The center point for all this energy is the corner of 10th and Pike. People have been coming here to enjoy art, counterculture, and general debauchery for decades, but the infusion of new blood has revved up the scene that much more (and prompted gentrification concerns as well). Seattle is booming, and nowhere is the effect more pronounced than on Capitol Hill, located just east/uphill/across the freeway from downtown.
And don’t forget to wander these are just a few possibilities among many, and the neighborhood is in constant churn. See what’s happening at the unpredictable 2312 Gallery, where you might find an art opening, a live performance, or nothing at all. Tired of boozing and eating? See live music at The Crocodile, one of Seattle’s classic music venues (once owned by REM’s Peter Buck), or try The Rendezvous, which contains both an underground performance space/bar called the Grotto, as well as the tiny, but satisfyingly comfortable Jewelbox Theater. Queen City Grill, meanwhile, has held down the busy corner of Blanchard and 1st for decades, serving delicious seafood entrees and grand cocktails in a long, narrow room lined with well-worn oak booths. Of the many dinner options, the more popular include the pizza-and-booze Mecca known as Rocco’s, which looks tiny from the outside but opens up into a grand, metal-and-brick-lined space, and the sleek Wakefield Bar, offering the city’s most underrated fried chicken. Start at Blanchard and 2nd, and head north toward Bell Street to get a sense of the possibilities. The area has undergone some gentrification from its wilder, seedier days in the 1990s, but there is still plenty of fun to be had. Best Bars and Nightlife in WallingfordĪlong 1st and 2nd Avenues in downtown Seattle lies the extensive pocket of bars, clubs, shops, and restaurants known as Belltown. My favorite bar in Seattle, Russell’s, is just over the border in Fremont but an easy walk from all of the above places. The Sea Monster has local bands and a dance floor. Murphy’s has live music on many nights (trivia on the other nights) and tasty pub food. For great food in a bar atmosphere then Union Saloon is a great choice. Grilled meats are the specialty but there’s also cheap Sapporo beer, fantastic happy hour small plates (until 6:30), noodles, and sushi. One of the best restaurants in Seattle is the Japanese izakaya Issian. If you’re looking for a Seattle neighborhood with great nightlife, local vibe, and almost no tourists then this is where to head. If we're really having fun we'll play all of it at once.The best wine bar in downtown Seattle. Sometimes we're banging out techno sometimes we're making boys twirl and death-drop to your housiest house and one time we had Hard French take over and play only soul 45s. "Dickslap is a place where you can really do what you want to do musically," says Kauer, "although I do have a strict 'no Top 40' rule. The Eagle's cage-dancing performers leave no question as to the propensity, and there are plenty of dark corners.īut flirting isn't the only reason to come to The Eagle.
There were other big fag parties in the past that brought out this crowd of people-gays and queens and weirdos and artists getting loose, and many of them have retired now, and possibly Dickslap has taken their place in the grand scheme, it's different."Īs far as sexuality goes, Dickslap is certainly no Berghain sex dungeon, but it's a fairly charged sexual environment-any bar called The Eagle is usually known for a forward, macho, bear-centric clientele. "The liquor board enforcement ceased pretty much entirely on the Hill," says Kauer, "The party was fun as hell and after about five months we dropped the 'Eagle vs.' moniker and continued on as just Dickslap. But did it work? Whether it was the media buzz that the party managed to generate, the public shaming of Washington's state administrators, or the consciousness-raising effects of vocal house and dark techno on the undercover police officers assigned to sneak into the party, something worked, and the Board went dormant.