circling the bar to a raised anteroom set in front of tall windows surrounded by greenery. Settle in here or on the sort-of-urbanjungle back deck for happy hour until 7pm or late-night breakfast after 11pm, and for views of Lake Union shimmering in platinum below, the Space Needle towering above the Seattle Center, and the Olympic Mountains jutting above the Sound in the distance. Floatplanes and ship canals: For those who can’t get a reservation in the dining room of Canlis, Seattle’s oldest fine-dining establishment, small plates, libations, and craft cocktails are served in the lounge, which offers views of Lake Union below and the University of Washington in the distance.
live and on stage With Seattle music venues seemingly only outnumbered by coffee shops, there are plenty of places to catch indie up-andcomers and national headlining acts. That means the hardest decision any music lover may have to make is where to spend the night. Here are some of our favorite venues: There’s a true sense of history at a few of Seattle’s top venues, including the Seattle Theatre Group’s Moore and Paramount Theatres. The Moore Theatre, built in 1907, is Seattle's oldest operating theater, and—outside of area headliners—now brings in the biggest musical acts. The Paramount Theatre opened in 1928 as a grand movie theater but today hosts concerts as well as most of the touring productions of Broadway shows that come through town. For more than seven decades, Showbox at the Market has hosted artists ranging from Duke Ellington to Sinatra to Pearl Jam. Its reputation as one of the finest music clubs around isn’t just a local opinion: In April Rolling Stone named it to the list of “The Best Big Rooms in America.” Benaroya Hall serves as the premier venue for Seattle’s best classical music concerts. Its spacious and acoustically tuned halls act as
the home for the Seattle Symphony and the ideal spot for touring virtuosos from around the world. Those seeking the coolest cuttingedge indie rock, hip-hop, and electronic music should climb up Capitol Hill to check out shows at Neumos. Looking for dinner and a show? The Triple Door offers a wide variety of rock, folk, and singer-songwriters in a hip dinner-theater setting. For those with specialized genre tastes, Highway 99 Blues Club and Jazz Alley both feature the top offerings in their respective fields. Some of the city’s best venues require a venture outside the downtown hub. Columbia City Theater sports stunning acoustics and hosts many local record releases, as well as the occasional big name—think Fitz and the Tantrums—looking to play an extremely intimate setting. Seattle isn’t exactly a country hotbed, but devotees can slip on their boots and twang it up at Greenlake’s premier (and only) country bar, Little Red Hen. Tractor Tavern, in the heart of Ballard’s bar scene, provides the perfect place to grab a cheap beer and get rowdy while watching Americana, alt-country, and blues-rock acts. —Seth Sommerfeld
Puget Sound peekaboos: To one side, there’s the Magnolia bluff; the other, West Seattle’s Alki beach. Meanwhile, lush green islands rise in the distance, the Space Needle hovers overhead, and the sun glints off Elliott Bay below AQUA by El Gaucho at the end of Pier 70. Come for the seafood bacchanalia; stay to catch a glimpse of sea otters surfacing on a sunny day. Canlis overlooks Lake Union
LIVE AND ON STAGE: HBenaroya Hall 200 University St • Columbia City Theater 4916 Rainier Ave S • Highway 99 Blues Club 1414 Alaskan Way • Jazz Alley 2033 Sixth Ave • Little Red Hen 7115 Woodlawn Ave NE • HThe Moore Theatre 1932 Second Ave • HNeumos 925 E Pike St • HThe Paramount Theatre 911 Pine St • Showbox at the Market 1426 First Ave • Tractor Tavern 5213 Ballard Ave NW • HThe Triple Door 216 Union St • DRINK IN THE VIEW: HAQUA by El Gaucho 2801 Alaskan Way, Pier 70 • HCanlis 2576 Aurora Ave N • HHard Rock Cafe 116 Pike St • The Lookout 757 Bellevue Ave E • HPalisade 2601 W Marina Pl • HFor more Visit Seattle entertainment and dining partners, go to visitseattle.org/visitors/play and visitseattle.org/visitors/eat
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Visit Seattle summer/fall 2013 #SeattleMusic
FROM TOP: JACK NEWTON, BRIAN CANLIS
Japandroids at Neumos
Catch a glimpse of sea otters surfacing on a sunny day.