Festival: Moisture Festival, starting March 30th, around $10 per show. A big one, ten days of comedy and variety. Like a jam-packed film festival, you gotta do a little research and pick-and-choose what acts appeal most to you. Some kid friendly shows, others not. This is the underbelly of Seattle talent, shows with niche appeal and risky entertainment you won't find on a big stage.
Action: Rat City Roller Girls Derby, March 26th, $15. Skating and skirts come together to kick off the season. This is real life Rollerball. These ain't your garden variety prissy girls; rather, think of this as girl power on testosterone. Have you ever met a girl thirty pounds lighter than you who could still kick your ass? Don't mess with these dames.
Party: James Bond Monte Carlo Casino Night, March 26th, $125. A fun party worth the splurge. If your life doesn't happen to be full of kung-foo fights, getting into car chases with exotic automobiles, and colleagues with Hollywood good-looks, then here's an easier opportunity to get a taste of life in the James Bond lane. At the spectacular Columbia Tower Club, the thrill of spy intrigue for an evening. You can do "shaken, not stirred" thing all night long.
Dance: Belly Dance, March 26th, $5 cover, hosted by Caravanserai, Seattle's revolving belly dance event in an all-ages show. If the environment of corporate coffee houses feels sterile and lacking personality, here's a chance to enjoy a cool community show in a neighborhood shop.
Family Activities: Whirligig at Seattle Center, starting March 24th, costs vary, every Thursday with free rides. The super-duper playfest of the year for the kids. Heck, you'll be tempted to go on the rides yourself, only if you could just manage to wedge your butt into that kid seat. ۰ Else, Woodland Park Zoo Bunny Bounce, March 26th, free with admission. Egg hunts, crafts, and other activities. Be sure to wear your cotton tail.
Libations: Hops on Equinox Sprint Beer Festival, March 25th - 26th, $15. In the old, old days, they used to sacrifice people on the equinox to insure a good harvest. If you happen to be running low on virgins, then here's a new way to celebrate the coming spring. Over 80 brews with music and lots of pub food, just in case you need to get more fatty foods into your diet. No sacrifices to the gods here, but get three beers into the festival, and you may start to see the devil yourself.
Theater: The Shape of Things to Come, until March 26th, $12. A dark comedy about the romantic entanglements of four lovers at a small Midwestern college. ۰ Else, Last Exit, March 25th - April 3rd, $8. A show by teens for teens. The story follows a group of teens on a New York City field trip ultimately ending in tragedy, and the subsequent soul searching afterwards. ۰ Or, The Election Show at the Historic University Theater, until April 24th, $10. The audience votes on the winner of this show.
Music: Bloc Party, March 26th, $10, an all-ages show. The disco-killing British Punk invasion comes back to the state, Bloc Party showcases at Neumo's, backed up by the all girl experimental dance group, Erase Errata. ۰ Else, a three band line-up at the Tractor Tavern on March 25th, $10. Most prominent is Circus Contraption with their usual mix of quirky, drunken waltzes, gypsy sounds, and beer clanking songs.
Food: Balle Dinner, March 24th, $15. A buffet dinner showcasing locally produced meats and plants. Know where you food came from, and talk with the farmers raising the food going into your mouth.
Exhibit: Sasquatch Exhibit, until June 5th, $3, at the Museum of Mysteries. So, like, get this: there's a big hairy ape running around in our mountains just waiting to be discovered. If scientists can detect a new species of shrimp, why can't believers deliver solid proof of a nine-foot mammal? Listen to the evidence here and make up your mind.
Organizations: Croquet Club. Croquet was fun on your front lawn as a kid, and it's still fun now. The best part was always wacking your opponent's ball a block away. Now, get yourself a mint julep, set down on some manicured lawn, and go do the grown-up version. There are free clinics on designated Sundays providing an introduction to the club and rules of the sport.
Delighting the Senses with Food. The difference between good and great food is how it excites the other senses. After a certain level, you already expect the food to taste delicious - that becomes a given. Top end dishes become four stars when it stirs not just the tongue, but all other sensory inputs as well. Here are four places at the top of the game:
Looks: The Georgian Room at the Fairmont Hotel. These folks treat food not only as substance, but as ingredients of art arranged on the palette of the plate. Entrees and sauces bursting with colors making a watercolorist envious. Admiring a served dish, the thought to photograph the meal first before carving it briefly fleets through the mind. Food never looked so beautiful.
Ambiance: Earth & Ocean. Think of the posh and elegance of Manhattan. Sitting down to dine here, you automatically feel $10,000 richer. Dishes are innovative without being trendy, service is attentive without being pretentious, and tastes come alive with flavor. After a fine meal and a little wine here, you can't help but sit back, reflect a bit, and marvel at how good life really is.
Smell: Ipanema Grill. With no smell, food tastes bland, like when you lose your smell during a cold. So what happens on the flip side, when food tickles and elates the nose? Find out at Ipanema. Those Brazilian spices come in to delight the olfactory senses and add vibrancy to the food. Like a subtle perfume, the aroma silently seduces and subconsciously draws you in without overpowering.
Presentation: Teatro ZinZanni. Here, the food is part of the act. The hurley-burley of excitement from the big-top acts builds the anticipation of the food. The food is part of the act, so as you're marveling during the show, you're naturally drawn into the food. They could be serving shoe-leather, and you'd still feel exhilarated to see the kitchen doors swing open and the dishes served onto your table.
