The New Insider’s Guide to Seattle

What Every Seattleite Needs to Know  

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Open Letter

Dear Steampunk Nerds:

An open letter on the occasion of the second annual Seattle Steamposium.

09/01/2015

Faux Real

Great (Fake) Moments in Seattle Hip-Hop History

As MOHAI opens its Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop exhibit, we look at some less fact-checked moments that defined the scene.

08/31/2015 By Seth Sommerfeld

Mudroom

Perfect Party September 2015

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

08/31/2015 By Seattle Met Staff

Met Picks

The Top Things to See or Do in Seattle: September 2015

Jonathan Franzen searches for Purity in the Internet age, and Seattle Symphony and Pacific Northwest Ballet begin their new seasons in style

08/31/2015 By Seth Sommerfeld

Festivals

This Is the End of One Reel as We Know It

After producing Bumbershoot for 35 years, the nonprofit promoter has become a shell of its former self.

08/28/2015 By Seth Sommerfeld

I'm New Here

A Seattle Arts Primer

A cultural cheat sheet of the best art walks, Broadway-bound plays and musicals, required reading from local authors, and trends in music including a mixtape of Seattle sounds.

08/21/2015 By Seth Sommerfeld

I'm New Here

Blue Friday, Explained

Or: why Seattleites wear jerseys on Fridays.

08/20/2015 By Seattle Met Staff

Eat & Drink

Dining Out

Some of Our Favorite Restaurant Arrivals from the Past Year

If you haven't tried these spots yet, make plans now.

09/24/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Washington Wine 2015

The Top 10 Washington Wines

We sampled, scrutinized, and ranked over 1,000 wines to come up with this year’s list. These 10 ­bottles—the best of the best—shine above all others.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Bubbles, Dessert, and Our Methodology

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Cellar-Worthy Reds

Opening aged bottles is part of the joy of collecting and drinking wine. Here are six wines that deserve a place in the cellar.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Wines with a Sense of Place

Winemakers strive each year to capture the essence of a particular vineyard and vintage. Here are five that unequivocally put that genie in the bottle.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Top Red Blends

Washington winemakers can—and do—blend just about every ­imaginable variety. Here are this year’s best results.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

The Wild West

Our state grows over 40 different grape varieties. Here are six wines from less common varieties—the Washington wine frontier.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Top Malbec

Malbec has been getting a lot of buzz in Washington lately as acreage increases and more winemakers experiment with varietal bottlings. These wines realize malbec’s promise.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Top White Wines

While Washington reds have the reputation for quality, the state still makes an abundance of top-flight white wines. Here are this year’s best.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Top Cabernet Sauvignon

These bottles explain why this remains the state’s most planted grape variety.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Top Merlot

Washington has long made some of the world’s finest examples of merlot, typically more muscular and tannic than those found elsewhere in the world. Here are five of the state’s finest.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Top Syrah

Further proof that 2012 was one of the best years ever for Washington syrah.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Washington Wine 2015

Top Grenache

Still a niche variety with only 268 acres planted in Washington (by comparison, cabernet has over 14,000), grenache is producing some of the state’s best wines.

09/09/2015 By Sean P. Sullivan

Trends

Seattle’s New Kid-Friendly Restaurant Paradigm

There’s a new breed of kid-friendly restaurant in town. The kind you might actually want to visit.

08/25/2015 By Allecia Vermillion

Review

Chávez Comes to Capitol Hill from the Streets of Durango

One of the city’s finest new restaurants transports the flavors of northern Mexico.

08/24/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

I'm New Here

A Pike Place Market Shopping Crawl

Yes, locals do buy stuff here.

08/20/2015 By Allecia Vermillion

I'm New Here

Washington Oysters, Declassified

These delicate bivalves are the ultimate way to taste the essence of this region.

08/20/2015 By Allecia Vermillion

I'm New Here

The 7 Inevitable Seattle Restaurant Recommendations

These are Seattle’s standards, from greasy midnight burgers to the city’s lone restaurant with a dress code. You’ll hear these restaurant names a lot. But should you actually dine there?

08/20/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

I'm New Here

4 Archetypal Seattle Coffee Experiences

A user's guide.

08/20/2015 By Darren Davis Illustrations by Mike Holm

I'm New Here

Every Single Starbucks in Seattle, Ranked

To live in this town is to have strong opinions about Seattle’s homegrown world-dominating coffee empire. So we ranked all 104 stores.

08/17/2015 By Allecia Vermillion With Christina Tiberio

Editor's Note

Editor's Note

Block in a Hard Place

Coping with Seattle’s rapid growth.

09/01/2015 By James Ross Gardner

Home & Real Estate

Habitat

A Central District Townhome's Eclectic Makeover

Interior designer Sara Knowles gives a contemporary town house a harmonious finish—on a deadline.

08/31/2015 By Angela Cabotaje

I'm New Here

Where to Live Now in Seattle

A look at seven of the city's most distinct neighborhoods.

08/24/2015 By Darren Davis

News & City Life

Questions Answered

The Museum of Flight Turns 50

And museum trustee John Purvis has been working with airplanes for about as long.

09/01/2015 By Darren Davis

Explainer

Inside Seattle’s Universal Pre-K Plan

What you need to know before shipping your toddlers off to this publicly funded program.

09/01/2015 By Matthew Halverson

I'm Old Here

What Does It Take to Become a Seattle Native?

Few cities maintain such a fierce demarcation between its citizens who arrived and its citizens who belong.

08/31/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Cover Story

I’m New Here: A User’s Guide to the Emerald City

Unpacking the myths and truths—politics, weather, traffic, food, legal pot—of Seattle for newcomers and longtimers alike. Plus, tales of arrival from an Amazon employee, an Ethiopian refugee, and Sasha Mehdi, age one.

08/21/2015 By Seattle Met Staff

I'm New Here

A Crib Sheet for Seattle Politics

Some cocktail party conversation starters, if you will.

08/21/2015 By Seattle Met Staff

I'm New Here

Debunking a Few Seattle Myths

Is everyone a die-hard liberal? And what about that "Seattle Freeze" thing?

08/21/2015 By Allison Williams

I'm New Here

Seattle Weather 101

Guess what? We don't actually get that much rain.

08/20/2015 By David Laskin

I'm New Here

The Seattle Process

We do things slow here.

08/20/2015 By Hanna Brooks Olsen

I'm New Here

Guyo Dreams of Driving

For African refugee Fatumo Guyo, Seattle is a blur of graveyard shifts and a better life.

08/20/2015 By Allison Williams

I'm New Here

How to Be Carless in Seattle

Car and bike shares, public transit, and—gasp—jaywalking around town.

08/20/2015 By Allison Williams

I'm New Here

Brian Schlenker Is a Tech Transplant

Meet one member of Amazon’s rapidly expanding horde.

08/20/2015 By Matthew Halverson

I'm New Here

The 30-Second Intro to Legal Marijuana

You know it's legal. Now what?

08/20/2015 By Seattle Met Staff

I'm New Here

How to Pronounce Puyallup

How to really say local place names, including one that rhymes with “cocaine.”

08/20/2015 By Allison Williams

I'm New Here

A Miller, a Madame, and the Birth of Seattle

It’s kind of a cute story.

08/20/2015 By Matthew Halverson Illustrations by Joseph Laney

I'm New Here

She's *Really* New Here

Meet Sasha Medhi, face of Seattle’s future.

08/19/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Behind The Scenes

How We Got That Shot: Michael Bennett

A behind the scenes peek at our photo shoot with the Seahawks defensive end.

08/14/2015

Quote Unquote

The Seahawks’ Michael Bennett Tells It Like It Is

"I hit him and I was like, 'Hey, Peyton! I hate your commercials!' Aaron Rodgers, same thing. He portrays himself like he’s a normal guy, but he’s supercocky."

08/14/2015 By Matthew Halverson

Style & Shopping

Elements of Style

Hippie Fashion Exhibit ‘Counter-Couture’ Is Coming to Bellevue Arts Museum

Local designer Michael Cepress brings a study of groovy threads and their cultural impact to BAM this month.

08/24/2015 By Amanda Zurita

Travel & Outdoors

Destinations

Northwest Travel Dispatch, Fall 2015

Where you'll want to go, and what's happening there.

08/27/2015 By Allison Williams