Mardi Gras Parties: The last day of wanton activity before the 40 days of Lent kick in. Check out the party by the Rotary Club of Seattle at the Columbia Tower Club, Feb 6th, $75. The most fantastic view in Seattle with even a more spectacular party. The Music For Life party, Feb 5th, $100. Go and enjoy a kick of a party with three stories of Sherman Clay pianos in play. For a taste of the street flair with the music, people, and bedlam, go to the Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball at the Nectar Lounge in Freemont, Feb 5th, $15. Else, if you happen to be Jewish and single, then check out the Jewish Mardi Gras, Feb 5th, $15. As they say, the event is hot, the matzo balls are not.
Film: Silent Movie Mondays at The Paramount, $12, every Monday during February. Just when it seems like watching black & white television is practically stone-age ancient, go back to before there was even sound with film. Restrictions can breed new forms of creativity, so go see how early filmmakers told spellbinding stories without the benefit of dialogue.
Play: You Can't Tell by Looking, by BodyBody Project, until Feb 12th, $15. An introspective of women's body issues through photographs, video, and performance. Explore the difficulties society thrusts upon women in the impossible quest to be beautify and thin. A good show with laughs, and not just for women. Here's a deal: go up to the door any night of the show, mention "Seattle Spin 2 fer" and receive 2-for-1 tickets, as space permits.
Concert: Music of the Arab World, Feb 5th, $18. There's certainly a lot of attention on this part of the world nowadays, so one way to understand it better is through its music. The Kan Zaman Ensemble presents the classical and folkloric music from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Arabian Gulf. Go early for the pre-concert talk, stay late for the reception with the artists.
Dance: Belly dance performance, Feb 7th, free, but must be 21. Belly dancing in about isolation of muscle control, so go see this in action. Presented by Raqs Serpentine, a modern belly dance troupe rooted in ancient tradition. Watching belly dancing is a kindly flair of the exotic, something worth marvel.
Theater: Abridged Shakespeare, Feb 4th - 27th, $10+. Not for the faint of heart, every play of Shakespeare will be reduced and crammed into your noggin in one evening. This is the bard on hyper redux. Think of this as your chance to make up for those Shakespeare classes you dozed off during school.
Music: Earshot Jazz at Crossroads Shopping Center, Feb 6th, 1:30 and 2:50 PM, free. As part of the festivities of black history month, celebrate the cultural heritage of jazz in the African American experience, featuring the Seattle jazz legend of Fred Standifer.
Performance: Orpheus play, through Feb 12th, $12, with a pay-what-you-can performance on the 6th. Orpheus is the world's greatest living poet. When death claims his wife, he must journey into the world of the dead to reclaim her, but at a price. Death falls in love, time is transcended, and the veil between the worlds is torn asunder.
Art: Gasworks Gallery, Feb 4th, free (requested food donation to NW Harvest.) The alternative to the first Thursday, here's the first Friday art party. A cool new set of artists lofts open up, so go in and see what people are up to and hang with the artists for a bit.
Organizations: Granite Curling Club. Go figure - sliding stones down ice at targets fine-tuning the velocity with a broom. Somewhat like rugby, it looks confusing to those on the outside, but once you know what's going on, then it can be a blast. Like golf, you can play for fun or competition.
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Not worth standing in line for. The red rope lies - the establishment doesn't live up to hype created by the wait outside. You look at the line and ask yourself, "Is this place really that hot that it's worth standing in line for, or is everyone waiting outside a pack of mindless lemmings who don't think for themselves and haven't yet figured how out lame it actually is inside?" Here's when it's the latter case:
Cowgirls Inc. If you're a guy, this is actually the last place you want to go. Packed inside are 150 other guys just like you, ten women not into your gender, and a bunch of cute bartenders that you'll never have a shot at. Are we having fun yet?
Club Medusa. Think of Vegas, but with lower standards. Poor service, Christina Aguilera wanna-bes, surly bouncers, overpriced drinks and cover charge, inebriated college boys, a jam-packed dance floor, and music not worth waking up to. And this place is supposed to be cool! How long can a club live off it's 2002 popularity?
Frontier Room. A trendy little restaurant with high prices, inconsistent service, mediocre food, and a bar full of smoking Belltown swingers. It's a flip if the place is either swanky or swarmy. The food and the scene is better at other establishments, so what's the possible sane reason to stand in line here?
