The first week of the year has already attempted to match its predecessor with chaos at the Capitol and a Trump Twitter/Facebook ban, but there are still things to look forward to this weekend to take your mind off the madness for a short while (and to inspire you to get involved in local justice). We've rounded up our suggestions for socially distanced and at-home activities below, from takeout specials to feast on while you cheer on the Seahawks (like Mike's Chill Parlor in Ballard) to Rondo's First Anniversary Week Past Event Like List , and from hidden trails to explore within the city (like St. Mark's Greenbelt) to resistance-focused reading material to pick up from Third Place Books. For even more options, read our guides to the best online events this week Like List , the best movies to watch this week Like List , and the best things to do all month long Like List .

Jump to: Resistance | Music | Food & Drink | Outdoors | Shopping

RESISTANCE 

Use local resources to take action against systematic injustice. The violent police response to Black Lives Matter protestors condemning the broken system that's led to the deaths of countless BIPOC Americans at the hands of law enforcement is not the police response we saw at Wednesday's Trump-incited mob at the Capitol. (See: cops and rioters posing for selfies together.) While Trump only has two weeks left in his administration (maybe sooner if we ITMFA), the institutions that bred the outgoing Cheeto won't go away when he does. In addition to the events on our resistance calendar, some local businesses and organizers have ways to show up for BIPOC communities and other marginalized groups going forward, including Third Place Books' roundup of reading material available for purchase, like Ijeoma Oluo's Mediocre and George Monbiot's Out Of The Wreckage. For a deeper dive into dismantling racist systems, local organizer and former Seattle mayoral candidate Nikkita Oliver is teaching a free 15-week course Past Event Like List on abolition through Seattle University's School of Law starting next Sunday. Also, be sure to check out our directory of Black-owned restaurants and our inauguration and MLK Day calendars. 

Other notable weekend events:

Black Action Coalition: March on Amazon Past Event Like List
The Black Action Coalition will keep Wednesday's events in mind during their Friday march for racial justice this week.
Broadway & Pine, Capitol Hill (Friday) 

Justice for Dolal Idd Past Event Like List
Bring white flowers and candles to this vigil and protest condemning the Minneapolis murder of Dolal Idd, a Somali American man recently killed by police.
Tukwila Library (Sunday)

Rally for Black Health Equity Past Event Like List
In solidarity with Seattle doctor and activist Ben Danielson, who recently resigned after accusing his resident Seattle Children’s Hospital of racism, this march will show support for "all the people who have been invalidated by America's inherently racist healthcare system and Western medical practice."
Laurelhurst Community Center (Saturday)

MUSIC & ARTS

Fête celebrity birthdays with local businesses. This week marks the birthdays of two dearly departed household names in rock and roll: David Bowie (the Goblin King whose death anniversary also happens to fall this week) and Elvis Presley (the King of Rock and Roll Pelvic Thrusting). In addition to dancing around your living room to your favorite tracks by these two, turn to local record purveyors, small businesses, and virtual party-throwers to help you honor their legacies even further. Bowie fans can freshen their record collections with online offerings from the otherwise closed Bowie-inspired vegan bar Life on Mars Like List (or at any record store Like List in town); buy Starman-themed merch from MoPOP Like List 's online store (like this Labyrinth magnet); dip into his film career by renting The Linguini Incident from Scarecrow or streaming Labyrinth Remind Like List ; and see tribute performances by the likes of Duran Duran, Yungblud, and Adam Lambert at Rolling Live Studios' David Bowie: Just for One Day Past Event Like List livestream on Friday evening. As for Elvis, your neighborhood record store (like Everyday Music Like List or Jive Time Like List , perhaps) has vinyl for you, and Cupcake Royale has brought back their Velvet Elvis special (banana cake swirled with chocolate peanut butter frosting and topped with a banana chip and crispy bacon) for the month of January. If you're picking up your treat at the Capitol Hill location, you might as well stop by the Elvis statue on 10th, and if you're still not satisfied, you can stream the Seattle-set film It Happened at the World's Fair, in which he stars.

Other notable weekend events:

CoCA Seattle Exhibition: A Conversation Through Time & Space Past Event Like List
Selma Waldman’s artworks are juxtaposed with nine CoCA artist members in this virtual exhibition, also viewable by appointment. 
Center on Contemporary Art, Pioneer Sqaure (Friday-Sunday)

Estefania Velez Rodriguez & Michael Siporin Levine: Like Apples and Knives Past Event Like List
Through paints, drawings, collages, prints, and video, the artists explore "autobiography, abstraction, and narrative" related to their new routines. 
SOIL, Pioneer Square (Friday-Sunday)

In Search of Lost Time Past Event Like List
Viola Frey, Fay Jones, and Akio Takamori draw connections with the nature of time and memory, working off themes in the Proust novel In Search of Lost Time. 
James Harris Gallery, Pioneer Square (Saturday-Sunday; opening Saturday)

Lusio Past Event Like List
Nine local artists have created light installations around Pioneer Square, viewable in a COVID-safe manner.
Pioneer Square (Friday-Sunday)

Marita Dingus: Face Time Past Event Like List
Black American environmental artist Marita Dingus shows moon-like faces centered on sculptures made of relics from the African diaspora. 
Traver Gallery, Pioneer Square (Friday-Saturday; closing Saturday)

Parable of Gravity Past Event Like List
Seattle-based artist Casey Curran postulates about an idealistic future on Earth through large sculptures, including one in the likeness of a suspended aluminum asteroid, inspired by Galileo’s mission to Jupiter, as well as an otherworldly kinetic garden. The show is viewable by appointment only—it's currently under construction, but you can visit to see the work in progress, then make another appointment for after February 12 to see it completed.
MadArt, South Lake Union (Friday-Sunday)

WildLanterns Past Event Like List
The Woodland Park Zoo is taking a more realistic approach to its beloved annual holiday light display by lining its paths with glowing lanterns in the likeness of tigers, snow leopards, aquatic creatures, zebras, and other exotic animals.
Woodland Park Zoo, Phinney (Friday-Sunday)

FOOD & DRINK

Explore vegan and vegetarian food. If your New Year's resolution involves reevaluating your meat and/or dairy consumption, adopting a vegan diet, or going plant-based for the annual "Veganuary" challenge, you've got plenty of delicious options to ease you through the transition. As per yearly tradition, the artisan ice creamery Salt and Straw is offering their "Vegandulgence" series with five flavors that prove plant-based can be just as decadent, including banana avocado sorbet, peanut butter strawberry crumble, bourbon and caramelized honeycomb, coconut rice pudding, and chocolate hazelnut cookies and cream. (Frankie & Jo's also offers year-round dairy-free scoops that rival their non-vegan counterparts with creamy house-made alternative milks.) Plus, West Seattle's new restaurant Allyum Like List is serving up vegan-focused comfort food like fried mushroom "chicken" and waffles and lentil "meatballs" for takeout. Of course, you can't go wrong with established vegan favorites like Plum Bistro Like List , Wayward Vegan Cafe Like List , Next Level Burger Like List , Araya's Place, Kati Vegan Thai Like List , and Pi Vegan Pizzeria Like List . And finally, if you're looking to brush up on your meatless cooking skills, local author Hsiao Ching-Chou will be demonstrating a stir-fry recipe from her newest cookbook Chinese Vegetarian Soul Food at a virtual event Past Event Like List with Book Larder Like List on January 26.

Drink Vietnamese coffee. Recently, the Seattle coffee scene has enjoyed an influx of new cafes dedicated to Vietnamese coffee, which is traditionally made with a phin (a small metal drip filter) and often mixed with sweetened condensed milk. Phin Like List in Chinatown-International District offers delightful pandan waffles alongside its brews, while Coffeeholic House Like List in Columbia City serves drinks made with organic Robusta beans from Vietnam. In the University District, Sip House also has phin-dripped coffee drinks ranging from fresh mint mojito iced coffee to lattes topped with salted crema. Pho Bac co-owner Yenvy Pham is also planning to open her new coffee shop Hello Em Like List in Chinatown-International District's Little Saigon this month, with Vietnamese coffee, panini-style banh mi sandwiches, and Vietnamese-inspired baked goods.

Play Local Liquid Arts Bingo. Feel like treating yourself to a fancy beverage? The Craft Beverage Guild, also known as Local Liquid Arts, has come up with a fun bingo game to encourage residents to support Snohomish County's local wineries, breweries, distilleries, and coffee roasters. Just download a card and make a purchase at the designated businesses (like Crucible Brewing or Scratch Distillery) and/or complete other actions to check at least five squares in one of the winning patterns before January 31. Then submit your card for a chance to score some free gift cards, glassware, or clothing from the featured businesses.

Other notable weekend events:

Rondo Japanese Kitchen First Anniversary Week Past Event Like List
To celebrate making it through one decidedly tumultuous first year of business, the Japanese izakaya Rondo is now serving up a week of limited-time specials made with fresh, seasonal ingredients and will offer an all-day happy hour all week, with discounts on signature dishes like their katsu curry, mazemen, and donburi.
Rondo, Capitol Hill (Friday-Sunday)

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

Explore semi-hidden trails within the city. Just past the bus stop on East Bellevue and Republican, the street dead-ends and dips down to reveal a wide stone staircase that gives way to an obscenely postcard-looking view of the Space Needle and its surrounding towers. When you descend the three short flights, you're plopped in front of the quiet, skyline-bearing overpass on Melrose, which, if you hang a left, allows for several blocks of strolling until other pedestrians come into view again. Sneaky steps and trails like these are tucked all around town, and the weekend is a great time to freshen up your solo walks by seeking them out—especially if you don't have a car or don't feel like risking an overcrowded trailhead. We're sure you know about some super-secret spots that we don't, but in case you need a head start, check out St. Mark's Greenbelt behind St. Mark's Cathedral, which intersects with the longest staircase in Seattle on Howe and Blaine Street. You'll be very close to Eastlake when you reach the bottom, which warrants a walk along Lakeview Boulevard and a trip to the unassuming wine emporium that is Pete's Supermarket. Over in First Hill Park, a short trail sandwiched between apartment buildings shoots you out near 9th Avenue. There's also the string of greenbelts that reveal pockets of wetlands (and a lot of frogs) near the interstate behind North Seattle College, which you can enter at North 100th Street and College Way North. If you've been stuck in town these past however-many months and you're sick of it, there's lots of pleasure to be found in these little diversions.  

Cheer on the Seahawks in the big game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks have made it to the playoffs! If you're looking for some hearty fare to sustain you through the game this weekend (kicking off at 1:40 pm on Saturday), Eric Rivera's ever-evolving pop-up Addo Like List is ready with a special playoff meal pack, complete with two dozen wings, chicken teriyaki, dry-aged Porterhouse steak, truffle mashed potatoes and gravy, and chicharron chips. The Beer Authority Like List will also be showing the game Past Event Like List with limited outdoor seating, as will Mike's Chill Parlor (where you can also get chili to go), Pine Box Like List (who have new batched and bottled cocktails), the Fremont Dock, and Taco City Taqueria Like List . And Tom Douglas's pandemic pivot Serious TakeOut Like List in Ballard is packing up weekend tailgate brunch boxes perfect for football fans, with buttermilk fried chicken, flaky biscuits, a pint of Tabasco black pepper gravy, and even four Seahawk-themed Jell-O shots to gulp down. 

Other notable weekend events:

Guided Nature Walk Past Event Like List
Take a walk along the Wetland Wildlife Interpretive Trail and learn about Bald Eagles and the environment in which they live and feed. Reservations are required.
Howard Miller Steelhead Park, Rockport (Saturday-Sunday) 

SHOPPING

Get some fresh face masks for the new year. While COVID-19 vaccine distribution is very slowly underway, we're still quite a ways away from mask-free living. To make the non-optional act of putting a fabric accessory over your mouth and nose holes a little more enjoyable, procure a new set of masks from local businesses to last until the plague is over. Mini-roundup time: Prairie Underground has lots of classy options for you in a plethora of colors and patterns, including silk ones for your delicate epidermis. Local maker Bellyflop has some colorful ones made to order, including custom options. Seattle Made vendor Oliotto has Seattle-specific ones made of cotton and linen. Sassafrass has a faux leather mesh number lined with cotton and adorned with spikes for your saucier days. And prolific local muralist Ryan "Henry" Ward has some signature designs on comfy cotton. For more options, check out the Seattle Good Business Network's mask marketplace.