Century Ballroom, Capitol Hill

A wrenching breakup and a shameless addiction to Dancing with the Stars lead me to the Century Ballroom for the first time. One twenty-minute East Coast Swing lesson followed by a night of social dancing and I quickly kicked my cheesy reality show habit, trading it for a new obsession: Lindy Hop. Today, thanks to six months of lessons, countless dances (some graceful and some...well...let's just say I've occasionally come away with superficial bruising) and...

Joe Bar, Capitol Hill

During my most recent visit to Joe Bar a man brought his new puppy, a chocolate brown Portuguese water dog named Moses, into the shop with him to get a coffee. Moses was in full throttle cuteness mode, bounding from table to table, tugging at shoelaces and licking the hands of charmed customers (myself included) who couldn't help but reach down to pat his darling little head. "It's his visit to Joe Bar," the man...

Twilight Martini Lounge, Belltown

I was wearing my pajamas the first time I experienced a bit of Twilight Martini Lounge's hip-hop flavor. It was 1 AM and I was heading to bed when a girlfriend called from said bar and yelled, "Listen!" as I soon as I answered. She then held her phone up to a speaker for several seconds so that I could hear the song she was dancing to. It was "Loungin'" by LL Cool J, and...

Revolutions, Greenlake

If you are a woman who gets utterly annoyed when a stranger calls you "sweetie," you may want to avoid Revolutions as your morning latte provider. If, however, you are a woman who gets a thrill from a little unexpected sweet talk, Revolutions is your place. Here's just a small sampling of the greetings I have received from the baristas upon approaching the counter: How you doing, Sugar? What's going on today, Sweetheart? Hey Girl!...