November/December 2023

‘We Are Groot’

‘We Are Groot’

Guardians of the Galaxy tops superhero genre

Imagine hanging out with Bruce Wayne. Or talking photography with Peter Parker. Perhaps brash adventurer Peter Quill is more to your taste. We love the action and spectacle of superhero movies. In Washington state, we particularly enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy — the state’s top superhero movie of all time. A recent study combed through…

When Bad Meat is a Good Thing

When Bad Meat is a Good Thing

Choreographer Alice Gosti’s work dives deep

For those watching, it quickly became clear that the group wasn’t a sports team but rather some kind of performance troupe dancing along the footpaths, under the white arches of the Pacific Science Center, and in Memorial Stadium’s concrete breezeways. The bright red jerseys were all emblazoned, front and back, with the same word: MALACARNE.

Clarity: Becoming a Beginner

Clarity: Becoming a Beginner

Change is inevitable. Let’s embrace it.

So, I shut up for the next minute or maybe even two. I stopped listening to what was being said and let my eyes wander around the studio before I began staring distantly at a spot on the wall above the window that looked out into the newsroom. I was like a pinball machine that

The Sea Cowboy

The Sea Cowboy

Nick Mendoza wants his snacks to provoke thought as well as taste

The sea-loving part of him first pursued a career in marine science. He tagged great white sharks in California, researched ways to improve the sustainability of oyster farms in Scotland, and explored the inner workings of a large shrimp farm in Central America. He soon discovered that his advocacy for the ocean could only go

Trees, Whales, Wine

Trees, Whales, Wine

Browne Family Vineyards takes on climate change

Since late last year, Walla Walla’s Browne Family Vineyards has planted more than 120,000 trees in a reforestation effort to mitigate climate change on vineyards and grapes.

The Sights of Sayulita

The Sights of Sayulita

Where to shop, eat, and drink

The best dinner in town is making rounds to the street vendors for tamales and tacos (Gaby’s has the top fish tacos around), but if a sit-down situation is more your speed, then Barracuda or Mary’s offer excellent options from ceviche to shrimp tacos. For a morning boost, Anchor Café offers coffee (the vanilla coconut

The Shores of Sayulita

The Shores of Sayulita

Using Mexican design sensibilities, Seattle architect Robert Humble built a contemporary home and vacation rental

When architect Robert Humble and his wife, Nicole Johnson, first visited Sayulita, Mexico, in 2009, it was the kind of sleepy little town that adventurous travelers hope to stumble upon. Surfers, artists, and yoginis mingled with the local community, and everything moved at a slower pace so often prevalent in tropical climates.

Poodles, Bears, Tattoos

Poodles, Bears, Tattoos

A most unusual gift guide

Back in December 1969, Seattle magazine’s “gift guide” was nothing short of goofy.

The Queen of Neon

The Queen of Neon

Bea Haverfield’s colorful signage helped define Seattle

It all started when I randomly stumbled upon a reference to a female artist who reportedly designed some of Seattle’s most iconic signs back in the 1940s and ’50s. Nothing substantial had been written about this person, but after some preliminary detective work, I was able to contact her surviving daughter, Kathleen Wolff, who was

The Seattle Naturals

The Seattle Naturals

Gaurav Tiwari and Andy Comer are on an unadulterated mission: to bring awareness of naked wine to the masses

Though not a wine critic by any means, I’ve had my fair share of wine from all over the world, even geeking out over Vinho Verde for a time, but I had no clue what a pet-nat was. When a glass of sparkling white wine was placed before me, I liked that its bubbles were

A Painful  Lesson Learned

A Painful Lesson Learned

Regardless of circumstances, when hurt happens open your heart to injured parties

I grew up in a world, or ocean, of systemic white privilege. It’s sometimes hard to see, and sometimes understand, what I haven’t experienced. I was taught to see racism or misogyny or homophobia only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.

Debate, Devour, Divide

Debate, Devour, Divide

How weaponized language spreads disinformation

Now, those on the left are using it to attack one another. In these online spaces, people tend to panic at the idea of being part of the problem. As a result, they try to position themselves as champions of a very perfect model of social justice that quickly shuts down anyone who doesn’t fit.