The Seattle Book of Dates

The Seattle Book of Dates

Manual Stimulation
Is there anything better than taking yourself out for a leisurely solo date after a long week? Better yet, one stuffed with rejuvenating culture and entertainment to thoroughly rev you up? Start at the literary heart of the city, Elliott Bay Book Company. Opened since 1973 (but in Cap Hill since 2010), the twenty-thousand-square-foot warehouse—with its exposed trusses, towering ceilings, and that special book smell—is a place for lingering aisle wanders before you select your next paperback friend. Not sure what to get? The well-read staff recommendations on the shelves are always a good place to start. 

Next up, visit the ever-colorful Museum of Museums. With its hallmark neon sign, the mid-century building is like a nesting doll of museums with formal exhibition spaces and three additional on-site museums plus murals, rotating installations, art classes, a theater, a conceptual gift shop, and ever-changing pop-ups. The potential for what you see could be anything from a group exhibit on Afrofuturism to a magazine release party to immersive displays that’ll blow your dang mind. Be open for anything and you surely won’t be disappointed.

Reward yourself for being a culturephile by heading over to Ristorante Machiavelli. A Capitol Hill favorite for more than thirty years known as much for its gooey eggplant parmigiana and tiramisu-like Il Diplomatico as it is for their friendly staff. They don’t take reservations, so show up right when they open and try to snag a window seat for primo people watching.

Now as the evening rolls around, you’ve got some options depending on the calendar. Every other Wednesday, try hitting up one of the Sorrento Hotel’s Silent Reading Parties held in their stunning Fireside Room with its famed Rookwood tiles. Here, a cross section of Seattleites gather, from famous creatives to students, to read their favorite works quietly to themselves while resident musician Paul Matthew Moore plays a pleasant live soundtrack on the piano.

In the mood for more of a silly time? Try Central Cinema. The second-run theater lovingly built by Kevin and Kate Spitzer with cozy couches and salvaged seats from Swedish hospital’s auditorium screens everything from kung fu flicks to old classics. And by “old classics,” we mean screen gems like the truly wonderful ’90s-style/music/soul patches of Cameron Crowe’s Singles (the movie’s iconic apartment building is just a few blocks away). Make sure to drop in on one of their Movie Cat Trivia nights, where you can indulge in fun movie trivia and cats drawn into some of your favorite film scenes.