At a dear friend’s suggestion, my husband and I signed up for a six-day trip in the Frank Church Wilderness, one of the longest stretches of protected wilderness in the United States. It was run by Middle Fork River Expeditions, and it came with six experienced river guides, all men and one woman. Madeline oversaw the week’s assignments and handled communication with the 18 of us, and right from the start, also showed her talent as a guide and oarsperson.    I had confidence in the team, even though this river had rapids that were rated as Class III and IV (translation: a little ..read more

Winter in Seattle is a magical time for holiday lights, cool walks with hot beverages, and the occasional dusting of snowfall on our beautiful parks. Winter is also, paradoxically, the ideal time to get out of town. As the skies darken and the days get shorter, the lure of adventure tempts. Here are some ideas for winter escapes that will ignite the bonfires of travel as soon as the temperature drops. Northern Lights in the Yukon Sometimes it’s fun to zig when others zag. When the neighbors tell you they’re going to Mexico for the umpteenth year in a row, tell them you’re off in search of more ..read more

In the March/April issue of this magazine, I wrote an article about the problems with Seattle’s music scene and how we can fix them. There’s a lot to be desired in Seattle’s music scene — like more regular, paying gigs for musicians at local establishments and a more reasonable volume level at venues across the city — but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention all the people on the ground working to make those (and other) changes happen. KEXP, The Vera Project, and MoPop are probably the oldest and most well-known music nonprofits in Seattle. KEXP, a public radio station founded in 1972, boasts app ..read more

A scene reminiscent of old Europe will be on full display at Seattle Center this holiday season when the city’s first-ever Seattle Christmas Market opens for a monthlong celebration. Inspired by historic German Christmas markets, the Seattle Christmas Market opened Nov. 24 and runs through Christmas Eve at Fisher Pavilion and South Fountain lawn at Seattle Center. The European-style outdoor Christmas village and community marketplace will feature festive decorations, daily live entertainment, sweet and savory treats, and handcrafted gifts. It will also boast a 50-foot walkthrough Christmas tre ..read more

Joy Shigaki spent countless hours as a child exploring Seattle’s beautiful city parks. She is now a leader in the innovative and ambitious effort to completely revitalize and transform the city’s waterfront. Shigaki is president and CEO of Friends of Waterfront Seattle, the nonprofit group helping fund, program, and steward the new 20-acre Waterfront Park. When finished in 2025, the park will stretch from Belltown to Pioneer Square and will connect the core of the city to Salish Sea, the Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, the beauty of Mount Rainier and the Olympics, and people to one another ..read more

I love my daughter. Although I’m not sure she’s my daughter. I now call her my child. My little monkey. Sparky. Love of my life. My kiddo. But never, ever, my little girl, even though she attends Seattle Girls School. Because when Valen turned 11 last year, she told her mother and I that she wants her pronouns to be “he/him” and “they.” (In this piece, I’ll refer to them as one of the names they’ve taken on, “Valen.”) I knew that having kids later in my life meant that I’d be a culturally challenged Daddy. But I never imagined I’d be navigating pronouns. It’s been tough enough shedding the alm ..read more

An initiative launched in Seattle encourages residents to spend money at Black-owned businesses, starting on Black Friday. Called Black Black Friday, the movement was organized by Laura Clise, founder and CEO of the Intentionalist, an online directory of thousands of small businesses owned by women, people of color, veterans, LBGTQ+, families, and differently abled people, and executives from Seattle creative agency DNA, one of the few Black and LGBTQ+ owned businesses in the United States. Clise was one of Seattle magazine’s Most Influential people in 2020. The website lists more than 100&nbs ..read more

A few years ago, a thief brazenly used a pair of bolt cutters to snip the wires securing several high-end purses at the former Macy’s department store in downtown Seattle. He then calmly left the store. Retail theft remains a driver of numerous store closures throughout the city — Target and Bartell Drugs are two recent examples. Now, a Forbes Advisor Report finds that retail crime across Washington state is the worst in the country. Retail theft here is 48% higher than the national average, and the value of stolen goods equates to $347 per resident, twice that of the national average. The stu ..read more

Four friends are sitting around a bar in Sweden, sharing a few drinks and catching up. One turns to another and says, “Do you think we can swim and run 75 kilometers up the coastline of Stockholm?” After a few more drinks and perhaps a little chest puffing, a plan was set in motion. The next day, the friends, having split up into teams of two, raced each other across islands and open water, finishing in a small town where the losers had to buy the winners dinner, hotel rooms, and more drinks. Sound like a bit of a tall tale? The roots of swimrun aren’t made up and have become legend in this up ..read more

A year ago, 23-year-old Anika wouldn’t have recognized the person she is today, emerging from a scattered and difficult past with deep gratitude for the support she’s received.  “My journey has been broken, lots of broken roads, and very narrow,” says Anika, who asked that her last name not be used. “But I’m on a mission to end that, day by day. I’m always trying to make the next right choice and I am who I am now because of the help I got.” Anika, along with her two children, is among the 100 residents at Hope Place, Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission’s long-term recovery program for women w ..read more