C E L E B R A T E D W E E K E N D
Jackson with turning her on to Kangaroo
& Kiwi Pub and its Aussie snacks, darts,
and beer-pong tournaments. “That makes
it sound likemy social life is based around
drinking, which it’s not,” she says with a
nervous laugh. “Howabout this:Theowner
isagreat guy, and it’snot that crowded, and
they’vegot agreat jukebox.”
If Bird has a regret, it’s that her busy
schedule allows her to take only so much
advantage of what the city has to offer. She
speaks warmly of the days when she’s able
to take her lunch to Kerry Park and enjoy
oneof the city’smostpanoramicviews.And
though she claims thatAmazon ismoreher
speed, Bird is awed by the Seattle Public
Library. “In terms of architecture, it’s just
ridiculous. It does not look like a library.
It looks like something out of
Total Recall
,”
she enthuses.
Like many other Seattle denizens, she
enjoys spending an afternoon down at the
PikePlaceMarket andwouldbe theremore
often if she could. Fresh fruit, pastries, fish
being flung to and fro by able-armed fish-
mongers at the Pike Place FishMarket —
even longtime area residents haven’t hard-
ened to these charms.While Bird is partial
to theThreeGirlsBakeryand, inparticular,
to its chocolate cookies, she notes that pop-
cultureenthusiastswill get akickout of vis-
iting the first Starbucks, which opened its
doors in 1971. “Tome, aStarbucks is aStar-
bucks. But some people think that’s cool,”
she says with a shrug. Along those same
lines, she thinks people may enjoy seeing
107.7 the End, the radio station where the
cast of MTV’s
RealWorld
“worked” during
the show’s Seattle season. As for shopping,
Birdsaysthat“everythingyoucouldpossibly
want isdowntown—PikeandPine,between
Seventh and Fifth. There’s Niketown, Tif-
fany,Cartier,Gucci, andabunchmore.”She
prefers smaller boutiques, however, includ-
ing one owned by Seattle Storm practice-
player Mark Shin. Capitol 1524, née the
SeattleRetroShoeStore,sellswhatBirdcalls
“crazy, crazystuff—sneakersyouhavenever
seen before and won’t find anywhere else.”
Other favorites areChampionPartySupply,
for costumes andEdHardy gear, andEasy
StreetRecords, formusicandDVDs.
As of late August, Durant hadn’t visited
these ormany other Seattlemainstays. But
he does have a good head start on his Se-
attle tenure.No, hedidn’t spendmuch time
in town this summer after the teamdrafted
him; rather, the University of Texas phe-
nom worked on his game, logging some
time with USA Basketball and with the
NBA summer league.
Understand this: Kevin Durant loves
basketball. Seemingly physically unable to
resist the lure of aWNBA ball orphaned at
the farendof theKeyArenacourt,hesnares
it duringabreakbetweenphoto setups and
fires shot after long-distance shot, rarely
missing. When somebody else — the pho-
tographer— is doing the shooting,Durant,
between clicks, mimes his three-point mo-
tion. “I seeabasketball, and Ihave to shoot.
It getsme excited every time I see abasket-
ball,” he says, acknowledging theobvious.
LODGING
AceHotel
, inexpensive to expensive, (206) 448-
4721,
TheAce is either a very
chic hostel (some rooms have sharedbaths) or a
pared-down boutique property. However you label it,
itmakes for a simple yet stylish stay inSeattle.
TheEdgewaterHotel
, very expensive, (206) 728-
7000,
Abigpart of
Seattle’s appeal is thewaterfront, but unbelievably,
there’s only one hotel in townwhere you can take ad-
vantage of it. In addition to itsmillion-dollar view, the
Edgewater offers plenty of other amenities; thewell-
stockedbathrooms even comewith a rubber ducky.
DINING
Beth’sCafe
, inexpensive, (206) 782-5588, www
.bethscafe.com. Beth’s serves burgers, salads, and
more, but formore than50 years, it’s really been all
about the breakfasts here, particularly the plate-
lapping omelets (made from either six or 12 eggs),
which comewith all-you-can-eat hash browns.We
feel full just thinking about it.
Tavolàta
, moderate, (206) 838-8008,
.com. ThisBelltown bright spot landed on
BonAppé-
tit
’s list of 10 summer hot spots, butwe find its rustic
Italian fare (thinkmarinatedbeetswith shavedpro-
volone and rich ricotta ravioli) appetizing year-round.
ATTRACTIONS
OlympicSculpturePark
, (206) 654-3100, www
.seattleartmuseum.org. Not quite a year old, this
nine-acre outdoor arena of art, with large-scaleworks
by sculptors likeAlexander Calder andRichardSerra,
has the breathtakingPuget Sound as its backdrop.
Best of all, it’s free.
ScienceFictionMuseumandHall of Fame
, (206)
724-3428,
. Tucked insidePaul
Allen and JodyPatton’s ExperienceMusicProject,
this one-of-a-kindmuseumdoesn’t quite get the buzz
it deserves. Its collection includes rare books, film
posters, and othermemorabilia showcasing androids,
aliens, and all other things sci-fi.
Wherewe (w)hoop it up inSeattle
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