Seattle

Totally Awesome!

If you're looking for great recession time entertainment, (and let's face it, who isn't?) you should really check out Laser Dome at the Pacific Science Center. Sure, most of the audience is comprised of teenagers looking to hang with their crushes in the dark. But there's also loud rock n' roll...and LASERS! They have classic shows like "Pink Floyd: The Wall" and "Laser Queen," and they're always adding limited engagements for contemporary bands like Radiohead and Muse. It never hurts to sneak in some beers in your tummy. But even in a sober state, lasers are pretty cool. Especially when they depict robot battles. It's already cheaper than a movie but there are even more ways to save at Laser Dome. Thursday is "cheap date night" at $5 a pop. Concessions on Friday and Saturday are just $2. They have $1 weekend matinees with your PSC ticket. Teen admission is always $5. Best of all, it's a live show, which means there's a guy in the booth customizing each performance. If the crowd is keen, he'll even do an encore. Besides, you should support the Pacific Science Center because financially, it's not doing so hot. The people need their science!

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Theaters-Performing Arts Centers • Lower Queen Anne / Seattle Center

Football vs Naked Lady Poke

It's the classic couples problem. One of you enjoys professional sports and one of you doesn't. Fortunately, you both like to drink. The Spectator has your compromise. With 13 flat screen TVs broadcasting everything from American football to what the rest of the world calls Football, the sports enthusiast you are or love won't miss a play. Numerous classic arcade games, pool, and shuffleboard keep the less enthused half entertained. They also have a video poker machine featuring my all-time favorite bar game: Naked Lady Poke (a.k.a. Spot the Difference). Their weekday happy hour prices almost everything below $4. The eats aren't too shabby but they get a little too liberal with the nacho cheese. 5 minutes after your cheesy bacon tater tots hit the table, you'll need a fork, lest you contribute to tree genocide with the amount of napkins you'll need. That's not all they’re liberal with. They boast about their famous pound of chicken wings but I suspect they serve everything there by the pound. Rent the mezzanine for private parties or settle into a big, cushy booth for impromptu gatherings. Go team!

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Restaurants • Lower Queen Anne / Seattle Center

Sporty, Not Greasy

I don't really understand why sports and shitty, greasy food go together. But seems like every sports bar ever created comes with heart attack-inducing grease on top of fries on top of some unidentifiable sauce. Luckily, Buckley's is not your typical sports bar. Sure, it has the sports part down pretty heavy, what with their big screen TVs, small TVs and an abundance of jerseys hanging throughout the place. But the nice surprise is that their food is actually good. Maybe even great. Try anything there. It'll all be delicious, and your napkin won't be soaked with oil at the end of the meal. My fave is the California Avocado Sandwich doohickey, but every bite I've had from the Mandarin Salad to the Pulled Pork has been spot on yummy in my tummy. Most sandwiches come on that big, focaccia type bread and the best part; the part that you'll thank me for, is that all the sandwiches come with your choice of sweet potato fries, and two other things that I never hear, because I only eat sweet potatoes. And so should you.

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Nightlife , Restaurants • Lower Queen Anne / Seattle Center

Hell No We Won't Crow

I'd always heard about Crow. People would tell me Oh, that place is supposed to be good. But I never actually met anyone who ate there. And know I know why. The waiters look like Belltown assholes on a casual Friday, with their rolled up striped shirts and Diesel jeans. The restaurant was crazy crowded at 6 pm on a Wednesday and we waited for 15 minutes, thinking well maybe this place will be great after all. I mean, look at all these smiling faces, conversations and food on clean white plates. But when we ordered our fish and risotto we were totally underwhelmed. Both plates were over $15. The cod, or special of the day, was anything but. It was dry and the red rice surrounding the small piece of lame fish was soupy, and not at all ricey. The risotto came out too hot. Like it was zapped in the microwave too hot and not like it was cooked fresh, even an hour ago hot. Sure, there weren't any pubes or pee in our meals, but I'd never tell anyone that Crow was worth it.

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Nightlife , Restaurants • Lower Queen Anne / Seattle Center

Low Down Dirty Shame

Growing up on the East Coast, sports is a part of your blood--for better ('86 Celtics) and sometime for worse ('86 Red Sox). Most Seattleites today could care less about a bunch of dudes running up and down a court getting paid millions of dollars to lose most of their games. But dammit, for those countless fans who do care (like the writer Sheman Alexie), basketball at The Key was a way of life. Like the subculture of other Seattle pastimes coffee, music, kayaking…trekking through Seattle Center past the Fun Forest toward Key Arena was a ritual that we took for granted. Yet now Seattle is losing that important piece of urban existence to, drum roll please...Oklahoma City. Yup. David Stern and the NBA head honchos think Seattle is worthless as an NBA city. But if anyone was around for the Sonics' surprising playoff run in the spring of 2005, you know the real passion that Seattle fans can exhume. Key Arena got loud. It got crazy. It was downright mind-blowing. Too bad we’ll never experience that again. Unless we find ourselves in Oklahoma City. Keep up with all the latest depressing news at Supersonicsoul.com.

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Landmarks • Lower Queen Anne / Seattle Center

Going Solo (Or Not)

The menu at Solo Bar is like one of those games in Highlights Magazine. How many nationalities can you spot? Italian, French, Spanish, Ethiopian, Brazilian and Bulgarian…to name a few. Solo calls itself a tapas bar, which means just that: fancy food in small portions. Not that I’m complaining. With reasonable prices and daily happy hours from 5-8 (plus all day on Sunday and Monday), the punk rock owners (local Balkan band Kulture Shock and ex-Faith No More) provide numerous ways to fill my vast American stomach with outstanding fare. At Sunday brunch, wash down their historical figure-themed crepes (let them eat The Antionette) with Guinness infused (trust them) bloody marys and the biggest mimosa you’ve seen outside my kitchen. For dinner, share a Mediterranean plate or eat that entire gourmet hot sandwich yourself. Their specialty cocktail menu includes Brazilian favorite, caipirinha, and a drink named after Deadwood’s beloved badass Al Swearengen. On the weekends, chase your old timey libation with a rock show.

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Nightlife , Restaurants • Lower Queen Anne / Seattle Center

Conveyer Belt Sushi

Fish gets, well, to put in more pleasant terms–caught, then sliced, dabbed with wasabi, wedged with rice, placed on a conveyor belt, then rolled around the room until eyed, selected and consumed…thus, the land of sushi. The service is absolutely appalling (what else can you expect from high school boys), but the place is always packed–people come hungry and expecting to get stuffed. With unbelievably cheap prices, Sushi Land definitely makes up for its paltry service; you won’t be able to find spider rolls and fresh uni anywhere else for only $3. If you’re strapped for cash I hope you’re not color blind–the brightly color coded plates determine how much each dish costs, starting at $1/green plate. And if you are unlucky and go on a day when there’s a limited supply of mercury, I mean…fish, you may end up feeling like you’re at the Sea-Tac airport baggage claim watching the same suitcase rotate around…again...and again…

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Restaurants • Lower Queen Anne / Seattle Center