Photos: Cliff Avril hosts his fourth annual Dining To Make A Difference

Seattle Seahawk Cliff Avril hosted his fourth annual Dinning To Make A Difference event which benefits the Cliff Avril Family Foundation at the Palisades restaurant Monday night.

These are the most popular baby names in Washington

Every year the Social Security Administration releases the top baby names for the year (this is for 2016, FYI). If my spidey-senses are correct, it looks like new parents are throwing it back with older, yet timeless names.Here’s where Washington stacked u

Photos: They're baaack! Seahawks play 49ers for season home opener

Seahawks fans tailgate and brace for a rainy home game opener as the Seattle Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. The score was tied at the half, 6-6.

Photos: Nitro Circus Live transformed Safeco Field for an adrenaline packed evening

Safeco Field was transformed Saturday night by high-adrenaline, stunt performing freestyle athletes during Nitro Circus Live. Athletes flew through the air on dirt bikes, scooters, lounge chairs, BMX bikes and more.

A new exclusive experience to bid on each day? Sign us up!

Want a chance to win some amazing prizes and help fellow Northwesterners?We've teamed up with Northwest Harvest and Washington Bankers Association to give you a chance to bid on some incredible experiences. Here's a quick look at what's up for grabs:Two ti

Photos: All aboard a $6 million yacht, complete with hot tub on deck

The Weekend Report: What's Cookin'

Welcome to the Weekend Report - where we tell you what's up in Seattle this weekend, the things you definitely don't want to miss. Why should we have all the fun at these events? Most of the things we are previewing here, we will be at - so if you see us s

Documenting Love: Delaney & Brent's Story

Welcome to our Documenting Love series where we capture people's love stories through photos and the written word. This may be one of our favorite weekly series! Check out the gallery and read the couples love story below. Keep in mind that we ask the coup

Breathe a sigh of relief, Seattle is the least stressed U.S. city

Ommmm. Gauge your stress levels. How are you feeling at this moment...?According to Zipjet.com, Seattle is the least stressed out city in the U.S., so you should be feeling all of the good vibes and ~very~ zen with minimal stress. Zipjet used a laundry lis

Seattle's most popular female cosplay character turns 25

You’ve seen her multiple times here on Seattle Refined even if you may not know who she was!Harley Quinn dominates among cosplayers at Emerald City Comicon.Geek girls take inspiration from Harley’s different styles to make crazy cosplay chaos at Seattle’s

RUFFined Spotlight: Lincoln the French Briard

5 things you may not know about Taylor from Bachelor in Paradise

Long before she was one half of newest Bachelor in Paradise power couple: Terek? Daylor? Whatever, Taylor + Derek - Taylor Nolan was the Seattle local turned Bachelor villain on Nick Viall's season. The show paired her off against party girl Corinne Olympi

This little-known credit card perk will save your holidays

Kids aren’t the only ones going back to school – it’s time for you to grab a pen and paper and do some math. What’s 30 + 31 + 24?Answer: Your new money saver.We’re now within 90 days of the 2017 Black Friday (Nov. 24) and Cyber Monday (Nov. 27). For many o

Photos: Contemporary Mexican photography displayed at City Hall this week

Let's celebrate the MEX AM Fest!

Shawn Kemp joins Macklemore in new video announcing Seattle tour date

If you're a local Macklemore fan, you probably went through the same thing I did when the Seattle rapper announced his Gemini tour earlier this summer.Eagerly scan the list of cities he's playing.Eagerly scan again.Look again.Shake head.Look again.Because

Bachelor in Paradise: Who will be the last couple standing?

Ok folks... I made it through my first season of Bachelor in Paradise! It was a long hard road but I knew, deep in my heart, that this day would come. I'd like to thank my mom, for always telling me I can accomplish anything I put my mind to, my couch for

Let's help Pepper find a forever home!

Everyone meet, Pepper!Pepper is our next dog featured in our Refined to the Rescue series! Back in December, we partnered with Saving Great Animals, a local non profit that rehabilitates and re-homes dogs in need, to help spread the word about wonderful do

When Stephanie Met Lulu: Baby giraffe meets local winner of her Birth Pool contest

Just under three months old, Lulu the Giraffe is still *technically* a baby (but don't tell her growth spurts)! Seattle's tallest baby was born June 20, 2017 to proud mom Tufani at the Woodland Park Zoo - but it was up in the air for a while as to when exa

Free workouts? You just have to be OK with hugs & strict start times

At 6:20 a.m. on Wednesdays, Gas Works is quiet and peaceful. By 6:29 a.m. the park is packed with people bouncing in a big circle while chanting, shouting, high-5’ing and hugging. There are lots of hugs. This isn’t some strange cult ritual. Instead, this i

These are the top 10 food-inspired dog names in Seattle

Seattleites love their food just as much as they love their pets, so why not combine the two and name your pet after your favorite food? I already know my future fur-child will be named after my favorite British teatime snack, Biscuit, because life is too

Photos: World's largest bouncy castle lands in Tacoma this weekend

Measuring in at 10,000 square feet and 32 feet tall, the world's largest bouncy castle ever created stops at Kelley Farms this weekend in Bonney Lake.

Artist of the Week: Brian Liesse

Seattle might be notorious for niche coffee shops and scenic waterways, but locals know it's also home to an array of people who love to create. This city is chock-full of artists who we love to feature weekly on Seattle Refined! If you have a local artist

A week-long fest dedicated to all things Mexico is coming our way

One of the best parts of summer are all the FESTIVALS we have going on! But just because it's September doesn't mean that has to stop. In fact, it's just getting better!MEX AM Northwest Fest is a week-long celebration thrown by the Consulate of Mexico in S

Classic Northwest Brings The Doobie Brothers & The Eagles to Safeco Field

If you missed ZZ Top and The Doobie Brothers at Chateau Ste. Michelle at the end of August, don’t worry – you have another chance to catch the legendary band’s soulful musical stylings at The Classic Northwest. On the evening of September 30, The Doobie Br

September Book Club Pick: 'George and Lizzie'

Refined Reads is a monthly bookclub and partnership between Seattle Refined and University Book Store. Want to be part of it? Sign up here (don't worry, we won't spam you with emails - just alerts to discussion dates, special events and books of the month)

The Weekend Report: What's Cookin'

Welcome to the Weekend Report - where we tell you what's up in Seattle this weekend, the things you definitely don't want to miss. Why should we have all the fun at these events? Most of the things we are previewing here, we will be at - so if you see us s

Arie Luyendyk Jr. named as new 'Bachelor'

Bachelor nation now has its new leading man.ABC announced Arie Lyendyk Jr., the runner-up from Emily Maynard's season in 2012, as the next bachelor.This just fit perfect. The timing of this really fit for me, he said during an interview Thursday with Micha

Documenting Love: Jen & J.P.'s Story

Welcome to our Documenting Love series where we capture people's love stories through photos and the written word. This may be one of our favorite weekly series! Check out the gallery and read the couples love story below. Keep in mind that we ask the coup

Photos: Mariah Carey debuts Christmas candy line at Bellevue's Sugar Factory

Talking to Rachel Khong, author of 'Goodbye, Vitamin'

Refined Reads is a monthly bookclub and partnership between Seattle Refined and University Book Store. Want to be part of it? Sign up here (don't worry, we won't spam you with emails - just alerts to discussion dates, special events and books of the month)

RUFFined Spotlight: Daisy the Cattle Dog Mix

Photos: Lionel Richie plays the classics for Seattle's packed KeyArena

Lionel Richie plays all his classics for a packed KeyArena after his special guest Mariah Carey performed during his ALL THE HITS tour.

How to fit your bicycle in a 6” wide space

Bob Forgrave biked every day as a teenager. Then, he stopped. He still took fun rides as an adult, but eventually even those fell by the wayside. Life was busy, and he was mostly running for exercise anyway. Bob’s bike settled into the back of his garage,

Bachelor in Paradise: Darn it, Dean!

I want to go on record and say that if we were allowed to swear in headlines, that would NOT be a darn it. But, you know - company policy or whatever. Regardless, I come away from this week's BIP episodes feeling like Dean fully deserves all the curse word

Photos: Safeco Field goes to the dogs at 'Bark at the Park'

Photos: 2017 Penny Arcade Expo saves the BEST for last

Seattle's Penny Arcade Expo (PAX West) brings tens of thousands of people to the Washington State Convention Center every year!

Photos: Odesza closed out Bumbershoot and it was FIRE!!!

The third and final night of the 2017 Bumbershoot music festival came to a close with an amazing performance by Odesza which included special appearances by Wynne, Naomi Wild, and Leon Bridges.

Photos: Fun in the sun at PAX Day 3 (incredible style included)

Photos: Day two of Bumbershoot came to a close with wild performances

Day two of Bumbershoot came to a close with headline performances by Lorde, Weezer, Dillon Francis, and The Roots.

Photos: Day 2 of PAX brings crazy costumes to downtown Seattle

It just keeps getting better!

Photos: Thousands of fans go crazy on first day of Bumbershoot

Bumbershoot is back for another year in Seattle as thousands of people flocked to the Seattle Center to see big headliners such as Flume, Big Sean, Flo Rida and Foster the People.

Photos: It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Day 1 of Seattle's Penny Arcade Expo

So much good stuff!

Mariah Carey to debut new candy line at Sugar Factory in Bellevue

If you haven't heard by now, Mariah Carey is coming to the KeyArena to preform with Lionel Richie on Tuesday, September 5 (tickets are still on sale, BTW), but it just gets sweeter...pun intended.Mariah, the queen of pop and unheard of high notes, is stick

10 Perfect Places to Picnic in Seattle

Summer days are beginning to fade away. You can feel the crispness in the air in the early morning but summer heat is gladly welcomed by early afternoon. This is perfect picnic weather! When the evenings have a gentle breeze but rain is still a distant mem

Photos: Professional dancers float amongst sculptures in breathtaking performance

Dancers took over the Olympic Sculpture Park Thursday evening for a second year in a row as the Pacific Northwest Ballet returned with new site-specific dance works presented during the free Summer at SAM series.

The Weekend Report: What's Cookin'

Welcome to the Weekend Report - where we tell you what's up in Seattle this weekend, the things you definitely don't want to miss. Why should we have all the fun at these events? Most of the things we are previewing here, we will be at - so if you see us s

Photos: CRIKEY MATE! There's a Kangaroo Farm in Arlington, WA

In addition to kangaroos, the farm houses everything from alpacas and flying squirrels to peacocks and wallaroos.

Photos: Shelter animals from Texas touch down in Seattle

Meet Duran Duran's #1 Fan

Andrew Durandy Golub may be Duran Duran's biggest fan. He says he's dedicated the last 30 years of his life to collecting everything with Duran Duran's name on it. “This is my homage to the band and the impact they’ve had upon my life and those around the

Why locals are taking their pets to this Gig Harbor prison

Behind the razor wire and tall fences of the Washington State Correction Center for Women in Gig Harbor, 740 women are serving time. But, a lucky few have found an escape from the despair of prison life by making a difference.It's like a world outside of t

Looking for the right place to donate to Hurricane Harvey relief?

Hurricane Harvey turned Texan’s lives upside down in Houston, Beaumont, Corpus Christi and all along the Gulf Coast. We’ve all seen the coverage, heard from friends and family affected, and probably felt a little helpless. It can be incredibly overwhelming

RUFFined Spotlight: LuLu the Pomsky

Documenting Love: Maria & Ryan's Story

Welcome to our Documenting Love series where we capture people's love stories through photos and the written word. This may be one of our favorite weekly series! Check out the gallery and read the couples love story below. Keep in mind that we ask the coup

Photos: Lucky fans have dinner on the 50-yard line of CenturyLink Field

American Express hosted their second annual "Dinner on the 50" at CenturyLink Field on August 29, 2017.

Bachelor in Paradise: Scallop fingers joins the paradise party

It's week 3 of Bachelor in Paradise: Season 4 and as I sat through not only two, but four hours of the show this week, I came to the conclusion that this has to be one of the worst shows on tv right now. But I continue to watch...WHY? I do not know. Here i

Photos: Take a Goat Yoga class in Snohomish (all the kids are doing it)

Get it???

Finding a Place in the Car for Your Phone Could Save Your Life

Even when we’re driving, many of us are overcome by the temptation to reach for our phone when we hear that ring, chirp or beep of a text or social media notification. We know it’s wrong, dangerous and now illegal, but the grip our phones have on us makes

Photos: Russell Wilson raises Space Needle flag for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson raised the "Strong Against Cancer" flag on top of the Space Needle.

Photos: Hundreds Stand Up For A Cure at Lake Sammamish State Park

Photos: Fans celebrate 2nd home game in a row as Hawks take on Chiefs

Local owner bids $10k to land her senior dogs on magazine cover

Missy and Max are ready for their close-up!These dogs are going to be featured on the cover of the latest edition of CityDog Magazine, Seattle's only entirely dog-focused publication. It's a pretty big deal - but owner Daryl Russinovich thinks they're read

Photos: King Street Station transformed into street food market for one night only

The Summerfeast event gathered people from around the Seattle community who want to see King Street Station, a vacant historic landmark, transformed into an international street food market that housed micro-restaurant startups.

Artist of the Week: Brandon Whittaker Designs

Seattle might be notorious for niche coffee shops and scenic waterways, but locals know it's also home to an array of people who love to create. This city is chock-full of artists who we love to feature weekly on Seattle Refined! If you have a local artist

The Weekend Report: What's Cookin'

Welcome to the Weekend Report - where we tell you what's up in Seattle this weekend, the things you definitely don't want to miss. Why should we have all the fun at these events? Most of the things we are previewing here, we will be at - so if you see us s

The 5 Best Hotel Pools in Seattle

Sometimes the best part of traveling is checking out the fabulous hotel pools. Luckily for Seattleites, we have some of the most luxurious pools in our backyard so no need to travel far to enjoy these pools. Some pools even let non-guests enjoy their prope

How to make your fitness mission one you’ll see through

“The only thing that matters in achieving fitness results,” Derek Decater advises, “is adherence.”And he should know. After spending his youth playing baseball and eventually becoming and elite college player, Derek worked in physical therapy and studied e

LimeBike vs Spin Bike: Which one is better?

The lime and orange bikes seem to be scattered everywhere around town. I started seeing them early one morning a few weeks on the way to the gym and wondered what was going on with the bike invasion. Greenlake and Golden Gardens were quickly overtaken with

RUFFined Spotlight: Harper the Poodle

Movers & Shakers: Elisheba Johnson wants everyone to have access to art

Welcome to Movers & Shakers; a monthly column where we look deep into PNW life for people who are making moves, doing big things, and who are just - in general - being rad. Seattle is full of multi-talented and multi-faceted people, many at the intersectio

Did you know that your 4x4 can be your basecamp?

From the islands scattered along the coast to the mountain ranges to the east, our city is surrounded by opportunities for outdoor adventure. Seattleites take different approaches to exploring this abundance – some take up camping by tent, others go for lo

Bachelor in Paradise: Three's a crowd

It's only week 2 of Bachelor in Paradise: Season 4 and everything I thought I knew is already crumbling! Dean's not America's sweetheart? D Lo's laugh is not an immediate NO for everyone in #BachelorNation? Alexis  isn't the best part of this show?? Oh wai

Photos: Robinson Cano leads baseball clinic for local Boys and Girls Club

Seattle gained 22 new million dollar neighborhoods since 2014

As if you need anymore proof that Seattle's real estate market is through the roof... since 2014, Seattle has gained 22 new $1 million dollar zip codes. Of these 22 zip codes, nine of them became $1 million zip codes over the past year. Heavens to BETSY, p

Photos: This helicopter tour of Seattle has us on Cloud 9

We're so pretty. Gee whiz.

Photos: Sidewalk chalk murals in Redmond will have you saying O-M-G

Standup for the Cure: Know Before You Go

Get outside and end your summer on a positive and inspired note – Standup for the Cure is coming to Sunset Beach at Lake Sammamish, where you can have fun and help save lives!There are so many local women who don’t have access to resources that help them d

Photos: Seattle lights up for 26th annual Hempfest

Tens of thousands of people will come out to the Seattle waterfront for the 26th Annual Hempfest this weekend. Hempfest is the largest ‘protestival’ in the country, with hundreds of speakers, bands and vendors.

Washington is the 4th Best State to Grow Old In

As my Mom always says, If you ain’t growin’ older you’re dead, so.Thanks Momma. According to a study done by Caring.com, Washington is the 4th best state to grow old in! The organization examined a variety of financial, healthcare, and quality of life cate

Photos: Fans get LOUD at first Seahawks home game of the season

Adaptogens are hot right now - but what the heck are they?

Adaptogens are hot right now among healthy living bloggers and Instagrammers. Everyone seems to be adding some hot new herb or natural medicine to their daily matcha lattes and smoothie drinks. These herbs might sound trendy but they’ve been around for cen

The Weekend Report: What's Cookin'

Welcome to the Weekend Report - where we tell you what's up in Seattle this weekend, the things you definitely don't want to miss. Why should we have all the fun at these events? Most of the things we are previewing here, we will be at - so if you see us s

Hundreds flood Portland for American Idol auditions

Downtown Portland was packed to the BRIM on Thursday, August 17 as hundreds of hopefuls came from all over the area to audition for the reboot of the extremely popular American Idol television show. The show is set to air in January, and begin filming in l

Documenting Love: Eli & Ann's Nordstrom Wedding

Original cast to reunite in real-life Halloweentown to honor Debbie Reynolds

Did you love the Halloweentown movies growing up?! Us too!Which is why we were so excited to learn that the city where the first movie was shot, is only a couple hours outside of Seattle, in a little city called St. Helens, Oregon. The town honors the movi

Want to dine on the 50-yard line of CenturyLink Field?

Tickets are sold out! We'll be there and streaming live on Facebook, so bookmark our page and tune in on August 29th! We are so incredibly lucky to be able to experience some of the coolest things around the Pacific Northwest, all in the name of work - and

Portrait Sessions: Seattle's wildest tattoos are gorgeously intricate

RUFFined Spotlight: Gertrude McFuzz the German Wirehaired Pointer

Toddler hearing 'Moana' song for the first time is the best thing you'll see all day

Milana Pich may only be 20 months old, but she knows great music when she hears it.Case in point: when the hit song from Disney's Moana blockbuster came on in the car - she simply couldn't contain her emotions. MilanaMoanaVid It just came

Photos: Rescue pets make the move to brand new $28m Seattle Humane Society

It's taken seven years of planning, and two of construction - but the animals of the Seattle Humane Society were finally able to move into their brand new facility on Wednesday, August 15 2017.

When Harry [Connick Jr.] Met Seattle

It was absolutely NOT a normal day at the office!Harry Connick Jr., musician, actor and TV host extraordinaire spent the day visiting Seattle recently - and we kept him busy! He spent time at KOMO Plaza, toured Pike Place Market (and even tossed a fish) wi

Bachelor in Paradise: Time to Get Weird

For once in his life, when Chris Harrison says this season of Bachelor in Paradise is going to be the most dramatic yet - he actually might be telling the truth.As the inappropriate stepchild to the enormously successful larger franchise, Bachelor in Parad

This Seattle private school is the 6th best in America

Before I begin, I apologize if I fudge any information/terminology about private schools as I am a gal who grew up in the public school system and am not well versed in this area of schooling.*shrugs*Out of the 3,487 ranked private schools in America, Lake

You can now shop Bachelorette Rachel's closet

We know, we know, it's time to move on from our favorite Dallas sweetheart and start talking about the raunchiness that is Bachelor In Paradise (and don't worry, we will tomorrow!) but we aren't quite ready to let Ms. Rachel go! Especially once we learned

A Beginner's Guide to Camping: 10 things you gotta pack

A long weekend with highs in the upper 80s? Check. A crew assembled and playlist queued up for the drive out? Check. A full tank of gas? Check. A fully crossed-off checklist for the trip? Triple check on that thanks to this guide. It's that time of year an

FOMO is actually a real condition. Here's how to deal

It's Friday night at 10 p.m...Wait, let's start over - this time being honest.  It's Friday night at 6 p.m. and you're laying on the couch snuggled up in your favorite blanket, wine in one hand and the remote in the other, ready to pull an all-nighter Netf

Photos: Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors Sam Remix Party

Another SAM Remix party takes over the Olympic Sculpture Park with a Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors exhibit theme.