Dick's Drive-In: The Scoop on Summer

Sunshine's by the day round here, so when it hits, you gotta get out and enjoy. And this is my new favorite way to cool off: ice cream treats at Dick's. Shakes, floats, sundaes, cones...nothing's over two bucks...very shoestring. Plus, I like their old-timey vibe, the fact that they're local, and that they pay 100% of their employees health insurance. Sweet. For more info including locations...

Jesus Take The Wheel: Chapel Happy Hour

Okay, the Robleto exhibit is kinda morbid, so why not continue the macabre theme and hit the former mortuary-chapel, The Chapel Bar, for happy hour afterwards? It runs 5 -8 p.m. You can walk there (questionable whether you can walk out). And the bartender Joe is about as nice as they come. I like sitting at the bar...just be prepared to climb. All martinis are $5 and I can't think of a bigger selection in town: Rosemary's Baby, Roman Holiday, Edie Sedgwick...the list keeps going. And did I mention these cute little icy cold infused treats with clever names and ingredients will seriously knock you on your butt? Be warned...and ready to make a Dick's run. The Chapel Bar, 1600 Melrose Avenue, Seattle. 206.447.4180.

Dario Robleto: Alloy of Love at the Frye

Things are not as they appear...shredded Civil War love letters, human bones, vinyl records, cassette tapes, etc. have all been repurposed to create thought-provoking new pieces. Pretty interesting idea and one that I haven't seen before, but in the end it reminded me of poetry...kinda hard to get the deeper meaning without a cheat sheet. Having said that, it's free and well worth the visit. Now through September 1. The adjacent exhibit, Heaven is Being a Memory to Others, was also assembled/created by Robieto...a little scant but some eerily cool moonlight paintings in the center chamber. Now through August 10. Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Avenue, Seattle. 206.622.9250 x219.

The Ladies of Derby

Always a sold-out event, now's the time to get tickets to the upcoming Rat City Rollergirls bout on Saturday, May 17. I've never been, but it sounds like fun. Live music and cash-only beer garden. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park, 6310 NE 74th Street, Seattle. Get tickets.

Roxy's Deli...Bingo!

Killin' time after the Fremont Market and looking for cheap eats, we fell into this quirky deli-diner. Okay, bar our waitress, we loved Roxy's. It's nothing fancy but has good NYC-style grub and drinks all reasonably priced...even when it's not happy hour. The Reuben sandwich was yum and came with a pile of thick chips and a tangy dill spear ($1.50 to split orders). And there were plenty of drink deals to be had—$3 wells, $2 mini champagne cocktails and Bloody Marys, $1.75 domestic bottled beer, $9 micro-brew pitchers, etc. etc. We want to go back for happy hour to try the Deep-Fried Pickles. Also, they have bingo every Wednesday at 7:30...this week grab your cape and blotter because the theme is Super Heroes. 462 North 36th Street, Seattle. 206.632.3963. 

Don't Miss It: R. Crumb at Frye thru 4/27

Enter with an open mind and a sense of humor...the artwork is awesome. Hit nearby Hideout for a fresh-squeezed greyhound or Tango for a happy-hour mojito afterwards to untweak. Free; closed Mondays. R. Crumb Underground exhibit at Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Avenue, Seattle. 206.622.9450. 

Green Idea

The latest Newsweek magazine's cover converts into a prepaid envelope for sending Target plastic bags to Terracycle where they are turned into reusable reTotes. In turn, participants receive a coupon for a free reTote. More...

Cheap Sips

This city's swimmin' in pink slips, so here are a few tips for saving shekels and having fun while you ride out the recession. Cheap(er) Drinks: Tips for Enjoying Drinking Without Going Broke by Paul Clarke.

Holy Tequila: new eats & drinks on the hill

The Saint grabs your attention from the get-go: bright turquoise exterior opens up to white and airy insides, framed matadors on the walls, Mexican fare that's all-natural and handmade...a plethora of tequilas. The perfect place for our first 70-degree day, we wandered in for a nosh and a drink, and lucky us, it was happy hour and half off food. We went for the small plates—spicy prawns, pork empanadas, citrus salad, chips with three salsas. Pretty tasty. Just be careful when you're ordering margaritas...the house marg set me back nine bucks—definitely not shoestring (although deliciously turbo). The Saint, 1416 East Olive Way, Seattle. 206.323.9922.

Every Dog Has His Day

I'm always looking for a great happy hour, but the other day I was looking for a great happy hour that my pooch pal Gomez could enjoy too (he's the fuzzy one drinking Guiness). Anyway, the friends and I landed at Sully's Snowgoose Saloon. Loved the laid-back and friendly neighborhood feel and the fact that everyone—including a smitten doberman—loved little Gomez. Sully's is a cozy Irish tavern with fireplace, patio, jukebox and happy hour till 7 p.m. Drafts were $3/pint and they had a good-n-greasy pub menu with corn dogs, salmon burgers, etc. for really cheap. Even my Irish friend who hates Irish bars approved of this one...and that's saying something. Sully's Snowgoose Saloon, 6119 Phinney Avenue North, Seattle. 206.782.9231. (thanks to Ciaran M. for the pic of G-dog)

Fun with Brooms

I don't totally get curling, but it's kind of fun to watch...provided there's enough alcohol. Luckily the Granite Curling Club has plenty of that. During the recent April Spiel we sat in the tiny overlook bar to watch the 'action'. The friendly bartender was serving up cheap cocktails and beers, including $8 pitchers of stout. That kept me interested. That and the fact that the GCC has a homey Elk's Club vibe—the real deal that's getting harder and harder to find. Granite Curling Club, 1440 North 128th Street (just off Aurora), Seattle. 206.362.2446. Be sure to call ahead to check hours/days of operation; it varies.

Mmmm...Tastes Like Heart Attack

I like bacon. I like chicken-fried stuff. I like gravy. But the notorious chicken-fried bacon and gravy at Twilight Exit was bleck...I still have the rank taste in my mouth. The bacon was raw under the crispy coating...if it'd been fried first it might have been good? I dunno. But for about five bucks it was worth the novelty. And even though I've heard the Twilight was better before it moved across the street to where it is now, we thought the bar was pleasantly divey. Happy hour till 8 p.m. Jukebox. Video games. Pinball. Patio. Gigantic wooden spoon and fork sets on the wall. Twilight Exit, 2051 East Madison Street, Seattle. 206.324.7462.

Q: Where can you sip from a paper bag, eat wings, pet pooches and win money all at the same time? A: Norm's Trivia Night

Last Thursday we wandered into Norm's for happy hour and stayed for the 8 p.m. trivia match...which was a blast even though we sucked a little (is Dancing in the Dark really Bruce's biggest hit?). For $5/group you can play four rounds of ten questions each, with topics changing weekly. It's pretty rambunctious. And there are cash prizes for winners—and the biggest loser. We liked the happy hour menu (4-7 p.m.) with $5 apps...especially the hot wings and 40-oz. PBRs that come wrapped in paper bags. Draft beer was $3/pint. And did I mention dogs? The place is full of 'em, which was one more layer of entertainment. Norm's Eatery and Alehouse (Fremont), 460 North 36th Street, Seattle. 206.547.1417.

Spring in Slo-Mo

For some it's cherry blossoms. For others fahrenheit. But for me, the only real way to tell if it's spring in Seattle, is if the Greenlake turtles have left the mud and are back to sunning themselves on their favorite log. Looks like it's official. 

I Heart X

Uh...this isn't exactly related to shoestrings or Seattle...but I love this band. With two shows at the Showbox, we caught the one Monday night...soooo great! Packed house and somehow we got to the front of the pit, guitar-touchin' distance from Billy Zoom, X's legendary axe man. The original lineup sounded tight and looked spruce—Billy, John Doe, Exene and DJ Bonebrake. And they were so friendly with the fans after the show...you gotta love that. Highlights: Exene changing aprons mid show, John making fun of Duran Duran for forgetting the lyrics to Hungry Like a Wolf, and Billy pointing his guitar at me and saying "lick it!" 13 X 31 Anniversary Tour 2008. (Thanks to Sandra K. for the pics of Exene and John)

El Chupacabra: day of the dead with a side of rockabilly

Big salt-rimmed tumblers of margaritas, sloppy chicken verde tacos, killer juke box...this is our Seattle happy place. Chupi's got a bueno happy hour with people of all walks coming in for a little friendly decompression. If it's sunny, there's a deck. If it's rainy, there's a pool table. Serving straight-forward San Francisco Mission-style favorites—Gomez says be sure to get your burrito wet. El Chupacabra, 6711 Greenwood Ave. North, Seattle. 206.706.4889.

Fresh Pick: Volunteer Park Conservatory

Rain gotcha down? Me too. That's why I headed off to the Volunteer Park Conservatory—a little happy patch of jungle-slash-desert at the northern end of Volunteer Park on Capital Hill. It's open almost every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.—and it's free. Stroll through all five houses: Bromeliad, Palm, Fern, Seasonal and Cactus. Some crazy flowers are in bloom right now, including plenty of prickly things in the Cactus House and a few carnivorous plants in the Fern section. The conservatory was completed in 1912 as part of 45-acre Volunteer Park designed by famous landscape architects, the Olmsted brothers. Volunteer Park Conservatory, 1400 E. Galer Street, Seattle. 206.684.4743.

Hard Liver #6: Brouwer's Barleywine Fest

I'm a simple person and partial to anything that includes lots of little glasses filled with alcohol for me to drink. And while tastings can be a little too too for my taste, the Hard Liver scene at Brouwer's Belgian pub was anything but uppity. Hard rock. Fleece and tattoos. Stick-to-your-ribs Flemish fare. And lots of tiny snifters filled with amber drafts. Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws. Lompoc Old Tavern Rat. Skagit Shiver Me Liver. We tried them all, my friends. Ten at a time, lined up to match the names on the accompanying receipt. We stuck to the 3-ounce tasters for $2 a pop, although you could get 6-ounce glasses for $4 or 12 ounces for $6. Our small group, led by barleywine enthusiast Jordan, checked off the varieties as we ordered and studied each glass in turn. Well, we started out that way. Those teeny tiny glasses sneak up on you. Bottom line: this stuff is the rocket fuel of beers and meant for sipping, not glug-gluggin. With an alcohol content of 8-12%, many of the brews are as strong as wine, hence the confusing name. I hadn't had barleywine before, but you know what? It was goood. And definitely a fun time. In terms of the shoestring factor, you can plan to spend at least $15 per person depending on the number of people and snifters; no cover charge. Brought to you by the beer-savvy lads of Bottleworks, Hardliver runs all week. Brauwer's, 400 N. 35th St. (corner of Phinney in Fremont), 206.267.bier. 

Grey Gallery & Lounge: caffeine, cocktails & art

Yesterday was a grey day. Walking down Pike street in the drizzle. Too early for Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Too late for the cheapy matinee show. Totally not the day to look for work. And then we saw the sandwich board: Grey Gallery and Lounge. Something new to try—perfect. We were greeted by a friendly hello when we walked in. Zero pretense. The micro bar in back was serving up cocktails and espresso. We went for the latter. Two double-shot mocha demis that were beautiful to look at and creamy-delish going down. And plenty of places to get comfortable, including the loft. We sat. We chatted. We read our horoscopes in The Stranger. And then we took a look at the current show, Tough Love: Colin Burns and Travis Lindquist of the Goldmine Shithouse. Loved the work and dug the way it was presented. Overall affordable art with some pieces under $100. A couple hours of pure art-viewin' espresso-drinkin' nirvana for six and change plus tip (two people). Seattle should be full of places like this, right? Go tell Paul Allen that. Grey Gallery and Lounge, 1512 11th Avenue, 206.325.5204. 

Greenlake Bar & Grill Happy Hour

This is just your average little neighborhood joint on the corner, but it's got a great mix of people and one of the happiest happy hours in town. Seven days a week during afternoon and late night shifts, you can enjoy tasty bar food and drink specials. Cheeseburgers, coconut prawns, barbecue chicken quesadillas, fried mozzarella sticks, caesar salads and lots more are part of menu with prices set at $2.75, $3.75 and $4.75. And no skimpy portions. There are also beer and wine specials—the house red is yum for $3.95/generous glass. Beer deals include $3.95 drafts and $2.50 PBR. Dinner and drinks and you can get out of there for under $15/person including tax and tip. Not too shabby. Make a night of it and walk around the lake when you're done. Or two-step around the corner to The Little Red Hen and get your hee-haw on. Greenlake Bar and Grill, 7200 East Greenlake Drive North, 206.729.6179.