Seeking: a vinyl listening lounge, a game library, and a poetry bookstore
+ my newest hobby
Thanks to Zoe’s newest TikTok, we’ve got some new faces in here — welcome!
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For our newbies: this newsletter is generally about how to have fun in our city and it’ll arrive in your inbox every Thursday. It’s divided into local gems (things I’ve personally done and can vouch for), things on my radar (haven’t done, but want to), a round-up of the weekend’s events + what’s coming next, and a quick hits news section to finish it off.
Even though I’m usually focused on FUN, I’ve always been interested in what’s going on behind the scenes. I’m by no means an expert, but I hope to share more content about the inner workings of our city as I educate myself. Here’s a few things I’ve been digging into:
I’ve been deep in the Lost Patients podcast this week — a joint production from KUOW and NPR — which examines the difficulties of treating serious mental illness through the lens of Seattle’s past, present, and future. The stories are infuriating, heart-wrenching, and unfortunately familiar if you’ve lived in this city for any length of time.
I’ve never taken any of the Seattle street cars and after wondering why that might be, I came across this article from The Urbanist which goes deep into its history, the planned expansion to connect the two that might never materialize, and the current status of the project. A connected street car system would be SO COOL and would definitely make it more usable for me and the general public. Fingers crossed they figure it out.
Before we dive into this week’s content, I wanted to note that the comments were so helpful last week!
personally vouched for the pool in White Center, recommended the Dance Theatre of Harlem and zoe | juniper’s work, and dropped the pro tip that Ben’s Bread sells amazing english muffins and you can usually grab a 4-pack by the door and Venmo if the line is long.If you have anything helpful to share about this week’s content or anything else, please don’t be shy about putting in the comments! It’s my favorite thing 🙃
Okay let’s get into it!
*This post is a little long, so don’t forget to expand if it gets cut off in your email!
💎 Local gems
Seattle Flying Dragons | Lake Union
New hobby: UNLOCKED. I shared about this dragon boat club a few letters back and finally got out on the water with them on Monday. The most paddling I’ve done is a casual kayak or canoe, so I was a little nervous going into it. But everyone was so welcoming and used to showing beginners the ropes that I had way more fun than I anticipated.
Mondays are race practice days, which seems like it’d be the wrong day to give this a try, but I think it’s actually what got me hooked. There were about 30+ people of all ages and abilities split into two boats. Before we got on the water, one of the members did a little tutorial with us newbies on how to paddle and position your body — it’s way more core than you’d expect! We did four race sprints in total, which took us from the southernmost point of the lake to almost Gas Works and back (you can stop at any time to take a break, which I did often 😅).
When we hit our stride and were paddling in sync with the sun on our faces and water splashing up our arms, I understood the appeal. They practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for exactly one hour (except Saturdays are 1.5 hours) and you get to attend three free practices before you have to pay dues (which are very affordable at $100 for the year or $30 for three months). Thanks again to reader
for sharing this with me! See y’all on the lake?
Aslan Brewing | Fremont
I went to Aslan when it first opened a few years ago but got the chance to go again this week for a Real Roots experience and was impressed by the upgrades. They now have a large seating area next to the bar area which has all kinds of cozy and interesting seating that makes it feel more elevated than just a brewery. They serve food from their neighbor Local Tide and even though I just tried the fries and salmon dip, they got me excited to explore more of the menu. This Saturday they are hosting a Fremont Dungeness Festival with Local Tide which would be a good excuse to check them both out!
ZooTunes | Phinney Ridge
Last week I attended my first ZooTunes show to see my boyfriend do his job at the Car Seat Headrest show (he’s the drummer). Doors opened at 4:30 and there was already a long line to get in by the time I got there at 4:45. If it’s a popular show, I recommend going early so you can snag a good spot! Even though I was a little late, I was still able to save space for 10+ people by laying out three blankets.
I’d say the vibe is most similar to a concert at Chateau Ste. Michelle. There are elevated food + drink options for purchase, but you can still bring in your own food. There are plenty of good options nearby, but some of our friends brought fried chicken from The Chicken Supply (SO good) and that felt like a pro move.
All shows are now sold out except The Japanese House on August 12th, but they do have an official fan ticket exchange for each show so you still have a chance to score tickets if there’s someone you really want to see.
Third Place Books | Lake Forest Park
Last night I went to an author talk for
who writes one of my favorite Substacks , and recently published her debut novel called You’re Safe Here (can’t wait to read it!). It was moderated by Seattle Times food writer Jackie Varriano and hosted at the Lake Forest Park location of Third Place Books.I’d never been to this location of TPB, but I feel like it holds up the third place reputation even more than the others. It’s part of the larger Third Place Commons which has a food court, a full calendar of free events, and a farmers market on Sundays. We grabbed a quick dinner at Gyro Boss before the talk and my hummus plate ($16.99) lived up to its 4.9 Google rating. Looking forward to finding more reasons to make the trek up north to visit!
👀 On my radar
Pop Rox Dance Studio | Capitol Hill & U District
As you might remember, I’ve been slowly working my way through our city’s adult dance class offerings and Pop Rox is next on my list. I like that they offer VERY introductory classes like “Two Left Feet” (lol me) and “Footwork Fundamentals” while also offering some more unique beginner classes like Jazz Funk, Ballet (Remixed), and K-Pop. Also — the studios look so cool?? I’m looking forward to getting started with their new student deal of three classes for $30.
Open Books: A Poem Emporium | Pioneer Square
Did you know that we have a dedicated bookstore for poetry in Pioneer Square? Me either! This was a find I was really excited to come across as poetry books are usually the only physical books I like to buy. In addition to stocking a massive collection of poetry, they also host monthly events and have a Parlor that you can book as a coworking space on an hourly ($25) or monthly basis ($125).
Codex Game Library | Various locations
This is brilliant — Codex is a mobile game library that posts up at different locations around the city for people to rent games. You can play the games there, rent them for a week ($5), or rent them indefinitely with a membership ($15/month). As someone who loves tabletop games but is running out of space in their game cabinet, this is the perfect solution.
Shibuya Hi-Fi | Ballard
Adding to our Japan in Seattle series, Shibuya Hi-Fi is a cocktail bar and vinyl listening lounge that promises an audio experience unlike anything else in the city. I’m currently planning experiences for the summer series of Real Roots and attending one of the listening sessions will hopefully be on the list after I scope it out. You need a reservation for the sessions in the Hi-Fi room, but the lounge seems to be walk-in friendly.
DubSea Fish Sticks | White Center
Catching a Tacoma Rainiers or Everett Aquasox game has been on my list, but I didn’t realize we had another local baseball team that is a little closer to the city. The DubSea Fish Sticks is a summer collegiate baseball team that only plays during June and July. Tickets are very affordable at $13.50 and from scrolling their IG, the games look like a blast and involve quite a bit of crowd participation. I also love the naming conventions, the stadium is called the Fryer and their mascot is named Crispy.
They have games this Friday and Saturday and are also playing on the 4th of July which would be a fun way to spend the holiday!
📆 This weekend’s events
Pattie Gonia | Thursday, 6/27 | Downtown | $25-50
Read for Filth: a Bookish Drag Show | Thursday, 6/27 | Fremont | $20
Bollywood Summer Party | Friday, 6/28 | Capitol Hill | $18-25
Soft Serve Summer Opening Day | Friday, 6/28 | Pioneer Square | Free
Redmond Dudes vs. DubSea Fish Sticks | Friday, 6/28 | White Center | $13.50
Trans Pride Seattle | Friday, 6/28 | Capitol Hill | $18-25
Greenwood Car Show | Saturday, 6/29 | Greenwood | Free (I’ve been going to this for the past two years and it’s surprisingly very fun! One of those events a large chunk of the city seems to show up for)
Gobble Up | Saturday, 6/29 | SLU | Free
The Gays Go To Green Lake | Saturday, 6/29 | Green Lake | Free (from the creators of Gays Eating Garlic Bread in the Park)
Art Battle Seattle | Saturday, 6/29 | Ballard | $15-25
Fremont Dungeness Festival | Saturday, 6/29 | Fremont | Free
Seattle Pride Parade | Sunday, 6/30 | Downtown | Free
Multi-day:
Pride Super Show Caberet | 6/27 - 6/29 | Capitol Hill | $25-50
Girl from the North Country | 6/27 - 6/30 | Downtown | $40-125
Queer/Pride Festival | 6/28 - 6/30 | Capitol Hill | $59-299
Cuff Complex Pride Fest | 6/28 - 6/30 | Capitol Hill | $40-125
What’s next:
7/17 - 8/21 | U Village is hosting a weekly summer concert series on Wednesdays starting mid-July. Elemental Pizza will be serving food and drinks.
7/27 - 7/28 | Urban Craft Uprising will be taking over Magnuson’s Hangar 30 once again for their summer show.
9/19 | One of my faves, Anderson .Paak, is coming to our neck of the woods this fall. However, the show is at the White River Amphitheatre (I’ve heard bad things, can anyone confirm/deny??)
10/9 | André 3000 will be touring his latest jazz album and bringing it to The Paramount (it’s kinda weird, but I like it).
10/24 | Jenny Slate just booked a date at the Neptune for this fall — tickets go on sale tomorrow.
11/6 - 12/1 | Wicked is coming back to Seattle at The Paramount!
🚨 ICYMI
Proud of us: according to a new survey, Seattle tops the nation’s largest metro areas when it comes to local support for the performing arts (30% of adults attended at least one in-person performance in the past 30 days). You can now add your ORCA Card to your Google Wallet. One of America’s most famous cocktail bars, Death & Co., is coming to Pioneer Square in 2025 (let the revival continue!). 49th Street Beast and Cleaver is closing at the end of July. City Hall Park will be hosting a series of Native Indigenous Presentations starting on July 9th. Mount Rainier has named its first composer in residence.
🧰️ Seattle Toolkit
A few of my favorite resources to stay tuned in to what’s happening around the city:
Everout - Events & things to do
SEAToday - Daily Seattle newsletter
The Nudge Seattle - Text-based event planner
The Intentionalist - Discover + support local small businesses
Your turn!
What are you seeking this week? What do you already have planned? Share it with us in the comments ⬇️
So, so glad you had fun with the team! :) Thanks for coming out, and as always for the great suggestions of things to do.