Urban Safari: Columbia City

When it comes to neighborhood pride, Seattleites are fiercely loyal to their little corners of the city, sporting local T-shirts and hanging colorful banners above their streets. For the residents of Columbia City, a veritable small town within the big city, founded in 1893 and annexed to Seattle in 1907, proud doesn’t even begin to describe the way they feel about the southside neighborhood that runs between South Alaskan and South Dawson streets along Rainier Avenue. Serving the nearby communities of Mount Baker, Seward Park and Lakewood, the historic neighborhood is still a place where people stop and chat on street corners, regulars flock to the eclectic restaurants lining the avenue, and storeowners live where they work. It evokes a 1950s American charm that is so strong, you may just want to make it your permanent address, too.

 

Eat:
Covered in a spicy mustard barbecue sauce, the Georgia Gold sandwich at Roy’s (4903 1/2 Rainier Ave. S; 206.723.7697; royscolumbiacity.com) adds a local touch to a classic, piling pulled pork on top of a bun made by neighboring Columbia City Bakery (4865 Rainier Ave. S; 206.723.6023), whose fresh and fluffy croissants make it a popular stop. The Columbia City Alehouse (4914 Rainier Ave. S; 206.723.5123; seattlealehouses.com/ColumbiaCity/) may have the best chicken sandwich in the city, a mouthwatering breast seared in garlic oil, topped with mozzarella, baked in the oven and served on toasted dill rye bread. Tutta Bella (4918 Rainier Ave. S; 206.721.6501; tuttabella.com) pizzeria pays homage to the Italian way of life serving thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizzas cooked to order in a wood-fire oven. Tucked around the corner, family-owned Jones Barbeque (3810 S Ferdinand St.; 206.722.4414; jonesbarbeque.net) serves its famous cherry- and hickory-smoked pork ribs next door to Caribbean Creole restaurant Kallaloo (3820 S Ferdinand St.; 206.760.7766; kallalooseattle.com), where husband-and-wife owners Kal Gellein and Gail Williams experiment with dishes such as spicy curried crab dumplings in coconut sauce. Even Mama would be impressed by the meatloaf at Geraldine’s Counter (4872 Rainier Ave. S; 206.723.2080; geraldinescounter.com), where customers can enjoy three square meals a day of good ol’ American comfort food. Chef Earl Hook cooks up a different seasonal couscous masterpiece every Wednesday at the Sicilian-inspired La Medusa (4857 Rainier Ave. S; 206.723.2192; lamedusarestaurant.com). Shop:
Charming and quirky, Andaluz (4908 Rainier Ave. S; 206.760.1900; andaluzseattle.com) boutique is full of gifts, apparel and eclectic home décor, such as the chuckle-inducing Aromatherapy Intervention candles with scents to “cure” such maladies as panic attacks and quarter-life crises. Well-loved novels line the cluttered stacks at the Bookworm Exchange (4860 Rainier Ave. S; 206.722.6633), where customers can curl up on cozy antique chairs to read on rainy spring days. Parents will dig the duds at Sweet Pea’s (4820 Rainier Ave. S; 206.722.1031) children’s boutique, which includes selections from local faves Baby Legs and Kate Quinn Organics, while the kids will want to check out Beth Reyes and Trisha Gilmore’s Retroactive Kids (4859 Rainier Ave. S; 206.932.3154; retroactivekids.com), a mecca for one-of-a-kind vintage toys, from retro puzzles to spinning tops and tea sets. Situated next to the antique clock tower, posh KC’s Flowers (4873 Rainier Ave. S; 206.722.2200; kcsflowers.com) carries a variety of blooms—and accessories, such as the brightly patterned Sophia tote bags. And not to be missed by art aficionados is the Columbia City Gallery (4864 Rainier Ave. S; 206.760.9843; columbiacitygallery.com), an artist-run collective featuring rotating exhibits of works by local painters and sculptors.

Play:
Lively cabaret performances fill the stage every Friday night at the neighborhood’s historic vaudeville playhouse, the Columbia City Theater (4916 Rainier Ave. S; 206.723.0088; columbiacitytheater.com). Adding to the community’s charm is the classic neighborhood one-screen theater, Columbia City Cinema (4816 Rainier Ave. S; 206.721.3156; columbiacitycinema.com). Nestled against the historic brick public library, Columbia Park’s (4721 Rainier Ave. S) sprawling lawn is the perfect place to flip through a newly borrowed book. In the adjacent parking lot, the Columbia City Farmers’ Market (4801 Rainier Ave. S at S Edmunds St; seattlefarmersmarkets.org) sets up shop May through October, featuring more than 40 Washington produce vendors. Make it a date night at one of Columbia City BeatWalk’s (venues vary by month; 206.760.4211; columbiacitybeatwalk.org) $5 performances, also starting again next month, and featuring different local musicians every month.

 

Insider Tip:
Helping teach kids to fix bicycles since 1996, community-supported Bike Works’ (3709 S Ferdinand St.; 206.725.9408; bikeworks.org) Earn-A-Bike program allows kids ages 9 to 17 to earn their own cycle and then keeps them involved in positive activities, such as mountain biking, through its youth club, The Street Burners. Let the kids fix your broken-down cycle (or buy a new one) at the shop and then bike the easy 1.6 miles to Lake Washington Boulevard, where on some summer weekends (check with the Seattle Parks Department at  seattle.gov/parks for the 2008 schedule), a portion of the boulevard is closed to motorized traffic.