Bars & Clubs
When the Olympia bar Cryptatropa opened in 2010, people were suspicious. The red lights, the black booths and the funky name had everyone running around like frightened cats. But just like the Goth kid who wore black makeup in junior high, Cryptatropa has captured a following. Black is alluring, people.
Features
There's something green at Olympia burger shack Big Tom - and it's not on the menu, which is bare of all vegetables save the humble potato and a few lonely burger toppings. Instead, it's just about everywhere else. Owner Michael Fritsch has taken the classic drive-in and made it green, with
Outdoors
I'm not a birder. In theory I should be. I mean, I love nature, animals, seeing animals in their world, any reason to get outside and any excuse to travel. Being a birder would facilitate all of these things, but nothing seems more boring to me. Looking through binoculars at
Stage
There's nothing quite like attending a standup comedy open mic. Part of the charm is that it's such a mixed bag: completely new comedians, some others with more experience, comics who've been in the game for a while just swinging through to test out new material. You never know what
Features
If baguettes and levain are The Bread Peddler's bread and butter, the bakery also subscribes at times to the motto, "Let them eat cake." Those hoping for a fresh loaf would be smart to call ahead if they plan to arrive much after noon. But there are plenty of other items
Features
Located on Olympia's 4th Avenue next to the downtown Olympia Transit Center, King Solomon's Reef has been serving traditional American pub fare to generations of Olympians. Its recently updated interior and innovative menu continue to attract both young and old. King Solomon's Reef boasts a menu rich in locally sourced ingredients.
Music
Years ago, I sat in People's Park to attend an intimate, outdoor show featuring Kimya Dawson. Earlier in the show, one of the opening bands played a cover of "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes. Later, when Kimya Dawson sat down to play, and confessed that she had to leave
Bars & Clubs
There's more than just highly drinkable craft beers brewing at the Three Magnets Brewing Co. Owners Nathan (Nate) and Sara Reilly have recently moved their other Olympia enterprise, Darby's, into part of the all-ages side of the huge space, which led to a menu shift on the pub side of
Stage
Scot and Linda Whitney have worked wonders with their professional theater company Harlequin Productions, producing top-flight theater consistently since 1991 with many of the best actors from Seattle to Olympia. Olympia and Tacoma-based actors have told me that Harlequin is the best company in the area to work for, which
Stage
Oly readers, your choice for Best Synergy, Best Dance Company and Best Thing to Happen in 2015 is spot on this year, as the women of TUSH! Burlesque are all about synergy with you. From their first gig, the "Peekaboo Revue," held in September of 2009 at 4th Ave. Tavern,
Bars & Clubs
At Dillingers Cocktails & Kitchen - winner of both Best Creative Cocktails and Best Manhattan - everything old is new again. "Sherilyn (Lightner), who did most of our menus, really stuck to the classics from the twenties and thirties," said Lela Cross, co-founder of Dillingers. "There's a history behind that, and
Travel
Nestled along the western shore of Budd Inlet is Olympia's Westside neighborhood. A short drive from the capitol and only a few blocks from Olympia's trendy downtown area, this historic community boasts an active real estate market with affordable, classic homes, mostly built between 1940 and 1960. The Westside neighborhood
South Sound Cinema
The Capitol Theater, home of Olympia Film Society (OFS) and your choice for Best Movie Theater, Best Sign and Best All-Ages Venue, is a place where miracles happen. In just the last two weeks, Dan Rather relived his downfall at CBS News, a second-generation clone met her genetic ancestor, and
Stage
Eric Overmyer's strange and marvelous comedy, On the Verge, is like a marriage of Tom Stoppard and Monty Python. As presented by Theater Artists Olympia, it is a technical marvel. With little but a few wrapped boxes, some beautiful video projections and a plethora of props, TAO has turned the
Arts
Aaron Badham's playful and inventive sculptures can be seen in the main gallery space in Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, while Rita Robillard's restful and hotly colorful Pacific Northwest landscapes grace the smaller back gallery. I was pleasantly surprised by Badham's sculpture after having seen photographs. They are not as
Reviews
Announcer: One of the benefits of living on the Pacific Rim is the access to amazing foods on both sides of the world's biggest ocean. We are blessed with Asian and Island specialties prepared by those with ties to the regions they present. Cebu, a mainstay at the top of
Music
Every great band deserves a killer breakup album. Beck had his with the lush Sea Change, Chris Isaak had the stone-cold classic Forever Blue, Kanye West had the claustrophobic oversharing of 808s & Heartbreak, and Bob Dylan gave us the anger and sense of betrayal on Blood on the Tracks.
Stage
It's not often we get to break such stories, but a Norse demigod, Thor, has demolished and scattered the fragments of a Cosmic Cube in order to keep it away from his adoptive brother, the trickster deity Loki. The Cube is a battery fashioned by the Beyonders, a higher-dimensional species,
Music
I've spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about a trend among bands that emulate the sounds of ‘60s and ‘70s garage-pop: for whatever reason, a relatively significant number of these bands end up covering "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys at some point in their careers. If I were
Stage
And now for something completely and delightfully different - Circle Mirror Transformation at Olympia Little Theatre, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker and winner of the 2010 Obie Award for Best New American Play. It might seem silly and disjointed at first, but stick with it and you'll be rewarded.