gonna be in Seattle and Vancouver end of the month - what should i do?

i'll send out emails when i have a better idea of what the dates are we'll be in the cities

vancouver has the world's best sushi. it's everywhere, too. go to Gyoza King or Guu with Garlic for really exciting japanese, or Sushi Garden in Burnaby for the biggest nigiri.

don't go to the naam, it's lousy and overrated. for buddhist vegetarian go to Bo Kong on Main at 23rd or so. most places on the drive are vegetarian too; if not completely, they'll at least have lots of options. except for the memphis blues barbecue house, mind. the Irish Heather in gastown has the best beer in town, and very good food as well. they import their Guinness etc. from Ireland, instead of using the usual NA brewed stuff, and it really does make a difference. Penny cantonese on Hastings and Lakewood is my favourite chinese; they're open until 2-3am, and have a late night menu after 9:30 with small, cheap portions of regular menu items. It's great, because you can get three small dishes for the same price as one normal huge dish, and you get far more variety than a huge plate of chow mein. They do wonderful bean sprouts in garlic and fried squid.

I'd recommend a CD store, but NO-ONE in town currently stocks the albums I want(stina nordenstam, damon + naomi, lilac time), so I'm feeling disgruntled.

The cheapest new CDs are at A&B Sound; they're undercutting list prices by about 20% now, so the top end is about $17-18. They've got a huge amount of remaindered titles too, from between $7-10, incl. the complete Morrissey, MBV, some Stereolab, etc. and lots of greatest hits. Do NOT go to Virgin, at any cost.

I'd be careful of Audiopile; I find his vinyl can be overpriced. If you're on a budget, you're better off downtown. OTOH, he does have selection; I found my entire Martha + the Muffins there for 8$ a pop. His CD selection isn't bad, but the turnaround is low, but I guess that's not a problem for visitors.

when ya coming, Nedlicious?

Star C., you can find out more about my upcoming Seattle doings here -- just a couple more weeks:

The December 2004 Ned-visits-Seattle FAP thread

Yes, in a spaceship-just-crashed in Seattle kind of way. I do kind of like it, but I can't help but feeling like it's going to vacuum me off of 5th when I'm walking under it, thanks to that big overhang kind of thing at the top.

If you want cute boutiques for the lady in Seattle... I can certainly tell you where to spend way too much money. Ian (2nd Ave, not the Cap Hill one for good girls stuff), Sway & Cake on 6th, Moda Express and Kuhlman on 1st in Belltown. There's a cute Marimekko store on 1st just south of the Pike Place market. Fremont has awesome shopping too. And supposedly they are decorating their Lenin statue for Xmas.

..or both!

-- JaXoN (jaso...), December 2nd, 2004 12:11 AM. (JasonD)

nope, i'm not going but austin is coming to me mid-january in a nice turn of events.

Go to the Richmond Night Market (yes, it's at night) for bizarre Asian goods/food and weird scene.

JaXon! Convince your wife to embrace the rock and see the Jello Biafra + Melvins, Evaporators, and Big Business show tonight! (Granted, I'm sure you run into Jello on a regular basis anyway, but but but possibly them doing DK songs is making me jealouz)

make suggestions?

The Asian SAM. The galleries in Pioneer Square and downtown and Capitol Hill (Bluebottle is fun). Walk or bike around Lake Washington down by Madrona Park, or go through the Arboretum. The Sound Garden out on Sand Point/Magnuson Park. Wandering around the International District, esp. eating barbecued pork or duck from Kau Kau and shopping for stuff at Uwajimaya.

http://www.neumos.com/0701.html

but may get back too late from a ballgame in Tacoma.

Vancouver: there's a good record store in Kitsilano, right? I'm staying near Stanley Park, 2 nights. (I'll just miss Canada Day -- alas?)

Zulu records is the one you're talking about. It's on West 4th Ave near Burrard St and is undoubtedly the best place in town. Another good 2nd hand vinyl place has recently opened on West Hastings at Cambie. Think it's called Vinyl Records. It's almost next door to the New Amsterdam Cafe, so you can't miss it. It doesn't have any new stuff or many cds though - just tons of old records. Scratch is quite near there too. It's compact but you might find some hidden treasure there. They stock quite a lot of new vinyl and a new indie stuff, if that's your bag - 726 Richards St.

June 26th or 27th: Ned in Pdx
June 27th or 28th: Ned comes to Seattle, wreaks havoc as usual
June 29th: Vancouver.. to see the city, NoMeansNo at the Commodore
June 30th: back to Seattle, to see Sonic Youth and Awesome Color(?) at the Moore Theater.
July 1st: Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, likely Victoria that evening to see fireworks for Canada Day
July 2nd: back to Friday Harbor from Victoria
July 3rd: back to Seattle
July 4th: Ned in pdx for 4th of July

May 31-June 7

ok, ai lien and i have been making lists of all the food we want to eat. it's growing daily. can't wait!

but i still need some advice. if i was going to hit just one record place for digging, what should it be?

we'll also spend at least one day in vancouver, so i'll probably hit beat street if we have a little time for that.

also, quiet village is playing while we're there. yeah!

yaya quiet village. i know that me and lxy and lingbert are planning to go to that show. maybe we could all do some kind of meetup before, go out to dinner in freemont or something. nectar's a great club, too, very low-key, with a patio and no pretension.

cool. email me sometime between now and then and maybe we can work it out. ettiemATg.

one record place for digging

Easystreet on lower Queen Anne for new stuff, Sonic Boom in Fremont or Georgetown Records (shares space w/ Fantagraphics) for used/new, esp. vinyl.

Sonic Boom is no longer in Fremont. There is Jive Time in Fremont, tho.

What day is this show at Nectar? Never heard of the quiet villages, but Nectar's in my hood, and if the weather keeps up like this, I'm totally down for hanging out regardless.

nectar show is june 4. and speaking of weather, what's it been like?

Gorgeously sunny and not too hot the past 2 days. I got sunburnt walking along the waterfront today. But, the weather can also change in a heartbeat.

Is the Sonic Boom on Capitol Hill still open? And, is Jive Time in the same space?

Yup, both are still in the same spots, chuggin' along.

June 4th! There's also a Caroliner/A-Frames+Climax Golden Twins/Alvarius B show at the Rebar on June 2nd.. but if none of those names sound familiar, no worries. If so though, there's another great show you don't want to miss.

If you're heading to Fremont anyway, definitely do the Theo Chocolate tour. Not sure if they do them during the week, but you can call them and ask or maybe it's on their site: http://www.theochocolate.com

OK, they do tours every day at 1pm and 3pm.. and add 11am and 4:30pm on the weekends. It's $5, but you basically get paid back in the best f'ing dark chocolate truffles ever made.. well, IMHO.

I didn't realize I was planning to go to see Quiet Village, but maybe. I'm down to meet up somewhere either way, though.

June 4 is also City-Wide Happy Hour (scroll down). Nothing really in Fremont, though.

Theo Chocolate is definitely worth going to. You'll easily eat $5 worth of chocolate. Basically, unlimited free samples throughout and after tour, and it's really good chocolate.

Sonic Boom on the Hill is open still. Jive Time, not sure. There's also Wall of Sound.

On Capitol Hill, that is.

I'm looking for suggestions for restaurants:

Korean?
Ethiopian?

Ethiopian:
Habesha
1809 Minor Ave

good food, beautiful restaurant

ethiopian : Habesha

fuck a yelp but i can't find their own website http://www.yelp.com/biz/habesha-ethiopian-restaurant-seattle

xpost damn you lx

what about flea markets?

btw, thank you guys.

no problem.

hmm, flea markets. i guess we're more of a thrift store town. there's a great run of a half-dozen thrift stores north of town but that may not be what you're looking for.

it's weirding me out that i don't have a korean food recommendation. i love the food but don't go that often. actually, along that thrift store route are dozens of korean places (suburbs of Edmonds, Lynnwood, etc. have HUGE korean populations).

Korean: Old Korean Village, up on Aurora (15200 Aurora) is worth a try. Also, across Aurora from Seattle Restaurant Supply is one I want to try; don't know the name, but it has the happiest pig and squid dancing together on its marquee. Shilla has been around forever and has an outlet in the Uwajimaya food court, which is okay.

ricky: Jive Time in Fremont is still around. Jive Time in Capitol Hill is no longer.

Korean is probably the least represented as far as Asian food/presence in Seattle city proper. Listen to Jaq.

not really flea markets. more like european style outside markets (i.e. you won't find used cheap stuff, more like homemade artisan stuff that's a lot more expensive), but Fremont and Ballard both have Sunday markets that run most of the day time.

Veraci Pizza is at both markets on Sunday, and it's the best pizza in the city, easily. The Ballard market is more produce/meat/cheese/wine oriented, the Fremont market is more clothes/soap/furniture/knickknack oriented.

andrew has not had korean bbq and i'd like to correct that.

Yeah, fuck a yelp but Old Village Korean Restaurant

It's in Shoreline, the city just north of Seattle. About 20-25 minutes north by car.

wallingford has a wednesday market like the ones mackro describes above.

also i would like to second the nomination for wall of sound.

there are some great asian groceries up aurora (pal do world, ranch 99, and another one i can't remember the name of) that are super fun.

you have to go pretty far, either north or south, to get to decent Korean food. There's one or two in the U-district that are meh. And there's Shilla. And I think one on Capitol Hill (Kimchee Bistro?). But yeah, head north, or since you'll be down in Renton - possibly there's some in Federal Way (farther south). I had really incredibly Korean food down in Orange County and haven't found much to rival it here unfortunately.

(my favorite menu item, just for the name: Abalone Well-being and Happiness Porridge)

Jaq OTM. Thai? Vietnamese? Japanese/Sushi? You're basking in the best if you're in central Seattle. (Vancouver beats Seattle for sushi easily, it must be noted, however.) Korean? Yeah, you have to go north or south. I'd recommend north.

There's also this place called Coupage, which is "Korean French". I haven't heard anything + or - about it, but I think I like my Korean food to be pretty much Korean (kimchee chiga! That kimchee+side pork+tofu thing that was to die for!)

btw, are you two going to have a car or not?

You can accomplish a lot of this by bus, even going to Shoreline. But I won't impose the bus on you guys if you prefer car.

However, if you're planning to use public transit, Google is pretty good as far as transit directions. HOWEVER, if Google tells you to walk across water in the city (I'm not kidding, it has done that to me before!), then check out the King County Metro site at http://transit.metrokc.gov

My favorite fucked up Google Maps Assuming You're Jesus link

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=3000+Warren+Ave+N,+Seattle+WA&daddr=2100+Fairview+Ave+E,+seattle+wa&mra=cc&dirflg=r&sll=47.636073,-122.340574&sspn=0.02591,0.079222&ie=UTF8&z=14

(the addresses are very close to an actual trip I had to take to get to a house party)

Don't remember the name of it, but the Korean BBQ place just north of 99/196th in Lynnwoood = OM NOM NOM NOM

Google tells me it's called Insadong, but that doesn't seem right. I should know this, I've eaten there and go past it several days a week.

It is indeed called Insadong, the name is just in small writing compared to "Korean BBQ" and whatever it says in Korean.

I’d recommend the Fremont (just over the Fremont Bridge on Makro’s you-might-be-Jesus map) and Ballard Sunday Markets (they’re just a little over a mile apart).
The Fremont one has more flea/vintage/occasional mid-century finds along with crafts (or “crafts”).
The Ballard one has more fruit/veg, prepared food (crepes, etc), music, wandering dogs and is on a street – Ballard Ave - lined with shops including Portalis where the wine tasting starts at noon, and Bop Street Records (massive amounts of vinyl)and another branch of Sonic Boom Records is around the corner on Market.

Also, A Frames! Didn’t know they still played. Didn’t know Rebar did shows!

Thanks on Jive Time, Mackro -- I thought the Hill one had closed, but didn't want to commit 'cause sometimes I'm blind even when something's right in front of me.

One of the stores the higgs mentions, Bop Street, was called best in the world by Jarvis Cocker after he was in town last year.

One of the stores the higgs mentions, Bop Street, was called best in the world by Jarvis Cocker after he was in town last year.

lol, weak-ass greenback will do that to a man. (Hey, it's good for the local economy.)

i mean even if the Bop Street owner tried to smugly rip Jarvis off, the final price would still end up being the equivalent of, what, £5 something?

Is Bop Street the one that's kind of big when you walk in and then the dude takes you downstairs and it's like ten times bigger? I know I've been in there once but I might be confusing it with another similar place in Portland.

That's the one.

btw, are you two going to have a car or not?

We are. We'll be staying in both Renton & Capitol Hill, so there'll be some drivin'! I doubt we'll go out of the way to get some propah Korean food.

Thanks, everyone, for your help. I cannot wait to be there!

re: bop street, that sounds like the place a friend of mine was describing. must i be escorted downstairs? hate that kind of stuff.

and yeah, thanks for all the good suggestions. we're writing it all down!

you mean i'm writing it down?
hee

haha yeah!

re: bop street, that sounds like the place a friend of mine was describing. must i be escorted downstairs? hate that kind of stuff.

I don't think you need to be escorted, the guy was just showing off and wanted the downstairs to be the big exciting reveal.

Where is this Bop Street?

Bop Street is right next door to Hattie's Hat and the Tractor Tavern on Ballard Ave in HISTORIC DOWNTOWN BALLARD

i think im gonna try coming late summer to seattle and portland... can one get around without a car? taxis cheap and plentiful?

also, any good fashion boutiques to check out? ive been hearing about blackbird and they have my favorite japanese label, "diet butcher slim skin".

also, how far is vancouver?

thanks!

how far is vancouver?

141 miles, apparently

oh.. that far.. so i guess at least a couple hours on the bus...

i should probably let a native speak first here, but as a visitor from pedestrian-land, i'd say that while it's certainly easier to get around seattle than, say, LA, without a car, it's not a super-urban city, and you'll mostly have to rely on buses to get between the several mostly separate pedestrian-frequented areas (plus the monorail, which runs a single route between downtown and the space needle/EMP). the bus system's pretty good, but you'll have to learn where the neighborhoods are and spend time looking up routes/schedules. also, peoples' houses may be in fairly residential areas, and you're not gonna find taxis everywhere. i know that buses run late from downtown, but not sure about non-downtown routes.

i understand portland, which has a grid and streetcars and light rail in addition to buses, is much easier to get around, transit/walking-wise. i also understand it to be less pretty than seattle, tho cooler from a young person's perspective (i think seattle's uncoolness, which is probably dwindling by the year, is part of its charm).

amtrak to vancouver looks like 4.5 hours, while bus may be a little less. it's the most urban/e (but also maybe the prettiest) of the cities, and supposed to be fairly easy to get around. it also has the best asian food of the 3, though northwestern cuisine in seattle and portland is u+k.

Phil, Amtrak Cascades train or Cantrail shuttle bus via Amtrak between Seattle and Vancouver is pretty cheap. $30 for one-way on shuttle bus, $40ish by train. Cascades trains come with power outlet for your laptop.

Yeah, Vancouver isn't a go-and-come-back-in-one-day thing from Seattle, but you can go there for a day or two and come back without taking an entire day to travel either direction, if that makes sense.

gabb, I agree and disagree with the uncoolness, although I think we have different definitions of this.

There's always been a really sweet provincial side to the uncoolness, however this has transcended "uncool" surely? As opposed to what the stereotypes dictate, a lot of newcomers recognize and respect the older institutions instantly. Not all unfortunately, but many do... but there's also been a really stubborn, provincial, super-passive-aggressive side to the uncoolness. Just speaking for myself, but I wouldn't be shedding tears if just the latter half went away. I know in many cases, the two halves are unseparable.

What makes it more complex is that a lot of what's considered "old school" is from the late 90s/early 00s, which isn't truly old school, so it's a huge can of worms is what I'm saying.

Vancouver is the most urbane, but also it's the most gentrified now. Peeps from Vancouver who get involved in hosting events now pretty much come down to Seattle or Portland, because all the new downtown Vancouver residents have essentially "noise-complaint"-ed all the venues and nightclubs out of downtown and kinda killed the music scene there. :(

I was talking about nightclubs that helped propel new bands and DJs there.

There's always a big nightclub scene in downtown Vancouver, but it's all the hoochie dance nightclubs -- hey, all respect to the hoochie -- but a lot of these clubs on Granville seem interchangeable and it would be more awesome if more variety was represented than JUST the hoochie, that's all.

gabbneb's otm re: Seattle neighborhood/buses/walkability. Also, taxis. Keep a cab company's phone number with you, this isn't much of a hailable taxi town. Call one though and it will generally turn up in a reasonable amount of time. Some of the neighborhood isolation has to do with geography - Seattle has some steep hills, notably from lower Queen Anne (Space Needle) to upper Queen Anne (aka the Counterbalance) and to Capitol Hill (aka the Regrade). In general, you're going to be ascending steeply from west (waterfront) to east (First Hill, Capitol Hill) and more gently from south (stadiums) to north (Queen Anne, Capitol Hill). The Metro bus drivers all seem to be really helpful and knowledgeable. There's a large free ride area that covers most of downtown and Pioneer Square (free rides end at 7 pm), single rides are $1.50 off-peak, and you can get a visitor's day pass for $3.50.

I wish I could help re: boutiques, but I am afashionable. There are certainly plenty of likely shops up and down 1st Ave, including one that advertises itself as cutting edge Japanese fashion up around Marion. Belltown (just north of downtown proper as you continue on 1st Ave) is probably also worth exploring, though possibly more for bars/restaurants.

The U-District is very boutiquey, although it's rarely advertised as such. Well, not boutiquey, but more SoHo-ey... Seattle doesn't really have a SoHo, but Cap Hill + U District = something akin to one.

And yeah, people just call for taxis in Seattle, mostly. I have Yellow Cab programmed into my cellphone phonebook. You can always ask a bartender for a taxi company phone number too.

U-District and Capitol Hill seem dominated by American Apparel, to me. But I'm generally just there for the bookstores and food, so what do I know?

i'm just there for the hoochies

i'm just there for the hoochies

fixxord

steep hills?????
fuuuuuuuuuck.....

hm, maybe i'll skip vancouver - for some reason i thought it was like just across a river or something like that. oh well. also, are dungeness crab in season in mid august or mid september? or is there something special in season?

BERRIES!!!

It's a good time of year for mussels, but late for razor clams and early for dungeness crab.

re: hills - when I first moved here in '99, I lived 1/2 way up the steep Queen Anne hill and thought shit if I walk up that a couple times a week I will be FIT and THIN in no time. I think I walked up it 3 times, once sober, twice not. The ascent from where I live now (1st Ave in Pioneer Square, so near the water and LOW) up to the main library is so scary-steep if I take the direct route (up Cherry to 4th Ave) that I go several blocks out of my way both there and back, just for the gentler incline.

Phil, you can do Vancouver in a day, but pretty much the afternoon only.. If you grab an early bus or train there, then grab the last bus or train back.

Victoria is the same deal, except it's a lot more expensive. Then again, Victoria is on an island, and Victoria definitely ain't Vancouver.

Re: hills, I mean, that's what the buses are for, Phil. lol.

phil dont make me get all susan powter on you

It's a good time of year for mussels, but late for razor clams and early for dungeness crab.
oh damn. i love razor clams, and love dungeness crab, but not so hot on mussels. oh wellllllll....

Re: hills, I mean, that's what the buses are for, Phil. lol.
you mean taxis!

so if I had to stand on a particular street corner or in front of a certain store to get good street-style snaps for my website, where do you think I should go?

seriously, i don't do hills...

pike/pine for street shots, from downtown up the hill

Phil should know that Pike and Pine are parallel to each other, just so he doesn't try to find the corner where they meet. . . .

i would like it if i could get drunk enough to cross my eyes and make them meet

I did that on Monday.

http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/ripe-n-ready/produce-calendar - summer and the PNW=salmon. also u+k in August are raspberries, peaches, and, in the latter part of the month, huckleberries.

the best weather in seattle is usually at the height of summer - a lot of the festivals in western washington happen between the third weekend of july and the first weekend of august. while september isn't too late, the weather may not be as nice, though i guess the more grey, the more authentic. also, the earlier in summer you go, the longer the days. i'm hoping to go in early-mid August this year, based in part on a guess about mountain snows.

i sort of have a feeling that portland might be nicer in spring and fall.

are the street shots you're looking for supposed to be of fashionable people?

Portland's weather can be really strange, due to air masses coming up/down the Columbia Gorge - it's usually hotter than Seattle in the summer and colder in the winter. A pretty sweet town all around though, more level than Seattle and full of amazing bridges. Seattle weather's been weird this spring - a couple of really too-warm days and a late snow. The past week's been typical though, temperate to cool, some sun, some clouds, some overcast, some rain, a little of everything every day.

gabbneb, will you have time for a get-together when you're here?

quite possibly, but not sure yet if i will in fact show up.

Let me know as your plans firm up - I'm putting together a salume/cheese/wine tasting idea for that time frame (place we store our wine has an event room that would be wonderfully cool in late summer, but it has to be a wine-focused event for us to use it).

jaq we were on the 99 post-soccer game last night and i thought of you because i wondered does your building have roof access?

no, alas. I want to move to the Quilt building or Terry Denny because they have roof decks. But that's going to have to wait another year - I promised Mr. Jaq we'd stay unmoved until fall of 2009. So many people in Brazil shirts yesterday! Did you go to the game?

i did! it was fun. my stepdad is half canadian (it was brazil vs. canada) so we had some real soccer passion going

The city is rezoning a bunch of the area down here for building height, not our block, or the next one down, but all the non-historic buildings, like where the Starbucks is by the pergola and down where FX McCrory is (King Street, by the train station) - limits are 4 stories now and going (I think) to eleven or so. Plans for a whole bunch of new apartment/condos above existing retail space.

Cap Hill is on a hill, but once you're on it, it's definitely a plateau, so if you plan to do a lot of stuff in Capitol Hill and hate hills, you're pretty much fine.. except that one swerve on Olive Way.

Yeah, gabb, let us know what the haps is!

Ai Leen, Andrew, how are you guys doing?

Is the Quiet Village thing at Nectar in Fremont still on?

phil-two, salmon season (and also steelhead) does run into September. It's so ubiquitous here I don't think of it as having a season, though right now is the second week of Copper River. And razor clams will also still be good - the "season", if you want to go clamming yourself in Washington, is just three days in May (there is sometimes a second season in the late fall, depending), but they are shipped down from Alaska through the summer.

are the street shots you're looking for supposed to be of fashionable people?
yeah.... do these people exist in seattle? i looked at the pike/pine blog and the street shots there, well, not so inspiring, but i dunno...

Jaq, sounds great with salmon season! i never particularly liked salmon until once was in SF at a sushi bar with gygax and the chef gave me a piece of copper river salmon and it changed the way i looked at that fish. so so so good.

Did anybody mention this yet?
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/info_desk/route-maps/index.cfm?region_id=4

Possibly, but it bears repeating. The Bainbridge ferry is one of my favorite ways to spend an hour.

phil, I'm wondering if those fashionable people do exist here. I see amazingly dressed people in the ID frequently, but maybe that is more cosplay so not fashion. There are generally well-suited guys getting their shoes shined at lunch out in front of the J&M, but they all look like young republicans. Maybe all the fashionably dressed people are over in Bellevue?

Never lived in Seattle or Portland but I visit both a lot. Seattle is definitely hilly, but I've biked around it and you can kind of avoid the worst if you route around it a bit. Walking to Queen Anne from downtown would probably be pretty rough but getting to Capitol Hill up Pike or Pine really isn't bad at all, especially if the Olympics are visible to the west. I think the hills and water do make Seattle feel more disjointed but it also gives it a much more collection-of-neighborhoods place, especially when compared to the east side of Portland which is pretty much all square grid.

I've never really thought of Seattle as boring, really. Depends where you're from. Also when I'm there I usually end up on Capitol Hill on weekends when it's loud and busy and there are lots of shows going on and such.

And I did the Bainbridge ferry last time I was there, and it was totally worth it in terms of time and money.

phil, I'm wondering if those fashionable people do exist here. I see amazingly dressed people in the ID frequently, but maybe that is more cosplay so not fashion. There are generally well-suited guys getting their shoes shined at lunch out in front of the J&M, but they all look like young republicans. Maybe all the fashionably dressed people are over in Bellevue?

uhoh. my main reason to go to seattle and portland is to get these photos and scout out places to do an exhibition.... i dunno why but i always imagined seattle to be full of cute stylish twenty-somethings with loads of spare cash to spend on frivolous things like $400 shirts. then again i thought the same thing about SF and was sorely disappointed when i finally got around to visiting.

well if SF disappointed you, you're going to be really disappointed in Seattle and Portland. Vancouver is probably your best shot, except all the Vancouver kids are coming down to Seattle and Portland on the weekends to buy all our shit because of the cheap US dollar..

..wait, I think I just answered your question! If you're in either city on a *weekend*, look for the Canadians!

maybe i'll just come to hang out and eat.. hehe

Jaq, I would think Bellevue would be way more YR-ish than Seattle.

that sounds cool, jaq. if i make it, i'll let y'all know.

yeah, these may not be the droids you're looking for, phil; it's the land of grunge and parkas. there are fashionable young people, but like mackro said it's a bit of a provincial place, so the numbers may not be huge and i think style is kinda muted by the weather. i also doubt that the cool kids have a lot of disposable income. what i said about the best time to go may not apply to fashion.

somewhat more promising evidence here, tho?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11888138@N08
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:NgQ_oZkd4AUJ:iseeseattle.blogspot.com/+iseeseattle&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=safari

yeah, the best time to catch fashios is on the weekend when a fashio-friendly band is playing at Neumo's in Capitol Hill somewhere.. then just hang outside the Cha Cha or Via Tribulani. That'll do ya.

If you just want to hang out and eat, then you're talkin'. This city has really stepped up to the chow game just within the past two years. There is a lack of cheap, questionable-health-code, hole-in-the-wall places though if that's your thing, so you'll have to pay, but there's good stuff all 'round.

Has anyone here been to TURF RESTAURANT? You know that place on 2nd and Pine? The place that will never die (although it looks like all living things stroll over there to keel over and die)?

http://www.yelp.com/biz/turf-restaurant-and-lounge-seattle

Damn, I may have had this place all wrong.

I was totally being megan d. at the bottom of the page :(

cheap truck stop/diner food w/ low ambiance + bar = ok, but sketchy clientèle/scary at night factor would limit my solo attendance. Lived across from Caffe Minnie's when it was open (24-hour italianish diner food + bar, but not as low $ as the Turf) and relied on it and like Beth's just fine as well as Mr. D's (greekish place in Sodo). This is like the second or third location for the Turf, I think, always in the same general area though.

I am going to be in the Vancouver airport at the end of the month - what should i do?

i'm in an airport

you probably know this already, but I think Vancouver airport has a cover fee - like $10 or $15CAN, as a way to fund the airport. Just so you know.

Ai Leen, Andrew, how are you guys doing?

Is the Quiet Village thing at Nectar in Fremont still on?

YES. Our plan for Wed. is to go into town & drop Andrew off at the record store, we (me & sis) just can't hang out in there as long as he can! While he's doing that, we're going to try to find a masseuse & acupuncturist -- it's been that kind of trip, geez. After that, we're going to gawk at the library, eat, and then go to Fremont.

We've done quite a bit of stuff in the past couple of days, it's been lovely. But this trip has been very trying, too. There are no words to explain how tired I am. I don't know what day it is. Or what time it is. Yikes, huh?

This eve, we're in Renton @ my uncle's house, resting.

Any recommendations for cheapish massage places? NO HAPPY ENDINGS, PLZ.

It depends on cheap.. but generally, the cheaper the massage, the longer in advance you have to book it. You can get really cheap massages via Bastyr college or various schools in the Greenlake neighborhood, but you have to make an appointment in advance. Sometimes, it might a few days, which doesn't sound like an option.

However, if you just want a 30 to 60 min massage on demand, you could probably call Dreamclinic in Greenlake, and get one the same day. They won't be the cheapest by any means.

You can get a cheap, decent massage here with licensed folks, but it's definitely a word of mouth thing and more of a setup-in-my-space-or-house type thing, and generally speaking, the more you pay, the better it is. I wish I was a good word-of-mouth guy for that. Maybe others here are?

i knew mackro has plenty to say about tons of things, but i had no idea massages was one of those things.

I've gotten inexpensive student massages at Brenneke (now called Cortiva apparently) on lower Queen Anne: http://www.cortiva.com/locations/seattle/clinic/ The place I get my hair cut used to have walk-in specials on Wednesdays, but I can't find any info on their site now so maybe it was a limited time thing. They do an hour for $85 (http://www.ethereasalon.com/ethereaspa/). There's a new place that opened across the street from me that does an hour for $79, their webaddress goes to someplace in Singapore though - but here's their #206.264.1192 (1st Ave S, near Elliott Bay Books)

Thanks, you guys! It's been a lazy day. We slept in, ate the things we bought from Viet Wah & the (Eastern) Euro food store & did some thrifting. This rain is making me sleeeeepy. I LOVE IT!

My uncle's house is nice, the only thing I don't like about it is that he has no pets. It's weird to be in a home with no pets! It's kinda awful!

Lookin' forward to tomorrow, guys!

http://seattlest.com/2008/06/02/dishin_back_to.php

Ai, Andrew, glad you're enjoying the rain. This is probably the heaviest rain we've had since last November, wtf.

Ai Lien, if you guys are still in town on Monday, I'm having a birthday thing at Smith. Lingbert, I don't have your e-mail address, but you're welcome too. Jaq, I invited Robert but Evite rejected your address. Please come.

We're gonna be there, but R will be late due to piano lesson that isn't over until 7:30.

what time are you guys going to smith? i have finals that week and a friend will be in town, so i don't if i'll be able to make it, but i'll see what i can do.

Asking for the long table for 6:30, so 6:30-close? (kidding, i hope...)

Unfortunately, I'm working until 7:30 that night and don't have a car, so I'm very doubtful.

Ai Lien, if you guys are still in town on Monday, I'm having a birthday thing at Smith.

Dang, we leave on Saturday. Thank you for the invite! And Happy Birthday!

Thanks much. See y'all next time, I hope.

so, what's the plan tonight? Is it just the Quiet Village show? Or will there be something going on before the show?

We've got plans pre-show, so it's just QV for us. So, who will be wearing the rose in their lapel? Hee.

Man, I feel so sluggish! Someone explain!

We had a really good time @ Nectar last night! If any of you guys were there, I'm sorry for not introducing myself, I don't know what any of ya'll look like!

We had a really good time thanks to all of the helpful hints and advice!

xx

I'll be in Seattle just before thanksgiving, what's there to do?

go to the museum of flight and the boeing tour and the seattle asian art museum and the burke museum and maybe the pacific science center (for kids, really). car required for the first two, afaik.

There's a few bus routes that go to the Museum of Flight (174, 154, possibly others). You could watch the Seahawks struggle against the Redskins if you're here on 11/23. Come down to Sake Nomi (http://www.sakenomi.us/index.html), sake tastings, movies to drink sake by on Saturdays, Wii bowling nights on Wednesdays.

Thank you gabbneb -- do I go to the http://www.empsfm.org/

someone else should answer that - my guess is it's not all that special, but if you're there in late Fall and have the time, might as well

http://www.uwajimaya.com/gift.html