Hello and welcome to The August Edit! We’ve published four issues this month, including:
The Exes Issue, with a podcast chat with my college boyfriend and the #1 thing to remember during a breakup
Deb Perelman on how to throw an epic late summer dinner party and the brilliant career advice Ina Garten gave her
Designer Shannon Maldonado reveals the off-the-rack dress she wore to her wedding and a shopping strategy that Big Salad readers loooooved
and 10 women and men share their fall uniforms (we noticed a fun trend!)
Perhaps our favorite thing this month, though, was heading to Seattle for a Big Salad live event with poet Kate Baer. In this issue, we’re sharing the audio recording (here’s the transcript, the talk starts at 5:00) and a few photos, if you’d like to see…
When the SIFF Cinema Egyptian doors opened at 6 p.m., readers were already lined up to find seats with friends. (All 570 tickets sold out quickly, which is wild! Thank you so much, Seattle, for the warm welcome.)
We enjoyed delicious desserts from Molly Moon of Molly Moon’s Ice Cream and Robin Wehl Martin of Hello Robin Cookies (both local legends and beloved by Seattleites, for good reason).
Something we love about live events is getting to see readers, friends and colleagues in one place — it’s almost as if the comments section has come to life. Do you recognize Sukhie, wearing the yellow dress in the photo below?
And chef Renee Erickson (far left) and
(far right) with her cute top knot?
To kick things off, Big Salad editor Kaitlyn Teer (left) welcomed everyone (and there’s Angela Garbes, right) and introduced the Seattle-based cellist Gretchen Yanover, who just released her fifth solo album. She was joined on stage by dancers Nia-Amina Minor and Akoiya Harris, who performed a duet to “Willow Waltzes On.”
We’re excited for you to listen to the audio of Gretchen’s performance — her music is warm and meditative and infused with light.
Next, Kate and I chatted about everything from parenting advice to orgasms to female friendship. During our lightning round, I asked her to share the best gift she’s ever received (you’ll never guess, the audience went wild). And when I asked what clothing item she’s been into, she surprised us all by pulling it out of her dress.
She also read three of her poems: “There Are Days,” “Moon Song,” and “The Bridesmaid’s Speech,” which will be in her next book and made everyone cry.
Kate also surprised me with a few questions of her own, like asking for an update on dating after divorce and for my personal rule for who I won’t date.
Finally, we answered lots of reader questions, but our first and favorite was from a reader who started by asking, “Do you want to be my friend?” to which everyone’s resounding answer was, “Yes!” We couldn’t have been more grateful for this magical night.
Thank you so much for everything, Seattle.
Now we can’t wait for more events. We were thinking maybe a reader talent show???
(Event photos by Dorothée Brand of Belathée Photography. Thank you to Destry Maria Sibley for editing the podcast.)
We asked a few friends for their Seattle recs, so here are some great places to eat, shop, and hang out, according to writer
, Cup of Jo reader Sukhie Patel, and dessert mavens Molly Moon and Robin Wehl Martin.
Restaurant: Kilig is a bright, friendly and casual place for classic Filipino dishes, like lumpia, pancit, and calamansi soda. And my standing order (for 20 years now) at the Szechuan Noodle Bowl is baby bamboo shoots, a scallion pancake, cold noodles with peanut sauce, and vegetable dumplings in hot and sour sauce. Bring cash.
Park: Kubota Garden is a South Seattle gem that’s hidden within a residential neighborhood. It has Japanese gardens, endless hillside paths, rocks to climb, quiet groves of Japanese maple and cypress trees, and koi ponds. It's open and free every day of the year and looks as beautiful shrouded in winter mist as it does in full bloom.
Shop: I’ve discovered so many things at Glasswing, a cute shop full of bespoke clothes and candles and plants on Capitol Hill. My daughters also love a day of shopping at our big, beautiful outdoor mall, University Village.
Beach: Our city has been working hard for more than a decade to reconnect our downtown to the water, and it’s all happening right now with the opening of Waterfront Park. Our favorite place to hang out is Habitat Beach near the ferry terminal. It’s small and rocky and has been totally restored with dozens of native plant species. It’s a great place to bring kids or to sit and read.
Art: Go for a (free!) walk in the Olympic Sculpture Park or take a gallery crawl featuring wonderful local artists around Pioneer Square — including Davidson’s, Shift Gallery, J. Rinehart, Greg Kucera and so many more.
Restaurant: I love a date night at Musang, whose owners and staff are a real anchor in our community. The best lunch place is Cafe Selam — the spicy, savory foul (fava bean stew) with a fresh baguette is to die for. My go-to dive bar is Loretta’s. Don’t tell too many people, though, because I get grumpy when I can’t snap my corner stool!
Capitol Hill: Have fun browsing at Elliott Bay Books, then grab a glass of natural wine at La Dive or a coffee at Boon Boona. Sometimes we walk to Single Shot for weekend brunch or dinner. There’s always a bouquet of fresh flowers on the front counter, and they use white cloth napkins, so the place feels refined but not stuffy. There’s outdoor seating, and, yes, kids are welcome!
Ballard: I like sending guests to Hotel Ballard, which is above Stoneburner — they make pizza, pasta and veggie-forward sides. On Sundays, the street is pedestrian-only and hosts a farmers market, where you can find local items, such as homemade miso from Yoka Miso. The Ballard Locks are also a must-visit. It’s fascinating to see the boats go through the locks, and in the fall you can watch the salmon running through the fish ladders.
Thank you, Angela, Molly, Sukhie, and Robin, for sharing your special places with us! Seattle readers, what would you add?
Here are the month’s most popular links:
Caroline Chambers’s go-to trousers for travel
A funny reel about missing an ex
The shower product that Deb Perelman swears by
The boxy T-shirt that Shannon Maldonado has in multiple colors
What Small, Inexpensive Things Make Your Life Better? Here are our five, including a cool way to cure a headache.
Five Fun Things. Thumbs up for Tim Walz’s dad vibes.
Seven Women on Moving to a Different Country, including Northern Ireland and Portugal.
What Are You Reading Right Now? “It’s fun to watch a character send a text that they really, really shouldn’t.”
A Cozy Family Home in Copenhagen. We chat about house swaps, indoor picnics, and the key to making a space feel cozy.
How I Taught My Kids to Chat at Dinner. Something I realized very quickly after my marriage ended was...
(Opening photo by Sydney Angove / Unsplash. Seattle photo by Luca Micheli / Unsplash. Note: If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission or have a sponsored relationship with the brand, at no cost to you. We recommend only products we genuinely like and use ourselves. Thank you so much.)
Thank you for reading! We love this growing community, and hope you have a great Labor Day weekend. xoxoxoxo
The August Edit (and Seattle Photos!)