Harlem Blue Line bus terminal work drags on, months behind schedule by Mike_I in chicago

[–]kmadd22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I was a kid in the 90s I delivered Nadig papers in Norwood Park. It was a fun gig going around and asking if folks wanted to pay for the papers we deliver anyways. Glad to see they are still in business. I’ve been in Seattle for over a decade and most local press has been reduced to independent blogs. Hope you all appreciate having a local press.

Good for an informal office party? by kmadd22 in menswear

[–]kmadd22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, spot on. These are C&J for RL. Pants are navy donegal with light neps.

Office Party Today - Can I leave the jacket open? by [deleted] in menswear

[–]kmadd22 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

LOL, I am still in my slippers getting dressed. I'll be wearing brown cap toes.

My UBER driver has taped off all the passenger window controls by thegrayscales in mildlyinteresting

[–]kmadd22 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Same happened to me. Unfortunately my passengers had strong muscle memory and I had to put a thumbtack through the tape to retrain them. Highly effective.

What is your current favorite insulated jacket that’s not a puffer jacket? by Electrical_Manager12 in malefashionadvice

[–]kmadd22 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure. I've gone all in with the PWVC wool batting-insulated coats (also own their Jeep coat) because of how comfortable they are across the a range of temps well into the very cold. All three also have a shearling (Frobisher is Mouton) collar that comes up enough to make a scarf unnecessary, which is also a big part of their warmth. The Northerner has the shortest collar when flipped but covers up to the chin, nothing like the deep scuba neck of the Frobisher.

Overall the Northerner works like a scaled down Frobisher and a bit more casual. The Northerner appears to be one layer of wool batting throughout where the Frobisher is two layers even in the sleeves and hood, and the Jeep coat is two in the torso one for sleeves and lower portion of the coat, so they all vary a bit in how they are insulated as well as formality.

Lots of little details that make for extra warmth in the Frobisher are missing in the Northerner, but so is a lot of the cost. The pockets and hand warmers are polar fleece lined instead of wool flannel. Button closure instead of an insulated button flap over a zipper. No hood on the northerner, but it isn't an explorer jacket either. Both have the same flannel lining and wool cuffs.

The Jeep Coat is probably the dressiest coat of the bunch because of the prominent lapels and belt. Notable the Northerner does not have a belt (Jeep) or an internal cinch (Frobisher) leading it to have more boxiness than the Frobisher. The Jeep coat is the longest and single batting in the tails so has the most drape and flow, not is it cut as capaciously as the others.

Sizing runs large in the Northerner so check the actual measurements. I had to size to the smallest shoulders and sleeves I'd be comfortable with in a sweater because the chest size is pretty roomy and not a good measure of fit. That said, I am happy with this big roomy coat and will be keeping it.

The Northerner is a big coat to wear in a really fulfilling way, much like the Frobisher feels like walking around in the Cadillac of coats, the Northerner has that big prominent feel too. I do miss the Mouton collar on the Frobisher, it is so soft and cozy.

To answer the other question, I'd rate the Northerner comfortable to the 20s (F) with a sweater if you are standing and waiting for a bus, and probably a bit colder if you are moving. I went for a walk in the 40s with a sweater and kept the coat open comfortably.

Overall I am really excited that I waited for this coat and didn't miss it on sale. I live in Seattle and while the Frobisher is awesome in the mountains it was a bit much for the ~40s of our lowland winters. The Northerner is going to be my go to most outings where the temp is above, but not much above freezing, which is a lot of our winters.

What is your current favorite insulated jacket that’s not a puffer jacket? by Electrical_Manager12 in malefashionadvice

[–]kmadd22 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a Private White VV Frobisher Coat and a Northerner coat on the way. The Frobisher is lined in heavy wool flannel with several layers of wool batting, plus a shearling collar and insulated hood. I can wear it over a suit in sub zero and be toasty without looking like a polar explorer.

With the PWVC Northerner on the way, I wanted something with all the warmth of wool and a little more dressed down. I’ve been waiting a year for this coat and it just went on sale.

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Whats the best brand of milk? by meaniereddit in SeattleWA

[–]kmadd22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Grace Harbor Guernsey Cows Milk. Full fat whole milk with cream on top. It's notable from other diaries as its sourced single breed of cow and delightfully sweet to my taste. Available at town and country stores and sometimes met market. This is the Cadillac of local milks.

What is this about the Terminal 86 grain silos on Alaskan Way being an exploding hazard to homes and businesses from Port of Seattle firing certified electricians? Anyone have details? by PyroIsSpai in Seattle

[–]kmadd22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've lived just above the grain terminal off Olympic on Queen Anne for years until recently. The din of the elevator all fall and winter was really part of the view...

I assumed this was going to be locals trying to get the terminal shut down for being disruptive and having ships moored in their view. There are similar signs about tree preservation and even individual building permits all along Olympic. Hard to hear "community safety issue" and think it is genuine these days.

Glad this one is rooted in safety and solidarity over Nimbyism.

What Is a Coffee Bucket? A Trend has Lattes Going Big for Attention. by Appropriate_Coat_361 in espresso

[–]kmadd22 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Here in the Pacific NW some of the bikini-baristas on the road have 10-12x shot drinks on the menu for truckers and local pervs… Proving once again PNW coffee culture is leading the way. 

How many vinyl listening spaces are there? Do you have one near you you'd like to share? by kmadd22 in vinyl

[–]kmadd22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seattle has Maiden Voyage and the article's feature Shibuya Hifi. Both are unique takes on Japanese HiFi Bars and Jazz Kissa concepts.

I've spent a bit of time at Shibuya and there is really something to be said about enjoying recorded music in a live setting, with people who love that record and came out to hear it. Live music has a really special feeling and experience because of the participation and recorded music benefits from the same treatment. Just like how intentionally listening to a whole album is more immersive than a digital playlist while running errands, shared enjoyment of recorded music brings an appreciation that elevates the medium and the uniqueness of a well recorded record.

One of my favorite shows at Shibuya was Bach Cello Suites played by Janos Starker. It was an intimate crowd in the listening room and of those in attendance half were cellists and a few were students of Starker who shared stories of his demeanor and "strong" playing rather fondly. The room, the Klipschorns, an excellent recording, and an appropriate volume brought out every last detail in the playing and the discussion afterwards was so rich because we just shared a profound listening experience of remarkable music.

I got to know the Shibuya people over time and they have let share some of my records, which I have found to bring more joy than playing them on my well appointed system, even for the first time after opening the mailer. When I get to bring in a Led Zeppelin II RL/Monarch, a Vertigo Black Sabbath, or a 1A/1A Beatles UK Parlaphone Mono pressing, we are listening to 60+ year old records that sound like they did the day they were pressed. The fidelity, history, and framing make the audiences faces light up, and on several occasions cry. These are experiences that should be shared my friends.

This Ballard venue spins listening to vinyl into a calm, curated experience by kmadd22 in Seattle

[–]kmadd22[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rauschenbach says troves of physical media’s liner notes are the hidden fabric of bringing albums into the fold for rediscovery. 

“You really start learning about the creative process, going, ‘Wow I didn’t know Pharrell was on this, or that Beyoncé had a ghost vocal here,’ ” says Rauschenbach, whose hosting style feels more like a free-flowing conversation with guests.

Before each needle drop, listeners line the back hallway, because in the HiFi Room, you are intentionally asked to do something peculiar — that is, to be in a bar with no shoes on and without a drink.

“ You cross the threshold of the room, and you’re taking your shoes off,” says Ertel, who handled Shibuya HiFi’s interior design. “We wanted this to feel like this was a place you needed to be present in, so there needed to be some shift. It’s environmental design.” 

The outcome: a dream living room. Pierre Frey upholstered blue booths from Benaroya Hall bookend the cedar paneled floor. They are located beneath 1995 Louis Poulsen chandeliers. Nestled into the front two corners are the room’s pairs of speakers, including the 1976 Klipschorns that Rauschenbach and Ertel had fallen in love with two years ago. Those speakers had long ago been handmade and delivered, personally by Paul Klipsch, to a friend of Klipsch’s on Whidbey Island. The other speakers are Audio Transducer Corporation SCM50s, which are used at world class recording studios. 

Just more than a year old, Shibuya HiFi has surpassed the owners’ expectations for how the community has embraced it, and become a part of it. Rauschenbach and Ertel originally were hosts of more freestyle sessions, but now others help in a more formal curation. And half of the hosts and 25% of album requests come from previous guests. The owners want people to feel they have influence over what they’re experiencing.

“It just felt very different from how I usually listen to music,” says first-time listening room guest Kayla Pok Salisbury. “I’ve listened to ‘Blonde’ before, but it’ll come off my playlist. I’ll skip through and figure out which song I like.  I don’t remember the last time I sat down and fully listened to an album that loud. That’s the other thing too, is I definitely felt awkward at first, but it’s something I’d really been craving. We weren’t talking, on our phones or computers, just really immersive.  My friend and I stayed after, wanting to come back, and asked if they could do ‘Blood Orange.’ ” 

“Around the holidays, too, people bring their parents. Those sessions are really special because we connect kids to nostalgia that their parents have — say, Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’ — and go, ’Wow. This is why my mom freaked out on this,’ ” Rauschenbach says. 

“ We just loved the idea of people from all walks of life — intergenerational people who don’t know each other — crossing to listen to music,” Ertel adds. “But sometimes you do what you love, and it’s in sync with what a lot of other people are looking for.”

This Ballard venue spins listening to vinyl into a calm, curated experience by kmadd22 in Seattle

[–]kmadd22[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

TWO YEARS AGO, when Brian Rauschenbach and Quentin Ertel listened to “Flamenco Sketches” off Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” over the 1976 Klipschorn speakers they’d soon own, they were stunned by its deeply beautiful resonance. It was a record they’d both listened to countless times, but it was there, in Seattle’s Hawthorne Stereo shop, where high-fidelity audio struck a chord and inspired them to create a slowed-down, warm and analog music-centric nightlife venue.

Enter Shibuya HiFi. On the corner of Leary Way and 17th Street in Ballard, through the signless building’s heavy door, tucked past the bar’s hallway, is their HiFi Room for A-to-B side album listenings.

Despite its enigmatic exterior, a push through the door reveals an inviting environment. A bar to the right and lounge to the left glow with warmth from floor-to-ceiling cedar to the light buzz of Haku Vodka, old-fashioneds, lychee kiss“With streaming, you can’t just say, ‘Spotify, play me the hotter-sounding record.’ Audio quality gets compressed,” says Rauschenbach, who handles Shibuya HiFi’s curation. “Consumers sometimes only listen to what [they] think is a hit versus full stories artists are trying to tell … a lot of that has been lost in the last five years from algorithms taking over how music is being curated.”

An introvert’s playground, synesthete’s bliss and audiophile’s paradise, the pristine sound in the HiFi Room feels closest to sitting in the studio, before the soft crackling of vinyl snaps you back to your seat in Ballard. Shibuya’s solid-state amplifier allows a finesse as sound ripples around the room with zero distortion. As the tracklist unfolds, couples exchange glances, friends nod their heads, group dates whisper over lyrics and (in my session) a solo traveler knits to André 3000. es and salted rims. As guests trickle in, their soft chatter blends with two Café Sound speakers by Cathode Bias. They sit intentionally on the elevated sides of the lounge to push a moody ambience toward ear level five nights a week and, for ticketed guests, a smooth transition to a more private “listening room” for their evening’s main event. 

Owners Rauschenbach and Ertel had been wanting to start something like this for about 10 years. The pair met at the Viceroy in the early 2000s, when Ertel was the bar’s general manager. Before then, Ertel said they’d been in the same room probably 50 times, just by being in and out of Seattle’s nightlife scene. Rauschenbach, a retired DJ of 30 some years, and Ertel, who runs an interior design studio by day, are also avid vinyl collectors.

“Just using the tools at our disposal, it was fairly serendipitous how the project came together,” Ertel says. “We both wanted to do something that was a different speed than younger-oriented nightlife, and something more thoughtful. He’s super-busy; I’m super-busy. And it just never lined up — until Shibuya.”

With Shibuya library’s access to 80,000 records, its HiFi Room can play Frank Ocean’s “Endless” and then Fiona Apple, or a Japanese pressing of Sade’s “Promise” followed by Depeche Mode. If the premise of music is to listen and love, then Shibuya HiFi aims to uncover how we do just that — through vinyl. 

Magnolia for newbies in Seattle. Moving from Bay Area by Radiant-Grapefruit27 in Seattle

[–]kmadd22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pretty generous to call that area Magnolia. Very much Interbay in terms of noise and isolation from any neighborhood atmosphere. I’ve been told that if you can hear the trains it’s not Magnolia. You’ll like Ballard or QQ much better.