Seattle's
nightlife
doesn't quite live up to
the expectations aroused
by the city's musical
notoriety, but it's still
compelling and not bad for
a
beer or two,
either - like other West
Coast cities, Seattle
boasts an excellent
selection of microbrewed
beers.
The Pike Pub
& Brewery , 1415
First Ave, and
Pyramid
Brewery & Ale House
, 1201 First Ave S, both
make unique hand-crafted
brews, and the Irish pubs
Kells
, 1916 Post Alley, and
Tir
na nog , 801 First
Ave, serve fine pints of
Guinness plus the usual
selection of European
ales. Note, though, that
in the state of Washington
taverns sell beer
and wine but not spirits,
while
bars sell
everything but must be
attached to a restaurant.
The tavern scene is most
accessible, and touristy,
in
Pioneer Square ,
where lively
establishments like
Doc
Maynard's, Old Timer's Café
and the
Central Saloon
host jazz, reggae and
blues bands. Look out for
"joint cover
nights" ($10
weekends/$5 weeknights),
when you can get into
about ten different live
music venues. Although
Seattle's grunge heyday is
long gone, there's still a
thriving
music
scene. The better-known
bands play at the old,
atmospheric
Moore
Theater downtown, 1932
Second Ave ( ), or the
Seattle
Center Arena.
As far as more refined
entertainment goes, the Seattle
Center ( ) is the base
for most of the city's
cultural institutions: the
Pacific Northwest
Ballet (tel
206/441-2424, ) and the Seattle
Opera (tel
206/389-7699, ) performed
in the Opera House, which
is closed for renovation
until 2003 (re-opening as
Marion Oliver McCall
Hall). Until then, you can
catch performances for
both groups at the
adjacent Mercer Arts
Arena. The Seattle
Symphony Orchestra has
a new stylish home in the
glass-walled Benaroya
Concert Hall , 3rd and
Union streets (tel
206/215-4747, ). Tickets
tend to sell out in
advance, but there are
sometimes half-price
tickets on the day of the
performance for students
and seniors.
Seattle has numerous theaters
; the longest-established
small company is the Seattle
Repertory Company (tel
206/443-2222, ) at the
Seattle Center. Next door,
the Intiman Theater
(tel 404/815-1888 or
206/269-1900, ) performs
classics and premieres of
innovative new works; On
the Boards presents
contemporary performances
(tel 206/217-9888, ); and
big-name musicals open at
the Fifth Avenue
Theatre (tel
206/625-1418, ) or the
restored Paramount
(tel 206/682-1414, ).
For a much
larger-scaled event, Bumbershoot
, the Seattle Arts
Festival, hosts more than
2000 artists from around
the world at 25 stages,
exhibit halls and
performance venues on
Labor Day weekend ($40
four-day pass; ). In May,
the Seattle
International Film
Festival ( ) centers
on independent venues such
as the Art Deco Egyptian
, in the masonic temple at
801 E Pine St (tel
206/323-4978), and the Harvard
Exit on 807 E Roy near
Broadway in Capitol Hill (tel
206/323-8986). Seafair
, held from late July to
early August ( ), is
Seattle's answer to Mardi
Gras, complete with
pirates, parades and the
gay-inspired
"Unofficial Seafair
Tacky Tourist Queen City
Cruise" through the
Ship Canal.
For what's on listings
throughout the year, Seattle
Weekly , free from
boxes on the streets and
many cafés and stores, is
good for reviews and
theater, cinema and arts
listings, as is the Friday
edition of the Seattle
Post Intelligencer .
Free papers The
Stranger and The
Rocket provide
excellent coverage of the
regional music scene.
