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Best Place to Flirt: Pioneer Square Art Walk
Forget swiping on a screen; the best place to catch the eye of someone cute, and maybe even make a move, is at the monthly Pioneer Square Art Walk. Although the art walk is one of, if not the longest-running event of its kind in the country (happening for more than six decades now), it…
Best Beach Town: Edmonds
We might be a little biased, since two Seattle magazine staffers grew up in Edmonds and two of them live there now, but this little city on the sound is absolutely a Northwest gem. Long a sleepy enclave best known for its ferry to Kingston (or as the residence of travel writer Rick Steves), Edmonds…
Best Road Trip: Chuckanut Drive
A little less than two hours north of Seattle, depending on traffic, Chuckanut Drive (also known as WA State Highway 11) is 20 miles of postcard-worthy scenery with plenty of places to stop and things to do along the way. It’s a pretty straight shot heading along I-5 North; just take Exit 231 in Burlington…
Best Bakery: Petit Pierre
The brainchild of award-winning chef Pierre Poulin, Petit Pierre Bakery brings elevated French pastry to a casual Seattle café (or two). With locations in Magnolia and Phinney Ridge, the bakery is small in stature, but big in flavor. Born in Paris, chef Poulin spent summers with his grandmother in Brittany, where he first learned about…
Best Neighborhood For Holiday Lights: Olympic Manor
When the December dark settles in, there’s nothing more cheer-inducing than bundling up, grabbing a hot chocolate, and going to look at holiday lights. Bright colors, flashing patterns, giant inflatable cartoon characters—decorations seem to get more and more over-the-top each year. This sentiment rings especially true in Olympic Manor, the neighborhood just north of Ballard,…
Best Park: Volunteer Park
An oldie but goodie, Volunteer Park is one of Seattle’s most beloved outdoor spaces. A Seattle Landmark since 2011, the park sits near the north end of Capitol Hill and dates back more than 100 years, boasting a design by John Charles Olmsted, of the famous Olmsted Brothers’ Landscape Architects. (The city commissioned the Massachusetts-based…
Best Instagrammable Spot: Pike Place Market
Naming a winner in this category was as difficult as choosing a favorite child, but since we could only pick one, we went with an icon. Few places exemplify Seattle more than Pike Place Market, where history, food, art, and nature meet in one of the oldest and longest-running public farmers markets in the country….
Best Happy Hour: Donna’s
We’re still not over the loss of vito’s, but Donna’s, the moody bar on the corner of Olive and Melrose on Capitol Hill, brings a similar late-night vibe. The small watering hole operates on a first-come, first-served basis, with a few tables downstairs and another batch upstairs. Nostalgic touches include gold disco balls, a good,…
Best Museum: Frye Art Museum
Opened in 1952 on first hill, the Frye Art Museum has long been a free institution for the public to enjoy art. Named for Charles and Emma Frye, who lived in Seattle at the turn of the century, the museum was founded to house the couple’s collection of paintings by American and European artists. Styled…
Best Live Music Venue: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley
Like many things in Seattle, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley has its roots in the University District. Owner John Dimitriou took over the lease on a flailing club called Jazz Alley in 1980, and since then, the establishment has earned a reputation as one of the top jazz bars in the country. But that recognition didn’t come…
The Little Whiskey Brand with Big Ambitions
Embracing experimental blending, the team behind Doc Swinson’s believes that everyone—not just aficionados—should enjoy whiskey.
Last week, I found myself doing something I hadn’t done in a very long time: taking a pickleback shot with a group of strangers in Ballard. For the uninitiated—or those who didn’t frequent the bars in the 2010s—a pickleback shot is pretty much what it sounds like; a shot of whiskey followed by a shot…
Restaurant Roundup: Bubbly Brunch and Unicorn Reborn
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Soon, hordes of out-of-town relatives will descend on Seattle for the Thanksgiving holiday, bringing with them the usual uncomfortable questions and off-base perceptions. Maybe we’re just being cynical and they’re actually fantastic. Either way, whether you’re looking to impress them or get some fresh air when the small talk grows stale, there are plenty of…
Fresh Catch
With more than 30 years of marine-protection advocacy under her belt, Seattle Aquarium’s new CEO wants to spark a greater interest in conservation.
Peggy Sloan has long felt a draw to the Pacific Northwest. In the early ’90s, while working as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries observer (a specialist who spends time on commercial fishing vessels to collect data), Sloan counted Seattle as her home base. So, when the opportunity arose more than 30 years later…
From the Archives: Talk it Out
In 1967, Pacific Northwest Bell ran full-page ads in the back of Seattle magazine announcing a marvel of modern living: the “Trimline Wall Model” telephone. Some of the copy was breathless—“A phone so compact it fits your life!”—and the photography was a dream in avocado green and sun-washed gold. Part of the Trimline’s magic is…
The Art of Home
Three Seattle designers explore what it means to live with art at Foster/White Gallery.
Inside Foster/White Gallery this month, the familiar white walls of Pioneer Square’s longtime contemporary art space look a little different. Furniture has been moved in and wallpaper lines the walls. The show, Make Yourself at Home, transforms the gallery into a living space where art is meant to be experienced, not just seen. The concept…
Surfing the Strait
Winter surfing on Washington’s northern edge means fleeting waves, icy water, and pure joy.
There are people so crazy and determined to surf, they’ll go to great lengths to do it. No matter the time of year or how cold it gets, surfers can be found anywhere there’s a wave. From surfing on rivers to tidal bore waves, wave pools, and even behind wakes created by tanker ships, surfers…
Yes, It’s OK to Travel to LA
Why a trip to the City of Angels matters now more than ever.
“In Los Angeles, it’s hard to tell if you’re dealing with the real true illusion or the false one.”—Eve Babitz Babitz was one of LA’s great muses, and her line rings especially true in the wake of the wildfires that swept through parts of the region last winter. Los Angeles has always been a city…
5 Dishes to Try in November
Seattle’s halal dining scene is evolving and each plate tells part of the story.
Seattle has many foodie groups on social media, but I have a soft spot for Seattle Halal Foodies, started by Mehrab Shahriar in 2019. When Shahriar moved to Seattle nine years ago, the halal food scene was small compared to other U.S. cities. Perhaps because of its underdog nature, I found this group to be…
A Citywide Toast to Sockeye
40 Seattle-area restaurants are teaming up for the fourth annual Bristol Bay Salmon Week.
Seattle’s fishing culture is something to be proud of. Drive over the Ballard Bridge on any given day and you’ll see the fleet docked below. The weathered, working boats stacked with gear, waiting for their next trip north, are striking, aren’t they? It’s hard, dangerous work, and there’s something so compelling and fierce about the…
Honoring Native Heritage Across Washington
From Port Townsend’s storytelling trail to Tulalip’s cultural center, these sites invite reflection and honor Indigenous history and living traditions.
Washington State is the Indigenous land of 29 federally recognized Native American tribes, including the Makah, Muckleshoot, and Lummi Nations. In Seattle, we are privileged guests living on the Native land of the Duwamish Tribe. From trails through state parks and landmarks within the city to well-known sites like Snoqualmie Falls (sacred to the Snoqualmie…
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