Nearly anything your heart desires can be found on Ballard Avenue Northwest from Market Street to 17th Avenue Northwest. The bustling stretch is home to some of the city’s finest restaurants (The Walrus and the Carpenter, Staple and Fancy, and Carta de Oaxaca, to name just three), coolest music venues (the Tractor and the Sunset, among others), and enough bars and taverns to drown a thirsty sailor. Shops and boutiques sell all manner of goods, and the Sunday farmers market supplies the finest fruits, vegetables, meats, and more. Ballard might be a bit isolated from the rest of the city, but once you’re there, there’s really no reason to leave. KEEGAN HAMILTON