Weekend Date Idea - PORT SAMPLING!

Port Prefunk at Portalis

Article courtesy Jessica Voelker of Seattle Met!

This Friday, get your Date Night going with a port sampling on Ballard Avenue. Try seven warming fortified wines at Portalis!

Portalis in Ballard is holding a holiday port tasting this Friday, December 10.

A $19 fee includes

1. A $10 store credit (Portalis is both a wine bar and a wine shop).

2. Half-ounce pours of seven fortified wines from two Portuguese porteries (that’s not a real word).

3. Food pairings.

These are the ports to be tasted:

• Porto Rocha NV Lagrima White Port
• Porto Kopke 10y White Port
• Porto Rocha 1994 Colheita Tawny Port
• Porto Kopke 10y Tawny
• Quinta De La Rosa NV Finest Ruby
• Quinta De La Rosa 2003 LBV Ruby

The tasting lasts from 6:30 to 7:30pm. It sounds like a festive way to start a night out on Ballard Ave but don’t forget to eat during and after—port sneaks up on you like nobody’s business.

Call Portalis (206.783.2007) to reserve.

Cheap Date Idea!

In need of a fun idea for date night? Why not Dance until Dusk?


16 evenings of FREE dance lessons and glorious outdoor dancing in Seattle's downtown parks.
All dances and lessons are FREE thanks to the support of their sponsors!

Be sure to check the location of each dance, as they are in one of four parks downtown.

Check out this link for more info, a schedule, and for park addresses and maps.

So grab your babe and your dancin' shoes, and try something you've never tried before!

xo,

B&M

This Week’s Cheap Date Idea!

This week’s Cheap Date Idea is brought to you by the FABULOUS Fresh Picked Seattle (@FreshPickedSEA) – your one-stop Seattle resource for all events relating to Food and wine! Check her site out for fabulous inspiration!

This Thursday, April 8th at 6:30pm, head over to Greenlake’s PCC Natural Foods Market, where they’ll be hosting

Wine Tasting: You Say Syrah, I Say Shiraz…

Here’s what they have to say about that:

PCC Wine & Beer Tastings: Our selections are always changing as we seek out the best new wines from around the world. These informal tastings are a great way to taste at your own pace, ask questions of our staff and discover new wines before you buy them.

You say Syrah, I say Shiraz… Thursday, April 8, 6:30 to 8 p.m. (Edmonds, Greenlake) Thursday, April 15, 6:30 to 8 p.m. (Issaquah) Let’s call the whole thing … a delicious, versatile varietal!

Cost is only $5 per person, paid at the door. http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/products/winebeer/events/index.html

After the wine tasting, why not take a stroll around the lake? Or better yet (since rain is in the forecast), grab some food from the market and head home for a deliciously healthy home-cooked meal!

For more great wine tasting events around Seattle, be sure to check out Fresh Picked Seattle’s wine events section!

FREE Firsts!

Hey chickens! The First Thursdays or Fridays of the month, Seattle goes nuts. I don’t know why, but they do. There are so many places – mainly art-related – that celebrate these first days of the month with FREEBIES!

Museums:

Here is a list of all the museums that offer free admission on the first Thursday of each month, along with their 'free' hours that day.

Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture * 10:00 am - 8:00 pm * http://www.burkemuseum...

Experience Music Project * 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm * http://www.emplive.com

Henry Art Gallery * 11:00 am - 8:00 pm * http://www.henryart.org

Museum of Flight * 10:00 am - 9:00 pm * http://www.museumoffli...

Museum of History and Industry * 10:00 am - 8:00 pm * http://www.seattlehist...

Northwest African American Museum * 11:00 am - 7:00 pm * http://www.naamnw.org

Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame * 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm * http://www.sfhomeworld...

Seattle Art Museum * 10:00 am - 9:00 pm * http://www.seattleartm.../

Seattle Asian Art Museum * 10:00 am - 9:00 pm * http://www.seattleartm...

Wing Luke * 10:00 am - 8:00 pm * http://www.wingluke.org/

Also the Museum of Glass in Tacoma also has free admission on the third Thursday of each month from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm http://www.museumofgla.../

And the Bellevue Arts Museum is free the first Friday of each month from 10:00 am - 9:00 pm http://www.bellevueart...

Art Walks

Pioneer Square Art Walk

First Thursday, in Seattle's historic Pioneer Square neighborhood, takes place from noon to 8PM on the First Thursday of every month. It is the city's first and largest Art Walk. After nearly three decades First Thursday has become a fixture for art-loving Seattleites.

Fremont Art Walk

Fremont holds their art walk on the first Friday of the month. From 6-9pm, Fremont's galleries, shops and restaurants are crowded with people looking for something new and finding just that. Their many vendors have fresh, exciting art representing an eclectic mix of syles from artists both local and worldwide.

Other Art Walks in Seattle found here.

Swinging

The first Friday of each month the SANCA School of Flight offers special drop-in rate--$5 per swing! Check them out HERE!

This Week’s Cheap Date Idea!

Movies are expensive! Not at the Crest, though! $3 gets you in!

16505 5th Avenue NE at 165th
Shoreline, WA 98155
(206) 781-5755

4 Screens. Built in 1949. Operated by Landmark since 1989. Featuring Hollywood favorites, independent film and foreign language cinema in a neighborhood setting, the Crest Cinema Center features an eclectic mix of programming at a discount price. Most films that play here are on their last stop before leaving Seattle area screens for good, so don't snooze.

Click here for show times and more information!

Or, if you’re wanting to step it up a notch, hit up the Cinebarre Theater in Mountlake Terrace!

Cinebarre is a movie theater that offers restaurant operations serving food, beer and wine - before and during the showcasing of popular first-run films, specialty programming and celebrity events - all in a unique and fun setting!

And unlike some of the pricier dinner+movie theaters around, tickets here only cost TEN BUCKS! Can’t beat that!

Plus, there’s an extensive and affordable FOOD and DRINKS menu (Burgers for $8, pints for $4!) sure to keep you happy for the two hours, even if the movie stinks!

Cheap Date Idea of the Week!

It’s almost Springtime! So, why not Rent bikes — a tandem one, if you're adventurous — and go for a long ride through the park. Pack a few sandwiches and plenty of water for a picnic, or just grab hot dogs from a stand when you're ready for a break.

Lucky for us, Seattle is chock-a-block full of bike-enthused shops.

Below is a list of bikes shop near you!

Aaron's Bicycle Repair
6521 California Ave. SW
West Seattle, WA 98136
(206) 938-9795 fax: 206-923-1597
Rent basic mountain bikes, two full suspension mountain bikes and two road bikes. Also have two trailers to rent, a kids Burley and a single wheeled BOB for mountain bike camping/hauling. Travel cases are also available for rent.

All About Bike & Ski
3615 NE 45th St.
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 524-2642 fax: 206-528-6189
New owner and long-time employee/shop mechanic, Robert Holmes, rents bikes and ski equipment out of this Laurelhurst shop.

Alpine Hut
2215 15th Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 284-3575
Rent comfort bikes hourly and daily. Particularly good downtown location for tourists.

Bicycle Center
4529 Sand Point Wy NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 523-8300 fax: 206-267-0222

Bikestation Seattle
311 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 332-9795
Downtown location rents hybrid, mountain and electric bikes by the hour and day. Includes helmet & lock. Maps and information are also available.

Dutch Bike Company Seattle
4421 Shilshole Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 789-1678
Rent Dutch city, cargo and folding bicycles. Also rent a 7 seat Conference Bike, which is perfect for family parties, community events or team building activites. All bikes rent by the hour, half-day or day.

Island Bicycles
PO Box 1609
Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
360-378-4941
Primarily rent mountain bikes with road tires, and hybrid (cross) bikes. All bikes include Blackburn rear racks, water bottle cages, and a rack trunk with lock and emergency tire inflator. Helmets are also free with rentals. Two tandem mountain bikes, a few children's bikes, and Burley kids' trailers and cargo trailers are also available. Hourly, daily, multi-day and weekly rental rates - as well as reservations - are available.

Montlake Bicycle Shop
2223 24th Ave E.
Seattle, WA 98112
(206) 329-7333
Rent full spectrum of bikes - including mountain bikes, hybrids, touring bikes, racing bikes, tandems, recumbents - plus Burley trailers and trail-a-bikes, and travel cases. Rentals by the hour, day, week or month.

Orcas Moped (and Bicycle) Rentals
65 Orcas Hill Road
P.O. Box 265
Orcas WA 98280
(360) 376-5266
We are conveniently located right up the hill from the Orcas Island Ferry Landing. We have a NEW fleet of 2006 Novara Metro 21 speed Comfort Bikes in all sizes. Each bike has a Delta Universal Mega Rack that can be fitted with a basket, bottle cages a combination locks. Every rental also includes helmet and a pump and patch kit. Hourly & Daily and 3-Day rates.

Rack 'n Road
7918 Aurora Ave N
Seattle, WA
206.528.8090

Recycled Cycles
1007 NE Boat St.
Seattle, WA 98105
Phone: (206) 547-4491
Located just off the Burke-Gilman Trail in the University District, Recycled Cycles rents hybrids, road bikes, Burley trailers and trail-a-bikes. Helmets are free, if you don't have your own. Call or check the web for rates.

Vashon Island Bicycles
9925 SW 178th St.
Vashon, WA 98070
(206) 463-6225
Rent mountain bikes, Bike-Es, tandems, trail-a-bikes by the hour or day.

A big Thank You to Cascade Bicycle Club for this fabulous list!

This Week’s Cheap Date Idea

Nothing turns a gal on more than a guy who does nice things for other people out of the goodness of their hearts.

Why not make a fun date out of it?

Volunteer together for a cause you both care about. Sign up to work at a soup kitchen once a week, help hand out water at the next Seattle marathon, or cuddle up with lovable cats and dogs at your local animal shelter.

There are countless opportunities for Volunteering in Seattle and surrounding.

Plus, not only will you have a fun time, you’ll be building your karma! Nothing wrong with that.

Here are some great Volunteering resources in your area:

Volunteer Match

Seattle.gov

Seattle Community Network

American Towns

Seattle Works

*also be sure to check out Craigslist!

Cheap Date Idea of the Week

One of Washington’s grandest wine countries is only a half-hour away from the city of Seattle: Woodinville! With over 45 wineries, you’re sure to find a bottle you like. Tucked away in the midst of all the wineries stands a single brewery. Although she is outnumbered, she stands strong and tall, offering the world some of God’s greatest nectar: REDHOOK.

Grab your babe and head down for a Brewery Tour! Tours of the Brewery operate daily.

Fall/Winter (Labor Day weekend through Memorial Day weekend):
Mon - Fri: 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Sat, Sun: 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00 p.m.

Spring/Summer (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend):
Mon - Fri: 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00 p.m.
Sat, Sun: Noon, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00 p.m.

Tours cost JUST $1 PER PERSON, run for an hour, and include up to five samples of beer. Guests also receive a souvenir tasting glass, a walk through the brewery, a Redhook history lesson and an explanation of how this fabulous company brews its fine ales.

Seattle Date Night did the tour last summer and left a bit tipsy! Was a wonderful Date Idea (and CHEAP!) that we recommend to all of you!

Cheap Date Idea of the Week

Who doesn't love cheap wine and cheese? Well, the Tasting Room in Seattle has an event you won't want to miss.

Every Monday, The Tasting Room in downtown Seattle teams up with Beecher's Handmade Cheese to serve their hedonistic version of an old-time favorite, mac-n-cheese, which they pair with some wonderful wines.

Join these two Seattle institutions every Monday at 5 p.m. until they run out.

You can order the mac-n-cheese by itself, or try our it with their wine flight, yum!

How can it get any better tahn a tasting room full of wine... that serves Mac and Cheese! You get 3 half glasses of wine and the mac and cheese for only $12.

Check out @LovingLocalWine's website here for her review, or head over to The Tasting Room's website for more info!

Photos from @LovingLocalWine's fabulous blog!

Cheap Date Idea!

The Space Needle is bringing back their beloved Date Night! And with the weather being the way it has these past few days, this may just be the perfect night for it!

Enjoy!

xo, B&M

Cheap Date Idea of the Week!

Reconnect with your inner-child with an adrenaline rush at the roller-skating rink! I don’t know about you guys, but nothing gave me butterflies more than when the slow song came on and my crush skated up to me and asked me to join him in the ‘couples skate’ … after, of course, buying me one of those TACKY smelly light-up roses.

Recreate the feeling with your sweetie at one of our many local skating rinks!

For only a couple bucks, you can have a great evening, and get some good exercise at the same time!

Skate King: 2301 140th Avenue Northeast, Bellevue

Lynnwood Bowl and Skate >: 6210 200th St. SW Lynnwood

Have fun!

Cheap Date Idea of the Week!

Indulge your sweet tooth with your sweetie — visit a chocolate or cookie factory! Do a quick Google search to see if there are any in your area and give one a call to see if it does tours. If it only does group tours, make it a group date and invite a few other couples.

If you're in Seattle, head down to Fremont and take a tour of Theo, Seattle's own Chocolate Factory!

Even Willy Wonka himself would be proud. For only $6, you get a tour and tastes!

You can also request a private tour, if you're wanting something a bit more romantic. Theo is the only organic, fair-trade, bean to bar chocolate maker in the United States. Plus, it just tastes great!


Find out all about the tour, the factory, and the chocolate here.

Cheap Date Idea of the Week!

Does he drive you up a wall sometimes? I feel your pain.

Fortunately, he probably feels the same way about you from time to time, so put on your sneakers and head to an indoor rock-climbing gym!

Challenge him to a race to the top and relieve sore muscles with a hot shower afterward. Just try not to gloat too much about beating him.

Seattle rock climbing options:

REI - Seattle Flagship Store (South Lake Union)
222 Yale Ave. North
Seattle, Washington 98109-5429
(206) 223-1944

Stone Gardens (Ballard)
2839 Northwest Market Street
Seattle, WA 98107-4215
(206) 781-9828

Vertical World
(Multiple locations in Seattle, Everett, Bremerton, Tacoma, Redmond)

Seattle Magnusson Park Wall @ Mountaineers Club House
7700 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, Washington 98115

Indoor Climbing Center
University of Washington
3924 Montlake Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98195
(206) 616-7229

Not in Seattle? Find other local rock climbing walls near you here! And have FUN!

[photo credits from REI and Stone Gardens' Websites]

Cheap DATE NIGHT idea!

Freeloader alert: Free wine and chocolate at SAM; free appetizers at Rosebud! Make a Date Night out of it!

According to the Seattle Times, the Seattle Art Museum is offering free wine and chocolate to shoppers at SAM Shop from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17!

Why not hit up the museum for an hour or two then sample some sweet nibblies!

Six local jewelry artists will display their wares alongside SAM Shop's usual array of artsy books, jewelry, games and objects. Sip a glass of wine, nibble on a chocolate and browse: It may be hard to go home empty-handed.

SAM Shop is located at Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., Seattle; 206-654-3100 or http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/.

Needing something for a date night tonight? Head up to Capitol Hill's Rosebud Restaurant & Bar as it celebrates 16 years in business with a Sweet 16 party from 4 to 8:30 p.m. tonight!

Free appetizers for all comers.

You're also invited to stick around, if you like, for a three-course prix fixe birthday dinner, priced at $16 per person.

Rosebud Restaurant & Bar is at 719 E. Pike St., Seattle (206-323-6636 or http://www.rosebud-restaurant.com/).


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