Seattle Mag
8 Reasons to Love the Denny
he aim of making cities more bike friendly has traditionally focused on the streets—striping, signals and barriers, that sort of thing. But this year The Bike Design Project (oregonmanifest.com), a nonprofit innovation platform in Portland, took aim at the velocipedes themselves with a national competition to inspire bike designs that strive to do no less…
The 2014 Crosscut Courage Award Winners
Improvements in the human condition often begin with a single person endowed with an extra dose of courage, determined to do the right thing in the face of obstacles and naysayers for the benefit of the many. Seattle magazine is proud to partner with Crosscut to present the second annual Crosscut Courage Awards. Meet the…
Best and Worst of 2014: Highs & Lows, Gaffes and More
Our annual review of Seattle's gaffes, goofs and triumphs
Crickets for dinner. Buses filled with pot smoke. Good karma. Our annual review of the high points and low lights of the year. For more Best and Worst 2014 articles go here, plus read about the 2014 Crosscut Award winners.
Best and Worst of 2014: Pot
Recreational marijuana comes to Seattle and the potrepreneurs are out in full force
LegalHave your cake and eat it, too (yum, cake!) with cannabis-infused cold-brew coffee. Perfect for: viewing Peter Jackson’s 11-hour extended-edition Lord of the Rings trilogy. Also available in full-chill form, as a non-caffeinated, spliff-enhanced sparkling soda. Warning: If you hear something go bump in your pantry, it might not be because you’re baked. Overly yeasted…
Will We Have an Early Spring? Find Out on GroundFrog Day
A local small-town tradition brings ‘frognostication’ to the fore
Punxsutawney Phil tends to (ground)hog all the attention, but truth be told, weather-predicting woodchucks are a dime a dozen (see Shubenacadie Sam, Wiarton Willie, General Beauregard Lee). In our rainy climate, we prefer a more amphibian take on meteorology, specifically, a revered bullfrog named Snohomish Slew. 2015 marks the 10th annual GroundFrog Day celebration, in…
5 Retail ‘Deals’ to Avoid This Holiday Season
The gimmicks retailers use to lure less-than-savvy buyers
This article originally appeared on Avvo.com. We’ve all been there, standing face to face with the oh-so-friendly sales associate desperately pitching the brand’s latest deal for “buy one, get one free” or “spend this, get these reward points” that will, according to the salesperson, “save you tons of money in the long run!” Yeah, right….
Holiday Cocktail Recipe: Yuletide Sparkler
Who's ready for a festive and undeniably fetching holiday beverage?
This cocktail, sent to us by our lovely friends behind Valley & Co., is the perfect libation for fancy holiday festivities or low-key celebrations with your nearest and dearest. It’s elegant enough to stand alone and light enough to keep the party going. From Valley & Co.: Friends, we’re really getting down there. 2014 is winding down…
How Foreign Investment is Changing our Neighborhoods
Why the Chinese want to buy Seattle real estate and why you should care even if you don’t own a home
Quick quiz: What’s the most expensive housing market in North America? If you answered Beverly Hills, San Francisco or Manhattan, thank you for playing. It’s actually Vancouver, British Columbia, a city where the median income is a relatively modest $71,000 and plain Jane single-family houses in good neighborhoods sell for more than $1 million. In…
A New Twist on Monogrammed Necklaces
This Bellevue artist uses a bold, modern font to create one-of-a-kind pieces
From royal coins to Lands’ End totes, monograms have long been deployed to add a special, personalized touch to another otherwise mundane items. It was that desire to add meaning that inspired Bellevue-based artist Maja Arnold to create distinctive monogram necklaces, cast in sterling silver, white or yellow gold, using a bold, modern font. “The…
Alliance Between Ports Signals a Shift in Regional Dynamics
There are reasons to celebrate the surprising new alliance between the ports of Seattle and Tacoma
Two historic enemies recently achieved a remarkable détente. The agreement grabbed headlines, but for many, the topic was inherently a snoozer: an alliance between the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. It might sound yawn-inducing, but it could be a harbinger of a major—and positive—shift in regional dynamics. In the new deal, the two ports will…
How to Preserve Your Foraged Bounty
During the slow season, foragers prepare their kitchens and pantries to reap their tasty rewards
January is the quietest month for a Northwest forager. The mushrooms and berries of fall are but a memory, and most spring greens are still months away. This is the time of year to break into the larder. What’s that, you didn’t put up? Putting up. Putting by. Canning. Drying. Freezing. Or otherwise preserving. This…
2 Recipes for Moonshine Cocktails
Whip up these moonshine-based drinks stat
While it’s good to try our local moonshine by itself, and with a few healthy chunks of ice, I think it makes a swell base for cocktails, too. Try it as a substitute for vodka or gin in your favorites, or in one of the mixes proffered below, which bring Washington moonshine together with a…