Best of the City 2008
You're about to see your city in a whole new way.
Edited by Jessica VoelkerWith contribution from Christopher Werner, Ben Schock, Kathryn Robinson, Rachelle Robinett, Erin Pursell, Laura Peach, Kelly Huffman, Leah Finn, James Ross Gardner, Lee Fehrenbacher, Stefan Durham, Wilson Diehl, Laura Cassidy, Roger Brooks, Sarah Anderson, and Steve Wiecking
Motorcycles
Inspired by his passion for vintage racing bikes, Seattle native Ian Halcott left the family fudge biz (his wife’s parents own Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory) to open Twinline Motorcycles, and his one-of-a-kind, motorized masterpieces are already dropping jaws in the cycle community. On any given day, Seatown’s seasoned speeders call upon Halcott and crew to build bikes to their exact specifications, track down hard-to-find parts, or just hang out and talk shop. Twinline Motorcycles, 6501 E Marginal Way S, Georgetown, 206-768-8686; www.twinlinemotorcycles.com
Bike Repair
Our city has an uncommon bond with its bicycles. So when our trusty rides fall upon hard times, we don’t let any old tinkerer tune up our recumbents and fixed gears. We call Kenny Hamm, The Bicycle Doctor. Hamm has been traveling around town for 18 years in his parts- and tools-packed truck, bestowing his tender touch on every gear adjustment, brake tightening, and parts inspection. The Bicycle Doctor, 206-789-7336; www.bicycledoctor.com
Image Consultant
Francine Park’s Kirkland boutique Promesse has elevated the Eastside to a fashion-forward burb of the first order, and the influence of her “effortlessly chic” aesthetic can be seen on downtown Seattle’s stylish set as well. When it’s time for a total overhaul Park will come aboard as your personal image consultant, unleashing her considerable expertise (garnered during stints at Prada and Saks Fifth Avenue) on your wardrobe to transform it into a cohesive ready-to-wear wonderland fine-tuned to your tastes and lifestyle. Francine Park, Promesse, 128 Central Way, Kirkland, 425-828-4259; www.shoppromesse.com
Do-Gooder
Ninety percent of life is just showing up, and the staff at Seattle Works knows that’s especially true when it comes volunteering, so they’ve made it easy for our city’s altruistic young adults to turn good intentions into good works. Twenty- and thirtysomethings simply log on to the Works Web site, sign up for one of dozens of fun volunteer events—refurbishing school science kits, restoring parkland—and before they know it, “shoulda, woulda, coulda” turns into “done.” Seattle Works, 312 First Ave N, Ste 200, Lower Queen Anne, 206-324-0808; www.seattleworks.org
Holiday Planners
Even famously laid-back Northwesterners come unhinged around the holidays, but Heather Nelson’s here to help. The owner of a Kirkland-based “virtual administrative services” company, überorganized Nelson opened Holiday Assistants last year, employing a team of tinsel-tossing experts who will do everything from buying (and wrapping!) gifts to frosting cookies, trimming trees, and slinging eggnog. Nelson will even dispatch a personal chef to cook your Christmas dinner (she won’t tell if you don’t). Holiday Assistants, 11410 NE 124th St, Ste 184, Kirkland, 888-627-7525; www.holidayassistants.com
Organizers
Blame it on our passion for recycling: We Seattleites just don’t like to throw things away. Christa Patchen Wagner, founder of Savvy Solutions Organized helps her clutter-bug clients sort out what’s worthy of saving and what’s gotta go. Nostalgic types needn’t stress: Wagner’s service can actually help uncover the important things; she fondly remembers watching a couple unearth a box of their decade-old love letters while cleaning out a storage room. Savvy Solutions Organized, 206-227-5792; www.savvysolutionsllc.com
Published: July 2008