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City Cast Seattle

Keep It Local by City Cast Seattle spotlights local businesses we love and provides personal, curated, and neighborly recommendations that will help you live your best Seattle life. So, if you’re ready to ditch the national chains, e-commerce giants, and big box stores,

sign up now for the new weekly newsletter from City Cast Seattle.

Sign up for Keep It Local from City Cast Seattle

Harry Cheadle

Most of South Lake Union, with its shiny high-rises, is literally in the future — AI giant Anthropic just leased 

 of office space here, inside of which it’ll do whatever AI companies do. But right next to the 

 is a pathway that leads to a dock, a cheerful, windworn boathouse, and a fleet of wooden boats — rowboats, canoes, sailboats, and a single small antique steam-powered boat. This is the 

, a nonprofit devoted to preserving the arts of sailing and boat-building.

Wooden boats are “easy, in a sense,” says livery manager Kathleen Lothrop (“livery” just means “boat rental place”). The techniques for building and maintaining these boats have not changed all that much over the years — unlike a lot of pieces of disposable technology, they can be repaired pretty much indefinitely.

“You can literally replace plank after plank, rib after rib, thwart after thwart, knee after knee,” says Lothrop. “Does it cost money? Of course it does. Does it take time? Yes. But is the practice of it going to hold up the integrity of that boat? Yes. And can we continue to do it forever? Absolutely. It's never going to change, and you'll always be able to do it.”

The Center was founded by Dick and Colleen Wagner, a married couple who started renting boats from their houseboat in the late ‘60s, an endeavor that eventually became the livery and museum it is today. The Center offers classes in sailing, maritime first aid, boatbuilding, and a variety of programs for children. You can come here to rent or charter boats, or get a free hour on a small “peapod” rowboat. Once a month, there’s a “

” where anyone can show up to take a ride on one of the Center’s many boats, including a two-masted schooner and the 

, that steam-powered boat. (The next public sail is on August 30.) These programs, Lothrop says, are intended to help Seattleites of all types and all income levels get access to the waterfront. People can learn to sail here, they can take their children out in a rowboat for a blissful hour, they can volunteer, they can fall in love with the water.

“It's funny how many people come down here, and they say, ‘I've lived here for X amount of time, and I didn't know this existed,’” says Lothrop.

Most of South Lake Union, with its shiny high-rises, is literally in the future — AI giant Anthropic just leased 113,00 square feet of office space here, inside of which it’ll do whatever AI companies do. But right next to the Museum of History and Industry is a pathway that leads to a dock, a cheerful, windworn boathouse, and a fleet of wooden boats — rowboats, canoes, sailboats, and a single small antique steam-powered boat. This is the Center for Wooden Boats, a nonprofit devoted to preserving the arts of sailing and boat-building.

Learn About Boats at the Center For Wooden Boats

The Center for Wooden Boats Is a Gateway to Another World

Keep It Local

There are rental spots all over Seattle’s various waterfronts — consider this a sampling of what’s available. Walk-ins are welcome at most of these locations, but reservations are recommended.

 offers classes in everything from kayaking on the sea to whitewater trips. You can also buy all sorts of gear and get your suits and kayaks repaired. If you’re just getting into kayaking, though, you can come here to rent boats and explore Lake Union.

The hours here shift depending on the season; it closes earlier as the sun sets earlier. Consult the website for more 

🏃 Tired of running around Green Lake? Go across it instead. This 

 offers pedal boats, kayaks, row boats, and paddle boards, ideal for low-key or family outings.

If you need a little pick-me-up, they also sell coffee and breakfast sandwiches here.

🌊 If you want a more guided boating experience, 

 — located next to the West Seattle Water Taxi stop — offers tours across Elliott Bay to the Alki Lighthouse and sunset tours around the mouth of the Duwamish River. Check the 

 for more information about timing and which tours are available when.

🌲 A great way to explore the southern half of Lake Washington is to grab a paddle board or kayak from the Adams Street location of 

, not far from Seward Park. Lake Washington Boulevard has a gorgeous view, why not get 

 but cars can still drive onto the Adams Street boat launch — just look out for cyclists and pedestrians as you cross Lake Washington Boulevard.

🔥 You may have seen these hot tub boats around Lake Union. They are what they sound like — boats that double as hot tubs, so you’re soaking in warm water while you float around in the colder lake water. (These boats, made in the Netherlands, are wood-fired.) It’s the kind of thing you get for anniversaries or bachelor/bachelorette parties, though if you are bringing drinks onboard, be advised you can’t take glass containers.

This is quite a bit more expensive than renting a kayak, for obvious reasons — prices start at $400 for one boat on a weekday. (Weekends start at $450)

Best spots to rent for water activities

Where to Rent Kayaks, Canoes, and Other Small Boats in Seattle

, you’re already feeling pretty silly. The novelty shop occupies a bright red-and-yellow storefront in Wallingford, and inside you’ll find whoopee cushions, corn-shaped air fresheners, possum-flavored candy, that sort of thing. Then you walk to the back where there’s a velvet rope in front of a wall full of rubber chickens, and you feel even sillier. Welcome to the Rubber Chicken Museum.

A visit to the museum takes about five or 10 minutes, depending on how much you want to learn about rubber chickens. And there is actually a lot to learn. Dead chickens may have been used in comedy dating way back to the court jester era — they 

sort of funny — and Steve Martin used rubber chickens as props in his avant-garde comedy act in the 1970s. Johnny Carson had one on his desk, Weird Al Yankovic deployed one in the music video for “Eat It,” and there was even a rubber chicken floating around the MSNBC newsroom for a while. (That last chicken is in the museum, maybe its most famous artifact.) You can take in this history and see a lot of rubber chickens, many of them designed by Archie McPhee.

To be clear, the museum is funny. Some of the exhibits, like the “world’s second-smallest rubber chicken,” are jokes. Arguably, the whole museum is a joke, although the thing is delivered with such a straight face that it's more strange than laugh-out-loud funny. According to an 

, the Archie McPhee employee who devised it, Shana Danger, “was inspired by old-fashioned cabinets of curiosities she saw while traveling in Europe,” and it is both amusing and strange, an oddity. And honestly, we could use more oddities in Seattle.

When you walk into Archie McPhee, you’re already feeling pretty silly. The novelty shop occupies a bright red-and-yellow storefront in Wallingford and inside you’ll find whoopee cushions, corn-shaped air fresheners, possum-flavored candy, that sort of thing. Then you walk to the back where there’s a velvet rope in front of a wall full of rubber chickens, and you feel even sillier. Welcome to the Rubber Chicken Museum.

Check Out The Rubber Chicken Museum in Wallingford

What You’ll Actually Learn at the Rubber Chicken Museum

Make sure to double-check the hours of any museum you are planning on visiting — they may be closed at days and times when you would assume they’d be open.

🕹️ This is a museum for people who would rather play than look at stuff. 

, in the CID, is a playground for pinball wizards, with over 50 games that range from vintage 1960 models to present-day machines (there are a handful of non-pinball arcade games in the mix). All are free to play with a $25 admission.

Toddlers and babies are allowed as long as you hold them the entire time, but children under seven are not allowed, because the website says they “have a hard time remembering the rules we have for safety of your young ones, other patrons, our staff, and equipment.”

 to the museum’s namesake, Kent Bakke. The coffee industry icon imported espresso machines to Seattle in the 1970s and eventually became La Marzocco’s international CEO. Now his collection is the centerpiece of this free museum that tells the story of the espresso boom in the U.S., and how the coffee industry has evolved.

The museum is only open for walk-ins on the second and fourth Sundays of each month from noon to 4 p.m., though guided tours can be arranged on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. An appointment must be made in advance for tours.

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

 but really a compact series of exhibits about the Klondike Gold Rush, when the discovery of gold in the late 1890s led tens of thousands of people to move to the Yukon territory of Canada (spoiler: most of them had a bad time). Admission is free!

It’s a fun snapshot of history, but don’t expect to spend a long time here. Fortunately, there’s lots to do in surrounding Pioneer Square.

⚡A disclaimer: Many, perhaps most, people are not interested in looking at vintage telecom-related equipment. But if you 

 run by the Telecommunications History Group is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The suggested donation is $10 for adults, and the website says that you can take a quick tour in about an hour, though it notes “For those with a keen technical interest, 3 hours in the museum is common.”

Children are welcome at the Connections Museum, but the website recommends that parents with kids under 12 visit the museum first to make sure that it would be suitable for their children.

Some lesser-known museums in Seattle to visit

Lesser-Known Museums in Seattle

Lesser-Known Museums in Our City That Are Worth Visiting

Chef Bryan Vietmeier and his wife, Rebecca Rouleau, bought 

 in early 2024 after working at the Ballard corner store and sandwich shop for a combined 30 years. Together, they had helped build up the business: Vietmeier created a menu of sandwiches where nearly every component was made from scratch, while Rouleau focused on providing high-level customer service. Take 5 became the kind of place where a neighborhood kid can walk in saying her mom needs some heavy cream for a recipe and Rouleau will pour some into a cup for her.

Then, four months after the couple purchased it, the business exploded. Literally. In May 2024 a 

 blew out the windows and burned out the interior. Nearly everything — except for the espresso machine — was ruined.

It took 11 months, but Take 5 was able to rebuild thanks to insurance. When it reopened it was swarmed with grateful customers. “When you have something and it's taken away, you then really understand what you have. That was us with the neighborhood and the neighborhood with us,” Rouleau says. “They realize how important having this kind of thing in their neighborhood is, and then vice versa for us… having this connection with our neighborhood and knowing how important we are to the neighborhood.”

Take 5 remains a staple for neighbors who want soda or simple grocery items, but it’s also become one of Seattle’s sandwich destinations. Occasionally, one of their menu items blows up online, precipitating a sudden spike in orders. One time it was the Caesar salad wrap, another time it was the breakfast sandwich. Then there was the day when everyone in line was ordering the meatloaf burger. “We were like, ‘What in the world’s happened?’” says Rouleau. And we go, ‘Oh, the meatloaf burger’s on the internet.’”

Take 5 Urban Market Is Ballard’s Unstoppable Corner Store

There are a lot of sandwich shops in Seattle worth visiting, and only so much space in this newsletter, so consider this a starter pack of a list, not a definitive rundown.

🥓 Our first entry is also the newest place on this list. This deli hidden inside an indoor courtyard in Pioneer Square just earned a 

. Louie’s doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel (though it does put whole grain mustard in its Italian sub), it just serves classic, East Coast-style sandwiches that are well-balanced and served on sturdy, fresh bread.

The hype is real, and Louie’s often sells out by the early afternoon.

 has been a destination for any Seattleite craving a cheesesteak. Since then it’s moved from 23rd and Union down to its current location opposite Franklin High School, but the menu hasn’t changed much. Big, meaty, rich, and served in rolls that somehow hold up, these bad boys feed two people or one very hungry person. You can also get variations on the cheesesteak like a “pizza steak” with red sauce.

. Layers serves a rotating menu of wildly creative sandwiches. You want some crispy pork belly with pepper jam? Ham and burrata sharing a potato bun with strawberry jam? Or just try the tuna sandwich that has some barbecue chips inside for a bit of flavor and crunch.

Get a side of crispy potatoes just so you get access to the green goddess dressing dip.

🇮🇹 Last year focaccia sandwiches were suddenly everywhere in Seattle. This 

 deviated from that trend by using schiacciata bread instead, which is crispier and thinner than focaccia. It’s a perfect vehicle for traditional Italian sandwich fillings. Expect olive oil — they have a 

of different olive oils — creamy stracciatella cheese, the usual meats… you know the drill.

Expect lines if you go at peak lunchtime.

The Carribbean sandwich king of Seattle, 

 specializes in slow-roasted pork and luxurious caramelized onions, though non-carnivores can content themselves with rice and bean bowls, salads, or a sandwich that is 

onions, which is honestly not a bad idea.

Get the beans. Aromatic, saucy, with a hint of sweetness, they are an incredible side.

Seattle's Best Sandwiches

These Are the Best Sandwiches in Seattle

Tara Almassi says that everyone she talked to told her that she should put 

, her cafe-wine bar-event space, on the ground floor of a building, like most businesses. Instead, she picked a location on the second story of a Capitol Hill building on Pike Street between Belmont and Summit. There’s not much in the way of signage outside — you might walk right by it even if you’re looking for it. And to get to it, you have to walk up a narrow staircase.

“This is what makes it so special – the experience of walking up the stairs and then having the space open up,” Almassi says.

The space does open up. It’s a single room, low-ceilinged but bright thanks to the large windows facing the street. During the day there’s chill, house-ish music coming from the big speakers on one side of the room, and a variety of tables, couches, even a couple low tables with cushions for seats. At any given moment there’s at least a half-dozen people working on laptops (including me, as I write this), plus a few friends catching up. The bar opposite the speakers serves pastries, coffee, wine, and matcha.

The floor cushions are one of several nods to Almassi’s Persian heritage (both of her parents are from Iran). Another is a refreshing watermelon and chia seed drink that’s a riff on 

, a traditional summer beverage. Open Form also offers Persian tea service, tea being a core element of Persian hospitality. “In Persian culture, they’re always drinking black tea, Ceylon tea,” says Almassi. “They drink it till midnight, and we can still sleep after drinking it. It's in our blood.”

In the evenings, Open Form puts those speakers to use by clearing out the center of the room, setting up a DJ rig, and hosting ticketed dance parties that can stretch into the late night. It also hosts private events, workshops — almost anything can happen here. It’s the kind of place Almassi loved when she lived in New York, she says, spaces that were bars or cafes or event spaces or somewhere in between. “They're not clearly defined, which I think creates a lot of curiosity for people,” she says. “And I kind of like not being put in a box.”

Tara Almassi says that everyone she talked to told her that she should put Open Form, her cafe-wine bar-event space, on the ground floor of a building, like most businesses. Instead, she picked a location on the second story of a Capitol Hill building on Pike Street between Belmont and Summit. There’s not much in the way of signage outside — you might walk right by it even if you’re looking for it. And to get to it, you have to walk up a narrow staircase.

Open Form in Capitol Hill Has Something For Everyone

Hidden Away in Capitol Hill, Open Form Can Be Anything You Want It to Be

The ideal remote work location has ample seating, food that goes beyond pastries, and maybe beer or wine in case you want to segue straight into happy hour. It should also stay open past 3 p.m. The places on this list all check at least some of those boxes.

. You can get everything from sandwiches to cocktails to coffee here and hang out in the stylish space (Porter is a hospitality and design company). But you can also reserve conference rooms and small meetings for in-person gatherings.

Parking around here is either difficult (if you want street parking) or expensive (if you use it a lot). But there is a lot of public transportation nearby.

 has literally everything you want from a remote work cafe. There’s coffee and pastries if you don’t want a meal, but also a full brunch-y menu if you do. The oat pancakes with nutty dukkah are a gluten-free vegan marvel. There’s a covered patio that’s heated in the winter. And if you can log off at 4 to take advantage of the happy hour, martinis are just $10.

📻 I’ve never felt more like a Seattleite than when I’m sipping a cup of 

 from its recording booths. This Seattle Center-adjacent space has a huge number of seats and just the right amount of hustle and bustle — you really feel like you’re in the heart of an exciting, artsy city.

For the early risers, Caffe Vita offers $2.75 drip coffee between 7 and 8 a.m. on weekdays.

 in Beacon Hill is a little bit of everything. Is it a bakery? Yes (check out the gluten-free banana bread). Is it a cafe? Most definitely. Owner Matthew Wendland also runs 

. Can you get sandwiches? Of course! Do they have kombucha, cider, and beer on tap? You already know the answer.

If you’re trying to cultivate an early happy hour vibe here, keep in mind that it does close at 5 p.m. But that’s when familyfriend — one of Seattle’s hottest restaurants — opens across the street.

The ideal remote work location has ample seating, food that goes beyond pastries, and maybe beer or wine in case you want to segue straight into happy hour. It should also stay open past 3 p.m. The places on this list all check at least some of those boxes. 

Places to Work Remotely in Seattle

Great Places to Work Remotely in Seattle 

 32 years ago, when he was a bike mechanic, and he still is. Donahue is the owner of the shop, but he keeps a workbench outside the office, where he repairs bikes every day. “That's really what I love to do,” he says. “And it sets a good example for younger staff members to see me at 58 still turning wrenches and having a good time with it.”

The shop began in 1994 as a single room in a building where the Burke-Gilman Trail meets Boat Street near the University District, within a helmet’s throw of Portage Bay. As the years have gone on, the shop has expanded into two floors — an upstairs where customers can buy bikes, biking gear, and a dizzying array of bike parts, and a downstairs where Donahue and his team repair and refurbish bikes. At any given time, he says, there are 100 bikes being repaired and 200 used bikes waiting to be fixed. The shop is a bustle of activity between customers coming in to ask all manner of bike-related questions, employees working on bikes, and people dropping off or picking up rental bikes — a lot of vacationing families will rent bikes to tour the Burke, Donahue says.

 started. Donahue has seen the rise in popularity of road biking brought on by Lance Armstrong “winning” the Tour de France — “Air quotes around that,” Donahue says — as well as the more recent spike in interest in electric bikes. (The shop sells a single type of e-bike frame that Donahue says is popular among people trading in their old bikes for store credit.) You can get a real sense of history from browsing around the shop — there’s a glass case labeled “museum” where there’s a collection of rare or notable bike parts. The shop even has a big-wheeled penny farthing. A customer sold it to the shop way back around 1995, Donahue says, and the staff used to put it outside to draw people in. These days, it’s hanging from the shop, a reminder of the cycling history Recycled Cycles is a part of.

“We're still down here going strong,” Donahue says, “and we'll be here for as long as as long as we can.”

Steve Donahue started Recycled Cycles 32 years ago, when he was a bike mechanic, and he still is. Donahue is the owner of the shop but he keeps a workbench outside the office, where he repairs bikes every day. “That's really what I love to do,” he says. “And it sets a good example for younger staff members to see me at 58 still turning wrenches and having a good time with it.”

Recycled Cycles Has Kept Cyclists Rolling Since 1994

Here are some of my favorite small businesses along the Burke-Gilman Trail, from west to east:

🤏 The “missing link” part of the Burke, where the route is less protected from cars, runs roughly from the Ballard Locks to the Fred Meyer next to Leary. The silver lining is that at least you’re traveling through the heart of Ballard, where there are a ton of restaurants and shops, including 

, which showcases goods from local makers. The lineup of suppliers changes regularly, but right now you can browse some cool candles and ceramics along with merch from the local soccer clubs Ballard FC and Salmon Bay FC

If you are looking for a place to sell your wares, Smål Market is accepting applications to be a summer 2026 tenant.

☕ Right next to the trail in the sleepy Northlake neighborhood is one of Seattle’s 

, the Wayland Mill serves Japanese-American food all day (think tamago omelets and karaage chicken sandwiches on milk bread), but it might be best for a coffee-and-treat pick-me-up — the star of the menu is arguably its peanut butter shoyu icebox pie.

On weekends, expect a line, especially in the mornings.

of places to stop for a beer along the Burke, a credit to Seattle’s twin passions of cycling and drinking IPAs. But one of the most scenic places for a drink is this 

, with a patio that has sweeping views of Lake Washington.

 Magnuson Brewery is not directly on the Burke but inside the old naval base at Sand Point — the easiest way to get there is to get off the trail where it meets Fairway Estates and go down to Sand Point Way.

 says that it is “the largest bowling center north of Reno, Nevada, and west of the Mississippi.” It is also roughly right at the Kenmore terminus of the Burke-Gilman Trail — so if you like to cap off a day of bike riding with some bowling, this is the place for you.

If you want to make sure you get a lane, call the bowling alley at 425-486-5555 before you get there.

Here are some of my favorite small businesses along the Burke-Gilman Trail, from west to east.