Snow Day in Denny Park
When the days get colder, we all hope for the magic of a Snow Day. A chance to escape the drudgery of your day and go out and play. But when days get colder, the nights get longer and that is when the magic truly happens. Is there anything more magical than a Snow Day night? For five weeks this winter, we took over Denny Park, Seattle’s oldest park, to create a magical, immersive winter light installation. In South Lake Union, every day was Snow Day.
In the fall of 2018, Friends of Denny Park & Amazon came to us with a vision of creating a family-friendly, interactive event that would drive people to South Lake Union after hours and give local businesses a boost during the holidays. Even though it doesn’t snow often in Seattle, everyone loves the excitement of a Snow Day, so we decided to recreate this feeling with an immersive lighting display in Seattle’s oldest park.
We strung over 30,000 lights throughout the park, turning it into a winter wonderland. We kicked off the festivities with a Grand Opening Party with a holiday market, beer garden, food trucks, live music, stilt walkers and more. KEXP’s DJ Troy Nelson curated a Snow Day playlist for the festivities, an ice sculptor carved a custom Snow Day installation, and attendees could get their picture taken inside a giant Snow Globe. Event goers were able to experience fun, winter activities all while taking in the immersive scene that lit up Denny Park. After the opening party, the lights remained up for 5 weeks.
Over the course of the 5 weeks, between 20,000 to 50,000 people visited Denny Park to see the lights. The holiday season was an especially wonderful time to activate the park. Providing joy to the neighborhood as well as drawing in more people to this historic park in Seattle was extremely rewarding and exciting.
With this much success and support in the first year of Snow Day, we are very excited to build on the event for next year, and all the years to come all while engaging more and more of the local community!
Check out our Snow Day Video!
Polite Society Picks - Shop Small in Seattle
Photo by Yvonne Chan at Ritual
Here at Polite Society we are big fans of supporting other small businesses, so for this installment of our blog we asked our staff to share their favorite place to shop small in Seattle.
Hans: Retrofit Home. Not just a furniture/home furnishings store - they always seem to find something fresh and local - Plus for 14 years they have been doing a $100 and under group art show supporting some great local artists. Love!
Shelby: Baleen in Ballard is my go-to shop for unique, handmade jewelry & accessories for myself, as well as interesting gifts for others. The owners are fans of of good design and believe that thoughtful, beautiful objects don't always have to be expensive (bless them). It also doesn't hurt that it's a couple blocks from my house, so I can pop by in a pinch and always find something special!
Yvonne Chien: Prism in Ballard is an amazing, carefully curated shop with beautiful clothing, accessories, and home wares. It's a great place to go when you want to beautify your home or closet, and when you have an empty wallet it's also the perfect shop to discover artists who sell uniquely designed items!
Serene: I love to roam around Swanson's Nursery. I'm not good at keeping my plants alive yet... but I'm learning! It's fun wandering through their various plant displays as well as grabbing a bite at their cafe, watching the koi and perusing their shop for jewelry, books and general home decor.
Chuck: When I want something special like a suit, Kuhlman on 1st Avenue. When I want to just look for something for me, Pacific Galleries Antique Mall. Great finds and some amazing midcentury and northwest art. There are a lot of small places I like, Melrose Market, Chop House, Stock & Pantry.... I could go on but will leave it here.
Desmond: Jive Time in Fremont has an amazing selection of records and the staff is very knowledgable. The only downside is that every time I go, I end up spending way too much money on records! :)
Yvonne Chan: I love the Plant Shop on Pine St. in Capitol Hill! They have an excellent selection of low-maintenance plants and friendly staff that will help you find something you only need to water once a month!
Sarah: I love Ritual on Capitol Hill. I wear something from there nearly every day, and it is close enough I can stop by for a Tarot reading on my lunch break or a glass of wine after work!
Dru: Is Mudbay small? (Like his beloved cat, Dru is a man of few words)
Polite Society Picks - Capitol Hill Lunch Spots!
(Photo from Manao Thai Instagram)
(Polite Society Picks - every month, our staff weighs in a topic such as their favorite places to eat, local happenings, and more!)
This month, we asked our staff what their favorite lunch spot is. In Capitol Hill, there is SO much to eat - and collectively we’ve definitely tried a lot! Some of us got a little more creative with the format of their answer, which is probably a testament to just how tasty their lunch spot is.
Chuck: Café Presse. I don't go here as much as I would like but nothing is better than their Steak Frites, a nice fresh salad and a glass of rosé for lunch, unless you add someone to gossip with and maybe have a second glass of wine...
Hans: I squeeze my eyes shut
Authentic and so tasty
I'm back in Tokyo
Junkichi
Shelby: I have a bit of a breakfast sandwich problem (as in, addiction), and Café Argento makes my favorite sando on the hill. I know we're talking about favorite lunch spots here, but it's not rare that I hit up Argento on my way to work, order a veggie egg sammie on jalapeño bagel (add hot sauce!) and eat half for breakfast and half for lunch. Two birds, one bagel!
Sarah: I am a big fan of the laid-back rock n roll vibe at Bimbos Cantina. Thanks to their $7.95 lunch special, I could afford to make my dream of eating vegan tacos every day a reality, plus they have a truly impressive selection of hot sauces (vital in a taco spot) and friendly bartenders that help me with my lunchtime crosswords.
Serene: Bok-a-bok has such great fried chicken sammies! I like the variation in sauces they offer on each one. What’s best is when I can snag items off happy hour while grabbing a drink at The Runaway.
Tracie: The heavenly aroma fills the air
Nostalgia kicks in
and so does the caffeine fix
at Caffe Vita
Desmond: Manoa Thai. Probably the best Thai place in the city. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu but my favorite is the Phad Grapau with a fried egg.
Yvonne: I’ve definitely told someone before that I would never pay money for a salad, but then Plum opened up Chopped, their low-key hipster salad stand, and now I’m almost all the way through a punch card…
Dru: (He did not respond to our inquiry so we can only assume he hates all lunch foods and Capitol Hill)