With the winter gloom staking its claim over Seattle for the next several months, residents of South Lake Union apartments are forced to move indoors during their free time. Gone are the days of hiking and camping in the great outdoors, but with a little creativity and a few supplies you’ll be anything but bored. Here’s a few ideas for getting your hobby on and making the most of this winter season.
Gaming
For some, gaming is the ultimate indoor activity. Get lost in a multiplayer or role-playing game, and you can spend hours in another world without even thinking about the weather outside. Phoenix Comics and Games in Capitol Hill can be reached from AMLI South Lake Union in just five minutes. The shop carries games of all kinds, and holds weekly game nights for fans of video games, board games, and trading card games like Magic: The Gathering.
Drawing and Painting
Art is another great outlet for escaping dreary weather, and your imagination is all that limits you. Even if you decide to paint the rainy scene outside your apartment window, making art will give you a different perspective on the rainfall. If your paints have dried out or your sketchbook is almost full, stop by Art Primo Seattle, an art supply shop that also hosts a monthly art show in its gallery as part of the Capitol Hill Art Walk.
Map Collecting
A niche hobby that has found a new stronghold among millennials, map collecting is the perfect rainy day hobby. You could lose countless weekend hours organizing your map collection or imagining yourself navigating the geography of a warmer, sunnier place. And as fate would have it, downtown Seattle is home to one of the largest map stores in the United States, Metsker Maps. Whether you’re looking for a current London Underground map or a historical map of L’Afrique, this is the place to find it.
Model Cars
Planes, trains, and automobiles may be capable of literally transporting you out of the cold, but models can help you make a figurative escape whenever you wish. Start a new collection or bolster your current one at The Miniature Car Dealer, a hidden gem found in Pike Place Market specializing in metal die-cast collectibles.
Glassblowing
There’s no better way to keep yourself warm all winter long than by building a fire…to blow glass. Glassblowing has long been a favorite of Seattle artists, so there’s plenty of pros to teach you the technique. Sign up for a group class or a private lesson at Seattle Glassblowing Studio, about a 20-minute walk from the Seattle apartments at AMLI 535. Even closer is Olympic Color Rods located in the heart of South Lake Union and the go-to place for glassblowing supplies like spectrum nuggets and casting (take a class first so you know what those are).
As you wait for Seattle’s glorious summer months to arrive, don’t deprive yourself of the opportunity to make the most of your downtime by taking your indoor hobby game to the next level. Happy hobbying.
Do you have a favorite hobby shop in Seattle? Give its business a boost by recommending it in the comments below!
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View All Posts by Jason Ernst