Talking Shop
Retail recommendations from celebrated Seattleites.
Clothes:
Blackbird
5410 22nd Ave. N.W.; 206-547-2524
“It has that Brooklyn aesthetic but run through a darker Seattle filter. They sell Cire Trudon candles, Comme des Garçons zip-around wallets, and other Japanese brands.” —Chris Benz, fashion designer and Seattle native
Furniture:
Galen Lowe Art & Antiques
964 Denny Way; 206-622-1225
“Lowe [scouts for] parts in Japan and then reimagines them as new objects. For instance, he might turn a piece of manufacturer’s eyeglass into a light-distorting artwork.” —Tom Kundig, principal at Olson Kundig Architects
Booze:
DeLaurenti’s
1435 First Ave.; 206-622-0141
“This specialty Italian grocery store, right in the heart of the Pike Place Market, has all the basics, but also 40 bitters and a ton of esoteric vermouths and amari, many from tiny producers.”—Murray Stenson, bartender at Canon
Books:
The Elliot Bay Book Company
1521 Tenth Ave.; 206-624-6600
“It’s in a remodeled warehouse with a café serving beer and espresso. This is not your quiet bookstore; it’s a cultural center. It feels alive.”—Jim Lynch, author of Truth Like the Sun, a novel set at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair
Music:
Easy Street Records
20 Mercer St.; 206-691-3279
“The in-store performances are great, and the staff is chill. They have vinyl, CDs, and merch, plus local and international music. I go here to find new things.”—Catherine Harris-White of hip-hop duo THEESatisfaction
Urban Amalgams
In-demand neighborhoods and their New York City equivalents.
Do this: Browse obscure comics at Fantagraphics Bookstore (1201 S. Vale St.); pose with a 22-foot-tall pair of cowboy boots in Oxbow Park (6430 Corson Ave. S.); and swill Manny’s Pale Ale at Georgetown Brewing Company (5200 Denver Ave. S.).
Do this: Day-drink on the outdoor patio at Red Door (3401 Evanston Ave. N.); comb the nearby stalls at the Fremont Sunday Street Market; and stand in the shadow of a seven-ton bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin (600 N. 36th St.).
Do this: Rent a rowboat at the Center for Wooden Boats (1010 Valley St.); learn to make dim sum at the Hipcooks school (217 Yale Ave. N.); and rub shoulders with caffeinated Amazonians at Espresso Vivace Alley 24 (227 Yale Ave. N.).
A Night Out in Sub Pop Rock City
With label co-founder Jonathan Poneman.
5 p.m. Linda’s Tavern (707 E. Pine St.) is the first creation of restaurateur Linda Derschang; I am a co-owner of it. When Linda’s first opened in 1994, Capitol Hill was a pretty abandoned area, but now it’s club central. Linda’s has a wonderful jukebox and groovy patio. Beautiful people of all ages drop in there and hang out.
7 p.m. West 5 (4539 California Ave. S.W.) is an establishment much frequented by the Sub Pop staff, who all live in West Seattle. It has a great selection of beers. About fifteen years ago, a lot of musicians and artists moved out there. It went from being a solid, middle-class neighborhood to being a middle-class neighborhood with hipsters.
10 p.m. Tractor Tavern (5213 Ballard Ave. N.W.) and the Sunset Tavern (5433 Ballard Ave. N.W.) are two classic music venues right down the street from each other. These clubs aren’t grungy; they’re dingy.
10 a.m. The best place to sober up the next morning is Lighthouse Roasters (400 N. 43rd St.). You’ve heard of Stumptown in Portland? The person who founded Stumptown learned to make coffee at Lighthouse.