Welcome to the
SeattleDIY Collective’s Guide To
We created this guide because we feel that
About
the SeattleDIY Collective
SeattleDIY is a collective whose mission is to
promote and support the DIY ethos and its associated growing community in
We believe in being creators of culture rather
than consumers. We believe in promoting a just society that supports itself
through mutual aid and without hierarchies. We believe in fighting against the
institutional oppressions such as racism, sexism, ageism/adultism,
and homophobia, and we support environmental justice, animal rights, egalitarianism,
and human rights.
Contact
Want to help with this or other projects? Email diyguide@seattlediy.com, or check
SeattleDIY.com for more info about how to get involved.
Help
us!
This guide has been painstakingly made primarily
by a few people who have put in a lot of hours, but also by a lot of people in
the community who have made suggestions. We’re more than happy to hear what you
have to say about this project, good or bad. If you’d like to help more
directly, attend a SeattleDIY Collective meeting, occurring every Sunday at 6pm
(visit seattlediy.org for more info). There is a
Table Of Contents:
211-Community Information Line
Local Laws
Radio Station Guide
Art In
Getting Around
Places of Interest
- Downtown/Pioneer Square
- Capitol Hill/First Hill
- Central District
- Beacon Hill/Columbia City
- International District
-
- West
- University District
- Wallingford/Fremont/North
- Ballard
Volunteering
List of nonprofits
List of collectives
211 –
Crisisclinic.org
Similar to 411 or 911, if you call 211 from any
phone you’ll be connected to the Washington Information Line, and you’ll be
able to speak with an operator who is experienced with finding resources. Like
maybe you broke a tooth, and you need to find a low-cost dental clinic. Or
maybe you’re getting evicted and you don’t know where to go for help. Who you gunna call? 211, that’s who. It’s
free.
Similarly, there’s the Community Information Line
(M-F 8am-6pm) at (206)461-3200, or 1-800-621-INFO
The Community Information Line is operated by
Crisis Clinic, which operates an incredible online resource database at crisisclinic.org.
Local Laws
Noise
ordinances
This is a common issue with those of us who put on
shows at houses. The Seattle Police Department website
(http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/police/prevention/Tips/Noise.htm) states that any
gathering at a residential property emitting noise that can be heard 75 feet or
more from the property, which occur Friday and Saturday nights between 10pm and
7am, is defined as a “Residential Disturbance.”
However, SMC 25.08.500 (Public disturbance noises)
states that it’s unlawful to knowingly make any noise created by a musical
instrument that “disturbs” another person, and then refuse to stop said noise
when told to do so by police. This also applied to any human voice that
“disturbs” another person after 10pm, any night.
So
basically, in
This means that it’d be a good idea to talk to all your neighbors before ever
doing an event that might end up “disturbing” them. Be nice; give them your
phone number so you can talk things through without them going to the police.
Jaywalking
It’s
illegal in
Bicycle
Laws
Helmets are mandatory in
Tenant’s
Rights
tenantsunion.org/rights
Radio Station Guide
Hollow
Earth Radio
hollowearthradio.com
Hollow Earth Radio
Phone: 206-905-1250 (Leave tour stories,
paranormal encounters, upcoming events, dreams, prank calls)
“We are a free DIY online radio station called
"Hollow Earth Radio" that features local conversations and music of
Our first emphasis is on exposing works that have
yet to be unearthed or have long been dormant. The second part of our vision is
to support programs that highlight human experience as we want to talk to the
musicians, reveal the stories behind the artists, and learn about the actual
people involved.
We take and WANT bands' albums/demos/songs in
whatever form,and we also
take mix-tape submissions. Please see
our website or myspace page for more specific
information on how to tune in, contribute content, and send us albums!
We're on from noon to midnight everyday.”
KBCS
91.3 – kbcs.fm
This is the
Democracy
Now! - Weekdays Live 6-7 am and at 5-6 pm
Between
the Lines - Monday 6:30-7 pm
CounterSpin -
Tuesday 6:30-7 pm
Free
Speech Radio News - Monday, Wednesday & Friday 6-6:30 pm
There are some other decent info radio shows –
visit their website for more info.
Also good is their avant-jazz
show: Straight, No Chaser - Mondays
9-11 p.m.
KEXP
90.3 – kexp.org
KEXP is a public radio station that is mostly
standard indie-rock fare. It’s college radio technically, but it has no affiliation with UW other than being
licensed by them.
The best show they have to offer is Sonic Reducer (Saturday 9pm-midnight)
and plays all punk and hardcore. Also good is Audioasis, the local show, and
that goes from 6pm-9pm on Saturdays.
KUOW
94.9 – kuow.org
The local public radio station that plays nothing
but National Public Radio, American Public Media, and Public Radio
International programs. Some of our personal favorites are On The Media (Sunday 6pm), Tavis Smiley Show (Sunday 7-9), and This American Life (Friday 7pm, Saturday
11am)
KPLU
88.5 – kplu.org
Before 3pm is when they play the good jazz. From
3-7 Mon-Fri, and Saturday mornings, they play NPR, PRI, and APM programs.
Beware the occasional smooth jazz.
KGRG
89.9 – kgrg.com
KGRG is legit college radio, complete with awkward
and poorly trained DJs, and an overabundance of pop-punk and metal. There’s a
punk and hardcore show (Dead Air,
Wednesday 7-10pm). There used to be some really great shows over the years,
like a riotgrrl radio show, and my old favorite punk
show, “For The
Kids.” Sometimes KGRG doesn’t come in very well in
Pirate
Radio!
Those of us in the collective unfortunately have
no knowledge of current pirate radio stations broadcasting. If you have
knowledge of one, let us know!
News in
The
Stranger
thestranger.com
“
seattle.indymedia.org
Even if the quality of writing is not the
greatest, the format, structure, and content is
wonderful. IndyMedia started in
Eat
The State!
eatthestate.org
Eat The State! is more of
an op-ed news rag than a professional news source. Still, they manage to not
come off as a collection of essays, and they tend to put a lot of thought into
research and accessibility. This is a good paper to volunteer for those who
want to put their journalistic skills to good use.
This paper is pretty terrible. Don’t bother
reading it.
SeattlePI /
The local mainstream press.
They’re both owned by the same larger company, but the PI has a little more of
a “centrist” point of view.
Art in
Here’s a good website for more info:
cityofseattle.net/arts/FirstThursday
Cheap Living in
Cheap
Housing
One unfortunate fact about
For those in great need of affordable housing
there are programs available. However, these programs are likely to include a
long waiting list.
seattlehousing.org – Seattle Housing Authority
ccsww.org/aha/housing.php - Archdiocesan
Housing Authority
kcha.org – King County Housing Authority
crisisclinic.org – Crisis Clinic – use to find
info about other housing programs.
DSHS – Department Of
Social and Health Services (www1.dshs.wa.gov)
DSHS is where you go if you want to get on food
stamps, get medical coupons, or have any other needs that would be considered
“welfare.” You’ll qualify for some services if you are at the poverty line or
below in income (around $16,000/year, I believe). Visit your local Community
Service Office (CSO) to find out what you’re eligible for.
Capitol Hill/Central District:
Belltown:
Whitecenter:
Ranier:
Cheap Medical Care
There are several sliding-scale health providers
in
Primary
Care
Country Doctor Community Health Clinic -
Sliding-Scale
Dental
Central Area Dental Clinic -
Reproductive Health
STD
Testing
metrokc.gov/health/apu/std –
visit this website for a list of places you can go to get an affordable STD
screening. Our favorites are:
Country Doctor Community Health Clinic, (206)
461-4503
And you can get screened for a sliding-scale fee
at Planned Parenthood (ppww.org).
Birth
Control
The State Of
With Take Charge, go to your health care provider,
or Planned Parenthood, and get what you need!
Food
Food
Banks
Most food banks in
seattle.gov/humanservices/csd/survivalservices/emergencyfood/foodbanks.htm
Most food banks also can provide “no-cook” bags
for those who don’t have a kitchen.
Free
Meals
Food Not Bombs!
FNB have three projects:
Thursday at 6:00(ish)pm, FNB serves a free veggie meal open to everyone at
Saturday Free Market - food (and sometimes
household goods) donated from a local co-ops, distributed
it at the
Cascade Free Market (
My Sweet Lord – a free/cheap Hare Krishna café, open
7:30-11 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Again, visit crisisclinic.org for more free
community meals.
Gardening
Things grow well in
Dumpstering
Dumpster diving, when done properly, is a safe and
fun way of getting food, furniture, books, and who knows what else. If you’ve
never done it before there are things you really MUST know before going.
Usually dumpster diving is illegal, so you should take all necessary
precautions before going out and diving in.
Etiquette:
1. First come first
serve.
Dumpster divers don’t own the dumpster. If someone
is there when you arrive, respect their space and if there’s enough room then
hop in too. Don't demand a share of their spoils,
however, making trades is often appreciated.
2. Take only what you need.
Many dumpsters have multiple groups of people who
go to them at different times of the day or night. That means that if you clean
a dumpster out of everything good, and you won't use everything, then it'll
just go to waste again, whereas it could have been picked up by other dumpster
divers at a later time.
3. CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!
Many stores and employees at stores don't mind
dumpster divers (many employees dive themselves), but they'll start to mind if
the divers make a huge mess. This is especially shitty for the employees, who
are usually regular people like us, who already have shitty jobs. Let's not
make their jobs shittier. Think of it this way: if you leave a mess, it's
fairly likely that the business will start to lock their dumpster, which will
greatly suck for you and anybody else who uses it. Leave it as nice as or nicer
than you found it.
4. Don't spoil sites.
We don't want to bring unwanted attention to
dumpsters. The more people you tell, the more likely it is that someone will go
there and fuck things up. Use discretion when telling people about the places
you frequent, and if you tell people who are new to dumpstering, be sure to
tell them about good dumpster etiquette.
Tips:
1. Safety!
Go with another person! It's good to have backup,
because you never know who might be there. Also, be aware of where you're
putting your hand, because just like with everywhere, there are junkies who
might leave their needles places, or broken glass, or rabid dogs, or zombies.
2. Escape Routes.
If you need to get out of there in a hurry, it's
good to know the best route to take. HOWEVER, don't run if the cops show up.
Dumpster diving at most is a trespassing charge, which is a misdemeanor (ie, not a big deal), but they probably won't even charge
you with that. It's good to also prepare an excuse why you're there.
3. Gear.
Good gear to bring is a large backpack, a
flashlight/headlamp, and gloves. If you have a car, bring some crates. If
you're on a bike, a rack is good. Just in case, wear clothes that you don't
mind getting a little dirty, and quality solid boots.
4. Locations.
Use creativity; stores with return policies,
stores with display models, stores with products that expire, stores that throw
away scraps, etc, are all good possibilities. Also a fun thing to do is pay
attention to store news - ie, if a cooler breaks down
at Safeway, they'll throw away things in their coolers. Factories are good
places to go, because they will often throw away a whole box of something if
there is a single 'defective' component, or often will produce a surplus that
they’re not able to distribute. The sky is the limit!
Have fun, and play safe!
MAP!
(Map of
Getting Around In
Metro
Bus
The busses in
However, they’re what we got, and sometimes
If you have a bike and you want to take a bus,
each bus is equipped with a bike rack that can hold two bikes. Drivers won’t
let you take your bike onto the bus. You also can’t put your bike on the bike
rack when you’re downtown in the “Free Ride Zone.”
The Free Ride Zone is the area of downtown where
riding all the busses is free. However, you have to pay once you’ve gone
outside this zone.
Pay attention to the sign at the front of the bus
that says whether you pay when you enter or exit. It changes, depending on if
the bus is coming from or going to downtown (coming from = pay as you leave,
going to downtown, or busses that don’t go downtown = pay as you enter). Busses
will generally be $1.25 (or $1.50 at peak hours), or $.50 if you’re 17 and
younger (wink wink).
transit.metrokc.gov is
the city’s bus website. It has schedules, and a particularly handy Trip
Planner.
Bicycling
in
Here are some helpful routes:
*
Airport Way to
* ID
<-> Central District:
* Central
District <-> Capitol Hill:
My favorite street is
* Capitol
Hill <-> University District:
There’s also a good route from Cap Hill to the UD
via
* Downtown
<-> University District:
To get to the UD, take
*
Downtown <-> Queen Anne
Queen Anne is a huge hill with no easy way to get
to the top. Sorry.
*
Downtown <->
*
Ballard <-> Fremont/Wallingford/U-Dist
The Burke-Gilman Trail is the best commuter path
for this route. To find it, just go downhill from these neighborhoods until you
get to the water. Some spots are bumpy, so keep your eyes peeled. It’s also one
of the most scenic routes in
*
The northernmost point of Beacon Hill has a nice
little bridge that connects it to the ID at
*
West
Ride under the
Ferries!
The Downtown Ferries
wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
@ pier 50 and 52
The
ferries offer a slightly expensive but convenient way to get out of the city.
Prices vary depending on where you go, and then you have to pay a little extra
to bring your bike on board. On some routes you only have to pay one-way. If you bring bread with you, you can have fun
with the seagulls while they fly close to the ferry and try to grab the bread
from your hands. Or wear the bread as a hat and see what happens.
Elliot
Bay Water Taxi runs May through September for $1.50 and goes between downtown
and
Ferry from
To
Vashon (Fauntleroy Terminal):4829 SW Barton
Back to
Vashon
is a good Island to go to if you're really too lazy to drive up to the
Other Guides/Getting Around
Resources
If
you’re looking for another print guide, the Lonely Planet Seattle is a good
guide, though it’s a bit pricey. Here’s a few website that may be helpful.
lostinseattle.com
seattlewiki.org
seattle.citysearch.com
SeattleDIY’s
Selected Places Of Interest
Here you’ll find a list of what we feel are the
most interesting places in town. We selected them based on our personal
favorites and places we think are reasonably interesting – not necessarily by
some “DIY” measuring stick. We absolutely prefer to support places that fit our
values (ie, we won’t promote a restaurant owned by a
misogynistic asshole). These are our collective opinions, and not necessarily
what is the truth about what you may find these places to be. If you think we
missed anything, please let us know!!! Email us at diyguide@seattlediy.com
Downtown /
Entertainment,
Arts, & Events
Art
Spaces
Artworks
urbanartworks.org
Artworks is a
great local nonprofit that works with youth from all backgrounds, socially and
artistically. This is a wonderful place for youth to get involved and use the
space for their own DIY projects, such as Ursa Minor,
the DIY free/trade store that’s there every Fri-Sun, 11am-5pm. Artworks also
hosts shows on occasion!
Theaters
Venues
The
Vera Project
Theveraproject.org
A membership run music and arts space. Has
a silkscreening lab, does vegan dinner with their
acoustic shows, and often collaborates with other local organizations to do other
rad shit. The Vera Project is a training ground for future punks. It’s kinda like Gilman, but doesn’t smell like a toilet, and
also gets city funds. Has adult staff but is led by a youth board. It’s a
recent darling of some local big-shots like Eddie Vedder,
but despite that it’s still one of the best things that
Everything is moving to a new space at the
Misc.
Ye Olde
Curiosity Shop
yeoldecuriosityshop.com
They
have tons of stupid and cool stuff like mummies and a 2-horned narwhal skull.
What’s nice is that you can look at lots of things without spending any money.
In fact, if anything there costs money, don’t pay for it, because I guarantee
it will be a let-down. For example, don’t give your money to the fortune teller
machine, because even if you’re 12 and wish you were big, you won’t wake up the
next day and get a job at a toy company and fall in love with a woman with a
perm.
Su-Th:10am to 6pm, Fr-Sa: 9am to 9pm
Goods
& Services
Arts
& Crafts
Bars
Bicycle
Shops
elliottbaybicycles.com
206-441-8144
Mon-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-6, Sun 11-4
entry
needed!
Mobius Cycle
mobiuscycle.com
Bicycle shop downtown that has really awesome
staff that are welcoming to everyone, and they host cheap bike classes every
week (plus one/month for women and trans people).
BYOB!
Mon–Fri 2-8
Books,
Newsstands, & Comics
leftbankbooks.com
206-622-0195
Mon–Fri 10–7, Sun 11-6
elliottbaybook.com
206-624-6600
Elliot Bay Books has over 150,000 book titles.
They will buy back your old books to stock the large used book section. They
also have an excellent zine selection.
Mon-Sat 9:30-10, Sun 11-7
Grocery
Hardware
Health
& Safety
King
County Needle Exchange
2nd and Pike
Half of all new HIV infections each year are a
result of needle sharing. Reduce your chance of blood borne diseases by
swapping needles at a one to one ratio. The needle exchange provides all the
cottons, cookers and alcohol wipes you need.
Mon-Fri 1-5, Sat 2-4
Restaurants
& Cafes
Cyberdogs
206–405-DOGS
Cyberdogs
serves vegetarian hotdogs with all the fixins and
true to the name you can even hop online. It's a nice stop between Capitol Hill
and Downtown, and the owner is crazy, in a good way.
Daily 11-Midnight
Daily
Dozen Donut Company
206-467-7769
The lines are really long sometimes, but this
little stand serves bags of mini-donuts and cheap coffee. The workers are
really cool and it's a good reason to brave the onslaught of Pike Place Market
tourists.
Open market hours
206-682-6664
Located just below
Mon-Fri 7-8, Sat 8-8, Sun 10-6
KAPOW!
206-447-5587
1165
(Corner of Minor and Harrison)
This little spot, located in a rolled up garage
space in the side of a warehouse, offers a great cup of coffee.
Mon–Fri 6:30–4
Mediterranean Mix
205
Simply amazing falafel – perhaps the best in town.
Both The Stranger and my friend Giovanni say so. The Stranger says, “Moist,
sweet falafel fritters, a pretty green color thanks to parsley, are shoved into
grilled "good" pita with whole chickpeas, sliced onions, a thick tzatziki sauce, and a huge spoonful of tomato-heavy tabbouleh salad.”
www.bamboogarden.net
Chinese and Pan-Asian vegan food. They're also kosher. I recommend
the amazing chicken balls and the corn chowder soup. Yum!
Daily 11am-10pm
Record
Stores
Singles
Going Steady
206–441–7396
This record store has it all: from punk to crust
to all manners of hardcore and metal. For the decorative, they've got patches
and pins and studs. For everyone, it's a music must stop whenever you need to
get the goods.
Mon-Sat 11-7, Sun 12-6
This is new/used record store that’s pretty huge
and has a lot of hidden gems. It’s also one of the best places you can go to
sell your old CDs and records. They have a lot of in-store performances by
touring indierock bands.
Mon 9am-Midnight
Tue-Sat 9am-11pm
Sun 9am-10pm
Thrift
& Clothing
Ursa Minor
myspace.com/ursaminorursaminor
A free/trade/cheap DIY store run by
some young kids, facilitated by an arts nonprofit, Artworks. These same youth host
shows via their group “Social Ghost Society,” and are full of sunshiny energy
and awesome ideas.
Fri-sun 11am-5pm + 1st Thursday night
every month
Fancy
Pants
206- 956- 2945
Schmancy
206–728–8008
These stores, run by a group of crafty folks, sell
cute gifts and accessories. Fancy Pants, obviously, specializes in clothes,
while Schmancy sells toys, and there's even
Tues–Sat 11-6
Something
Old Something New
200
(on the corner of
DESC thrift store proceeds benefit programs for
the homeless. Accept small donations of items useful to homeless people. Open
late on first Thursdays.
Mon 10:30-2, Tues-Friday 10:30-5
Public
Spaces
seattlecenter.com
Get
there by following the Space Needle (Denny & 4th)
A huge and famous part of
seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/FreewayPark.htm
A
sprawling urban park that has places to hide, places where you can plummet to
your death, and you can get free internet wifi. There’s wonderful fountains
that you can play in, and amazing views. This place is considered to be one of
the best places to bring newcomers to the city. Rumors suggest that it’s
sometimes sketchy. But shit, it’s pretty.
Cascade
People's Center
Cascade People's Center is a progressive community
center that hosts all sorts of things, like free yoga and a kitchen in which
Food Not Bombs cooks. All programs are free! Everything is volunteer run! This
place is absolutely incredible.
at the corner of Minor
and Harrison
(P-Path is at the corner of Minor and Thomas)
Buried in a warehouse district quickly being
overrun by the bio-tech build up boom,
Central
Library
206-386–4636
This is a no lose deal. They have tons of books,
internet access, and the craziest building in town. It doesn’t matter if you
can’t read and this sentence is just a random collection of
symbols to you—go check out the Central Library.
Mon–Thurs 10–8, Fri–Sat 10–6, Sun 12–6
(Jackson and Occidental)
“The
Myrtle
Edwards Park
(Go north along the wharf and you'll hit it)
For those tired of the crowded boardwalk by the
piers this park offers beautiful views of the water and the islands. The bike
path running along the waterfront allows for easy access to the park.
Olympic
Broad St
and
Created by the
Capitol
Hill/First Hill
Entertainment,
Arts, & Events
Art
Spaces
Crawl
Space
crawlspacegallery.com
206-322-5752
An art space ran by young people, showcasing young
and hip artists.