Things to Do in Burien

Horseradish vodka and salty pops of red caviar mingle with cigar smoke, baked apples, and freshly plucked orchids. One of Sweet Anthem’ signature fragrances, Anton’s scent is as heady as the concept behind it. Meredith Smith derived the musky fragrance from her honeymoon in Russia, and each note recalls a specific place and time from her trip. “Fragrance is evoking an idea—it’s creating something out of nothing,” explains Meredith. “Fragrance leaves, evaporates, and I want those fleeting moments to be evocative of the inspiration behind it.”

This olfactory philosophy inspired all of her signature scents, which she compounds and bottles by hand in her atelier. Her fragrances shirk the stereotypical floral notes, instead incorporating unusual notes such as tobacco, tomato leaf, and sarsaparilla.

Meredith’s meticulous attention to detail extends to her apothecary itself: tiny glass vials occupy wooden nooks, and long metal tables serve as workspace for her perfume-making classes. In addition to classes, Meredith empowers customers to concoct their own scents with DIY kits and private appointments that teach the fundamentals of perfumery, such as figuring out ingredient volatility and determining which nostril regulates the ability to love.

As part of nationally performing salsa team Somos el Son, Salsa N' Seattle Dance Studio instructors Victor Chavez and Julia Krasnov spin, step, and shimmy so quickly that videos of their performances almost seem to have been sped up. Though their fancy footwork may appear impossible for mere mortals to replicate, their classes break the dance down into easy-to-follow steps that pay off in the first class, with moves that can be instantly transported to club floors and slow-moving grocery lines. The studio also pulses with the beats of other excitement-driven styles, from the workout parties of Zumba to the swagger of hip-hop to the expressive gestures of North Indian classical dance.

Pat John may have earned a spot in Seattle’s Bowling Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean his work is done. These days, he runs Hiline Lanes, which welcomes casual bowlers and Junior Gold competitors alike in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Visitors can revel during Rock-n-Bowl sessions on Friday and Saturday nights, when glow in the dark balls ease on down the alleys as top-40 tunes and classic rock croons blast on the sound-system. Nearby, the 11th Frame Restaurant cooks up classic club sandwiches, milkshakes, and Italian sodas. Shoppers in the Hiline shop might even spot a TV-bowling celebrity, stopping by to get Pat’s insight into next season’s bowling shoe trends.

When Brian McInerney reflects on the humble beginnings of Wheel Fun Rentals, he points to his childhood passion for bikes. "As far back as I can remember, I had a real love affair with bicycles," he recalls. During a trip to Italy in 1987, Brian's affinity for cycling blossomed into a full-fledged obsession when he spotted locals' transporter of choice, the surrey. Inspired, he began importing the Italian four-wheelers to a rental business in the U.S. that eventually expanded into Wheel Fun Rentals, now a nationwide web of shops that also loans out bikes, electric cars and mopeds, and man-powered watercraft.

Atop bicycles and surreys built for solo riders or entire families, patrons embark on self-guided tours of major U.S. cities. Led by maps and lists of nearby sites of historical or cultural significance, riders zoom down bike paths and safe, lightly trafficked streets. Adventuresome athletes can also compete in activities such as surrey scavenger hunts and blindfold obstacle courses navigated via shouted instructions from a seeing teammate or exceptionally long rounds of trial and error.

Established in 1903, the Seattle Symphony has spent its century of sound accruing enough golden awards to make a leprechaun jealous. Two Emmy-winning television specials stand out among a list of credentials that include 12 Grammy nominations and upward of 140 recordings. The orchestra is led by musical director Ludovic Morlot—now in his second season as the Seattle Symphony's artistic leader—an accomplished conductor who has guest-conducted with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony, among others across the globe.

Chocolate lovers unite at the Northwest Chocolate Festival, an annual event dedicated not just to eating chocolate in its many forms, but to tracking its journey from cacao bean to confection. Visitors hone their expertise through seminars on trade equity and cacao farming, chocolate-making workshops led by confectioners, and tastings where palates learn to distinguish between milk chocolate and a chocolate bar clumsily forced inside a milk jug. A portion of the proceeds from the event benefits local nonprofits aligned with the festival’s mission. Recipients are announced yearly.