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It's Friday afternoon and you're hankerin' for live music. Seattle's got so many choices, and yet there are risks. What if you get stuck in a crowd of seven people watching a lame punk band, or you take a chance on jazz and the band features a trumpet player whose horn sounds like an Algerian sheep with indigestion? That's why you voted overwhelmingly to head straight for the Showbox (1426 First, 628-3151), the downtown landmark that regularly hosts the best national talent and local up-and-comers. Jazz lovers stick to the basics too, which is why Dimitriou's Jazz Alley proved the second most popular live music club among readers. A close third was none other than Ballard outpost the Tractor Tavern, home to fantastic roots, country, and blues, and a great place to drink a Bud.
20. Best dance-music night
Despite Pacific Place, Safeco Field, dozens of Internet startups, and other landmarks of nouveau Seattle, Seattleites will never stop longing for yesterday, no matter how un-dot-com that day might have been. You want proof? Re-bar's Queer Disco (1114 Howell, 233-9873) beat out I-Spy's brand-spanking-new Lickit. Re-bar's Thursday theme night has been resurrecting the sexy '70s since long before your condo was built. Instead of Barneys and Prada, QD-ers sport tight Ts and fresh sneakers; rather than look Belltown Beautiful with pinched faces, QD-ers radiate Downtown Cool with wry smiles. Instead of surrendering a portion of their stock profits for admission, QD-ers slap down a measly $5. With boys who like boys who like girls who like girls who like boys, there's something for everyone. Now hang up your attitude and get down on the dance floor as MC Queen Lucky drops Debbie Harry on the turntable. Need more proof Seattle digs its oldies-but-goodies? Catwalk's Saturday night, Neighbours' Thursday night, and Re-bar's Saturday night all tied for third. OK?
21. Best place to rent an obscure foreign film
Rick Dahms
Twelve years after its founding, boasting some 45,000 titles on its shelves (VHS, DVD, PAL, Laserdisc, you name it), Scarecrow Video (5030 Roosevelt Wy NE, 524-8554, www.scarecrow.com) is again the overwhelming and unsurprising choice of discerning reader/viewers. Rain City Video came in a distant second, just edging out Hollywood Video in third, but the real story is how Scarecrow has kept it character—and our loyalties—after the health crisis-induced sale to new owners last year. Everyone loves its late hours; the Web site's coming along nicely; and the film geeks who work there—some future Tarantino doubtlessly among them—manage to be both extraordinarily helpful and just a little bit condescending when we confuse Antonioni with De Sica or Renoir with Bresson. Renting a movie here, whether by beeline or random browsing, remains one of those favorite rainy-day rituals—except when somebody's already checked out the only copy of Ugetsu!
22. Best movie theater lobby to wait in
You're early; your date's late. Where do you wanna sit? Plop your ass down in the threadbare but comfy chairs at the Harvard Exit (807 E Roy, 323-8986) and start hoping you won't be seeing the movie alone. Decent coffee and snacks help assuage the pre-show jitters, and you can usually also find something to read among the countless movie flyers and calendars. Play the piano or challenge someone to a match of speed chess if you're feeling really ambitious. There's a certain relaxing, musty-antimacassar atmosphere to the Exit, lulling you into the mood for something that's subtitled, three hours long, and won some prize at Cannes. Pacific Place landed in a respectable but unthreatening second for its high-end shopping mall ambiance (with benefit of a small beer-and-TV area). A close third was the Cinerama, undeniably cool to look at, but who wants to sit on those stools?
23. Best intermission people-watching
Considering the range of events that takes place each year at the Paramount Theater (911 Pine, 682-1414), it's not a huge surprise that this palatial venue made the top of the list. This year alone we've taken in SIFF's opening gala screening and those swanlike divas of the Bolshoi Ballet—all duly appreciated by this town's movers and shakers while tossing back complimentary glasses of wine. The jewel-box lobby recalls an opulence from bygone times, making everyone who enters look pretty damn important. And, like a scene ripped from an early Bond film, there are plenty of nooks and crannies—and those cinematic, multitiered balconies—from which to see without being seen. Benaroya Hall, with its glamorously modern spaces and efficient vantage points, ran a close second, while the Opera House placed third—which goes to show that the furs 'n' diamonds crowd is always worth gawking at for the same amount of time it takes to wait in line for the rest room.
MC Queen Lucky
host, Re-bar's Queer Disco Thursdays
I like . . .
* The Longshoreman's Daughter restaurant in Fremont—the best oatmeal in town. Just enough cinnamon, brown sugar, and fruit. Also, the staff's always fun and they have really good coffee.
* The drive-in down in Kent—a double-feature for only five dollars. The snack building is so great, with perpetually broken video game machines, an electric fireplace that's never on, and perfect 1970s light fixtures on the ceiling, with half the bulbs burned out. There's also pretty fun people- watching.
