July 2010

Best Camping Spots in Washington

Best Camping Spots in Washington

Whether you prefer authentic camping or luxury "glamping," our camping guide has you covered.

Roughing ItThe Northwest offers plenty of ways to commune with nature, but nothing quite surpasses the getting-back-to-the-land feeling of hiking, sleeping and cooking outdoors—especially when s’mores await at the end of a day spent entirely free of walls. Not-so-Roughing ItIf sleeping on the ground—even on a pad in a warm sleeping bag and tent—is more…

Top Doctors 2010: Special Hall of Fame Edition

Top Doctors 2010: Special Hall of Fame Edition

Saluting the 381 finest physicians in the Puget Sound region.

Over the past decade, Seattle magazine has been the go-to resource for information about the best doctors in the region. For this Top Doctors issue—our 10th since 2000—we created a Top Doctors Hall of Fame to honor the four doctors (pictured L to R: Dr. Joseph S. Gruss; Dr. Linda S. Mihalov; Dr. David R. Byrd;…

Spotlight: Screaming Flea Productions' Third Season of Hoarders

Spotlight: Screaming Flea Productions’ Third Season of Hoarders

With a third season of Hoarders in the works, the Seattle-based production team offers a behind-the-

Let’s get this out of the way: The name Screaming Flea Productions (SFP) is not a reference to the conditions commonly seen on Hoarders, the popular reality show the Seattle-based company produces for A&E. Though the SFP team is all too familiar with infestations—and other unpleasant consequences of living amid piles of newspapers and herds…

Best Camping Spots: Vamping

Best Camping Spots: Vamping

The Eurovan is the ground-averse camper's silver bullet.

When my husband, Daniel, and I go camping for the weekend, there are no tents involved. We do not drag Therm-a-Rests or tarps out of the garage; we do not strap carefully rolled sleeping bags onto backpacks. Instead, we pile into our VW Eurovan and head for nearby wilderness to experience a night or two…

Easy Salted Caramel S'mores

Easy Salted Caramel S’mores

An extra decadent version of the classic campfire dessert.

When the late-evening air is infused with the smell of a crackling campfire, there’s no better nightcap than a mug of warm cocoa and a melty, chocolatey s’more. In this extra-decadent version, we’ve taken Cougar Mountain chocolate chip cookies and sandwiched between them toasted marshmallows and the ultra-rich, dark chocolate salted caramels from Jo’s Candies…

Best Camping Spots: Roughing It

Best Camping Spots: Roughing It

The Northwest offers myriad ways to commune with nature, but nothing surpasses sleeping outdoors.

Salt Creek A Family AffairWhere: North side of the Olympic Peninsula on the Strait of Juan de FucaBest For: Base-camp adventuring, tide pooling and family-friendly camping  Sea stars, swimming and s’mores, oh my! Salt Creek Recreation Area off State Route 112 on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula has a wealth of options for family…

Sage Advice for Camping with Children

Sage Advice for Camping with Children

Camping with kids presents special problems, so we asked a family-camping expert for some answers.

Should I buy my child a special ergonomic telescoping titanium trekking pole? Only if you hate nature. There is no way that pole is not going to be used to whack the crap out of trailside vegetation (and probably your ankles and your child’s little brother). Balance is a learned skill—let them learn it! Save the…

Food We Love: Queen of Banana

Royal Flush

There is no food I crave more than the vibrant fare at Noodle Boat Thai Cuisine (Issaquah, 700 NW Gilman Blvd.; 425.391.8096; noodleboat.com). This humble restaurant is run by a family whose devotion to quality includes a six-week working vacation in Thailand each year to produce the authentic, hellishly hot chile paste that finds its…

Best Camping Spots: Going Rogue

Best Camping Spots: Going Rogue

Car camping on out-of-the-way Forest Service Roads

For many of us, spending the night in a crowded car campground, even in a beautiful locale, feels like camping in a mall parking lot. Likewise, unless you’re an Ironman, backpacking miles and miles in for a little woodland solitude is out of the question.  The solution? Get out your gazetteer and find your own…

Shopping Around: July’s Shopping Finds

This month's shopping finds

Category: Shopping + Fashion Articles   This month’s shopping finds Native SolesWhen a jacket-clad snowboarder flew into the Vancouver Olympic Games’ opening ceremony in February, the Alano Edzerza-designed Haida art on the coat created instant buzz, placing Pacific Northwest native art squarely in fashionistas’ crosshairs. Two local artists have created statement shoes celebrating this marriage…

Local Authority: Eckhard Mueller

Eckhard Mueller and his canine sidekick, April, are taking a bite out of Seattle's rising bedbug pro

Strange Bedfellows NAME: Eckhard MuellerTITLE: Pest-control technician and certified canine handler in bedbug detection. Works with April.BEDBUG MYTHS: They spread disease and are found only in seedy places.BEDBUG TRUTHS: “Bedbugs don’t eat anything but human blood. We are all targets.”APRIL’S STATS: 90%–98% accuracy, depending on cleanliness of siteAPRIL’S SHORTCOMINGS: “She burps—sometimes on the job.” In…

Day Trip: Roslyn

About 90 miles east of Seattle, Roslyn is famous as the shooting location of the 1990s television se

About 90 miles east of Seattle, Roslyn is famous as the shooting location of the 1990s television series Northern Exposure—which launched 20 years ago this month—but its real-life history is much longer. Founded in 1886, the former coal-mining town is a National Historic District, evidenced by the original, Old West storefronts along the town’s main…