Best of the Northwest 2018 Winners Announced
You voted, and now you can see who is the Best in the Northwest! Here are the Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in all 126 categories.
Keeping Bellingham Blooming
Strolling through downtown Bellingham, you’ll come across many treasured local haunts. And from May through October, you’ll find yourself face to face with something unique to the…
107th Year, and Counting
The Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden celebrates its 107th year and still maintaining its agricultural roots from when it began in 1911.
Throwback Ice Cream Stand Still A Gem
Ordering is the opposite of Starbucks’ multi-adjective gibberish. Just state size and vehicle. “Small, on a cone” will do.
Harvesting Suppers This Summer
Summer is a great time for buying local and eating fresh foods. Planning meals ahead can save you time for other fun summer activities.
Military Tourism
Take a tour of a few Washington State Parks and learn about the military history in this area, from the early 1800s to WWII.
Insole Giant Makes Big Step
Superfeet is emerging as a leader in footbed technology.
Hidden Gem: North Cascades National Park Turns 50
The North Cascades National Park, or the “American Alps,” contains nearly 400 miles of accessible trails with 94% of the acreage designated as wilderness.
Chocolate Duo Turning A Page
Evolve Chocolate has found a new home at Village Books, expanding to include a café and bar, showcasing what Bellingham has to offer.
Marking the End of the (Traditional) Brewing Season
From Spring, Lager Awaits Its Day The older I get, the more I appreciate the seasons. Our lives are always emerging from somewhere, always headed somewhere. We always…
The Mixing Tin: Pina Mas Macho
Redlight- Pina Mas Macho If you’re looking for a tropical treat to steal you away from the cold Bellingham weather, look no further than the Pina Mas Macho drink from the Redlight bar. Rum, infused with guava to give it a sweet exotic, flavor and basil to freshen it. With an ounce of pineapple juice and a splash of coconut milk you might forget that you truly are in Bellingham. This drink is the essence of…
Protecting the Treasure of Whatcom County
Whatcom Land Trust From the North Cascade mountains to the Salish Sea, the committed members of the Whatcom Land Trust have made it their mission to protect the diverse land that draws people to Whatcom County. For many of Whatcom…
All-Ages Entertainment Downtown
The Ruckus Room Arcade and Fun Center Looking to provide an all-ages space downtown for Bellingham’s under-21 crowd, Collin Topolski and Emmalyn Smith opened the Ruckus Room Arcade and Fun Center in August of 2017….
From Italy, With Love
Sempre Italiano Laura and Raffaele Chiusano like to describe events in their lives as “destino!” The two have a zest for life and passion for their work which is bringing hand-painted ceramics from Italian artisans to their store in La Conner. Sempre Italiano opened…
Yes in a Dress- Nuu-Muu
Athletic leisure wear is all the rage, but what about a functional athletic garment that looks as pretty as your non-athletic garments? What about telling your daughter she can play basketball in a dress? What about getting dirty without sacrificing style? Enter Nuu-Muu, the Bellingham-based company that designs athletic dresses. The company has garnered quite a following of hard-core fans they call Teamsters, and believes women can do anything in…
Fixer-Upper? No Thanks.
In 2018, Seniors and Millennials Will Find Common Ground in New Construction. If we only had a crystal ball. Then we could predict, or at least pretend to predict, the real estate economy and the housing forecast…
Lasting Image
What is your favorite thing to take pictures of? Sunsets are by far my favorite things to take photos of because they are always unique and unpredictable. A bonfire on the beach with friends is one…
Glorious Winter Greens
In the midst of winter, we are lucky to have some hearty veggies to stave off scurvy. Kale, cabbages, collard greens are the emerald gems of winter…
Five Faves
Cinnamon Rolls MOUNT BAKERY CAFÉ & BAKERY Definitely a mountaintop experience. Revel in this devilishly sticky unraveling of a treat nicknamed “cinnamon snail” in Danish pastry. Mount Bakery’s spiral-layered roll recipe originated with a Belgian…
Best Breakfasts
All of us do it. Some before dawn cracks a new day, while others prefer to wait until mid-morning. There are even those who do it almost at lunchtime. Doesn’t matter what time you do…
Lasting Image
What is your favorite thing to take pictures of? Having lived in Whatcom County for 46 years, I’ve seen some beautiful scenery here that still amazes me each time I visit that location. Yearning to cherish these wonderful places led my interests toward the arena of…
Fighting Food Insecurity With Milk
In Whatcom, San Juan, and Skagit counties, Northwest Harvest works with a total 21 food banks, feeding more than 245,000 families.
The Art of Forgiveness
Colleen Haggerty lay on the precipice of sleep. The same scene that had visited her countless times before would visit again. She was in a car, sometimes driving, sometimes not. It was dark and raining. Out of the darkness comes a car, barreling straight for her, faster and faster, destined for catastrophic damage. At the last moment, just before impact, Haggerty wakes in terror. For 15 years, Haggerty was haunted by that day. The rainy day a…
Quinn & Foster
Keeping it classic When Garys’ Men’s and Women’s Wear closed in the winter of 2016, the Bellingham community mourned. Gary Lupo and his wife Barbara had run the well-loved store since 1978 (preceded by another owner named Gary, hence “Garys’”). Customers enjoyed memorable service and a large selection of classic clothing and shoes for men…
BeachCastle Sweets
Something Sweet for Your Sweet Rule number one when making chocolate treats is to use good quality chocolate. “You can really tell the difference in taste” explained Linda Lewis, owner of BeachCastle Sweets in Anacortes. Lewis sells her chocolates in a handful of local stores and online, but she is also known for her interactive chocolate dipping parties where guests learn about…
Opioid Addiction, Why Saying “NO” Is So Hard
Many parents may remember Nancy Reagan’s anti-drug slogan, “Just say ‘No’ to drugs”, or the anti-drug campaign that used a frying pan and eggs to highlight the effect of drugs on the brain. The messages were simple and catchy. Neither slogan, however, gave parents the full scope of tools to address the risks of drug abuse with their kids. And that is because the physical effect of drug abuse on the human brain was not yet fully understood, especially for dangerously addictive opioids.
Sustainable Connections Means (Local) Business
Derek Long grew up in a one-stoplight town in Ohio before pursuing a career in business and economics. Much like the Pacific Northwest, Long’s hometown barely saw the sun. However, it wasn’t until after earning his degree from the University of Toledo and traveling around the world for more than a year that Long accidentally ended up in Whatcom County. Like many post-grads, Long took the opportunity to travel early in life. For a year-and-a-half he backpacked “on the cheap”…
Banking on Two Wheels
Bellingham’s New Pump Track Is a Hit With just a push or two of a pedal, riders weave up, down and around, gathering speed and harnessing it to tackle the next turn or incline. On Bellingham’s very first pump track, inertia is the name of the game, one that can be played by…
Butcher Shop Bringing the Craft Back to Bellingham
Four years ago, Shaun Almassy wasn’t sure that he even wanted to become a butcher. After some convincing from a friend, he decided to try his hand at butchery. Almassy now finds himself up, at times as early as 6 a.m., prepping for the day ahead.
From 3-D Printers to gene therapies, medicine is changing like never before
From 3-D Printers to gene therapies, medicine is changing like never before Two years ago this month, in a sweeping farewell State of the Union address, President Obama made the startling…
Best of the Northwest 2016
The results are in! Our readers have voted on their favorite businesses, services, restaurants, stores, and spas from Blaine to Anacortes. Looking for the go-to places to get the…
ROOM TO BREATHE Organization For The New Year
Winter in the Pacific Northwest. The near-constant cloud cover brings the sky low and drapes the landscape in shadows. Often it’s dark when we wake to leave for work and dark once more by the time we return home. For most of us, the colder, wetter, gloomier weather means more time spent indoors. In January, once…
Aerial Artistry with Terril Teran Mire
There are numerous kinds of apparatuses used in aerial acts, some of the most popular being hoop, hammock, rope, and silks.
Chinese Herbal Medicine Explored
Accounts differ, deities get in the mix, but according to most sources, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as we understand it began with the Shennong, a demigod known as the Divine Herdsman.
Conscious Cosmetics – Go Beyond The Label
When reading labels, we should not only be reading our ingredient lists but learning about them.
Fresh Face For Winter
simple solutions and product recommendations to help your beauty shine bright despite the wet, blustery winter weather.
A Shop Sets Sail
Tucked beneath the South Bay Suites in historic Fairhaven is Bellingham’s newest home decor and gift shop. 1 Paperboat welcomes guests with open doors to Bellingham Bay, creating a new by-the-sea shopping experience. Within its walls, shoppers can find an array of home goods,…
The Road to Recovery, A Reason to Rise
The day that Jackie found out she was pregnant, her world came into focus. She was 21, homeless, and seeing a man who was being tormented by his own demons. Jackie had seen her own recreational drug use begin to spiral out of control, shifting from…
White Rock, B.C
A lone stretch of driftwood-strewn beach, a quiet morning stroll along the boardwalk, a cozy cup of coffee watching a storm roll in over the water — White Rock, B.C. is a great place to spend a little time away. Canada without the rush and bustle of Vancouver, but close enough to home to invest your time in being…