Best Camping Spots: Not-so-Roughing It

In case sleeping on the ground is more than you can stomach.

GLAMPINGStructurally, it might not be so different from the accommodations at that overnight camp you went to as a kid, but, nowadays, staying in a canvas-walled platform tent is referred to as “glamping” (short for glamorous camping)—at least as far as us pampered grownups are concerned. And pampered you will be if you get your…

Seattle Mag

Grey Matters: Built to Spill

Knute Berger is looking for a warm, dry place to celebrate Seattle's can't-do spirit

Built to SpillSummer thrives as a testament to the can-do spirit of the people of Seattle. For the first time in 90 years (except for an understandable hiatus during World War II), we were about to face a summer without a July 4 public fireworks display. There was no one to pay for it in…

Knute Berger

Hot Button: Class Struggles

In pursuit of excellence and equal opportunity, Seattle Public Schools has to convince parents that

Seattle Public Schools will reverse a longstanding tradition of allowing parents to choose their kids’ schools when it phases in a new “neighborhood school” student assignment plan in September for students in kindergarten, sixth and ninth grades. The district rewrote its 30-year-old boundaries and is now assigning students to schools closer to their homes. The…

Karen West

Craving: Margaritas

Nothing like a cold margarita on a hot July day.

Nothing like a cold margarita on a hot July day. Here are five winners, all scratch margaritas using fresh citrus juice and house-made sweet-and-sour mix. We ordered them on the rocks in 16-ounce “pounders,” with and without salted rims. Alicia Arter La Carta de OaxacaThe brisk house margarita is invigorating, made with un-aged Sauza Silver…

Alicia Arter and Allison Austin Scheff

Trend: Test Drive The Tesla Sport Roadster

Seattle drivers are among the early adopters of all things green, so we took electric cars for a spi

Plug ’n’ Play To anyone who has opened up a Christmas present only to be stymied by “batteries not included,” I present the 2010 Tesla Sport roadster. Through the generosity of Tesla Motors on Westlake Avenue, I opened up a Tesla on the Alaskan Way Viaduct the other day. About 6,800 lithium batteries—the kind that…

John Levesque

Out To Lunch: Sweet Iron Waffles

Waffles for lunch? Sweet Iron Waffles makes a distinctly persuasive argument

Category: seattlepi.com teaser headlines Waffles for lunch? Sweet Iron Waffles makes a distinctly persuasive argument The waffle iron at Sweet Iron Waffles is a beast. It is to your home waffle maker as a Siberian tiger is to your cat. It runs on 50,000 volts of electricity and figures in the murder of a…

Matthew Amster-Burton

Scoop: Bluegrass Festivals

Seattle may not be known for its bustling bluegrass scene (yet!), but fans can attest that the North

Seattle may not be known for its bustling bluegrass scene (yet!), but fans can attest that the Northwest string scene is thriving—with a staggering number of locally grown bluegrass bands and festivals throughout the summer. This month, the 70-year-old musical genre is in full bloom, with a bounty of area festivals showcasing recent subgenres like…

Eran Afner

Meet The Producer: Alvarez Farm

Since 1992, Alvarez Farm has provided a little of Seattle's summertime heat

Hilario “Larry” Alvarez is a jolly rancher who grows 155 kinds of peppers on his farm in Mabton, Washington. He has grown all his peppers organically since he started Alvarez Farm in 1992, and credits organic farming with making his business successful. About 25 of Alvarez’s peppers (which sell for $1.99 to $10 per pound,…

Alicia Arter and Allison Austin Scheff

Scoop: W.C. Afield

If nature calls while you're in the Wedgewood neighborhood, make use of Seattle's first public compo

W.C. AfieldGardeners at Wedgwood’s Picardo Farm P-Patch have new cause for relief—a composting toilet. Similar to toilets installed on U.S. Forest Service land, the Clivus Multrum M54 Trailhead single-station model arrived on the scene in April, acquired and installed with the help of a $15,000 City Neighborhood Matching Fund award. Dubbed “the Picaloo” by the…

Jamie Trudel

Road Trip: Steveston

Wild salmon awaits you in Steveston, B.C.

WHERE: Steveston, a picturesque fishing village in Richmond, B.C., south of Vancouver. WHY: The 65th annual Salmon Festival takes place July 1 (aka Canada Day). DON’T MISS: The parade of floats, marching bands and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, plus carnival rides, belt-sander drag races and the massive salmon bake (1,200 pounds of wild salmon…

Elaine Hayes

The Must List: July

Our Top To-Do's For July

See the Rockets’ Red GlareFourth of July FireworksThanks to the initiative—and donations—of Tom Douglas, Dave Ross and countless local citizens, Seattle’s last remaining in-city fireworks show was rescued in April after nearly fizzling out from a lack of corporate sponsorship. Time to enjoy the star-spangled fruits of our labors! We recommend walking or biking to…