Features

35 NORTHWEST PLAYGROUNDS
Our region has more mountains, rivers, peninsulas, and vistas than any one person will ever be able to scale, raft, or trek in their lifetime, much less one summer. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. We spent months testing the terrain and listening in as fellow Northwesterners bragged about their adventures. Check out page 65 for a summer’s worth of great outdoor adventures in the water, on the ground, and high in the sky.
by Courtney Nash

Hit Singles
Meet the dating coaches and social organizers who help Seattle singles discover that one is not the loneliest number. Plus: Win a date at Seattle Met’s celebrity singles auction.
by Roger Brooks, Jessica Voelker, and Steve Wiecking
photography by Charlie Schuck

Give Back the Night
We live bathed in illumination; even when we sleep, streetlights leak in our windows and our clocks and VCRs blink and glow. No wonder we can’t see the Milky Way.
by Eric Scigliano

Splish Splash
Bathrooms today are big and bright, retreats designed to pamper yourself and melt away stress. Join us for a soak in some spectacular tubs.
by Roger Brooks with Chris Werner
photography by Will Austin

DEPARTMENTS

Mudroom
Mysteries of the deep, bears on (melting) ice, a fancy flight from LA, and a chat with Phil Donahue.

Cornershop
Get a fresh spin on vinyl and go analog at classic sound emporiums.
by Paul Fontana

Spree
Celebrate the family tree with woody gifts for dads and grads.
by Laura Cassidy

Style Counsel
Shoe man Assaf Ziv reports on the allure of Seattle style.
by Laura Cassidy

Snapshots
Pets prance in fancy dress for the Seattle Humane Society, singers hit high C’s at the Seattle Opera Gala, and dancers twirl at Velocity’s Annual Bash.

Asking Price
Beauty on the outside can make the sale.
by Ashley Griffin

Rainmakers
A finance wunderkind reinvents the loan-processing business.
by Manny Frishberg

Past Lives
William O. McKay put Seattle on wheels, Seafair on the calendar, and romance under the hood.
by Michael Dobrin

Urban Brawl
Filling up with biofuel may not be the green thing to do.
by Manny Frishberg

SeaTown Diary
A girl’s school crush interferes with a budding romance.
by Wilson Diehl

Weekend Pass
A mighty wind blows new life into Long Beach.
by Jim Gullo

Dig
Turn the garden into a sweet home for hummers.
by Mary Robson

Dish
Fatty pork belly is your ticket to hog heaven.
by Jess Thomson

Pour
Merlot fights back, and summer ale tastes of jasmine.
by Christina Kelly

Last Look
Where the wild things are.

CITY GUIDES

Dining Out
A lesson in dry-aged steak from Capital Grille, plus critic’s picks for over 90 dining experiences.
by Kathryn Robinson

On the Town
Met Picks for shows you shouldn’t miss this month, and a Task master turns ordinary chores into improvisational art in The Green Room.