Seeking: Indoor pickleball spots

+ how to do the Pioneer Square Art Walk

It’s November, and Seeking Seattle is now one month old! To celebrate, I’m launching a referral program next week with some rewards I think are actually pretty fun. Stay tuned for an email on Tuesday with the details 👀

Next Tuesday is also the deadline for your ballots. Seven out of nine city council seats are up for grabs which is a pretty big freaking deal! If you’ve ever complained about the city or wished that [insert thing here] was better, this is your chance to VOTE and have a say in it.

This week’s edition is a little long, so remember to expand it in your email in case it gets cut off!

*The structure of this newsletter will evolve over time as I learn what interests you + me most. If you have any feedback or content you’d like to see featured - please drop me a note in the comments or at seekingseattle@substack.com

I never thought pickleball could be considered controversial (see: Lincoln Park), but as the sport gets more and more popular, the opinions multiply.

As for me, I’m pro-pickleball, but I’m not a psycho about it. I think it’s a sport for the PEOPLE that is worthy of funding and support (within reason of course). In the wintertime, it gets a little harder to find spots to play, so I rounded up all the places offering indoor pickleball at reasonable times (aka for those who work 9-5).

Disclaimer: most of the courts shared below are at community centers with gym floors, which aren’t the best to play on. There is currently only one indoor tennis court facility that offers pickleball play, but it’s on the Eastside (one IS coming to Seattle in 2024 though)!

Indoor pickleball by location:

Seattle:

• Northgate Community Center

  • Tuesday, 6 - 7:45pm

• Ravenna Eckstein Community Center

  • Friday, 12:30 - 2:30pm

  • Saturday, 12:30 - 2:30 pm

• Ballard Community Center

  • Wednesday, 6:15 - 8:15pm

• International District / Chinatown Community Center

  • Monday, 6 - 8:45pm

  • Saturday, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

• Tukwila Community Center

  • Tuesday, 6:45 - 8:45pm

• Seatac Community Center

  • Friday, 5 - 9pm, $5

Eastside:

• Redmond Tennis Center

  • Pickleball Party Night on Fridays & Saturdays, 7 - 10pm, $18 ($6/hr)

  • Reserve a court, $35/hr

• The Lodge at St. Edward Park

  • Ladies Night: Monday, 4 - 8pm, $10

  • Gentlemans Night: Wednesday, 4 - 8pm, $10

  • Open Play: Thursday - Sunday, 6 - 10pm, $10

  • Reserve a court, $40/2 hrs

*Stay up to date via Time For Pickleball

💎 Local gems

1112 Suites | Leavenworth, WA

If you are looking for a little getaway, I highly recommend the 1112 Suites in Leavenworth! I’ve stayed there twice (in #1 and #2) and I plan on staying there every time I go until I finally splurge on the Post Hotel. Despite being shared accommodation, you have your own bathroom and it feels super private - I’ve never seen another soul while staying there. It’s also very affordable if you go on a weeknight (~$120/night) and is a 3-minute walk to town.

Other favorites: Bear Bear for breakfast, München Haus for sausages near a fire, Gingerbread Factory for sweets, Icicle Brewing Company for lunch + beers, and A Matter of Taste for gourmet mustards and jams (the pepper jam is my new fave).

Pioneer Square Art Walk | Pioneer Square

The first Thursday of every month (today!) is the Pioneer Square Art Walk. Summer is usually the best time to go, but there’s something romantic about ducking into galleries on a wet and chilly night. The best part? You can park for free in the Butler, Frye, and 450 Alaskan garages (just remember to pick up a voucher at one of the galleries).

The galleries are kind of clustered in two areas, so start your art walk at the SOIL/CoCA/ZINC cluster or the Davidson/Figure | Ground one. Very few galleries still offer free wine + snacks unless it’s a bigger opening, but there are some solid spots nearby to grab a drink or some apps. 210 Seattle also hosts a night market with local vendors from 6 - 9pm.

Favorite galleries: Greg Kucera, Foster/White, ZINC Contemporary, SOIL, CoCA, J. Rhinehart, Davidson, Figure | Ground

Nearby spots to grab a bite/drink: Good Bar (HH 3-6pm), Burb’s Burgers (my favorite $5 burger), Collins Pub (good for a cozy drink), Damn the Weather (even cozier), Dead Line (HH 3-6), Darkalinos (food is meh, would go for drinks)

👀 On my radar

Silent Book Club West Seattle - I’d heard of the Silent Reading Party hosted every month at Hotel Sorrento, but I was new to the Silent Book Club chapters that are all over Seattle! I’m going to check out the one tonight in West Seattle (which seems to be the biggest one), but you can also find chapters in Ballard, Burien, U District, Shoreline, and Renton.

Bean’s Bagels - My boyfriend and I are always on the lookout for a new bagel spot and local writer

Sean Keeley

and his newsletter

It's a Shanda

are our north star. Sean most recently reviewed Bean’s Bagels, which is currently popping up at farmer’s markets in South Seattle and sounds promising!

Also upcoming:

• Seattle International Comedy Competition, November 2nd - 26th

• Best of the Northwest Fall Show, November 10th - 12th

• Sodo Flea, November 11th

• Julefest, November 18th - 19th

• Wonderland at the Can Can, November 6th - January 7th

• Land of the Sweets: A Burlesque Nutcracker, December 1st - 28th

📆 This weekend’s events

• Skip the Small Talk | Thursday, 11/2 | Downtown | $16.50

• Pumpkin Swim | Friday, 11/3 | Ballard | $2.50

• East Forest | Friday, 11/3 | Fremont | $25-60

• Intimate Concert on a Historic Steamship | Saturday, 11/4 | SLU | $28

• P-Lo presents the Very Good Food Tour | Saturday, 11/4 | ID | Free

• Revel: Theus Mago | Saturday, 11/4 | Secret location | $25-40

• Public Art Build at Gateway Park North | Saturday, 11/4, 10am-2pm | Georgetown | Free (artist Sarah Kavage is going to use the willow we harvested to build more art structures, and the public is invited to help!)

• Fall Forest Bathing at Kubota Garden | Sunday, 11/5 | Rainier Beach | $30

• Freakout Festival | 11/2 - 11/5 | Ballard | $45-60

• Seattle Restaurant Week | 11/2 - 11/4 | Various locations (check out this newsletter for my SRW picks)

• Catrinas Festival | 11/2 - 11/5 | First Hill | $30

• Script Tease | 11/3 - 11/4 | Downtown | $12

• Love & Loss at PNB | 11/3 - 11/5 | Uptown | $30-210

🧰️ 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 ⬇️