June 2015

Akio Takamori's The Beginning of Everything

Akio Takamori’s The Beginning of Everything

Ceramist Akio Takamori's current exhibit at James Harris Gallery

Akio Takamori’s ceramic work reflects a long-term interest in matters of the flesh. He often paints blushing red cheeks on his sensuous figures, giving the impression that blood has just rushed to the surface of the skin. His people squat, curl into the fetal position, lie in repose, ride piggyback, stand with arms crossed over…

Seattle Restaurants Serving Up a Taste of Home

Seattle Restaurants Serving Up a Taste of Home

Seattle is a city of transplants. No wonder we have such a selection of regional delights

NORTHEAST EATSManhattan Clam Chowder at Ballard Annex Oyster House   Walking into this Ballard Avenue seafood diner, you’re greeted by a large oyster bar complete with shaved ice, fresh oysters, steaming silver kettles, and fish tanks full of live Dungeness crabs and Maine lobsters. While the menu centers around New England favorites (lobster rolls!), it’s the…

UW Has a Medical School Monopoly. Is it Time to End That?

UW Has a Medical School Monopoly. Is it Time to End That?

Will ending the University of Washington’s medical school monopoly really fix our doctor shortage?

Washington needs doctors. Actually, the whole country does. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates the country may be short between 46,000 and 90,000 doctors by 2025. In Washington, and indeed most states, the need is even more acute in rural areas. Everyone involved in medical education seems to agree that we need more doctors….

Will Public Parking in Seattle Go Extinct?

Will Public Parking in Seattle Go Extinct?

Knute Berger laments the possible extinction of public parking

In a sense, I’m lucky that my morning commute is usually the distance between my laptop and my lap.   My wife walks to work most days, and we’re down to one car. We live in an apartment complex right next to a bus stop, and a few blocks from a local business district, small…

Three Vacation Rentals for a Luxurious Home Away From Home

Three Vacation Rentals for a Luxurious Home Away From Home

The expanding universe of home vacation rentals opens up gorgeous opportunities for Seattleites

1. Glass House Near La ConnerService: Boutique Homes (boutique-homes.com)Style: Architect-designed modern cabin Rate: Starts at $300/night Accommodations: 2 bedrooms and sleeping loft (can sleep 5); 1 bathroomPet friendly: No Minimum stay: 2 nights October–March; 3 nights April–SeptemberGood base for: Small-town exploring, farm hopping, kayaking and cycling. Additional features: The cabin walls are glass panels hung…

Animal Rights at the University of Washington

Animal Rights at the University of Washington

A planned UW lab raises questions about the ethics of animal testing

When news broke of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa last March, it was the first time much of the public was confronted with the terrifying disease, known mostly as something strange and deadly affecting people very far away. But for Angela Rasmussen, it marked a turning point in her life’s work. A lead researcher…

New Sneaker Shop Open on Capitol Hill

New Sneaker Shop Open on Capitol Hill

Men's shoe & accessory boutique Likelihood comes to Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill’s allure as a boutique shopping destination was ratcheted up a notch on May 2 with the debut of Likelihood (1101 E Union St.; 206.226.0826; shoplikelihood.com), a fashion-driven men’s shoe and accessories shop located in the newly opened Viva building. Owned by first-time retailers Aaron DelGuzzo and Dan Carlson, the modern shop is smartly…

Totes Local: The Best Bags This Side of the Sound

Totes Local: The Best Bags This Side of the Sound

Pioneer Square's Such Sweet Tierney makes killer printed bags

Forget the Birkin bag. In Seattle, the preferred status symbol is the homespun tote—especially when it’s a handmade version by Such Sweet Tierney (suchsweettierneyshop.com). Using hand-mixed, eco-friendly inks in a range of colors, from earthy to effervescent, husband-and-wife team London Tierney and Christian Perry silkscreen original geometric prints onto canvas bags at their Pioneer Square…

Rugged Aprons for Rugged Men

Rugged Aprons for Rugged Men

Ballard-based company Hardmill creates no-nonsense aprons

When Ballard-based Ryan Barrie’s restaurant gig in college left him longing for the perfect apron, he turned to brother Michael, whom he calls a true craftsman. “He’s always been able to fix or make just about anything,” Ryan says. To get the fit exactly right, Michael taught himself to sew on an industrial machine, hunted…

New Art Installation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

New Art Installation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

An art installation hanging above the Foundation campus comes alive at night

Seen in Daylight, the new art installation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation might easily be mistaken for an oddly placed safety net. But when night falls, it becomes an immense, iridescent jellyfish hovering above the campus and shifting in the breeze. Unveiled in February, “Impatient Optimist” is an aerial net sculpture (120 feet…

Omega Ouzeri Brings the Mediterranean to Capitol Hill

Omega Ouzeri Brings the Mediterranean to Capitol Hill

Greek restaurant opens second outpost on Capitol Hill

Those who’ve eaten at either of Thomas Soukakos’ two Vios Cafés can attest to the warm welcome and genuine family-friendly attitude of the staff. Often, through the years, it’s been Soukakos himself who’s greeted us at his restaurants, offering sweet relief in the form of a glass of wine as we waited for a table,…

There's a New Spice Making Heat Waves in Restaurants

There’s a New Spice Making Heat Waves in Restaurants

Chef Thierry Rautureau turns up the heat with Harissa

Move over, Sriracha, there’s a new hot number in town. Harissa, a North African sauce or paste made from a blend of Moroccan peppers, preserved lemon, oil and spices, ranges from mild to fiery. Thierry Rautureau, chef and owner of Luc, in Madison Valley, and Loulay Kitchen & Bar, downtown, counts on harissa to enliven…