How’s it going? We just sent the next print edition off to the press, and now we’re already planning the next one — never a dull day in the newsroom.

A 13-year-old from Vancouver, Wash., recently won a national cooking competition. Two Seattle-based companies landed on the Global Innovators List, which isn’t shocking — this city is packed with big ideas.

Two of our Most Influential picks this week are making a real impact. Amy King, CEO of Pallet, is building temporary shelters and creating jobs for people who’ve been shut out of the workforce. And restaurateur Yasuaki Saito isn’t just running some of Seattle’s best restaurants — he’s also making mental health a priority in the industry.

Here’s what’s gong on around town…

Northwest Flower & Garden Festival

Now-Feb. 23
Seattle Convention Center
$14+

This is the second-largest garden show in the country, which means it’s serious about plants. Expect more than 20 lush garden displays, more than 115 sessions, hands-on workshops, and a marketplace packed with everything from rare bulbs to fancy pruning shears. If you’ve ever spent too much money at a nursery, you already know the danger.

Chinatown-International District’s Lunar New Year Celebration

Saturday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hing Hay Park
Free

Few things hit as hard as a lion dance in person — the playful energy, the drums, the colors, the moment you realize you’re unexpectedly crying tears of joy. And where better to celebrate than the heart of the CID? Expect martial arts, live performances, a very cool Year of the Snake tote, and a food walk stacked with more than 40 local vendors. And yes, there will be dumplings.

Cymande

Saturday, Feb. 22, 6 p.m.
The Crocodile
$30+

Cymande is amazing. If you don’t know who it is, you do — because many hip-hop legends have sampled the music. Think De La Soul and Fugees. Cymande’s 1970s funk-jazz-Caribbean sound is deeply cool, and the group still absolutely brings it live. “Bra,” “Brothers on the Slide,” “Dove” — all classics. My god, you survived a pandemic, now get out there and move.

Translinear Light: The Music of Alice Coltrane

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Moore Theatre
$39.50+

Her spiritual, jazzy music is otherworldly, and “Journey in Satchidananda” still sounds like nothing else. I first heard her on a playlist at a writing retreat, and she’s been a go-to for writing music ever since. Her son, Ravi Coltrane, leads a lineup of incredible musicians — Brandee Younger, Gadi Lehavi, Rashaan Carter, and Elé Howell — to celebrate her dreamy, expansive sound. This one’s all about getting lost in the music.

Rick Steves

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Town Hall
$40+

Rick Steves is a national treasure. Before he was America’s favorite travel guide, he was a 23-year-old backpacking his way across the Hippie Trail, collecting stories that would eventually fill his new book, On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer. And somehow, of all places, he decided to settle in Edmonds. If a guy who’s been everywhere in the world chooses the Pacific Northwest, that says something. Also, if anyone can make you feel better about the state of the world, it’s Rick.

Visit our events calendar for more ideas.