The Legends of Fire Premium Cigar Lounge. By Danielle Decker One thing I find absolutely magical about Washington State is my ability to completely transform my surroundings with just a few short hours behind the wheel.  I can drive from the bustling city to the mountains, ocean, rainforests or, like I did on a recent trip, head east across the arid and beautiful rolling hills to Spokane, Washington. While Spokane is full of wonderful shops, restaurants and spectacular accommodations, Northe

By Kristin Kruger Today is 12/12/12. Tomorrow marks the start of the 12 days of Christmas. Can I stretch it and gloat that the 12th man witnessed an incredible 58-0 shutout last weekend? In any case, the stars have aligned and I have been inspired to write about the top 12 things (in my opinion) not to miss in Seattle this holiday season. Have more to add to the list? Please share them in the comments below – I’d love to hear them! 1.     Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity at the Moore Theatre

A view within the Glasshouse. By Tracey Wickersham Dream Big.  That’s the theme of the promotional campaign for Seattle’s new attraction, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and it’s an apt one. This eye-popping collection of work by the glass master has quickly become a visitor favorite. Eight interior galleries trace his evolving art from the early soft cylinder forms modeled on the Native American baskets he collects to the later series of Mille Fiore and more. Then comes the spe

By Tracey Wickersham It’s Tasha’s fault. My former colleague.  Mild mannered convention sales manager by day, free-spirited roller derby hellion by night.  As one of the original Rat City Rollergirls founders, “Tash-Ya ‘Round” had an infectious enthusiasm for her sport that I quickly caught. And all kidding aside, I’m glad I did! (Although my knees and elbows are grateful that I sensibly stopped short of actually suiting up for the tryouts.) The Rat City

Packing list: galoshes, reading material, comfy clothes. Once a year my four girlfriends and I like to sneak away for a weekend filled with girl talk, Ryan Gosling movies, great wine, junk food and good times.  We take turns planning the getaways, which means as a group we select a weekend and a budget and one lucky lady to plan the where, what and how.  The planner provides a recommended packing list and a time and place of departure.  The rest is a surprise.  It’s an incredible tradition t

In Seattle, we’re spoiled. We have a bounty of amazing restaurants with some of the world’s best chefs manning the kitchens.  What we also have is access to the same abundance of fresh, beautiful and local ingredients that these renowned restaurants and chefs have.  So tonight, sharpen your knives, shake out that apron and get ready to eat in! Below are my favorite shopping locations that’ll surely inspire your own culinary wizardry. Start downtown at the ever-popular Salumi in P

Savor Seattle: Lost River Winery. Photo Credit: Savor Seattle Food Tours I’ve always believed that the best way to explore a city is to eat and drink your way through it. And a city like Seattle, home to tremendous wine, craft beer, and a variety of fresh foods, is often at its best during happy hour. So when Savor Seattle Food Tours launched its new Booze-n-Bites Tour, a two-hour celebration of food and drink, it’s almost instant popularity was no surprise. Hearing about this ne

Icicles and sunlight | Winthrop, WA | Photo by Kristin Kruger Last Friday, the first snowflakes of the season fell in Seattle. It was March 22 – two days into spring. Our “snowstorm” lasted about ten minutes. Obviously, nothing stuck. When I moved to Seattle from Boston seven years ago I thought that I would miss the snow. Truth is, I don’t. Minimal snowfall in the city means no long winters of shoveling driveways, no navigating grey-colored snow banks on the way to work, no waiting on an ic

A rendering of Doug Aitken’s MIRROR at Seattle Art Museum Picture this:  1000+ people gathered along a closed-off First Avenue between Union and University Streets in downtown Seattle, on a crisp March evening, awaiting a slightly delayed art installation unveiling because of……excess sunshine. Yep, that was the scene on Sunday night March 24. I and about 1000 of my new pals were gathered to witness the premiere of Doug Aitken’s new MIRROR artwork on the side of Seattle Art Museum. But

Photo courtesy of Elysian Brewery. Whenever one of my friends or family members comes to town to visit I get excited. It gives me an opportunity to share the local food and beer that I love and they might not have tried before. I’d even go so far as to say that one of the best reasons to come to Seattle is because we have awesome food and beer. Washington State has one of the highest counts of microbreweries per capita in the United States, and is in close proximity to the most bountiful hop

A 2700 ton musical instrument? Photo by Tracey Wickersham Badabadabadabada…… I stood at the front rail of the M/V Yakima, the Washington State Ferry taking me from Anacortes, just 80 miles north of Seattle, up to the San Juan Islands, listening to the sound of the current as it met the bow. As a Seattle resident, I’ve taken ferry rides many, many times—for example, any time I visit my parents. But thanks to the thoughts of Seattle-based composer Stuart Dempster, as quoted in the 2013 e

Riding the chair lift at Snoqualmie. Photo: Kristin Kruger. “Put the flip-flops down.  Drop that neon visor. Winter in the mountains is not over and you should know better.  Change the wax on your board and get back out there. “ This is the mantra we who love the snow have to remind ourselves as springtime rolls into the Northwest and the fever for summer hits us like a rogue wave of grilled hot dogs.   It may have been over 70 degrees in Seattle over Easter weekend but don’t tell that to th

My Running Partner I recently moved into a new neighborhood in Seattle and have been enjoying what I think may be one of the best ways to orientate yourself to a new area: running.  I’ve always enjoyed running as a way to see new places and I love to bring my tennis shoes when traveling.Most recently I’ve run along the marinas in San Diego, the hills of San Francisco and the flats in Orlando but I must say I think running here in Seattle is tough to beat. Whether you run downtown

Photo of Nancy and Ann Wilson by Kevin Kane/WireImage Photo of Nancy and Ann Wilson by Kevin Kane/WireImage If you are of a certain age (born before the internet), you know and love the band Heart. If you aspire to be in a rock band, or sing in the shower, you want to have Ann Wilson’s voice—the perfect melding of rock & roll power and musical virtuosity. Not to mention her sister Nancy, who sings AND plays guitar like nobody’s business. They were trailblazers in a still male-dominated

Photo from Banya 5. Visit banya5.com/information for more information. As you develop a routine going from the 210 degree Russian sauna to plunging into the icy cold 55 degree plunge pool then buoyantly back out and into the Turkish steam room you’ll quickly learn why this routine can become immensely addicting.  Banya 5, a spa in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, celebrates old world traditions in a clean and chicly simple atmosphere which makes it one of my little city treasures. Th

My water view during one of my many train rides. Train tip: ask to be on the water side when getting your seat assignment. I am a Washingtonian.  I grew up in Vancouver (The ‘Couv to locals), went to college in Tacoma and now live in the heart of Seattle.  What this means is that I know the I-5 corridor like it’s my job.  I’m quite confident that if you add up my journeys between Seattle and Vancouver it could possibly total the distance between here and the sun. My usual train snack. A few

While I’ve been fortunate to have lived in a few different Seattle neighborhoods over the the years, I must tell you about the not-so-hidden gem of Ballard. Once a quaint neighborhood that felt more industrial than city, more Nordic fishing village than hot spot for yuppies and hipsters, Ballard hit its growth spurt in the early 2000s and there is no sign of slowing down. I’m one of those “outsiders” who made the move to the lively neighborhood a couple years ago and

One of SAM’s monthly REMIX parties I recently spent a week in Baltimore attending the American Alliance of Museums‘ annual conference. We’re looking forward to hosting their 2014 meeting in Seattle next May. Which is cause for its own article, but that’s not my topic for today. Immersed in the sessions and conversations of nearly 5,000 museum professionals, at a conference themed around “The Power of Story,”  I found myself thinking a lot about our museums. About how lucky we are

Sasquatchmainstage/ Blue Skies & Hillside at Sasquatch’s Main Stage photo credit: Anne Lundquist The distinct aroma of mud, hot dogs, sunscreen, kettle corn and honey buckets will forever bring back memories of my camping experience at the annual Sasquatch Festival, located at the Gorge Amphitheater in eastern Washington. As a citygirl with a camper heart, nothing beats spending a weekend under the stars listening to live music with my best buds. If you are like me and don’t mind getting

People are always talking about the great nightlife in Ballard, the cutting edge restaurants, the Ballard Market.  But I’m here to tell you about the delicious breakfasts to be had-mainly the kind that are filled with good old fashioned filling carbs. Senor Moose. Photo by Joan Magnano-Damm. I think the best French toast in town is at Senor Moose Café, at 5242 Leary Avenue NW, a café that has been written up in the New York Times for dinner, but it’s their French toast that has me salivating