Seattlest's Favorite Things

Without Oprah to tell us what to like and buy, the Seattlest Staffers were feeling a little lost. So we've polled each other and come up with the stuff that we can't get enough of this week, from places to go and things to do, to the little tidbits that make our life better on the daily. Here's what we've got this week:

Non-museums. The local museum scene is great but sometimes it’s nice to look at art without being in a temple of culture. Why not venture off the beaten path to some smaller more intimate “galleries?” One of my favorites right now is Vignettes. Twice a month Sierra Stinson hosts one night shows (Opening/ Closing Receptions as they are dubbed) of local artists in her tiny studio apartment in the El Capitan on the slope of Capitol Hill.
-Jenise

Wild Waves. Kids get all the fun. Go elbow some of them off a slide and enjoy the areas only actual amusement park. Now that it's September, you've still got a little while before they close--but the place will be essentially child-free with the tykes back in class.
-Laura

Shellac manicures. Sometimes called gel manicures, these bad boys last for a full two weeks. Do the dishes every day? Pick things up sometimes? Are you a real person who uses your hands instead of just just sitting around like a princess drinking tea and making other people lift things? A regular manicure will be toast in a manner of minutes. Shellac, however, isn't going anywhere. Second, they add a layer of protective, um, shellac, to your nails so they help keep them from breaking or chipping and it is hard to bite your nails when they are coated in colors. Yes, this treatment is a little more expensive, but definitely worth it if you like lovely nails. I can't disclose my favorite spot (because I want to be able to get walk-in appointments on the regular), we will say that it is in Belltown. But there are places all over, so go find find your own favorite.
-Alex H.

Woodland Park Zoo's baby tree kangaroo. Being as into baby animals as we are (even the ugos), we've been keeping a close eye on Woodland Park Zoo's tree kangaroo joey, who's been on the verge of emerging for weeks. Now, he's finally come out to play, and we can't stop looking at him. Welcome to the world, little dude!
-Sarah L./ Staff

Pickwick. We've already pledged our allegiance to this soulful local band of cuties, but since seeing them (or the recordings of them) at Doe Bay Music Festival, their infectious songs have been stuck in our heads on repeat.

Here's a video Seattlest's music editor Morgen shot at Doe Bay. Sigh!

Pickwick at Doe Bay Fest Open Mic from Morgen Schuler on Vimeo.

-Laura / Staff

Thundercats on Cartoon Network. I was too old to enjoy this cartoon when it first aired back in the 80s, the animation seemed as bad as anything put out by Filmation, and the names involved were just ridiculous: Panthro? Liono? Snarf, frickin' Snarf? So I was a little surprised when a friend sat me down to watch the pilot of Cartoon Network's continuation to find that there is actually some depth in the storytelling. I was even further surprised to find out it is being supervised by JM DeMatteis, a name that should be familiar to comic book fans everywhere. While character development is erratic, the scope of the story is epic, and Snarf is nowhere near as annoying as he used to be.
-Jose

Deus Ex: Human Revolution. This game has been totally ruining my life for the past couple of weeks. When it comes to the video game industry, the past couple of years have been big for iPhone apps, puzzle games, countless Farmville clones, or other casual fare -- but hardcore gamers looking for a fascinating, excruciatingly detailed world to immerse themselves in have been kind of neglected as of late. DE:HR is a sci-fi epic that scratches that itch 'til it bleeds, piling tense but rewarding gameplay on top of a captivating narrative that explores disturbingly relevant questions of how future breakthroughs in medical technology threaten (or promise?) to redefine what it means to be human.
-AJ

Staycation. What's that? You were saving up your vacation time for a week-long thing that you never actually planned and as a result, never took any summer time off? Take a few days off. Read a book. Go to Madison Park Beach. Think about anything but work. You're going to need the recharge for the long, dark months ahead. Two or three days is nothing. You'll build that back up in no time, and your psyche will thank you for taking it now.
-Sarah L.

Got a favorite thing that we really should know about? Send it to tips@seattlest.com, or Tweet at us with the hashtag #favoritethings.