Our Top To-do’s for the Week

By Seattle Mag June 16, 2011

0611spotlightmaker_0

Must Play
Game Symphony
Tuesday & Wednesday (6/21–6/22) –
Seattle Symphony is packing two great nerd tastes into one great nerdy evening, with its Play! A Video Game Symphony, in which music from The Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, Halo, Super Mario Bros. and other games is set to strings and choral voices. Not nerdy enough yet? Graphics from the games will be projected above the musicians. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St.; 206.215.4747; seattlesymphony.org

Must Catch Some Rays
Four Local Sun Worship Spots

Sunbathers line up like sardines at Madison Park and Alki Beach, so we’ve collected a few less-crowded places to catch some rays with a side of extra summer goodness. SAM’s Get Out! summer program in the Olympic Sculpture Park includes plein air drawing (supplies provided), free yoga and live music. Or just grab a red chair and watch the ferries traverse the Sound. Belltown, 2901 Western Ave. Take a one-hour drive east to Harvold Berry Farm (Carnation, Highway 203 on the north end of town) in Carnation, where 12 acres of strawberry fields beckon you to a sun-drenched day of picking pleasure. Season starts mid-June. Parents can stake claim to driftwood logs nearby Salty’s Redondo Beach (Des Moines, 28201 Redondo Beach Drive S.) location, while kids busily construct castles in the sand. Coffee and sun are some of the best things our city has to offer (albeit usually in inverse proportions). Get your caffeine fix with a vitamin D boost by basking in Caffè Fiore’s (Queen Anne,  224 W Galer St.) south-facing Adirondack chairs, a perfect place to sip your latté and sun your skin.
Sunbathers line up like sardines at Madison Park and Alki Beach, so we’ve collected a few less-crowded places to catch some rays with a side of extra summer goodness.

Must Drink
Washington Brewers Festival
Friday –  Sunday (6/17 – 6/19) –
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” so get giddy with dad this Father’s Day weekend at the Washington Brewers Festival, a malted showcase of 64 Washington-based craft brewers and more than 150 beers. Admission includes six 5.5-ounce tastes from local breweries, such as Schooner Exact Brewing, Pike Brewing and Georgetown Brewing. Tasters should also be on the lookout for the roaming beer bar, which is flush with slightly bizarre creations (the peanut butter and mango beers each got thumbs up last year) and the brewer’s keg toss (there’s nothin’ like watching burly men toss empty kegs into a swimming pool!). Those who aren’t beer lovers will be sated by the newly expanded cider- and wine-tasting section with samples from the likes of Tieton Cider Works (more on Tieton on page 90) and William Church Winery (try the gold medalist 2008 Syrah), and myriad food carts to help even out the beer buzz, toting everything from Southern-style barbecue and Bratwurst to Bluebird ice cream. $20 in advance, $25 at the door; additional tastes can be purchased, $1.50 for a 5.5-ounce taste or four for $5. Friday, 4–9 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.–9 p. m.; Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Saint Edward State Park, Kenmore, 14445 Juanita Drive NE; washingtonbeer.com

Must Lit
Filter Release Party
Friday (6/17) –
Jennifer Borges Foster, poet and chief editor of Filter (available at tickerfinch.etsy.com; $50–$70), a limited edition, hand-bound literary journal is unveiling its latest issue at the Fremont Abbey. If the third edition is anything like past issues of Filter, which have been embellished with stitching, folded compartments and screen prints, lit nerds would be wise to pick up a copy of this limited edition work of art. 7:30 p.m. Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave. N; 206.414.8325; fremontabbey.org

 

Follow Us