Activities in Tacoma

No doubt, Seattle is a shellfish town. It’s brimming with Dungeness crab, dozens of varieties of oysters, and a type of giant clam (the geoduck) whose pronunciation doubles as a test of one’s ability to pass as a local. Those who come to visit are confused, at times, by the fact that there’s not a lot of the sort of sea-shack, nautically-themed restaurants that dot the Jersey and Maine shores. Seattle’s a different kind of town, though, the kind where people set early alarms to beat the rush to the crab dock, or stay out late in the dark jigging for squid in the shadow of cruise ships. Maybe it’s a selfish town and the population wants to keep the crustacean bounty for themselves. Or perhaps it’s that they think they can cook it better than any restaurant can (likely true, as simple is often better with high-quality seafood). But the most likely answer is that it’s just more fun to pluck oysters from the shore, drop crab nets from the pier, or yank clams from the depths of their sand-filled hidey-holes. The best place to start on any shellfishing adventure is the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website. That’s where to find out what it’s currently legal to hunt, see what beaches or piers are open (watch out for temporary closures due to parasites), and find how-to guides for various types of shellfish-gathering—along with a few recipes, in case one is particularly successful. Each type of hunting carries a few challenges and even some necessary equipment, and all require a Washington State shellfish-gathering license. The license is available (as is some of the equipment) at many major stores (Fred Meyers, Big 5 Sports), but the best place to go is a locally-owned spot where the staff will be excited to help outfit a newcomer. Linc’s Fishing & Tackle, on Rainier just south of the ID, is a great place to do just that. Then it’s time to just pick a type of shellfish to look for and head out! For oystering, the gear is simple—just a shucking knife—but it’s important to know how to shuck, as the law requires leaving all the shells on the beach. Coastal razor clamming can be done with just a cheap clam gun (a specialized tool usually made from PVC pipes) and a bucket, but is a bit of a drive. Crabbing needs a little more time and equipment, but also involves a relaxing time spent sitting on the dock or on a boat. As with any type of hunting or foraging, gathering one’s own shellfish can be difficult, but it also has huge advantages over eating it in a restaurant: it’s always fresher, and it always tastes like a successful adventure.

Seattle’s Pioneer Square has long been a destination for espresso bars, old bookstores and interesting shops. Now, tech companies have moved into the office buildings surrounding one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, bringing with them trendy new storefronts and a revitalized feeling to the area. The funky Rain Shadow Meats Squared, a joint café and butcher shop, has carved out some cozy space in one of Pioneer Square’s older buildings. The shop offers housemade cured-meat sandwiches, roasted lamb and pork dishes, and rotating butcher specials, as well as homemade sodas and local beers and wine. Sit for a bite at the inviting lunch counter or, if you’re in the mood to go home and do some cooking yourself, a well-stocked butcher case is filled with fresh local meats and succulent sausages. Nearby, celebrated chef Matthew Dillon’s Bar Sajor is all soaring ceilings and natural light filtering through the windows of a stately turn of the 20th century building. With some of the most talked about food in the city, there are grilled and roasted meats, fermented vegetables and indulgent cocktails. The James Beard Foundation award-winning chef uses the restaurant’s wood-fired oven to coax dishes into blistery richness. While plenty of regulars drop in for a quick lunch or an evening drink, it’s best to plan ahead with a reservation to make sure you get in. Across the cobblestone street, Chef Dillon has collaborated with Marigold and Mint’s shopkeeper Katherine Anderson to open The London Plane, an airy mercantile, florist shop and wine bar with light lunch options. A cool Scandinavian interior yields a cheerful room filled with carefully-curated goods, each on display atop pristine white bookshelves, while long tables are perfect for lingering lunches and sipping wine. Flanking the front door, intriguing flowers point the way to a wine bar that anchors the room, while immense windows make the space glow with light. E. Smith Mercantile, with its old-world look and handmade general store vibe, feels like a trendy shop in Brooklyn or Portland, Oregon. Artisan clothes, apothecary goods and home wares you won’t find elsewhere in the city are on offer here. In the back, there’s craft coffee, ready to add a caffeinated edge to your day, or cocktails to take the edge off after 4 p.m. Co-owner Jessie Poole, a former designer for Eddie Bauer, named the shop after her great-grandfather, who lived and thrived in an old mining town in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho in the 1930s. And even though it’s hardly new, the famous Salumi, owned by Mario Batali’s sister Gina and her husband Brian D’Amato, draws lines every day well before it opens. Its beloved cured meats, from-scratch soups, pastas and big Italian sandwiches still get rave reviews, as fans crowd into the narrow, congenial space.

The Seattle area is certainly not unique in being a great home for the fiber arts (knitting, crochet, sewing, and more), but there are elements to the city that make it especially suited to these hobbies. As a tech centric city, many Seattleites spend their workdays in front of a computer, and a hands-on activity that produces an actual physical result can be a welcome tonic to too much screen time. Learning to make one’s own clothes and gifts is also a natural extension of the urban homesteading activities like canning, cheese-making and edible gardening that are also popular in Seattle. And of course, drippy Seattle weather certainly encourages one to find engaging and cozy indoor activities. (Find more things to do in Seattle, rain or shine) For those who have never knit, crocheted or sewn before, or need a refresher on long-forgotten skills, there are many options for getting started on a successful path to a new (and possibly addictive) hobby. Knitting, Crochet, Felting, Cross Stich Nearly every yarn store in Seattle offers classes, so checking a nearby neighborhood shop will probably be a safe bet for at least beginner classes. Once up to speed on basics, some shops offer more specialized classes to help target particular projects or techniques. The Weaving Works in North Seattle is one such shop that offers the basics, but also goes deeper into knitting and crochet skills with classes in fixing mistakes, yarn substitutions, binding off techniques, reading crochet charts and Tunisian crochet (a method that uses elements of both knitting and crochet).   Weaving Works and another North Seattle shop - The Fiber Gallery - also offer classes in spinning, needle felting, and weaving for those interested in a wider array of fiber hobbies. For learning opportunities beyond the yarn store, Makers’ Mercantile in Kent, Pacific Fabric and Crafts and even the North Seattle Community College all offer knitting and other fiber arts classes.  The Seattle Parks Department schedules classes as well, primarily for children, teens and those over 50 years. For a fun half- or full-day Puget Sound yarn excursion, there’s Churchmouse Yarns and Teas a ferry ride away on Bainbridge Island and Tolt Yarn and Wool in the pretty farming community of Carnation. Churchmouse offers some great specialized topics like Victorian cross stitch, Continental method knitting and a Feldenkrais-inspired class on “Healthy Handiwork Habits” to help hobbyists avoid the possible pain of repetitive motions. Tolt Yarn and Wool offers locally-made yarns, including Sleepy Hollow Fiber Farms, a small local producer that labels each skein with the name of the sheep the wool came from. Hobby groups are not true classes, but a welcoming group of fellow knitters, crocheters, or weavers can help keep a beginner encouraged when encountering challenges with new projects. And, usually, they’re free! Check the neighborhood shop schedule and most likely they offer group knitting or other craft circles that are open to the public. The Bellevue Parks Department organizes a knitting circle that works together to knit items for local hospitals and Eastside Baby Corner. It’s free to attend and they provide the patterns and material. The first Sunday of the month is also a good time for fiber art groups with a Scandinavian angle. Most months, the Nordic Heritage Museum offers a Nordic knitting circle, and the Swedish Club has a weaving group. They are both free and open to the public. For periodic special events throughout the year, keep an eye out for the Madrona Fiber Arts fest, Vogue Knitting Live, the Knit Fit marketplace, and the LYS (Local Yarn Shop) Tour. And for those who get truly serious about it, there’s even CraftCruises, which has scheduled Alaskan cruises focused on knitting, crochet, handspinning, needlework and more, departing right here from Seattle or north in Vancouver! Sewing and Quilting There are several options for sewing classes around Seattle. Drygoods Design is currently a popular spot for its stylish fabric selection and the “make*do*mend” studio that offers classes in basic sewing and quilting. They also offer classes focused on particularly useful patterns like the Washi dress or an “everyday” skirt. Pacific Fabrics and Crafts, Makers’ Mercantile, and the North Seattle Community College, mentioned above as venues for knitting and crochet classes, also offer sewing classes. The South Seattle Community College location does as well (although their selection is more limited than North Seattle). University of Washington’s continuing education department (aka the Experimental College), Stitches, and Quality Sewing and Vacuum are a few other spots with solid schedules of sewing instruction. For those on a budget, check out Sew Up Seattle. This is a free community group that gets together monthly on the 4th Saturday from 11am to 1pm at the Denny Park Lutheran Church. They have sewing machines, tools, and scraps, and beginners are welcome to come to learn and practice for free. The Lynnwood Library periodically schedules a “Make Friends with Your Serger” class. Frequency can be erratic, but for those struggling with the serger, occasionally checking the Sno-Isle Library system’s event calendar might yield a free learning opportunity.