Seattle Public Library

Book worms unite! Today we are talking about everything Seattle Central Public Library. Here in Seattle we are incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful library system, and we are even luckier that our central branch in downtown is a truly incredible and inspiring location! I mean, seriously, who doesn't want to go visit this building??

Seattle Central Library

This year represents the 125th year the public library has been open in Seattle, so we would like to pay homage to a place we love to go to for books, events, or inspiration! 

Seattle's Central Branch as we know it today opened in 2004 and is located on 4th Ave and Madison St. It is a building you have probably stopped to examine if you live in Seattle and if you are visiting we recommend a trip! It is free (yay!) and extremely enjoyable to walk around. The architecture and design are so unique it leaves you feeling a little stunned at certain points throughout the building. Our favorite spots are the Reading Room on the 10th floor (this floor also has the highest viewpoint which you should go see only if you are not scared of heights) and the Red Hall for its incredible strangeness. We also love to keep up with their events; they get big name authors to come do readings and also host great events for kids! 

We love the neon yellow escalator.

The red hall...you'll know when you've found it.

Just to get you even more excited about the library here are 10 fun facts about the Seattle Central Library Building:

1. The library is 11 stories and holds over 1 MILLION BOOKS! 
2. Non-fiction books are located on the "Dewey Ramp," a four-story ramp that lets you wind your way through the complete collection. 
3. The library used over 4,000 tons of steel in construction, which could build 20 Statues of Liberty (Statue of Libertys?)!
4. The architects built this library to be inviting, not "stuffy" like many libraries feel to the public. We like to think this is where the open spaces, many entrances, and bright colors came from.
5. The Seattle Central Library was voted as one of America's Favorite Structures by the American Institute of Architects.
6. It cost over $169 million to build and Bill Gates, being his usual generous self, donated a humble $20 million to the project. 
7. The design is meant to accommodate all kinds of information in this new digital age, not just books. You can find over 400 free computers on Level 5. 
8. There is enough glass in the library to cover the I-90 bridge 25 times and for people who don't live here, that would be 5 1/2 football fields! Whoaahhhhhh.
9. There is a gift shop located on the third floor that any book lover should avoid if they are trying to save money.* It is full of adorable things that will tell the world you love books (which is obviously important). 
10. There are seven permanent public art installations throughout the library. You can read more about each one here. 

*This one is more of an opinion with a fact inside, but just go with it. 

The incredible steel walls.

You'll find many places to sit quietly and work or read.

Where the Wild Things Are located in the kids room.

Film Photobooths Around Seattle

Photobooths are hot right now. They are at every wedding, every street fair, and company holiday party. They are so popular they are starting to lose their luster. But there are several spots around Seattle that were doing photobooths before they were cool. And even better, they were doing photobooths before they were digital. We are sending you on a mission. Go experience at least one of these classic, film photobooths! You won't be disappointed. They are dripping with old-timey charm! 

The photobooth at Archie McPhee

Our 5 favorite Seattle film photobooth locations

Archie McPhee is one of our favorite stores in Seattle and their film photobooth is half the reason why. They let you use all their wacky props and masks in the booth so your creativity game will be on point! 

Cha Cha Lounge is a dark, slightly scary, but mostly just quirky bar in Capitol Hill with a film photobooth in an obscure back corner in the basement! It is by the bathrooms and the vending machine, go hunt it down on a Tuesday and then stay for Trivia! 

Unicorn might possibly be the most entertaining bar in Capitol Hill. If you get bored here there is something wrong with you. They have a full game room with Skee Ball (weee!) and a photobooth. The menu alone can keep you going for hours with cocktails like the Banana Hammock and Unicorn Jizz. 

Orange Dracula is located in Pike Place Market on lower level 3 and is home to a bunch of stuff you don't need but will want to buy anyways. They also have Pac-Man and pinball and most importantly, a film photobooth! 

Montana not only has a photobooth, but it is also one of the best dive bars in town. They have cheap drinks, friendly service, and picklebacks. Picklebacks are God's gift to drinking, so if you haven't had one and you enjoy drinking, you should probably hit this place up! Please note: their photobooth is an antique, which means sometimes it is Out of Order. Have patience, if it is meant to be, it will be! And last time we were there, they had cowboy hats to use in the booth. Yes!

These are just a few of the photobooths we have visited around the city. You can see a fairly large list on Photobooth.net if you want to explore some others, but make sure to click through on each location to see if there have been updates of closures; some of these photobooths once were, but have disappeared since. 

20 Things to Do Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day signals the beginning of summer (well not the REAL beginning, that is Kristina's birthday on June 21, don't forget to send donuts), but it is the symbolic beginning, okay? How you spend this weekend will set the stage for how your entire summer will go.

Get inspired. Bryan Adams should want to write a song about the Summer of 16. In order to help out we put together a little list of 20 things you can do over the weekend to make sure you kick off Summer 2016 the right way.

Let's do this. 

Boat views are the best views.

Get out on the water.

• Rent an electric boat, grab some beers and a group of friends and spend the afternoon navigating Lake Union and Lake Washington. 
• Get a workout in and enjoy the water by kayaking or paddleboarding Greenlake or Lake Union
• Insider Tip: Rent a sauna and float around Lake Union! An architectural design company, goCstudio created a floating, motorized sauna that fits six people and you can rent it for 1-2 hours for $150. See photos here and email info@gocstudio.com to book it! 

Experience the great outdoors and hike.

• Lake TwentyTwo is a great, moderate hike to see a beautiful part of the PNW. It is full of interesting vegetation, waterfalls, and the lake at the top is stunning. Something for everyone!
• Poo Poo Point is a great, easy hike that won't take you too long. Plus, the top of the mountain is a big open field, perfect for a picnic and you can watch (or take our recommendation and actually take the jump!!) the Paragliding that takes off from this point. 
• Wallace Falls is for all of you hikers who love the awesome water feature! There are also a few different options for how to complete this hike. We recommend making a loop from Wallace Falls to Lake Wallace.

Insider tip: At the half-mile marker, you will encounter a split in the trail. The path on the right, distinguished by a wooden gate, leads to the Woody Trail, which will take you to Wallace Falls. The left fork diverts to the old Railroad Grade that leads north to Lake Wallace. If you head to Wallace Lake look for the smiley face carved into a fallen down tree.

The tree face at Wallace Falls.

• Mailbox Peak is for people who like a challenge with a reward at the end. You will want to turn around or possibly lay down and just die. But once you reach that summit you will forget all the pain and just stare at all the beauty before you (hey, that's kind of like they describe childbirth)! Then you get to sign the bad-ass guest book in the mailbox! 

Insider tip: The mailbox is filled with small tokens and items. If you want to take something from the mailbox make sure you bring something to leave in exchange!

See a show.

• Teatro Zinzanni is this amazing dinner theater by Seattle Center that for a price (which is worth it!) you can see an amazing show served with a delicious Italian meal. Right now they are showing Be Italian, which we haven't seen, but looks like a winner!
• The Naked Magic Show at the Moore Theater. We don't think we need to explain why you should want to go to this one. 
• Ballard Locks has a summer concert series! Head over for the start at 2PM and enjoy a beautiful area of Seattle while listening to some classic music.

Spend some time at a festival.

• Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center is an amazing, vibrant event held at Seattle Center. Come jam to fantastic indie bands, take in beautiful artwork, and SO MUCH MORE! It's awesome and if you live in Seattle you have to love learning about new things. Go fulfill your destiny! 

Memorial Day and bikes go together like white on rice.

Day Trip.

• Start driving south and make your way to Mount Rainier National Park. It is a 14,000 + foot active volcano covered in wildflowers. This is basically the coolest place in the state. If you haven't been, go for the day and if you have been, well.. still go for the day! 
• Memorial Day is the perfect weekend to take a trip with your friends to Woodinville Wine Country and drink your hearts out! No work Monday. Woo. Also, drink responsibly and make someone be DD. (Prep for the day with our post on How to Wine in Woodinville.)
• Leavenworth is just a little over two hours away and this little German town is always up for a good time! Hot ticket items: wine hikes at Icicle Ridge Winery, yoga retreats at the Sleeping Lady, and river rafting with Osprey Tours

Kid-Friendly Awesomeness.

• Seattle Aquarium Family Science Weekend is supposed to be geared for families, but not going to lie, that line-up makes us want to go too. Meet the octopus and diver shows? Yes, please!
• Magnuson Memorial Day Run is set up so the whole family can enjoy! Mom and Dad can run the 5K and the kiddos can participate in the 400 meter kids run! Plus Magnuson is a beautiful park to spend time at after the run as well. Pack and picnic and make a day of it!

Photo of art classes from Brooke Westlund's website.

Learn something new. 

• Hipcooks (don't let the awful website turn you off) offers the best cooking classes! You can't go wrong with any of the options and you get a great experience for the cost. Also, Bonny is the best! 
• Take a painting class at Brooke Westlund's gallery at Pike Place Market! Not going to lie, a lot of those paint and wine night classes seem to produce sub-par art no one would ever actually want to display. Not the case here- her classes help you produce classy, beautiful art! 

Get some R & R.

• Banya 5 will quite literally evaporate the stress off of you. Go alone, leave your phone at home, and leave feeling lighter than a feather! 
• Go for a float! Float Seattle is the best spot for sensory deprivation, a way to relieve stress and pain! Plus, first timers get a discount! 

The Backside of Pike Place Market

The literal backside of the famous Public Market sign.

Most people know about the bustling main entrance of Pike Place Market. It has the giant neon sign and fishmongers chucking fish to tourists. A lot of people never venture past this part of Pike Place Market, some don't even know more of the market exists. We are here to guide you to the "backside" of the market (we know it isn't the most charming name, but it really is the backside!) because there are some real gems over there. These places are all along the Western Ave. portion of Pike Place Market. You can reach Western Ave. by an elevator down a hallway flanked by the delicious Pike Place Bakery and Pike Pit BBQ. Take the elevator to Level 1 and you are ready to check out our list! 

The very long staircase to the top of the market.

Pretty red doors at Pike Place Press.

Pike Street Press

This letterpress printing shop makes the most attractive and cool (yes, it's cool, there is no other word) paper goods! We shop here for all our notebook, greeting card, and poster needs! 

Zig Zag Cafe

Zig Zag is Seattle-famous for their cocktails. The bartenders will treat the creation of your cocktail like an art. They also serve dinner late until 1AM, so if you are hungry and it's late head over for a bite.

Mmmm...gelato!

Procopio Gelateria

Is there anyone that doesn't love gelato? Didn't think so. Which means we don't need to sell this place, they make delicious, creamy, desserts. Enough said.

Brooke Westlund Gallery

This Seattle abstract artist does bold work that just screams to be placed in your home. She has some great Seattle-inspired pieces as well as amazing floral paintings. The best part about her studio is she also offers classes! You can gather a group of friends and make your own paintings with the help of this talented, local artist. 

Don't miss the cans of seafood at JarrBar.

JarrBar

JarrBar is one of our favorite watering holes. They serve up amazing cocktails (see a couple here in our post about the best cocktails of pike place market) and have a great wine list to compliment their small plates, which are all traditional Spanish/Portuguese foods. We did an entire post about this place we love it so much.

Stacks and stacks of amazing pottery at The Spanish Table.

The Spanish Table

Update: Shop Closed. This bright shop on Western is fairly large and has a great selection of specialty products from Spain. The staff are friendly and helpful and always send us away with something new to try. And so far we have loved every item! 

Paris Grocery

This French grocery store is a great place for cheese! After you sample some cheese, select some to overeat later (what is it about good cheese? We just can't stop eating it even when we know we are consuming something really expensive that should be savored) and explore the rest of the shop. They have beautiful dishware and packaged foods from France along with all the best French cookbooks. We have had our eye on this one for a while. 

Ugly Baby and La Ru

This shop is weird. It is amazing. You will laugh and wonder what the heck kind of crazy imagination thought up all this stuff, but that is the beauty of this craft store. It's absurdly beautiful and makes us all appreciate the quirky stuff in the world that brings a smile to your face. We covered a fundraising event they hosted for Seattle Animal Shelter - check it out if you love bunnies. 

Every spice you could possibly need and ones you didn't know you needed.

World Spice Merchants

The smell alone is a good enough reason to go in this shop. Once inside the awesome staff and wall-to-wall spices will keep you curiously exploring for a while. They have a great selection of cookbooks and can help you find even the most obscure spice for that recipe you've been wanting to make! 

Billie the Market Piggy Bank (Rachel's cousin).

Billie the Pig

Billie the Pig is located at the bottom of the market steps and serves as a piggy bank to raise money for the Pike Place Market Foundation and great photo opportunity. If you need some inspiration here is our awesome selfie:

Billie Selfie!

Hidden Henry mural.

Insider Tip: Hidden Henry Mural

Guys, get excited. We found another great Henry Mural located on the Pike Street Hillclimb off Western Ave. (to see where you can find other murals check this out.). If you are heading down the stairs it is off to your left at the first landing. Enjoy this adorable public art!