Seattle - Washington State - page 129

is carried on today to produce smoked salmon, one of the Northwest's most
delicious food products. This store, located at street level in Pike Place Market,
sells vacuum-packed smoked salmon that will keep without refrigeration until
the package is opened. 1906 Pike Place, Pike Place Market. & 800/972-5666 or 206/443-
1710. www.totemsmokehouse.com.
TOYS
Archie McPhee You may already be familiar with this temple of the absurd
through its mail-order catalog. Now imagine wandering through aisles full of
goofy gags. Give yourself plenty of time and take a friend. You'll find Archie's
place in the Ballard neighborhood. 2428 NW Market St. & 206/297-0240. www.
mcphee.com.
Magic Mouse Adults and children alike have a hard time pulling themselves
away from this, the wackiest toy store in downtown Seattle. It's conveniently
located in Pioneer Square and has a good selection of European toys. 603 First Ave.
& 206/682-8097.
10 After Dark
It's true that Seattleites spend much of their free time enjoying the city's natural
surroundings, but that doesn't mean they overlook the more cultured evening
pursuits. In fact, the winter weather that keeps people indoors, combined with
a longtime desire to be the cultural mecca of the Northwest, have fueled a sur-
prisingly active and diverse nightlife scene. The Seattle Opera is ranked one of
the top opera companies in the country, and its stagings of Wagner's Ring series
have achieved near-legendary status. The Seattle Symphony also receives fre-
quent accolades. Likewise, the Seattle Repertory Theatre has won Tony awards
for its productions, and a thriving fringe theater scene keeps the city's lovers of
avant-garde theater contentedly discoursing in cafes about the latest hysterical or
thought-provoking performances. Music lovers will also find a plethora of clas-
sical, jazz, and rock offerings.
Much of Seattle's evening entertainment scene is clustered in the Seattle Cen-
ter Theater District and the Pioneer Square areas. The former hosts theater,
opera, and classical music performances; the latter is a nightclub district. Other
concentrations of nightclubs can be found in Belltown, where crowds of the
young and the hip flock to the neighborhood's many nightclubs, and Capitol
Hill, with its ultracool gay scene. Ballard, formerly a Scandinavian enclave in
north Seattle, attracts a primarily middle-class, not-too-hip, not-too-old crowd,
including lots of college students and techies. It's not the hipster Belltown scene,
it's not the PBR-swilling blues scene of Pioneer Square, and it's not the sleek gay
scene of Capitol Hill.
While winter is a time to enjoy the performing arts, summer brings an array
of outdoor festivals. These take place during daylight hours as much as they do
after dark, but you'll find information on all these festivals and performance
series in this section.
To find out what's going on when you're in town, pick up a free copy of Seat-
tle Weekly ( www.seattleweekly.com ), Seattle's arts-and-entertainment newspa-
per. You'll find it in bookstores, convenience stores, grocery stores, newsstands,
and newspaper boxes around downtown and other neighborhoods. On Friday,
the Seattle Times includes a section called “Ticket,” a guide to the week's arts
and entertainment offerings.