Pacific NW Magazine

Pacific NW Magazine

A King County refugee program turned 2 hotels into communities of support

A heart-shaped balloon floats outside a hotel in Federal Way that King County owned and operated, housing refugees from Afghanistan in a program than lasted 15 months in 2021-22. (Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times)
A heart-shaped balloon floats outside a hotel in Federal Way that King County owned and operated, housing refugees from Afghanistan in a program than lasted 15 months in 2021-22. (Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times)

After America's withdrawal from Afghanistan, Washington received a surge of new arrivals. To help, King County tried something new: It opened hotels for refugees.

The first of the new crop remains my favorite. Milk Drunk (2805 Beacon Ave. S.) opened mid-2020, and food critics with less of a sweet tooth than I focused praise on their sandwiches, rather than their exceptional soft serve. There are six flavors — two vegan, two not, two seasonal — and the dairy-based vanilla and malted chocolate swirl cone is an almost preposterous upgrade in texture and flavor compared to the fast food standard. They have bowls and classic cake cones, but the spiced sweetness of their waffle cone is a nice touch, as are add-ons like house-make hard shell. Bonus: it’s less than 300 feet from the Beacon Hill light rail station, removing the car from future nostalgia fests.
Pacific NW Magazine

Sample 5 shops soft-serving ice cream (and nostalgia) in South Seattle

A quiet soft-serve movement has built strength through two chilly summers, reaching easy accessibility across the south end of Seattle. Here we sample five shops. VIEW

Tawny seedheads dangle from slender stems on Northern sea oats beginning in mid-summer.
Pacific NW Magazine

Here's a 3-plant color recipe rooted in green for a PNW summer garden

It's another round of our GROW writer's garden-party game, where we look at design through a colorful lens. Our 1-2-3 summer color recipe is grounded in green.

Cover stories

Magan Cromar CQ, a division director with King County Department of Community and Human Services, left, hugs Dr. Fatema Shuja Rasuli, front desk manager, at a King County owned and operated hotel in Redmond, Wash. Rasuli, a doctor who worked at an ultrasound clinic in Afghanistan, stayed at the hotel with her family when arriving in the United States and also worked at the hotel. Rasuli is applying to college to attend a Diagnostic Ultrasound program. 219636

A King County refugee program turned 2 hotels into communities of support

Gather

Sailboaters enjoy the last few minutes of daylight as the sun sets over Commencement Bay.

The crew of the Flicka sets sail on Commencement Bay for a weekly race VIEW

Seattle Sketcher

Even on a hot summer day, these golfers are up for some clubbing

Check out eye-popping exotics every week at Redmond Town Center car show

Seattle’s Uptown got a new name, but a historic landmark shines on

The return of ‘Alki Fridays’ coed volleyball brings energy back to the beach

Taste

The first of the new crop remains my favorite. Milk Drunk (2805 Beacon Ave. S.) opened mid-2020, and food critics with less of a sweet tooth than I focused praise on their sandwiches, rather than their exceptional soft serve. There are six flavors — two vegan, two not, two seasonal — and the dairy-based vanilla and malted chocolate swirl cone is an almost preposterous upgrade in texture and flavor compared to the fast food standard. They have bowls and classic cake cones, but the spiced sweetness of their waffle cone is a nice touch, as are add-ons like house-make hard shell. Bonus: it’s less than 300 feet from the Beacon Hill light rail station, removing the car from future nostalgia fests.

Sample 5 shops soft-serving ice cream (and nostalgia) in South Seattle VIEW

Cheers!

There is no real difference between a Cuba Libre and a rum and Coke with a lime wedge in it, except the Cuba Libre is usually made with gold rum and perhaps a little more lime than the average bar slice provides.

There’s a sweet subtext to the Cuba Libre beyond its sugary ingredients

Now & Then

THEN: With an Argus 35 mm camera, Bill Benshoof looked south from a ferry on the Mukilteo-Clinton run and captured Mount Rainier peeking over the mainland behind two Century 21-bannered Washington State Ferries: the Kehloken (foreground, built in 1926, sold by the state in 1975, gutted by fire in 1979 near Kirkland and sunk as an artificial reef at Possession Point on Whidbey Island) and the Rhododendron (built in 1947, sold by the state in 2013 to Island Scallops at Qualicum Beach, British Columbia).

Ferries’ floating ads boosted the Seattle World's Fair — and the ferries VIEW

GROW

Tawny seedheads dangle from slender stems on Northern sea oats beginning in mid-summer.

Here's a 3-plant color recipe rooted in green for a PNW summer garden

Reader's Lens

*** READER’S LENS – ONE TIME USE ONLY *** Tim Reagan timnel@comcast.net Seattle WA 206-735-9801 @timreaganphotography Union Bay Natural Area, Seattle 2023/4/3 “Fly me to the Moon” I was wandering around the fields at the Union Bay Natural Area in Seattle, and saw three great blue herons flying around looking for a snack. The moon was visible in the sky even though it was daylight. I was not in a great position to capture the trio, but one of them flew by and I was able to grab three quick shots, the last shot of the sequence luckily had the birds head just enter the image of the full(ish) moon. For some reason Frank Sinatra’s song kept running through my head all day :) Sometimes it’s just a matter of being in the right place and the right time with a camera and telephoto lens. Photo was shot with my Sony A7iii body, and 100-400GM telephoto lens – ISO 1000, f5.6, 1/6400 second.” Fly me to the Moon.jpg I agree to the Readers Lens Terms and Conditions 11:15:10 03 Jun, 2023

You try getting 'Fly Me to the Moon' out of your head after seeing this

Vintage Pacific NW

06/20/2007: Blueberry pancakes. (food assignment in Seattle Times kitchen for Cece)

3 recipes to capture pleasantly plump blueberries while they're fresh

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