Seeking: a pay-by-the-pound sushi bar, furry cider, and cocktail week

+ the things I wish we could import from Tokyo

Hello! I’m happy to report that I have beaten both jet lag and a cold (although it still took me until today to fully finish unpacking my suitcase 😅).

Before I get into this week’s content, I wanted to share a very kind shoutout that friend and local real estate agent Jeff Stegelman wrote about Seeking Seattle in the launch of his own newsletter:

These kinds of shoutouts mean the world to me and also help me get these recs into more hands. If you ever feel compelled to share this newsletter with a friend or your network, I would greatly appreciate it ❤️️

Since I haven’t been able to get out in the field much this past week, I’m again focusing on what’s on my radar + weekend events (with extra radar stuff to make up for it). Here’s what you’ve got to look forward to over the next few weeks:

• A pre-summer planning guide

• A guide to Seattle spring (thank god)

• Our first neighborhood guide of North Beacon Hill

*This post is a little long, so don’t forget to expand if it gets cut off in your email!

🎌 Japan Recap

Now that I’m feeling better, I can share a little more about what I was inspired by during my recent trip to Japan (and if you need any recs for an upcoming trip — please reach out!)

my love affair with vending machine coffees

A short list of things I wish we could import from Tokyo to Seattle:

• Vending machines on every block that offer HOT drinks like coffee and tea (I honestly believe this would cure my SAD)

• Intimate bars & restaurants with only 6-10 seats

• Standing bars! Places to grab a quick drink + snacks on your way home from work or when starting a night out

• Multi-level arcades with rhythm-based games (for those of us who dislike/are bad at pinball)

• Konbinis (aka convenience stores) with affordable and high-quality on-the-go snacks + drinks

• Dessert spots that are open until 2am

• Subways that are safe, clean, and come every 2 minutes

• The MANY free public bathrooms (with bidets). They might not have trash cans, but they’ve got bathrooms (which usually don’t even have trash cans in them)

• So many third places! For every budget and desire

What’s something you wish we could import to Seattle? Tell me in the comments ⬇️

👀 On my radar

Shine On Seattle | Pioneer Square

To wrap up the winter season, Lusio Light has partnered with the Downtown Seattle Association to illuminate window storefronts, parks, and other outdoor spaces in Pioneer Square for March and April. I can’t tell how cool this is going to be yet, but the next time I’m downtown I’ll check it out and share a review.

The Kitchen | Green Lake

Okay I’m intrigued, The Kitchen is a new “personal dining experience” that features a daily rotating menu, chef, and cuisine in their 10-seat dining room. It’s reservation-only and the tasting menus (about five to seven courses) run from $75-125. Could be fun for a special occasion? I’m curious how this stacks up against more established tasting menus in the city.

Seattle Cocktail Week | Various locations

Seattle Restaurant Week is usually never worth it, so I’m skeptical of this one, but it could be worth checking out. From what I can gather, many of the top local bars will be participating in drink specials (yet to be added) and hosting events throughout the week (that do look like fun). It all culminates in the Carnival of Cocktails at the end of the week which will cost ya $64.99 (but does include 12 tasting tickets).

Here are a few of the events that caught my eye:

• 3/4 | Rain City Rumble Bartender’s Choice Competition | Fremont | Free

• 3/6 | Gin & Tonic Masterclass | Capitol Hill | $75

• 3/6 | Mob Wives Drag Show | Fremont | $15-20

• 3/6 | Let’s Go Girls Burlesque Show | Belltown | Free

• 3/7 | Time Travellers Convention Party | Fremont | Free

• 3/8 | Dreamland Honky Tonk | Fremont | Free

Slightly Furry | Central District

Have you ever been to a furry-run cider taphouse before? Me neither, but the folks at Slightly Furry hosted their opening party last weekend with roughly 500 people in attendance! They make their own ciders (like CinnaBEAR and PineappOWL) and have created a “radically inclusive space” in the old Sovereign Brewing spot. It’s a bit of a tough location, but it seems like they’ve got the community support on their side. I look forward to trying one of their signature ciders soon.

FOB Sushi Bar | Belltown

Now this is something else I haven’t seen before — the owners of FOB Poke Bar just opened a pay-by-the-pound sushi bar. It’s $14.99/lb for rolls + nigiri and $21.99/lb for sashimi. As someone who likes to try a little bit of everything, this seems like an ideal set-up for me. Although I do wonder if this is a Whole Foods hot bar kind of situation where it’s way too easy to load up and spend too much $$. Will report back if I try it!

📆 This weekend’s events

• Sassiest Bingo in West Seattle | Thursday, 2/29 | West Seattle | Free

• Joe Ross & The Birdwatchers Happy Hour Show | Thursday, 2/29 | White Center | Free

• MarchFourth at Nectar | Thursday, 2/29 | Fremont | $20 | I once saw MarchFourth open for another band and they were VERY fun!

• Your Fat Friend | Friday, 3/1 | Capitol Hill | $19.50 | the 7:30pm showing is sold out, but tickets were still available for the 4pm at time of writing

• Sloane Crosley with Ben Gibbard: Grief Is for People | Friday, 3/1 | Downtown | $5-25 sliding scale

• SAM Body + Mind | Saturday, 3/2 | Downtown | Free

• Spring Market at the Breweries | Saturday, 3/2 | Ballard | Free

• Ground Hum | Saturday, 3/2 | Central District | $30-50 sliding scale

• The Night of Ideas | Saturday, 3/2 | Downtown | Free

• Georgetown Flea Market | Saturday, 3/2 | Georgetown | Free

• MoPOP’s 2024 Sound Off! Showcase | Saturday, 3/2 | Uptown | $15

• Saturday Morning Bagels at Salmonberry | Sunday, 3/3 | Ballard | Free | read

  It's a Shanda
  ‘s review of the bagels here

• Wonder Hike: Slow Down and Notice | Sunday, 3/3 | Issaquah | Free

• Hot Chocolate Run | Sunday, 3/3 | Uptown | $64-84

• Northwest Record Show | Sunday, 3/3 | Uptown | $2-3

• Neighborhood Craft & Chat | Sunday, 3/3 | Wallingford | Free

• David Nihill: Shelf Help Tour | Sunday, 3/3 | University District | $29.50-39.50

Multi-day:

• Seattle Secrets | 3/1 - 3/2 | Downtown | $15

• Winthrop Hot Air Balloon Festival | 3/1 - 3/3 | Winthrop | Free

• Hecklevision: Mac and Me | 3/1 - 3/6 | Central District | $13

• Freakout Weekender | 3/2 - 3/3 | Belltown | $57.50-225

• Seattle Jewish Film Festival | 3/2 - 3/17 | Belltown | $15-200

What’s next:

• 3/9 | Take advantage of this Discover Pass Free Day to get outside in honor of Billy Frank Jr’s birthday, or stay inside at the Carnival of Cocktails.

• 3/23 - 3/24 | Delicate Steve (great name) is playing two nights at The Sunset.

🚨 ICYMI

Sounds like we’ll be seeing more micro-apartments. My Japan dreams might come true: plans to bring high-speed rail to Western WA remain on track. Rubinstein’s is opening up another bagel shop in Eastlake. Line 2 will start running on the Eastside on April 27th. COMEBUYTEA, a craft take on boba from Taiwan, has opened on Capitol Hill. Washington passed the Strippers’ Bill of Rights!

🧰️ Seattle Toolkit

A few of my favorite resources to stay tuned in to what’s happening around the city:

1. What Do - Seattle’s aggregated event list

2. Everout - Events & things to do

3. SEAToday - Daily Seattle newsletter

4. The Nudge Seattle - Text-based event planner

5. The Intentionalist - Discover + support local small businesses

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Your turn!

What are you seeking this week? What do you already have planned? Share it with us in the comments ⬇️