Road Trip: Downtown Olympia
Experience a weekend in historic Olympia, WA, a city packed with vintage finds
By Danelle Jaeger October 21, 2014
This article originally appeared in the November 2014 issue of Seattle magazine.
Where: Downtown Olympia. Why: To experience the thrill of the hunt at the city’s vintage and antique store circuit. What: Twenty-five eclectic shops, most of them located within walking distance of each other, offer everything from sassy vintage cocktail dresses to decorative knickknacks and historical collectors’ items. Begin at Courtyard Antiques (705 Fourth Ave. E; 360.352.3864), where owner Mary Corso presides over more than 70 vendors selling a vibrant mix of flannel wall pennants, birdcages, drawer knobs, early-19th-century typewriters, hard-to-find glass apothecary bottles, rustic shutter shades, loads of furniture and more dig-worthy scores. Grab a map of neighboring shops and ask Corso to point out best bets for home decor, furniture, clothing and other thrifty finds. Antiques Olympia (203 Fourth Ave. W; 360.786.9234) boasts a superb array of one-of-a-kind Native American gathering baskets, dating as far back as the late-1800s, while Psychic Sister (109 SE Fifth Ave.; 360.943.9595) promises an impeccably organized collection of vintage clothing and accessories, including jewel-toned glasses frames and Mad Men–style luggage. While you’re there: Try a not-too-sweet mocha from Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. (108 Cherry St. NE; 360.753.0066)— you’ll need it to stay alert for treasure hunting.
Follow Us
A New Place to Ice Skate by the Water
Hyatt Regency Lake Washington’s dockside rink offers lake views and eco-friendly synthetic ice.
Skating season has officially arrived. There’s a particular joy in gliding—or trying to—on cold days. I always go for the outdoor rinks, especially the ones strung with twinkling lights. It can be so romantic. And this year, there’s a new place to lace up. A 71-foot by 38-foot covered Glice rink is up and running…
Bergen: Finding a Home, Abroad
A trip across western Norway reveals strikingly Northwest sensibilities.
A few months ago, we randomly walked into Wallingford’s Fat Cat Records. Greeting us, face-out by the cash register, was not Nirvana, not Soundgarden, but Peer Gynt Suite, by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Was this a Norse omen, a mischievous prank from Loki? For us, two Seattleites with a trip to Norway on the…
Hives Among the Headstones
Inside a north Seattle project reimagining cemeteries as sanctuaries for pollinators.
In many old stories, bees are more than just insects. They’re messengers—tiny intermediaries between the living and the dead. There was once even a custom in Europe and America known as “telling the bees:” When a family member died, or another significant life event occurred, someone would go to the hive to share the news….
Dispatches from Greenland, Part Two: Nuuk
An insider’s guide to Greenland’s mysterious, overlooked, and charming capital.
Greenland is too vast to take in all at once. Yet a few days in Nuuk—the island’s compact, curious capital, just a four-hour flight from Newark—offer a surprisingly complete portrait. Nuuk changes like the weather that shapes it: by turns wild and polished; intimate and bold. To Northerners, it feels as hectic as Manhattan; to…