We attended the Fremont Fair today and had a lovely time. The weather was beautiful and we arrived…read moreearly before the crowds, but made sure to stay for the parade in the afternoon. Between all the amazing vendors, the incredible food options, live music and street performers, the Art Cars and everything else to see and do, the time just flew right by. This is definitely one of the better festivals we have attended. It's dog friendly and family friendly and completely free. Parking is probably the only negative thing and if you don't mind the walk, you should be able to find some parking in a neighboring residential area. We definitely got our 10,000 steps in today and I would absolutely come back again and again.

I have been coming to the Fremont Fair for decades. It is still one of my favorite fairs to visit…read moreevery year. My agenda is likely different from many folks. I don't come on Saturday anymore since everyone is there for the Solstice parade. It is borderline insane for those who drive there and need to find parking. My routine: - I arrive midday on Sunday, typically about 3pm. This gives me three hours at the fair. Many folks are beginning to leave by then. Parking is slightly easier to find even if we need to loop a time or two. - Visit the art cars. This is my absolute favorite at the Fremont Fair. They are insanely fun. My favorite is from 10+ years ago. A sedan is fully covered with Big Mouth Billy Bass with lobsters on top that are synced up to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. I am sure I have a video somewhere. - Stroll the many blocks of the fair, exploring the booths. I go to many fairs. I recognize most vendors going to the same fairs. Fremont Fair is still able to surprise me with new-to-me booths. It is why I return year after year. - Look for free swags. Many community booths give free swags. I look for the cute items that a child might like so I can give those swags to teachers as classroom rewards. - Free food sampling - We enjoy buying new-to-us foods. - Skip the food booths, mostly. Once upon a time, food booths were the source to find unusual eats or to have a small bite. We stop eating from food booths when they became more expensive than going to a restaurant. Sorry, not sorry. We support the local restaurants in the neighborhood instead. We still look, but it is uncommon for us to find something we don't already know. - When all is done, take a stroll along ship canal. It is both peaceful (for us) and chaotic (for the vendors packing up and/or taking down their booths). It is part entertainment seeing the staff direct traffic. For this year's fair, the highlight is once again the art cars with the spaceship car. Inter Milan gave away blue ice cream, while a Raspados Del Sur gave away their excess fruits after the fair ended. It was awesome! Of course, I bought items and enjoyed music from the stages, too.

Seems a bit smaller since the last time we came about 2 years ago. Some cute stuff and always fun…read moreto look at the booths and people watch. It's also next to the beach and lots of shops and restaurants so always a good place to hang out.

My family took me here while I was visiting from out of town, and I'm so glad they did. Parking can…read morebe a bit of a challenge, but it's well worth it. The art fair was filled with incredibly talented artists and a wonderful variety of high-quality, unique handmade items. I was tempted to buy so many things, but since I was flying home with only a carry-on, I didn't have room to bring much back. Instead, I collected several vendors' business cards so I could support them by ordering online later. Honestly, I wanted to buy something from almost every booth because the craftsmanship was so impressive. We also stopped by ItimTodd for dessert and shared the Strawberry Shortcake fried ice cream. I'm usually not a big sweets person, but it was absolutely delicious--fresh, flavorful, and not overly sweet. I would definitely come back the next time I'm in town. I'll just be sure to leave some extra space in my luggage so I can bring home a few pieces from these amazing artists.

Started with a youth league which was fun but makes soccer moms looks tame. By the first half the…read moreRainier Rollergirls were winning 186vs61. They rink has a small bar past the snack bar. Get there early for a seat otherwise you will be standing for a long time. Seating is an issue. Some of the girls are really good, but Rather City Rollergirls are more entertaining. They do an after party at the Triangle Bar which makes the night keep going. Tip:buy tickets online as it's $5 less than the door price and avoids the line.

My first time at the Roller Derby...OMG. So much fun! :) The Rainier Roller Girls jam at the…read moreSouthgate Roller Rink, so there is literally not a bad seat in the house. At only 10 bucks for preorder online, it is well worth the cost. What is not to love about tough women fighting hard to win, and on skates too! The action is real, and the rules are not hard to catch on to. If you want to be hipster, buying a Rainier beer chucks some $ at the Rainier Roller Girls, so why not? Can't wait for the next one!

Checked this place out with my girls ages 2.5 and 5 years old. They had a blast! Bigger kids get a…read morelittle rowdy, but easily handled with a simple verbal reminder "watch out big kids, there's a little playing too". It is as loud as you would expect an indoor. If the noise bothers, make sure you bring your headphones. Basically, is a place for kids to have fun. If you judge it by that it is nothing but a fantastic events. This is one of the fun things to do with the family. Great fun, Great weather!!! Gotta love the WHIRLIGIG! My recommendation, catch the light rail/bus to Westlake and walk to Westlake Center's monorail platform on the third floor.  Ride the monorail over to Seattle Center - Center House is right next to the exit for the monorail! Whirligig is open daily 11am-6pm!  Cost: $8: All Day Main Floor Pass $4.50: All Day Toddler Zone Pass $1.50: Single Ride Ticket FREE on Thursdays!

Whirligig is a yearly celebration of all that is inflatable. Basically, you bring your kids here,…read morepurchase tickets or a wristband, then send them on their way. Often, screaming, laughing, crying, or any combination of the three can be heard from the little ones. TIP #1 - Come during the week before Spring Break (for Seattle Public Schools). It's always filled with kids but believe it or not, sometimes there are less kids. TIP #2 - Make enough time for your kids to run around and buy a wristband. Believe me, it will be the best $7.50 you will ever spend. The tickets only make sense if you are literally going to be there for only 15 minutes (which is rarely the case with kids). TIP #3 - Stay out of the way. Set up a spot where your child can find you and develop a safety protocol for all situations. Depending on when you are there, you will feel like you're on a NY subway, what with all the bumping, stepping, pushing and shoving. While my child is running and jumping around with friends, I am catching up with my friends or grabbing a bite to eat. The Armory has decent food now, but if you're trying to save a few bucks, you can bring your own food. Parking is always an issue around Seattle Center. Most street spots, if you find them are either metered or have 2 hour limits. TIP #4 - If you're going to eat at The Armory anyway, the food vendors will validate 2 hours parking in the Seattle Center garages. Remember, Whirligig typically runs for around 2 weeks or so. Make an event of it and plan a huge play date. Your kid will love it. The only downside is they won't let grownups ride (trust me, I've tried).

Love coming here. Whether it's the Seahawks or the sounders, this place rocks! Literally! They…read moreengineered this place to be loud. Getting here is a breeze too. They have a nice parking garage but I prefer taking the link in. North side of the stadium you'd take the International District stop. If you want the south side of the stadium, then Stadium is the best stop. Food and beverage options here are decent. They're optimized for crowds too with those Amazon markets where you just walk out. Seattle dogs are my staple now but they have all your stadium favorites and generally lines aren't too bad since they have a lot of options. I've attended events in lots of areas of the stadium including suites, end zones, upper and lower decks. I'd say it's a fun environment wherever you sit. It does get loud though. Bring earplugs for those sensitive to loud noises. The suites shield you from much of that though. Getting around in the stadium is fairly effortless too. The pro shop on the ground floor is the most congested. The line moves pretty fast though. There are also large ramps like the Olympic ramp that you can walk up and down floors too. Overall, any chance I get to come here I generally take advantage of since it's easy to get to and I like this environment. Have fun!

For a big stadium pop/folk show like Ed Sheeran's LOOP Tour, built on looping, live layering, and…read morehuge sing-alongs, Lumen Field delivered the goods. Scale, energy, and that classic Pacific Northwest night under the arches. When the crowd is locked in and the songs are big enough to fill the place, it really shines. That said, the acoustics aren't great for quieter or more nuanced moments (stadium echo is real here), and getting in and out can be a pain, especially by transit. The light-rail mess after this show didn't help. If you care more about atmosphere and hits than perfect sound, you'll leave happy. If you're sensitive to echo or prefer intimate acoustics, maybe stick to smaller venues. Sheeran keeps coming back for a reason though--this place works for his style of stadium intimacy, even if it's not a sonic paradise.

Fraternal Order of Eagles / F.O.E. were formed in Seattle in 1898 & why you have Social Security &…read moreMother's Day. PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE. This is a MEMBERS ONLY club charitable organization, therefore a member must sign guests in. Volunteer run organization. Only paid employees are the bartenders. Full service bar, pulltabs gambling, game room (darts & pool table), karaoke (Friday's) , trivia, TouchTunes jukebox, cribbage, poker, live music (Saturday's), & dancing. Food is cooked by volunteers as specials or an event. Great venue to rent! 2 private parking lots.

I recently joined the Eagles and have been really impressed with the mission, the people, and the…read morefacility. People helping people! I am happy to have found such a group of caring people who want to make a difference in the lives of others. Almost any given day food is served and funds are raised to help causes. The members of the Eagles are so friendly! It's a great community! The facility is so versatile. The front portion has a bar with with nice people, great music, drinks, snacks & games. The back portion is a fantastic event hall. In fact, my bestie threw an engagement party there a few years ago and it was amazing! I have since seen many large charity benefit dinners, cornhole tournaments, trivia, karaoke, and more! Part of the event hall is a large industrial kitchen. I had always wanted to join the Eagles... but had never checked into it until recently. It was an easy process and was so inexpensive! Many of my friends have also been joining... I am looking forward to many new memories to come, helping people with this wonderful group!

You definitely don't have to be Polish to enjoy this event, so mark your calendar for next year! I…read morecan't believe access to such a great experience is free. They had fabulous entertainment events, particularly the traditional music straight from Poland. As a violinist myself, the experience of seeing such high-level musicians up close was priceless. Whether or not you're familiar with Polish music, you can appreciate hard work, talent, and a catchy beat. Food selection and pricing were also great. They require you to buy tickets to redeem for their food options, and there's some standing in line, but it was absolutely worth it. I had a delicious assortment of pierogis with sauerkraut and was super full for less than $10. We also did the vodka tasting, which was fun. I'm not a big vodka lover but I enjoyed learning a little about the different types and how they're made, both locally in Seattle and in Poland. There's also an outdoor beer garden. Finally, the atmosphere of the event was lovely. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, even to people who are obviously not Polish. The Armory looks nice and provides plenty of covered space to walk around and browse vendors, use a nice bathroom, or just sit down inside. The outdoor Seattle Center lawn had plenty of space for kids and dogs to play while listening to what's going on onstage, all in the shadow of the Space Needle. If you are Polish, it's a great place to find ways to connect with the local community. If not, you're still welcome to celebrate a wonderful culture.

Attended the second annual Polish Festival in Seattle over the weekend. The organizers pushed up…read morethis iteration to be on a weekend that was jam packed with festivals all over town. At least it had Seattle Center to itself this time. The inaugural event was held at the Intiman just a few hundred yards from another heritage event, the yearly Italian Festival. No, I didn't see no West Side Story-esque rivalry between the groups. Though there was a difference in mood between the events. The Polish event seemed a lot more festive and hectic compared to the relaxed feel of the Italian event. With the Polish Festival taking up the space where the Italian event took place as well as room at the Seattle Armory, I did notice a change in the mood of the event. It did take on a more leisurely feel compared to last year's one. The Intiman courtyard was simply too small to accommodate such a large gathering. The food lines last year were quite ridiculous. The reason being that there was no separate ticket stand. This year they rectified that and it did make the lines move a bit better. The pierogi (dumplings) line was still long, but the wait was not as bad. Food pricing was pretty reasonable for a cuisine in short supply in Seattle. The meat pierogis with sauerkraut ($6) were decent. Though I still have a preference for Asian dumplings. The meat filling goes down a bit better. Inside the Armory, there was numerous things going on. There was a cooking demonstration and dancing on stage. Polish arts & crafts were being sold and there was a dessert table as well which of course included paczki (Polish doughnuts). I found this event to be better run than last year's iteration. It is a nice festival to attend if you are interested in Polish culture. Not to mention one of the best events to try some Polish food since it is in short supply in Seattle.

This is an indoor arts, craft, food an music festival celebrating Croatian culture…read more Mostly the festival was about music. They had some Croation food and beer for sale at various vendors, but ran out of the beer pretty quickly. This festival could have been far more interactive, instead, you sat and listened to the music and the sound was either too loud or didn't have enough sumpin-sumpin to be good without hurting my ears. The performers were doing a good job though! The garb ranged from great to cheesy to half-assed. The Croatian folks I went with were relatively bored and glad it was free, and said they'd liked to have heard more traditional music. Would I go back? On accident, maybe. Or if it was improved.

its fun but getting smaller. but i try to go every year. needs more vendors or maybe outside so…read moreeasier to move around