Today, I found myself thinking about all the enjoyment the combination of Seattle and snow has given me over the last seven years I’ve lived here. Yes, I know the city isn’t well prepared for snow removal, the streets are insanely steep in some areas, and cold liquid turns into ice almost the second it hits the street. I’m not here to criticize anyone, and that’s not the point of my pondering. I’m more interesting this morning in the planned snowball fight that is set to take over the Seattle Center this Saturday. Apparently it’s going to end up being the largest snowball fight in the world.

It’s sold out by the way.

As a born and raised girl from Montana, the idea of paying to play with snow and trucking in many many tons of the fluffy stuff makes me giggle. Most of my Halloween costumes and even Fourth of July outfits growing up were designed to fit over a snowsuit. There were even days when I’d have to start my car about 45 minutes before I wanted to drive it because it was so cold and snowy outside. I do love snow, and secretly wish Seattle got more (and that we were more prepared here), but I completely understand if you disagree.

For those of you who are going to brave the insanity that is likely to ensue at this snowball fight, I commend you. Snow is tons of fun, and I hope you have a blast! I’m looking forward to seeing the photos and videos that follow early next week. If you don’t know what to expect, check out the fun photos and video of the current world record fight on Seattlepi.com.

My advice? Team up with a friend who can watch your back, preferably one that is fast at packing snowballs. Also, don’t get hit in the face or hit someone in the face. That just doesn’t sound pleasant. And, above all, have fun!

The annual Bite of Seattle kicks off tomorrow – a traditional summer celebration of some of the best food that local Seattle-area chefs and restaurants have to offer.

The line up this year is looking oh so tasty as the event dedicates itself to the culinary arts displayed by not only by the 50+ Seattle area restaurants and 30+ food product companies, but through other attractions that are created specifically in support of the hospitality industry. Examples include The Alley hosted by Tom Douglas, Beer & Wine Gardens, Bite Wine Tasting and The Bite Cooks!,which features Seattle-area celebrity chefs performing cooking demonstrations.

Entertainment is always a fun family activity and essential part of the Bite.  With over 150 acts in all, there is always something for everyone’s listening pleasure. There are eight outdoor entertainment stages featuring all genres of music with local and national entertainment located all over the Bite grounds.

Personally I”m looking forward to eating up bites from Half Mood Bay Bar & Grill, New Orleans Cookery (alligator on a stick, anyone?) and Mighty-O Donuts. The wine tasting is also high on the list.

Check out the dining options here and let us know where you’ll be!

FREE ADMISSION
@ Seattle Center
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

I had the pleasure of receiving a privately lead tour through the three-week-old Chihuly Garden & Glass exhibit last week, and all the reviews you’ve seen are right, it is nothing short of amazing. A party for your eyes, a random yet perfectly precise display of color, a universe of glass that displays scenery from the ground and up to the heavens and down, from land and out to sea. However, to your eyes, it could be something completely different. That’s the thing about art, right? You need to see it for yourself.

Which I highly recommend. Check out the Plan Your Visit page for hours and ticketing details. All King County residents receive a special discount. When to go? This summer I suggest going in the early evening to experience the exhibit and view the Glasshouse and outdoor gardens in the daylight, saddle up to a table at the Collections Cafe’ and then revisit the gardens and Glasshouse at night – your mind will be blown.

I also was able to enjoy a wonderful meal in the Collections Cafe’ – a sanctuary to Dale Chihuly’s massive collection of dated, historic and charming odds-and-ends. Bonus: Keep your eyes peeled for Dale as you’re walking through the exhibit, it is rumored that he will be visiting the grounds once a week. I was fortunate enough to hover over a private party in the Cafe’ that positioned me perfectly for a short greeting and moment of appreciation to Dale upon his exit.

I’d like to share some photos with you – and they do no justice to the gorgeous shot taken by those with anything better than an iPhone camera – but they’re still lovely. You can read reviews and art critics’ interpretations until you’re blue in the face, but nothing compares to experiencing color in this way than seeing it in person. Go! Be artsy!

Celebrate science throughout the month of June as Seattle hosts the area’s first science festival. Part of the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair,  the region’s schools, universities, cultural institutions, research centers and businesses will come together all month-long to celebrate the importance of science and technology.

Kicking off the festival this weekend is Science EXPO Day at the Seattle Center. On June 2nd (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) this free event will feature more than 150 family friendly, hands-on experiments, exhibits, demonstrations, interactive activities, games and live performances. With over 130 exhibitors and two live science stages, there is something for the whole family to enjoy.

Prep yourself for the event and download the Seattle Science Festival program that includes a detailed map of the Seattle Center grounds with the location of each exhibitor and performance stages as well as a schedule. And in honor of a celebration of science and technology, you may download and install a free Science Festival app for your iPhone or Android device for even more information.

Can’t make it this weekend? Not to worry, the celebration festival lasts all month! For a listing of other Science Festival events throughout the month of June at locations around the Puget Sound area, check out the calendar.

The Space Needle all dressed up for its birthday!

If you have been in Seattle and anywhere near a radio, or a television, or a newspaper, or a little thing called the internet you probably already know that this year is the 50th anniversary of the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle which included the construction of our now iconic Space Needle.  It’s  hard to imagine, especially for any of us who were born well after 1962 the Seattle skyline without its extraterrestrial-looking anchor.   In commemoration of the construction of the Space Needle and all of Seattle Center there are a variety of events taking place from this past Saturday April 21 through October 21st.  Check out the Seattle Center website (http://www.seattlecenter.com/thenextfifty/home.aspx) for more info on upcoming events.

In addition to a number of ongoing exhibits and planned lectures, they have also given the top of the needle a little 60′s makeover.  They call the color Galaxy Gold even though we can all plainly see that it is a very loud shade of bright orange.  Apparently, the original paint job also consisted of legs of Astronaut White and a core of Orbital Olive.  (You see, it’s outer space themed.)    Thankfully they did not resurrect all of those colors.

In celebration of this momentous time in Seattle history I would like to present these “Fun Facts” about the Space Needle (which I learned here): (more…)

First, let me explain.  Several years back I went to visit a friend of mine who was living in St. Louis at the time and St. Louis, having been founded by the French has a Bastille Day festival every year in one of it’s neighborhoods.  The year I was there they marched through the streets culminating in the public beheading reenactment of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.  It’s still the best beheading reenactment I’ve ever seen.  Of course, they were not actually beheaded on Bastille Day (July 14, 1789) which commemorates the  storming of the Bastille prison and fortress in Paris. It is considered the start of the French Revolution.  They were beheaded on separate days in 1793.  However, I think it really made for a festive atmosphere.  Who doesn’t like a little fake guillotine action? (more…)

Holy geez, I can’t believe it’s already December. Seriously, where did November go? I barely even had time to get sick of turkey, stuffing and the like before December shows up demanding gifts, politically correct holiday cards and bowls of egg nog punch. sigh Never enough time. But! For better or worse, December is here in all it’s winter glory so… let’s ice skate!

Oh yes my friends, I love ice skating. But to clarify, it’s not so much that I myself like to ice skate. It’s more that I looooove to watch other people ice skate. You see, when I ice skate, I fall and it hurts. Not so fun. But when other people ice skate, they fall and it’s funny. Very fun. Make sense?

It’s okay — judge all you want. I know laughing at other people’s pain is not exactly the nicest thing to do. But you have to remember, I fall ALL THE TIME. And people laugh at me. Shoot, I laugh at me. Everyone has a good laugh at my expense. So right or wrong, I feel justified in pointing and laughing when the big guy on skates slips and does the splits. (Admit, you just chuckled a little at that mental image.)

Lucky for me, the Seattle Center House transforms into an ice skating rink during the winter. I can do all the skater-watching I want at at the Ice Rink – Winterfest November 26 through January 2. That’s a whole month of laughing! I’ll probably even do some skating myself. You know, just to keep things even on the laughing-at-others-expense front.

Winterfest Ice Rink

November 26 through January 2

Sun. – Thurs., 11am – 8pm
Fri. – Sat., 11am – 10pm

Admission: $7 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, $2 children ages 5 and under, includes skate rental. Cash only. Special hours: Dec. 24 closes at 4pm, Dec 25 closed, Dec 31 closes at 11:30pm.

I’m taking a bit of a departure from my food adventures with breaking news that Hello Kitty is coming to Seattle! Now anyone who knows me knows I love Hello Kitty – not in an obsene obsessed way (I am in my 30s after all) – but I do love me some HK. My good friend Dave just happens to do marketing for Sanrio and he’s bringing the Hello Kitty Small Gift Mobile Pop-up Tour to Seattle Center this weekend.

Hello Kitty has teamed up with Target to bring Sanrio’s new Small Gift Collection directly to you. With stops in San Francisco, Portland, San Diego…Seattle! Come on down to the Seattle Center this Saturday and Sunday from 11 am – 7 pm and:

• Meet Hello Kitty (photo opportunities aplenty)
• Check out the super-special 50 Small Gift must-have product collection!
• Free goody bags (with purchase) to the first 50 shoppers!
• Free coupons, snacks, stickers and goodies!
• Lots of sweet (and maybe some spooky) surprises!

For more information check out Hello Kitty on Facebook.

On Friday, Seattle welcomes the World Rhythm Festival to the Seattle Center grounds. Featuring musical traditions from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Brazil, North America and more, the World Rhythm Festival offers a full immersion into the wide world of music, drum, and dance. The event includes three days packed full with more than 100 performances and workshops sure to whet the appetite of a broad range of participants. Oh yeah, and did I mention admission is FREE?

The World Rhythm Festival is brought to you by Seattle World Percussion Society, an all-volunteer organization that “promotes education and participation in world music drumming and dancing activities for people of all ages and backgrounds.” For a full schedule of events, click here. Go and learn more about world music and celebrate with other drum and dance enthusiasts just like you.

You can get a little taste for the event by watching the video below, or checking out their photo gallery. And please, let me know if you go!