CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve survived the holiday season and landed safely in the new year. If you feel that pesky impulse to make a list of self-improvement resolutions, ignore it. You’re wonderful. Instead, here are five ways to enjoy the start of 2024 and perhaps find a sense of renewal without doing a seven-day cleanse or cutting up your credit cards.

1

Go big. Watch a movie the way Hollywood intended at the SIFF Cinema Downtown. The gorgeous 97-foot curved screen with state-of-the-art sound is nearly one of a kind now, and is known to anyone who has lived in Seattle for five minutes since 1963 as the Cinerama. Thankfully, this quintessential movie theater was initially rescued and restored by Seattle tech giant Paul G. Allen in the late 1990s. When you go, please, please take someone who was born in the last two decades with you. The experience relative to the smartphone will blow their minds (metaphorically) and ensure this iconic venue lives on.

2

Walk-thru. Grab your umbrella and head down to the new Waterfront Seattle. The topography has been opened to reconnect the waterfront with the rest of the city. When finished, features will include pedestrian pathways between the water and Pike Place Market, along with the Belltown and Pioneer Square neighborhoods. Plus, a landscape that includes 500 trees and nine public works of art.

3

Drink tea. High tea that is, at Seattle’s Queen Mary Tea Room. It’s been open since 1988, and is one of the oldest American tea rooms (yes, 1988 is officially old.) Enjoy tea poured into floral antique cups accompanied by a tower of tiny pastel pastries, fresh fruit, and cucumber finger sandwiches. Go gluten-free if you like. It’s decadent, but delicious. Consider it an afternoon celebration. No plastic lids, paper cups, or standing while you strain to hear your name over the growl of the milk frother. Just enjoy the moment, the flavors, and the themed décor that’s rotated seasonally. Traditional high tea may just be the start of a slow refreshment revolution.

4

Renew your look. Seattle’s Armoire online clothing rental membership is like sharing a closet full of the newest styles with good friends. Clothes for work, special events, and even pregnancy (also a special event). Plus, if you need help, an expert stylist is included in your membership to help shape your look. Fall in love with that pair of orange pants? Armoire understands.

5

Spin your heart. Roller skating, four wheels or in-line, it’s the new spin class. Go to Southgate Roller Rink and improve your cardio while you get your groove on. It’s addictive, affordable, indoor fun that thankfully never went away. Take your kids, take a class, or if you remember rolling to the funky sounds of Earth, Wind and Fire under a disco ball with a Fanta break before the snowball couples skate, then go. You may wobble at first, but you’ll quickly glide into fun.