December 2015

UW Researchers Find a Way to Link Two Brains Together

UW Researchers Find a Way to Link Two Brains Together

The power of the human mind makes brain-to-brain communication a possibility

Who would’ve thought that the old parlor game 20 Questions would help researchers link two brains together? University of Washington researchers at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences used the game to help them learn how to read minds. Who would’ve thought that the old parlor game 20 Questions would help researchers link two…

Sip and Savor at Jude's Old Town Bar

Sip and Savor at Jude’s Old Town Bar

Jude’s Old Town bar brings a cozy neighborhood feel to Rainier Beach

When you walk into Jude’s Old Town in Rainier Beach, you’ll wish this bar were in your neighborhood. Unless you live in Rainier Beach—then you just feel lucky. Jude’s is a perfect place to have nearby: comfortable,family friendly and fun, without pretensions—the kind of spot where you want to become a regular. Opened by Rainier…

Cornish Bridges the Gap Between Art and Tech

Cornish Bridges the Gap Between Art and Tech

Cornish College of the Arts adapts programs and facilities to the tech-savvy 21st century

Amid the hustle and bustle of the South Lake Union tech industry, students and staff at Cornish College of the Arts are asking how they can ensure their field has a future. Much of modern art involves collaborating with technology and other artists. “At Cornish we believe in the flexibility and adaptability of art,” says…

Pop! Figures Take the Novelty World By Storm

Pop! Figures Take the Novelty World By Storm

Seattle-based company, Funko, produces collectibles treasured by kids and grown-ups alike

Walking into Funko’s colorful, 200,000-square-foot warehouse in Everett is like discovering the best-kept secret toy factory in the world. Piled up to the ceiling sit the company’s signature hot seller: the stylized, irresistibly cute Pop! figures, with their oversize bobbleheads and big eyes. You’ve likely seen the movie, comic or TV-show inspirations for the figures,…

Are Doughnuts the New Cupcakes?

Are Doughnuts the New Cupcakes?

Local foodies are giving doughnuts their (next) moment in Seattle history

In the kitchen of her Ballard home, Renee Erickson lifts pillowy, freshly fried doughnuts from a pot of boiling oil. She rolls them in sugar and then—creating a gourmet version of a grandmother’s classic—fills them with purple swirls of huckleberry cream, lush lashings of intense coffee custard and other experimental flavors for the General Porpoise doughnut…

Sparkling Wine for Holiday (and Everyday) Celebrations

Sparkling Wine for Holiday (and Everyday) Celebrations

Paul Zitarelli’s guide to this season's bubbliest companions for entertaining

For most wine lovers, the EF Score for sparkling wine is off the charts. (Never heard of an EF Score? That’s probably because I just invented it. Patent pending.) EF stands for enjoyment multiplied by frequency, and it’s a handy construct for figuring out whether you’re buying the right wines. Ask yourself: How much did…

10 Classic Seattle Restaurants that Still Shine

10 Classic Seattle Restaurants that Still Shine

These retro eateries offer experiential tastes of Seattle

Many classic Seattle restaurants have been around for a while: Canlis is celebrating its 65th year, El Gaucho is an elder statesman of the Seattle scene, and SkyCity at the Space Needle casts its long historic shadow over the city. And then there are the restaurants that have stood their ground for two decades or…

The Cost of Staying in Seattle

The Cost of Staying in Seattle

How do native Seattleites navigate major changes occurring within the city?

The city is changing, affordability is worse than ever, and longtime communities are “hollowing out,” as Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant has described a Central District that is no longer an African-American enclave. And then there’s Ballard, where you can’t buy “fresh” lutefisk anymore. Missives from the departed, like civic suicide notes, lament the…

Taichi Kitamura Shares His Favorite Seaweed Dishes

Taichi Kitamura Shares His Favorite Seaweed Dishes

Sushi Kappo Tamura's owner and chef dishes about the edible sea plant that packs healthy nutrients

Seaweed, long revered in Japanese culture, is available as close as Puget Sound. But can we simply stroll down to Golden Gardens and harvest some fresh kelp for eating? “Yes,” says Taichi Kitamura, owner and chef at Sushi Kappo Tamura in Eastlake. “All seaweed is edible; it is just a matter of tasting good or…

Food We Love: Avocado Toast at The Fat Hen

Food We Love: Avocado Toast at The Fat Hen

The Ballard restaurant offers a delicious and wallet-friendly version of the trendy dish

Growing up, my favorite after-school snack was a piece of toasted white bread smeared with avocado. Today, chefs across the nation have elevated this comfort food to be among the trendiest of appetizers. My favorite version is at The Fat Hen in Ballard. There, chef and co-owner Massimo Gallo covers a thick slice of levain…

The 9 1/2 Block Strategy is in Effect, But Are Citizens Safer?

The 9 1/2 Block Strategy is in Effect, But Are Citizens Safer?

Seattle police began cleaning up a seedy section of downtown months ago to target and reduce crime

When the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Mayor Ed Murray’s office rolled out the 9 1/2 Block Strategy to clean up crime in a chunk of downtown last April, the city cheered. After all, for years Seattle’s unsavory elements had turned those areas between Westlake Park and Pike Place Market and between Union and Stewart…

The Best Holiday Drinks

Pop open some bubbly, grab a local cider or consider pairing beer with an elegant holiday dinner

One of the first things that comes to mind when we think holiday celebrations is popping open some bubbly. For good reason; it is essentially a party in a bottle. Sparkling wines come from across the globe, but why not celebrate with the real deal, with those from the Champagne region of France. We’ve got…