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Best Neighborhoods: 24th Avenue Northwest, Ballard
From Northwest Market Street to Northwest 65th Street, a peek at the insider's Ballard.
PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE: Indie traditionalists It’s a familiar syndrome in many families: the spotlight-craving, showboat sibling versus the spotlight-dodging, quietly confident one. Just north of Ballard’s more look-at-me venues on historic Ballard Avenue NW and mainstream NW Market Street lie the subdued, tree-lined offerings of 24th Avenue NW. Here you’ll find colorful coffee shops…
Sweet Streets: An Open letter to Beacon Hill
Re: Why you aren't quite "there" yet as a neighborhood.
Dear Beacon Hill neighborhood, How are you? Seems like ages since we’ve heard from you, and I’m starting to get concerned. I mean, even though you’re basically right next door, it’s as if we’re complete strangers. And we had such high hopes for a special friendship. After all, you’ve got such potential: You’re as cute…
Best Neighborhoods: Greenwood Avenue North
From North 65th Street to North 75th Street, a look at laid-back, lived in PhinneyWood.
PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE: Modern Family-style broods and kid-free yuppies With yoga studios, day spas, hair salons, dental offices, even a DIY dog-washing joint, the overlapping, family-focused ’hoods of Phinney Ridge and Greenwood—or PhinneyWood—have the essentials and the extras covered. SHOP: There’s an old-school True Value Hardware store and a quirky new, all-vegan shoe store/chocolate…
Fondue: 5 Spots for a Retro Date Night
Everything tastes better with cheese (or chocolate), so it’s no surprise that fondue remains a guilt
PAIRWhat happens when a mild, buttery Camembert and a strong, pungent Gorgonzola join forces? They create Cambozola, which makes a dip-tastic fondue. Pair’s version is accompanied by pear, apple and crostini pieces begging to be dunked. $9. Ravenna/U District, 5501 30th Ave. NE; 206.526.7655; pairseattle.com THE MELTING POTYou can’t go wrong with the traditional Swiss…
Restaurant News: Spinasse Expands, Tom Douglas’s SLU Footprint Grows
News on Spinasse's expansion into the neighboring space, and Tom Douglas' great South Lake Union tak
DOUBLING DOWNSpinasse, the cozy Capitol Hill pastaria (1531 14th Ave.) where Jason stratton, one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs of 2010, heads the kitchen, will double in size later this spring. The northern-Italian-style restaurant will expand into the corner space next door, the former Whimsy Home Décor location, adding another dining room…
Independent Pizzeria Good for Picky Eaters
Pizza purists are flocking to Madison Park for fine pies and great wines.
Madison Park, long marooned at the farthest reaches of E Madison Street with just ice cream, burgers and pub food to stave off its residents’ hunger pangs, is in the midst of a culinary rebirth. Not only has the Madison Park Conservatory been making waves in the old Sostanza space (more on that in a…
Book Bindery Speaks Volumes
Does superstar chef Shaun McCrain live up to high expectations?
As a psychology major in college, I studied expectations. How both low and high expectations can turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. Part of my job as a restaurant critic is assessing what kind of potential a place has, and then judging whether it lives up to that potential. But there is also our expectation of a…
Sweet Streets: 12th Avenue, Capitol Hill
From E Olive Street to E Marion Street, a look at our city's foodie haven.
PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE: Trend-setting hipsters It probably already held the title, but thanks to the most recent hipness outbreak along 12th Avenue, Capitol Hill is even more officially entrenched as Seattle’s capital of cool—as well as a growing foodie fave. Between the reassuring anchors of Seattle University and the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct…
Sweet Streets: Westlake Avenue North, South Lake Union
Between Mercer and Thomas streets, lies Seattle's new pearl.
PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE: Tech-savvy, young professionals Once mostly an area passed by commuters heading to I-5, South Lake Union now boasts some of the city’s most booming blocks of shops, restaurants and urban residences. Philanthropist/entrepreneur Paul Allen, the CEO of Vulcan Inc., has made the area his own Monopoly board, with developments including the…
Seattle’s Best Neighborhoods in 2011
Seattle’s most livable, walkable destination neighborhoods. Plus, what it costs to move in now
Neighborhoods are like family members. They all have distinct personalities. Some may evince a casually cool charm, while others have a decidedly dynamic vibe. The best offer up their own compelling mix of restaurants and retail, sundries and services, daytime and nighttime diversion options. Make no mistake. We adore Ballard Avenue. Can’t get enough of…
Editor’s Note: Street Smarts
Rachel Hart on Seattle's rich, vibrant neighborhoods, micro-neighborhoods and more.
Seattle is a city rich with vibrant neighborhoods, but what we are especially in love with lately are micro-neighborhoods, those pockets of a few blocks here and there that pop up, sporting a cute shop, a tasty bakery, a new eatery and maybe a wine shop, making you swell with pride—and hope that the real…
Parental Guidance: Beyond Story Time, Pet Project and Mother of Invention
Dog-meet-baby orientation classes, a functional and super cute car seat cover, and new media storyte
Pet ProjectAs if there’s not enough stress with bringing the new babe home from the hospital, you also have to worry about Fido and all the canine complications that can arise (like jealousy and aggression toward the new bundle). So before the homecoming, plan for a crash course with Wallingford’s Susan Oshie, a former veterinarian…
Local Authority: Ben Thompson Writes a “Badass” Book
A mild-mannered chronicler of the famously flinty releases his second brawny book.
If you took a history textbook, injected it with tiger adrenaline, dipped it in molten lava and encased it in armor, you still wouldn’t come close to the level of badass found in Seattle author Ben Thompson’s collections of essays. Thompson’s blog, BadAssoftheWeek.com, led to his 2009 book, Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest…
Local Apps that Do the Deciding For You
UrbanQ, Gruburg and Chewsy make for an easy-to-follow evening.
STEP 1: Get out of the houseHoused in Redmond and developed by locals Maria Zhang and Tao Huang, UrbanQ recommends cafés, restaurants, concert venues and clubs based on your geographic preferences. Wondering where to go for date night this weekend? Select the “nightlife” theme and narrow your feedback by adjusting location, price and date. Rate…
Scenic Drive’s Handmade Bicycling Accessories and Clothing
A bicycle-friendly sewing sanctuary helps crafty dreams come true.
Harmoniously fusing Seattle’s love for cycling and its penchant for DIY undertakings, Scenic Drive E. Pike Factory (611 E Pike St.; 206.300.8799; scenicdrivefactory.com) is best described as a cycling paraphernalia workspace. Open since October and run by Nikki Mazzei and Rachel Ravitch (of Seattle’s cycling dance troupe the Bicycle Belles), Scenic Drive sells handmade bicycling…
Local Coffee Shops Showcase Caffeine in Artful Receptacles
Cool coffee jars from Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Blackbird Coffee and Caffè Fiore.
Stumptown Coffee RoastersStumptown now offers its popular Hair Bender blend in a container as iconic as its name. The retro-pharmaceutical look of the glass jar suggests the medicinal effects of staying caffeinated, while the amber color helps block bean-damaging UV rays. Once you’ve sipped your way to the bottom, bring back the jar for a…
Beneath the Salish Sea: Local Filmmaker Explores the Waters of the Puget Sound
Biologist and cinematographer Florian Graner dives below the surface.
Some of Seattle’s most breathtaking views exist where it’s tough to appreciate them—underwater. That’s where marine biologist and cinematographer Florian Graner can help. Originally from Germany and now based on Whidbey Island, Graner became enamored with documentary filmmaking while working as a research diver for the BBC production Blue Planet (from 1998–2000). After moving to…
Road Trip: Tofino, Vancouver Island, B.C.
Got a gray whale costume? Pack it up and head to Tofino.
WHERE: Tofino, Vancouver Island, B.C., for the 25th Annual Pacific Rim Whale Festival (3/19–3/27; pacificrimwhalefestival.com). WHY: Live music, guided hikes, film screenings, cookoffs, children’s fairs—in all, more than 75 events celebrate the migration of the world’s largest population of California gray whales to the Arctic. BRING: Binocs for a shoreline glimpse of the more than…
Nathan Myhrvold’s Modern Food Manifesto Causes Quite a Stir
Get the scoop on Myhrvold's manifesto, which clocks in at six volumes and 2,438 pages, covering ever
Critics seem helplessly drawn to hyperbole when it comes to reviewing Nathan Myhrvold’s new encyclopedia of cooking, Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking ($625; modernistcuisine.com). Already considered the guide to molecular gastronomy (the foodie discipline interested in the physics and chemistry of culinary techniques), the tome has been lauded as “the most important…
Styled: Century Ballroom’s Hallie Kuperman Brings a Feminine Edge to Vintage Men’s Suits
When dance teacher Kuperman first fell in love with social dancing more than two decades ago, she qu
WHY WE LOVE HER LOOK: When dance teacher Kuperman first fell in love with social dancing more than two decades ago, she quickly grew even more enamored of the period vintage clothing worn on the dance floor. But instead of the full skirts and kitten heels, Kuperman was attracted to the classic, tailored menswear, and…
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