Guides
Hikers and campers: as you descend into the depths of the Pacific Northwest forests for adventure this summer, you do know to beware of wild animals, right? Of course you do! However, did you know there's one rare creature that's so unusual, so large and so formidable it will either leave you
Guides
When we say "King John," what's the first thing that springs to mind? "I find it intriguing," Scott Douglas notes, "that Shakespeare left out any reference to either the Magna Carta or Robin Hood - the two things modern folk recognize about John." Douglas is a well-respected actor and member
Guides
It's getting ridiculous. Everything good nowadays is called sexy. However, it may not be so ridiculous to call the path around Olympia's Capitol Lake or the boardwalk at Percival Landing sexy, not if you consider watching walkers and runners of all shapes, sizes, ages and genders a sexy activity, especially
Guides
Tis the season ... for eating. Sure, that is usually a statement applied to the winter holidays, but let's get real, dinner surrounded by snot nosed distant cousins and crazy uncles are not all they're cracked up to be. Summer, however, equate to glorious sunny days, long walks and waterfronts,
Guides
Summertime and great music are the perfect pair in the Pacific Northwest. The region plays host to a wide variety of music festivals during the season, many are summer traditions. And with the eclectic variety, there's literally musical goodness for everyone. And 2015 is no exception. Here are some of the festivals happening
Guides
I remember fighting with my brother to see which one of us would sit in the front seat of my parent's station wagon. A 1966 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon, it possessed 390 cubic inches of power captured in eight cylinders and controlled by a three speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission. I usually lost
Features
For the guest, it all begins with plating. As each dish arrives, it displays flawless presentation and resembles an edible work of art that speaks volumes even before the first bite. Seasonal menus are making their debut everywhere, but for many, it's not so much about image or branding as
Arts
After a too-long hiatus, Salon Refu is back with a vengeance with "Strangely Familial," painted mixed-media constructions by Nathan Barnes. What a strange, exciting and beautiful show! The show consists mostly of "pop-surreal" portraits of the artist's close friends and family. (I put "pop surreal" in quotes because I've been told
Music
My understanding of progressive rock was largely informed by my dad, and the incessant noodling he exposed me to from an early age. It was obnoxious and fascinating, this gauntlet of bands that stubbornly refused to compose music that was immediately pleasant to the ears. After years of growing up
Music
[LO-FI NOISE POP] + FRI, MAY 1 Seattle quartet Versing are masters of lo-fi noise pop. Somehow both stripped down and soaked with fuzz, Versing evoke the deadpan rock of '90s icons like Pavement and Guided By Voices, taking turns with quiet, introspective pop and anthemic rock. The guitars are unimpeachable,
Stage
Clearly, I should've read David Sedaris before 2000. That, however, is when friends nagged me into reading Me Talk Pretty One Day, Sedaris' collection of humorous essays about moving to Normandy, France. It won him the 2001 Thurber Prize for American Humor, and I can tell you I've never laughed
Stage
She's influenced a great many artists since her arrival in the late 1970s, but there can only be one Sandra Bernhard. She made her bones when few female comics were household names. She earned a Best Supporting Actress award from the National Society of Film Critics for her performance in
Outdoors
Ten years ago, Justin Johnson's mentor at REI posted a trip on the company's breakroom wall. Not just any trip. A perfect trip, one that Johnson could name drop during his full-time gig outfitting campers with tents, stoves and dehydrated food. Paul Dornish's idea? Cross the greater Arctic National Wildlife
Arts
This weekend, Olympia gets artsy and wild at the 50th Arts Walk and 21st annual Procession of the Species. The streets of Olympia will be filled with music, street performers and people interested in seeing art and being seen - and, on Saturday afternoon, with a lion, a giraffe, polar bears
Features
When you envision what a "Spring Sweets Baking Class" looks like, you are likely to break out in a sweat and be reminded of working alongside flour-covered counters with your granny. You may fear what side effects such a class will have on your waistline. Fear not, friends, because Happy
Music
Why are the soundtracks to John Hughes movies so popular, so evergreen? Nostalgia can't answer every question, despite how much Buzzfeed and Jimmy Fallon insist that it can and should. It's also not just because the soundtracks to Hughes' movies contain, arguably, the best of the best of '80s pop
Arts
Sometimes, the process of writing pulls me down a deep rabbit hole. Such was the case with Gritty City Sirens and their upcoming pair of reprise performances of Adventures in OZ. I searched for the burlesque troupe on YouTube and found one of their self-promotional videos. The music for that
Food Matters
CHOCOLATE TOUR Participating businesses in Tacoma's Sixth Avenue neighborhood invite you to drop by for chocolates noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25. Stroll around the district and collect chocolates from more than 25 locally owned and operated small businesses. Bring a friend and find your new favorite place to shop,
Stage
The latest show at the gallery at The Evergreen State College is a two-person show with longtime and recently retired TESC art faculty members Susan Aurand and Lucia Harrison. Each has taught both art and science classes, and each brings meticulous observation of nature to their work. Stylistically they are
Critics' Picks
[SINGER-SONGWRITER] + FRI, APRIL 17 When most singer-songwriters show up at open mics, what you can expect is a series of weepy ladies and gentlemen strumming away on acoustic guitars. In direct opposition to these expectations, what you will find Friday at the New Frontier Lounge is a horse of a