July 2010

Best Camping Spots in Washington

Best Camping Spots in Washington

Whether you prefer authentic camping or luxury "glamping," our camping guide has you covered.

Roughing ItThe Northwest offers plenty of ways to commune with nature, but nothing quite surpasses the getting-back-to-the-land feeling of hiking, sleeping and cooking outdoors—especially when s’mores await at the end of a day spent entirely free of walls. Not-so-Roughing ItIf sleeping on the ground—even on a pad in a warm sleeping bag and tent—is more…

Top Doctors 2010: Special Hall of Fame Edition

Top Doctors 2010: Special Hall of Fame Edition

Saluting the 381 finest physicians in the Puget Sound region.

Over the past decade, Seattle magazine has been the go-to resource for information about the best doctors in the region. For this Top Doctors issue—our 10th since 2000—we created a Top Doctors Hall of Fame to honor the four doctors (pictured L to R: Dr. Joseph S. Gruss; Dr. Linda S. Mihalov; Dr. David R. Byrd;…

Spotlight: Screaming Flea Productions' Third Season of Hoarders

Spotlight: Screaming Flea Productions’ Third Season of Hoarders

With a third season of Hoarders in the works, the Seattle-based production team offers a behind-the-

Let’s get this out of the way: The name Screaming Flea Productions (SFP) is not a reference to the conditions commonly seen on Hoarders, the popular reality show the Seattle-based company produces for A&E. Though the SFP team is all too familiar with infestations—and other unpleasant consequences of living amid piles of newspapers and herds…

Sage Advice for Camping with Children

Sage Advice for Camping with Children

Camping with kids presents special problems, so we asked a family-camping expert for some answers.

Should I buy my child a special ergonomic telescoping titanium trekking pole? Only if you hate nature. There is no way that pole is not going to be used to whack the crap out of trailside vegetation (and probably your ankles and your child’s little brother). Balance is a learned skill—let them learn it! Save the…

Best Camping Spots: Vamping

Best Camping Spots: Vamping

The Eurovan is the ground-averse camper's silver bullet.

When my husband, Daniel, and I go camping for the weekend, there are no tents involved. We do not drag Therm-a-Rests or tarps out of the garage; we do not strap carefully rolled sleeping bags onto backpacks. Instead, we pile into our VW Eurovan and head for nearby wilderness to experience a night or two…

Easy Salted Caramel S'mores

Easy Salted Caramel S’mores

An extra decadent version of the classic campfire dessert.

When the late-evening air is infused with the smell of a crackling campfire, there’s no better nightcap than a mug of warm cocoa and a melty, chocolatey s’more. In this extra-decadent version, we’ve taken Cougar Mountain chocolate chip cookies and sandwiched between them toasted marshmallows and the ultra-rich, dark chocolate salted caramels from Jo’s Candies…

Best Camping Spots: Roughing It

Best Camping Spots: Roughing It

The Northwest offers myriad ways to commune with nature, but nothing surpasses sleeping outdoors.

Salt Creek A Family AffairWhere: North side of the Olympic Peninsula on the Strait of Juan de FucaBest For: Base-camp adventuring, tide pooling and family-friendly camping  Sea stars, swimming and s’mores, oh my! Salt Creek Recreation Area off State Route 112 on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula has a wealth of options for family…

Feature: Mike Mcginn’s Eco Trip

Seattleites thought they had an environmentally progressive mayor in national magazine poster boy Gr

Mike Mcginn’s EcoTripMike McGinn has a habit of pausing before he speaks. Whether he’s responding to a question or about to address a large group, he will take a moment that is a bit too long, squint his blue eyes slightly and stare. It can seem as if McGinn is an alien intelligence, wondering whether to…

Editor’s Note: The Outsiders

If you aspire to be “an outsider” but fall in the clueless category like me, this is the issue for y

The Outsiders We all have that friend—the one we admire for his or her ability to do something for which we are completely missing a gene. It may be the friend who effortlessly throws lavish dinner parties. Or the one who remembers every special occasion and every birthday. For me, it’s my friends who are…

Bar Hop: Downtown’s Diller Room

There’s more than delicious coffee percolating Downtown since Rob Wilson added The Diller Room to th

The Diller Room There’s more than delicious coffee percolating Downtown since Rob Wilson added The Diller Room to the back of Stella Caffe in April (1224 First Ave.; 206.624.1229; dillerroom.com). During Prohibition, the space was a speakeasy accessed from the once luxurious—and later unsavory—Diller Hotel. THE VIBETourists, executives, first-daters and pre-funkers frequent the inviting “come…

Restaurant Review: Seattle’s Best Teriyaki

So, The New York Times thinks teriyaki spots constitute quintessential Seattle dining? Fine. Here

“I never eat teriyaki.” This is the food equivalent of the common Seattle “I don’t own a TV” mating call. Well, I would never miss Gossip Girl, and I eat teriyaki. Unironically. (OK, I’m not sure how you eat lunch ironically, but I know people who could pull it off.) When John T. Edge called…

Food We Love: Queen of Banana

Royal Flush

There is no food I crave more than the vibrant fare at Noodle Boat Thai Cuisine (Issaquah, 700 NW Gilman Blvd.; 425.391.8096; noodleboat.com). This humble restaurant is run by a family whose devotion to quality includes a six-week working vacation in Thailand each year to produce the authentic, hellishly hot chile paste that finds its…