Hello! I hope you enjoyed last week’s Seattle Spotlight on Judy Lee while I was in Japan.
I returned on Monday and have been trying to get over a cold and jet lag ever since. Since my brain is not yet firing on all cylinders but simultaneously buzzing with SO much inspiration from my trip, I’m going to focus on a few things on my radar + the weekend events this week.
But some things I’m excited to create for you are a pre-summer planning guide (since some activities do require planning this far in advance!) and neighborhood guides, starting with my own, North Beacon Hill. Next week I’ll also share some insights from my trip and some things that I wish we could import from Japan to Seattle ASAP.
Alright, 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!
👀 On my radar
Zoo Tunes | Phinney Ridge
I was going to feature this in my pre-summer planning guide, but since pre-sale tickets go live TODAY and tend to go fast, I wanted to pop them in here to give you advance notice! There are a lot of great acts (The Roots, Norah Jones, The Japanese House) but I’m most excited for the Car Seat Headrest show on June 20th (my boyfriend is the drummer 🙃).
Bonito Cafe y Mercadito | Capitol Hill
Super excited about this upcoming opening! From the creators of the monthly Aqui Mercado comes this cafe + mercadito which will feature Latino/POC/LGBTQ+ makers and artists and serve as a hub for community events. You can learn more about it on their Kickstarter page, it looks like they’re currently targeting an April opening.
West Seattle Arcade | West Seattle
When I was in Tokyo, there was one place we kept ending up — the arcade. It was such a great third place to rest our feet before continuing our sightseeing and I especially loved this one Taiko drum game. I highly doubted I’d be able to find anything similar here, but then I DID at the new West Seattle Arcade! They specialize in unique Japanese imports so I’m excited to see what else they have. It’s a family-friendly establishment so only non-alcoholic drinks are available and I don’t think they serve food, but since it’s located on Alki it’d be easy to tack a visit on before or after getting dinner elsewhere.
📆 This weekend’s events
Pop-up Thrift and Vintage Shopping | Thursday, 2/22 | Capitol Hill | Free
Popular Comedy Show | Thursday, 2/22 | Capitol Hill | $15
THE DOSE: A Psychedelic Comedy Showcase | Thursday, 2/22 | Belltown | $20
Shanghai Comedy Competition | Thursday, 2/22 | Greenwood | $10
Downtown Art Walk | Friday, 2/23 | Downtown | Free
Lunar New Year Lantern Festival | Saturday, 2/24 | Riverview | Free
C-ID's Lunar New Year | Saturday, 2/24 | C-ID | Free
PNW Regional Yo-Yo Contest | Saturday, 2/24 | Uptown | Free
Frosty Group Show | Saturday, 2/24 | Beacon Hill | Free
Alki Winter Beer and Food Truck Festival | Saturday, 2/24 | Alki | $20-35
Winter Mead Festival | Sunday, 2/25 | Ballard | $30
Good Night: Night Market | Sunday, 2/25 | Central District | Free
Helado Negro | Sunday, 2/25 | University District | $20
Multi-day:
Seattle Asian American Film Festival | 2/22 - 2/25 | Capitol Hill | $13-150
50 Years of SIFF | 2/23 - 2/25 | Uptown | $15.50
Once More, Just For You | 2/23 - 2/25 | Green Lake | $10-100 sliding scale
What’s next:
3/2 - 3/3 | Tickets are now on sale for the Freakout Weekender, a two-day music festival at The Crocodile.
3/23 - 3/24 | Delicate Steve (great name) is playing two nights at The Sunset.
🚨 ICYMI
The race to become Washington’s official state clam is ON (I’m team geoduck). Rising Sun Produce in Ravenna has closed indefinitely after a fire. Burb’s Burgers closed all locations last week. Ramie (from the founders of Ba Sa) will be opening in the old Omega Ouzeri space. The Kite Cafe will be opening in Golden Gardens.
🧰️ Seattle Toolkit
A few of my favorite resources to stay tuned in to what’s happening around the city:
What Do - Seattle’s aggregated event list
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 ⬇️