The Tacocat Guide To Seattle
How Would Tacocat Describe The City?
Seattle is very green with a lot of beautiful trees and plants. Right now we’re in the classic grey season - rainy, but a misty rain. It’s a sort of medium/small-feeling city. There are a lot of super creative people here; I’m really proud of the music and arts communities we’re a part of. Of course the '90s still comes up, which is really funny and kind of endearing, but that’s the legacy a lot of the scenes were built on.
In a more abstract Seattle, there are “innovative” tech companies that sort of have a hand in the way the city looks and feels. I was stoned at the Seattle Center last night on my way to see a movie in the theater there. We walked all around the grounds past the Experience Music Project, the Space Needle, the obnoxious Dale Chihuly glass everywhere, the fountain with music booming out of it… I hate to say it, but I was feeling kind of jaded and mentioned to my partner that I think there’s a sort of 'benevolent white person' vibe in the movers and shakers of Seattle, which can feel pretty self-congratulatory. Anyway, like I said I was really stoned, and before the movie - as if to punish me for saying something mean - there was this inspirational Seattle promotional video before the movie just breathlessly rattling off all of Seattle’s best features. Haha.
Outside of the tech pains, Seattle really is beautiful and different. We’ve been touring for years and see/experience all these great cities, but it still feels wonderful coming home.
Best Local Artists?
Boyfriends, Mommy Long Legs, Nail Polish, Lisa Prank, Childbirth, Industrial Revelation, The Hardly Boys, Lilac, Wimps, Chastity Belt, Ononos, Connie and The Precious Moments, Brunch Brains, Porter Ray, Shabazz Palaces, iji, DoNormaal, Posse, Tres Leches, Wild Powwers, Tan Sedan, The Fabulous Downey Brothers, So Pitted, Erik Blood…
Best Venue?
Hmmm. A lot of our favorite places have shut down and/or become condos in the last couple years. At the moment, Chop Suey (and it’s smaller counterpart the Den) is pretty great, or the classic Showbox Market for bigger shows. For all-ages action, we have the Vera Project or the Black Lodge. There are a couple good house venues and underground venues that can’t really be mentioned. Ask a punk, I guess. Haha.
A photo posted by Cafe Pettirosso (@cafepettirosso) on Nov 4, 2016 at 1:20pm PDT
Best Place To Eat?
In the International District, my favorites for Chinese food are Seven Stars Pepper or Szechuan Noodle Bowl, or A Piece Of Cake for really good desserts. Thai Tom in the University District is tiny and always crowded but has the best Tom Kha soup in the city. For Capitol Hill: Tacos Chukis is cheap and great, Hot Mama’s Pizza has been a staple since the '90s, and Pettirosso is a spot you might end up like three times in one day because they have coffee, food, and booze and half our friends work there. When I’m feeling fancy, the Carlile Room downtown has a big vegetarian menu and a babely chef. Oh, and Bakery Nouveau for legit French pastries and sandwiches.
Best Place To Drink?
Can’t really go wrong with a cheap drink and karaoke at Bush Garden, or any bar in the International District with one those 'erotic' photo hunt games. My band mate Lelah (drums) works at a place called Bait Shop that has really good frozen cocktails, or you could always hit happy hour at the Cha Cha or Saint John’s. The Unicorn is rad to look at, but the people inside can be kind of intense. But honestly, now that I’ve discovered Trader Joe’s $3.99 wine, I’m pretty into chillin’ in my apartment making tipsy art and avoiding the rain and the seasonal depression.
Local Hero?
Purple Mark! Purple Mark coordinates his clothing to match his ever-changing long wispy hair. He’s not always purple; the last time I saw him he was all orange and yellow. Boe Oddisey is another kindly freak who can often be spotted scarf dancing in a park or walking with a cart filled with strange objects and messages. There’s artist/musician/and meditation enthusiast Natasha Lady Krishna, whose pink hair and bananas punk high fashion can be spotted from down the block. Oh, and also Darryl Ary, a prolific artist who has been selling his strange, wonderful art on the streets for decades (while dealing with homelessness the entire time).
More local heroes include feminist writer Lindy West, Amelia Bonow (co-founder of the #ShoutYourAbortion movement), living hip-hop (and like, every other kind of music) legend Larry Mizell Jr., visual artist and founder of Seattle People of Color Salon C. Davida Ingram, drag genius Dina Martina, and sooooo many more.
Best Places To Visit?
The Kurt Cobain bench. Haha. No, I don’t know if anyone would actually want to visit there, it’s just a kind of funny place to have a beer (er, disclaimer: it’s not actually legal to drink outside in Seattle) and read all the writing on the bench - “KURT WHY DID YOU LEAVE US” - and then of course so many lyrics, and sometimes gifts. It’s right next to his house that he passed away in. I guess now that marijuana is legal, visiting a pot store is a decent destination as well. And our Rem Koolhaas-designed library is really weird and pretty. Twice Sold Tales is a cramped bookstore with maybe too many cats living inside, but the owner gives fantastic recommendations.
I’m a jaded local so visiting Pike Place Market should be done on a weekday if at all - avoid the crowds at all costs. We have a ferris wheel now down on the waterfront, but I’ve never been on it. Everyone likes those, right?
Best Place To Relax?
In a Poseurs yoga class ran by Emily Denton (of the clothing brand Actual Pain; ex-drummer of the very excellent local band Stickers)! The Banya 5 Russian spa or the Hot House (women-only spa) are both pretty great for soaking and all kinds of steam. Cal Anderson Park is a good places to chill with a book or headphones.
Worst Thing?
The new condos squeezing out folks from their neighborhoods, the unevolved assholes that come with the condos, the rapidly rising rent, the months of grey, and the timid drivers who can’t make a right turn without 15 minutes of hesitation.
Best Thing?
The women, POC, and queer friends making the best music and art in the city! The phó, the clean air, the somewhat non-competitive vibe, the proximity to the ocean and the forest, the amount of smart/liberal/radical folks here, my apartment building the Laurelton, and most every artist, writer, fashion-maker, activist, tattoo artist, photographer, musician, and freak living here…
Tacocat's latest record Lost Time is out now via Hardly Art. Grab it from iTunes or Amazon.
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