Island with Bustle
San Juan County: San Juan Island Samantha Bryner moved to San Juan Island 44 years ago, and has worked in real estate for more than 30 of those. On…
Big Island, Small World
San Juan County: Orcas Island Orcas Island, known as the “Gem of the San Juans,” is the largest of the archipelago. It boasts the highest mountains on the islands, most of which are in Moran State Park; waterfalls, and numerous hamlets, with Eastsound the first stop for many tourists. You can choose to live close to a town or far off the beaten path. Homes facing west get the most spectacular sunset views, and…
“Slo-Pez” Neighbors Revel in the Rural
San Juan County: Lopez Island When visitors come to Lopez Island, they feel like they’re part of the neighborhood. Known as the “Friendly Isle,” inhabitants wave to everyone they pass. Rumors claim the kind gesture isn’t actually about being friendly — it’s from Prohibition times when islanders discreetly warned one another that federal inspectors were on the island….
Watching the Neighborhood Grow
Skagit County: Eaglemont When Denise Hewitt and her husband moved to Eaglemont about 20 years ago there were hardly any other…
Where the Forest Meets the Sea
Skagit County: Skyline Courtney Blackston and her family moved into the Skyline neighborhood a year and a half ago, and are happy to call it home. The Blackstons are a military family, and they fell in love with Anacortes for the school district, the downtown amenities, and the community feel. They instantly felt welcomed by all the other military families in the neighborhood, and Blackston loves that they all watch out for each other…
A Seafarer’s Dream
Skagit County: Shelter Bay Danny Hagen grew up in the Shelter Bay house that he now lives in with a family of his own — his wife, Nicole, and…
From Summer Vacation to All-Year Family Fun
Skagit County: North Big Lake North Big Lake was once a summer vacation destination for Margie Holdt and her family, but now it’s home. When Holdt and her late husband began thinking of retirement about 20 years ago, they opted for an upgrade, rather than a downsize. “We had three adult sons and we decided that we wanted something…
Coal Mines of Bellingham
Bellingham’s neighborhoods have their own character, but some share a feature you can’t even see: a wide network of underground coal mine tunnels. Hundreds of miles of abandoned coal passageways honeycomb Bellingham’s depths, none bigger than the massive Bellingham Coal Mine beneath the Birchwood and Columbia neighborhoods. The mine, which operated from 1918–1955, was the last to close, ending an era that began with…
A Place to Grow Together
Whatcom County: Columbia The weather is a comfortable middle area, between shedding the last of winter and the opening notes of spring. Residents of the…
Neighborhood Police
In November, a string of home break-ins put Bellingham residents on edge. The burglaries followed a pattern: multiple suspects breaking into homes, particularly on sunny days when residents were out. One neighborhood after another got hit. Christy Nieto, an 11-year Bellingham resident, and her Birchwood neighbors felt the unease. They flocked to their neighborhood association meeting to see Dante Alexander. Alexander and Eric Osterkamp are Neighborhood Police Officers, dedicated exclusively…
Up and Coming
Whatcom County: Sunnyland There’s no such thing as the perfect neighborhood. Everyone has different needs and desires. But for Tina and Kirby White, Sunnyland has it all. Sunnyland is where…
A Stroller’s Paradise
Whatcom County: Lettered Streets With beer, ice cream, and Bellingham Bay just blocks away, the Lettered Streets neighborhood is one of Whatcom County’s most prized for location. Lisa Kaufman, Todd Eastman, and new four-legged companion Zeke have…
A Place to Grow Up, Then Stay
Whatcom County: Cornwall Park Imagine a block of homes with blooming gardens and the street teeming with children, surrounded by a park. In the 1960s and 70s, this was Marilyn Mastor’s view from her home with her four children and husband. So many…
A Throwback Era for Families
Semiahmoo is more than just a hot spot for retired couples and vacation homeowners. It’s a community for families. Len and Tara Saunders found their home in Turnberry Wood in 2004 after Len’s job led them to the U.S. from Canada. Tara is part of a three-generation family at Semiahmoo. Tara’s grandmother lived in one of the…
Neighborhoods We Love: Place with a View
A city’s downtown may shape its identity to outsiders, but it’s a place’s neighborhoods that give it character. If you really want to know a place, visit its residential areas—their homes, parks, landmarks, gathering places. Neighborhoods are the enclaves we come home to each day. Whatcom County’s neighborhoods range from Bellingham’s distinct, park-rich districts to the jaw-dropping view from Ferndale’s Lawson Church Hills…
The Mixing Tin: The Temple Bar
The Illuminati INGREDIENTS: Jameson, Elderflower liqueur, Drambuie, Genepy des Alpes, Angostura bitters, orange flower water, lemon peel garnish. Served on ice. $11 This month’s cocktail will have you raving like Alex Jones. With the number of sweet cocktails out there today, it can be easy to overlook a drink like the Illuminati, which would be a shame. It’s sweet…
Once Maligned, Rosés Are Here to Stay
As little as 20 years ago, rosé wines from Washington wineries were, more often than not, likely to be a novelty instead of a tasting room standard. But since that time, rosés have really caught on, almost to the point that they’ve practically become fashionable among Washington…
Polish Food, PNW Style
Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage If you’re looking for a cozy restaurant with live music serving up European food with a Pacific Northwest flair, look no further than Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage in La Conner. Jennifer Ferry grew up in Pittsburgh cooking alongside her Polish grandmother, Anelia. Babcia Anelia taught Ferry how to prepare traditional Polish dishes from scratch. She’s the reason Ferry’s potato and cheese pierogies are perfectly crisp on the…
A Tasty Part of the Territory
Northwater Comfortable soft blue leather chairs, Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” playing in the background, a classy atmosphere, light entrees, and vast choices of cocktails and mocktails—that’s what’s to be expected at Northwater. Northwater, a modern restaurant and bar which opened in late March, is part of the Holiday Inn and Suites hotel, across from the Bellingham airport. From I-5, take the Bakerview Road…
A Garden from Scratch
If you think the compacted-soil, rock-hewn, lifeless plot of land on your property could never support a garden, we have a story for you. More than 100 volunteers recently transformed the empty gravel lot across from the Bellingham Food Bank into a garden in a massive project that included installing a six-foot wood and wire mesh deer fence, 32…
Edgemoor Neighborhood Historic Home
Lairmont Manor Historic homes can be a focal point for neighborhoods. In Bellingham, few are more famous than Lairmont Manor, in Fairhaven’s Edgemoor neighborhood. Originally named The Larrabee House, it was designed in 1914…
8 Great Tastes | June
Reaching for the Sky
Yoga Brings Peace to Women in Transition In one of the least likely places, the chapel of the Lighthouse Mission, women temporarily forget the harsh realities of their daily struggles while yoga instructor Sarah Willett, face aglow, shares…
But First, Food
“You cannot cheat with food. You eat food.” —Robb Wolf When I read those words, I had one of those aha! moments because for as long as I have been talking to people…
Happiest Girls Are The Prettiest
Pearl Buttons Vintage Style THE SHOP Pearl Buttons Vintage Style in Anacortes sells old Hollywood glamour. The ultra-feminine clothing store is decorated with feathers, drop crystal chandeliers, and ruffled tablecloths. The lovely turn-of-the-century-style dressing rooms are complete with plush seats and dressing tables. Don’t be fooled by the name…
Ellensburg Blue
No Two Blues Alike When the Kittitas Indians shared their discovery of blue agate, it was so stunningly beautiful only tribal chiefs were allowed to wear the vibrant mineral. Blue agate was rare enough to require directions for those that sought it. “Walk with the sun over your left shoulder,” was the Kittitas tribe’s advice. Word got out…
Not A Toy Store, A Game Store
Boxes & Bears You might feel like you’re just passing time when playing a game or working on a puzzle, but there are other cognitive functions at work. In many board games, players work on a variety of skills including logic, memory,…
Making Tracks into History
Bellingham Railway Museum The sound of children at play filled the Bellingham Railway Museum, along with the recorded sound of a train engine at full speed….
Actress Kayleigh Finnegan
Not every 8-year-old has to worry about inviting their third-grade teacher to their movie premiere. But for Kayleigh Finnegan, it was a real predicament. “Where do you have to make sure you end up the next day?” her…
New Possibilities, Same Vibe
The Hub Since 2002, the HUB Community Bike Shop has been catering to Bellingham’s cycle-friendly community. But now, after 15 years, the neighborhood looks very different. New apartment buildings surround the HUB’s location at 903 1/2 North State St., and Kyle Morris said…
Sustainable and Flavorful
Lummi Island Wild Lummi Island Wild is one of few fishing companies to practice the ancient and sustainable practice of salmon reef netting. Reef netting, used in the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years by Native Americans, requires fishers to wait for the fish to come to them…
Sounds of Summer Return
Elizabeth Park Summer Concert Series The Elizabeth Park Summer Concert Series will be bringing the groove to our summer nights once again starting on June 15. In partnership with the Eldridge Society and Bellingham Parks and Recreation, the free concerts have been a Bellingham summer staple for more than 20 years, said concert coordinator Marla Bronstein. “I live…
Wonder Woman: Melissa Rice
The Curiosity rover has been treading the surface of Mars for more than five years with a team of NASA scientists watching its every move. Part of the elite team of…
Living for Ice and Dust
Mountain Science Prof Who Survived Crevasse Now Leads New Program at Western John All, the founding director of Western Washington University’s new Mountain Environments Research Institute (MERI), says the Cordillera Blanca mountains in Peru is one of the best mountain ranges in the world. “I always go back there because it’s a great place to work,” All says. All’s research has taken him across the…