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Everyone at the office hates me this week, and not because I mutter to myself at my desk (though they have a legitimate reason there), but because I got to check out not one, but two local spas this week. Yes, I have a rough life. First up, the Spa at Willows Lodge has emerged…

The last time Seattle magazine spoke with Drew Christie, local animator/illustrator and one of our 2010 Spotlight Award Winners, he was screening a short film at Northwest Film Forum’s Local Sightings Film Festival in Seattle – and fantasizing about doing the “most time-consuming kind of animation…maybe scrimshaw or embroidery animation.” He still hasn’t accomplished the…

Ballard’s sweet corner destination for special dinners, Le Gourmand, has just announced that it will shutter June 2nd after 27 years. I feel a bit of sadness that our city is losing such a beacon of dining; I’m even just a bit more wistful about tiny, oh-so-perfect Sambar nextdoor closing, as it’s where some of the finest…

MUST GAWKGauguin & Polynesia: An Elusive ParadisePaul Gauguin is known the world over for the vibrant paintings he produced while living on Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. But the “primitive” objects that inspired him, which he sometimes referenced visually, are often glossed over in discussions of his work. 66 elaborately carved wooden bowls, figurines cut…

50 years ago today, in a major coup, a picture of the Space Needle under construction was featured on the cover of Life magazine, complemented by a seven-page, praise-filled article titled: “How to Pull Off a Fair.” Jay Rockey (shown below) is the man who made it happen. He sold Seattle and Century 21 to…

Loving the archival images that Frye Art Museum posted on its Facebook page today. They were taken on February 8, 1952 at the museum’s grand opening celebration.  Sixty years later, the museum is still bringing us great classical and contemporary art at the best ticket price: free. Someone needs to write captions for these pictures….

I was truly, truly sad when Atlas Clothing shuttered it’s Capitol Hill location last year (although they have re-emerged on Etsy and at the Fremont Vintage Mall, thank heavens). But it seems the 10th Ave space is destined to remain a vintage-lover’s hub: Kaleidoscope Vision is opening in the space this week.   Run by…

A San Francisco investor is interested in bringing the NBA back to Seattle, just a stone’s throw away from Safeco and Century Link fields and immediately behind the Showbox SoDo and Seattle mag headquarters. Great news for diehard basketball fans. But  for those of us who have to function down here on a daily basis,…

You may have heard the news that Danielle Custer, director of TASTE Restaurant, has left her post at SAM’s culinary work of art to take her talents on the road in the form of (swoon!) a gourmet grilled cheese truck. In a chat I had with Custer the other day, the chef-turned-manager-turned-consultant-turned-chef-again told me a…

This Saturday, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation opens its public visitor center at its swish new headquarters across the street from Seattle Center (440 Fifth Ave. N). Seattle mag editors got to tour the beautiful space on Wednesday with chief admin officer Martha Choe. The center was conceived as a gateway where individuals can…

MUST SHOPHouse of FashionCouture designer and recent Bay Area transplant Marta Kappl has a new a combined clothing boutique and collaborative “designer incubator” in downtown Seattle. Browse the store’s retail racks Mondays through Saturdays for designer evening wear, casual wear, jewelry and more truly-local creations. Read Kate Calamusa‘s profile of the store from the February…

Twelve emerging fashion designers will descend on the Fairmont Olympic Hotel tomorrow evening February 3 for the 2012 Project Red Dress Fashion Show. A benefit for the American Heart Association in conjunction with national Wear Red Day, the show pits designer against designer in a competition to determine the best gown of the evening- all…

With snow in the mountains and sun in the forecast, we’re poised on the brink of a perfect snowshoeing weekend. No slam on skiing, but sometimes I tire of the schlep of it. Lift lines, snarled parking lots, car packed to the hilt with thousands of dollars worth of gear…every now and then, I want…

At the Space Needle’s beer tasting event Tuesday night, 10 local breweries offered up free tastings of beer, brewed just for the evening’s competition. Attendees, a diverse crowd described as “foodies”, were asked to vote on each beer, judging on overall impact, appearance, aroma, “surprising flavors” and innovation. The votes would be tallied and a…

Let’s get over the midday, midweek slump with some cheery news: The Vintage Closet has emerged from its recent remodel and is now open again for your boot needs. One of my least best kept secrets, the revamped little Closet now has room for 200 vintage boots on the new, Western-style shelves. Grab your cash,…

Lucky us! We’ve been invited to a special event atop the Space Needle today, where 10 breweries from around Puget Sound are hoping to see their product selected as the official beer of the Space Needle’s 50th Anniversary. The chosen brew will be served at Sky City (the Space Needle’s restaurant) and at other celebratory…

There’s nothing worse than having to move during the Super Bowl. One should remain planted and copiously fed; that’s basic Super Bowl protocol. (Exceptions will be made for pit stops and trips to the keg-erator, of course). Once I’ve claimed my spot on the couch there’s no way I’m getting up unless a toddler is…

Not that there’s anything wrong with a great family-style supper or winemaker dinner, but let’s face it, they’re so commonplace these days they don’t do much to catch the eye of your average food writer suffering from press release fatigue. My hat goes off, therefore, to the refreshing and creative thinking behind the following two…

Two things filled the hall at Bell Harbor Conference Center last night: a lively crowd of hungry people and the wildly seductive smell of over a thousand tiny burgers cooking on miniature grills. My winter coat still bears a hint of this scent, which I now refer to as “happiness.” Ten talented crews came out…