How Seattle Does Summer

Seattle's best swimming holes, prime patios, next-level ice cream, frosé, plus outdoor movie hacks. Also in this issue: a look at Seattle's boat town status, plus an in-depth profile on the Tacoma Refugee Choir.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Monthly Planner

The Top Things to Do in Seattle This July

Eddie Izzard continues his polyglot globe trot, Priests bring the other Washington's punk, and Joan Didion's memoir is a one-woman show.

06/27/2019 By Stefan Milne

Cinematic Hacks

A Guide to Seattle's Outdoor Movie Scene

Where to watch cinema in the open air, with a little something extra.

05/29/2019 By Stefan Milne

Brainy Beach Reads

10 PNW Books to Bring to the Beach

Recent releases with Northwest bona fides.

05/29/2019 By Stefan Milne

Monthly Planner

10 Seattle Events to Catch This June

Our conductor says farewell, Tacocat’s back, and Hannah Gadsby follows up Nanette.

05/29/2019 By Stefan Milne

Loving Death

Jane Wong’s Work Brightly Haunts the Frye

The poet’s new museum exhibition invites you to the table to engage physically with history and its ghosts.

05/29/2019 By Stefan Milne

Hear Here

11 Songs for Sunny Seattle Days

Our localish list of tracks released in the last year.

05/28/2019 By Stefan Milne

Eat & Drink

Into the Frosé Fray

Where to Get a Frosé Brain Freeze in Seattle

4 spots around town serving up the sunny slushy.

05/29/2019 By Rosin Saez

Rosé-Colored Glasses

In Seattle, Frosé Is Here to Stay

Instagram-worthy, delightfully pink—frozen rosé has become the drink of summer. But are we breaking all the wine rules?

05/29/2019 By Rosin Saez

The Chosen Frozen

Taste These Next-Level Seattle Ice Creams

This summer’s best chilled treats put plain scoops to shame.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

Alfresco Dining

The Seattle Outdoor Patio Hall of Fame

Claim your spot at the city’s rooftops or decks.

05/29/2019 By Rosin Saez

Critic's Picks

The Best Restaurants in the South End Right Now

Seattle’s southerly neighborhoods harbor long-standing laid-back restaurants and ambitious newcomers alike.

05/29/2019 Edited by Jaime Archer

Side Dish

Farmstrong Brewing Goes All In on Local Grain

And it definitely wasn’t easy.

05/29/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

Review

Aerlume Brings Destination Dining to the Waterfront

Two veterans of Seattle’s high-end dining scene join forces at a Pike Place Market–adjacent spot.

05/29/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

Shade Index

Seattle’s Most Dubious Ice Cream Flavors

Even worse than butter pecan.

05/29/2019 By Mac Hubbard

Critic's Picks

What We're Eating Now June 2019

This month's favorites: Korean fried chicken, halal Mexican food, and butter mochi waffles worth braving the brunch crowds.

05/29/2019 By Seattle Met Staff

Taste Trend

Lucky Santo Is Clean Eating for People Who Don’t Like the Term “Clean Eating”

Nikki DeGidio’s food is free of gluten and dairy, full of flavor, and poised to be a legit dining movement.

05/29/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

News Feed

Seattle Restaurant News June 2019

This month: abundant bagels, a long-awaited Ballard bar, and a rowdy rosé bash.

05/29/2019 By Rosin Saez

Mr. Beanless

Is Coffeeless Coffee the Next Impossible Burger?

The founders of Atomo have created a purportedly more sustainable coffee—in a lab, without using a single bean.

05/29/2019 By Stefan Milne

Editor's Note

Behind the Scenes

All the World's a Studio

When Seattle tried to rain on our parade, er, June/July issue, we retreated indoors for photo shoots.

05/29/2019 By Jane Sherman

Editor's Note

Summer and the Sound

Society’s collective triumph over the bleakness of winter is the stuff catchy anthems are made of.

05/29/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

Home & Real Estate

Habitat

Rejuvenating Work-Arounds Brighten a Magnolia Kitchen

Designer Allison Lind updates a kitchen—new paint, selective cabinetry—without gutting it.

05/29/2019 By Stefan Milne

News & City Life

Hot Stuff

What Does a Seattle Summer Really Look Like?

Our city’s getting warmer and drier. But cloudy June days? Still very much a thing.

05/29/2019 By Jaime Archer

Fake Freeze

Is It Time for Seattle to Embrace Air Conditioning?

How newcomers and new construction are changing our city's AC landscape.

05/29/2019 By Darren Davis

Dock Watchers

Where to Spot Seattle's Most Venerable Vessels

These seven boats have illustrious histories.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams Illustrations by Jane Sherman

Float On

How Seattle Folk Fit Boat Life into a Crowded City

From fold-up dinghies to commuting by kayak, we do what it takes.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

Art & Craft

This Tiny School Builds Boats the Old Way

Out on the Olympic Peninsula, the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding brings new life to seagoing tradition.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

All Aboard

Sail the Local Seas on These 8 Boat Rentals and Cruises

How to travel our waterways the easy way.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

Boat Town

Seattle Is Defined by Its Maritime Pastimes

From Ballard’s shipyards to the madcap chaos of Duck Dodge, our culture is shaped by the sea.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

How to Score

Quirky Seattle Team Sports to Play in Summer

From boozy mini golf to bike polo, the season starts now.

05/29/2019 By Jaime Archer

Quote Unquote

Citizen University Founder Eric Liu Preaches the Good Word of Civic Engagement

"Democracy works only when enough of us believe democracy works. That’s it!”

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

Explainer

What the Heck Is Blockchain?

If cryptocurrency is virtual cash, blockchain is the security—and it’s only getting bigger.

05/29/2019 By Philip Kiefer

Snap Judgment

Should We Dig a Light Rail Tunnel to West Seattle?

Are forthcoming stations, like the one in West Seattle, a potential $700 million project, worth more construction woes?

05/29/2019 By Philip Kiefer

Waste Not

The Life-Changing Magic of Recycling Right

Seattle startup Ridwell takes what the city’s blue bins won’t.

05/29/2019 By Rosin Saez

NEWSMAKERS

Perfect Party June 2019

Here’s who we’d invite if we could entertain this month’s most interesting visitors, locals, and newsmakers.

05/29/2019 By Seattle Met Staff

Burn Notice

Washington’s Wildfire Season Is Starting Earlier and Ending Later

Does that mean another summer of hazy skies for Seattle?

05/29/2019 By Ciara O'Rourke

Your Best Shot

Reader's Lens June 2019

Each month we choose a photo from Seattle’s Instagram community to highlight in our print issue and online.

05/29/2019

Feature

A Song of Shadow and Light

The Tacoma Refugee Choir formed to reach out to the most vulnerable. Its founder didn't anticipate its impact on her—or her city.

05/28/2019 By James Ross Gardner Photography by Lindsey Wasson

Style & Shopping

Sailor Chic

6 Ways to Get the Nautical Look in Seattle

Seattle shops work that 'Gilligan’s Island' style.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

Elements of Style

Andreya Taylor Is Seattle’s Style Unicorn

Bold patterns, bright, eye-popping colors—the fashion phenom crafts to the rhythm of her own sewing machine.

05/29/2019 By Rosin Saez

Travel & Outdoors

Cannonball

Great Swimming Holes within 2 Hours of Seattle

You don’t even need a boat for water hijinks—just hit the road to the region’s best swimming holes.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

Rainy Day Rescues

What to Do Indoors in Seattle When Bad Weather Strikes

8 places around the city that channel summer vibes, even on cloudy days.

05/29/2019 By Philip Kiefer