself, and let time pass by. Whether you…
A New Perspective on the Oregon Coast
Beyond the usual suspects like Astoria and Cannon Beach lie 300 miles of open road.
The Oregon Coast is a beguiling drive year-round, but autumn is when it feels most vital. The colors deepen, whales loiter in the shallows, and kites swoop against gray skies dappled with bursts of sunlight. At Tillamook Bay, Highway 101 veers inland through fifty miles of old-growth forest before re-emerging along the water. On this…
When A Magazine Becomes A Place
An evening in Pioneer Square offers a reminder of how good it feels to connect—with old friends, new faces, and the city we call home.
A few months later, I’m still smiling! When we began planning Seattle magazine’s July/August Issue Launch party at RailSpur Alley in Pioneer Square, we hoped for a good crowd, some great conversations, and maybe one of those elusive Seattle summer evenings when the weather actually cooperates. What happened was something considerably better. Hundreds of people…
Will Travel For Cheese
Some people take road trips for nature, while others optimize their route to get a taste of small-town living. If your interests are more culinarily inclined, consider trying this loop around Western Washington—it will take you to some of the state’s top cheese producers, mongers, and enthusiasts.
Here in Washington—a state with many distinct climates, terroirs, and biomes as well as diverse agricultural blessings—we celebrate our apple, wine, beer, stone fruit, and seafood industries to the hilt. Some may be surprised to learn that dairy and cattle are the state’s second-largest agricultural commodities, making Washington a real paradise for cheese lovers, with…
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!),…
Restaurant Roundup: Coffee, Costumes, and Secret Burgers
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Little sips. That is our destined-to-fail mantra for the upcoming Seattle Coffee Festival (Oct. 24-25), an event so enticing we’re already mentally preparing for the tidal wave of caffeine coming our way. The two-day event, now in its second year, takes place at Magnuson Park Hangar 30, showcasing a buzzing lineup of Seattle and regional…
They betrayed you. Now what?
How do you fight hard against someone *and* still care for them? In Republican Mesa, Arizona, Julie Spilsbury was known for her council seat and her cinnamon rolls. When she endorsed Democrats, friends and neighbors who’d known her for decades launched a historic effort to kick her out of office. The man leading it did…
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