Today, Full Tilt Ice Cream is opening in the former Pretty Kitty space in the University District.

It seems that ice cream has replaced cupcakes as the new hot (or cold) shop to open in Seattle. Hopefully Full Tilt won’t suffer the same problems that Pretty Kitty did in that space. I’d just discovered Pretty Kitty when they mysteriously shut down overnight and never came back.

Follow Full Tilt’s Facebook page for more updates.
For the first week, they are planning on being cash only.

Full Tilt Ice Cream
4759 Brooklyn Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98105-4410

Yoga is stupid expensive. Even “free” donation days are a suggested $10 sometimes, making anyone who gives $5 or less feel like a cheapskate. But Urban Yoga Spa is doing what others should be – trading services for free yoga! Pulled straight from their site, read on about how with just a bit of elbow grease you can sweat your downward facing dog off for free:

TRADE SERVICE FOR YOGA: Learn about our Karma Yogi Program. You can earn unlimited free Yoga classes at the Urban Yoga Spa in exchange for 3 hours of Cleaning service per week. Contact us at 206-420-0222 for more information.

Who doesn’t love gingerbread houses? I mean, the fact that anyone has that kind of time to bake all those cookie bits and not eat them is beyond remarkable.

Well, right now (through January 3rd) you can see some pretty impressive gingerbread houses on display at the Sheraton Hotel. It’s all to benefit JDRF, which is ironic since JDRF stands for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. But regardless, go for FREE (or donate to a good cause) and gawk at the hand-crafted foodie masterpieces.

Sheraton Hotel is located at 1400 6th Ave.

Because I’ve never been to a Native American performance, my mind got the best of me. I was thinking big drums, totem poles, wild dancing, maybe even a bonfire. But since this was in Meany Hall, I dropped my expectations a bit and let go of the idea that a bonfire would take center stage.

So I was quite please with the first hour of the performance. It felt like a combo of Night at the Apollo meets A Prairie Home Companion meets Native American culture. Gene Tabagan was the host of the evening and told humorous short stories through music. Reminding us “to breath” I assumed this entertaining yogi who sang tales of his family was going to pave the way for the rest of the show. His sidekick, the violinist, Swil Kanim, was remarkable and you felt his energy through every flick of the string.

From funny to serious, we all paid our respect to our veterans, past, present and tomorrow. One vet came to the stage and was given the most beautiful blanket that seemed to represent an appropriate blend of Native American roots with the American flag of today. Not only was the gift breathtaking, but I’m pretty sure I heard a few soft tears in the house.

Then we were treated to a band by the name of Silver Jackson. Straight out of Alaska, this young group could easily open for Vince Mira. With songs about craziness, cops and love, this toe-tapping intermission was music to my ears – so to speak.

But the last hour turned out to be quite different than the first. Not that this was good or bad – it was just different. The Little Big Band was a melting pot of ethnicities/cultures/musicians, slapping us in the face with their points of view. Their performance was personally not my cup of tea, but as I looked around I saw a lot of receding hairlines and wrinkles that seemed quite pleased. 

During one song, Gene dressed up in Native American garb and danced around the stage as a bird while the singer jazzed her way through a song about domestic violence. I didn’t much care for the song, but the dance was a much appreciated reminder of the first half of the show.

Personally, I think this soul/funk/cuban/middle-aged folk band would’ve fit perfectly smack dab in the middle of Folk Fest, but in the middle of Meany Hall I was confused. What finally made me leave was when the band played a song that basically screamed at us to STAND UP. After the chorus told us to do so about 50 times, without a hint of anyone actually following their orders, my friend and I took that as our queue to stand up and walk out.

What we had come for – the wild dancing, drums and maybe even a bonfire, we pleasantly got in the beginning and then quickly lost by a very big band with lots of opinions. Again, maybe my expectations got the better of me, but overall I’d give this show a passive B-.

If you’re looking to experience more of the Native American vibes, you can still catch The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition: Indigenous Voices Reply at the Burke Museum. On display are historic objects and photographs from the 1909 fair with contemporary artwork by 16 Native artists. This special exhibit ends November 29th.