This week, we're revisiting the Seattle Asian Art Museum, honoring saints at Saint Bread, and celebrating the Marshall Law Band and Tres Leches in-person. Check out all our top recommendations for this week below..
This week, we're revisiting the Seattle Asian Art Museum, honoring saints at Saint Bread, and celebrating the Marshall Law Band and Tres Leches in-person. Check out all our top recommendations for this week below. Photos courtesy of The Stranger (Anthony Keo), Saint Bread, and Marshall Law Band (James Gerde)

ALL WEEK: LOW TIDES AT LOCAL BEACHES


A low tide in West Seattle.
A low tide in West Seattle. Getty Images

This week, and at certain times of the day, the tides will be exceptionally low for our few and usually not spectacular beaches. And why should this be of interest to you? For one, low tides (by nearly 4 feet on Friday at 12:58 pm) expose the strange-looking creatures whose niche is that area where life transitioned from the sea to land millions of years ago. Beaches at low tides are holy places, in the evolutionary rather than religious sense. But Darwin is not the only Englishman to consider during a very low tide. There is also Isaac Newton. He provided the world with the first comprehensive theory of the forces acting on our bodies of water, gravity. There's that of the moon (a strong gravitational pull) and also that of the sun (a weak one). Together, they move Earth's water up and down. Holy Science, praise be thy name. CHARLES MUDEDE

This week's low tides:

Thursday, May 27: -3.9 feet at 12:11 pm
Friday, May 28: -3.9 feet an 12:58 pm
Saturday, May 29: -3.4 feet at 1:46 pm
Sunday, May 30: -2.5 feet at 2:37 pm

EXPANDED HOURS: GET THAT BREAD AT SAINT BREAD


From holy tides to holy bread.
From holy tides to holy bread. CB

I’m not religious, but I hear the lord has answered Seattle’s prayers and extended Saint Bread’s hours. Initially serving only Tuesday through Friday from 8 am to 2 pm, this newly opened Portage Bay-adjacent bakery is now churning out its “grab & go” menu until 6 pm. Located near the almost-just-as-new Fritz Hedges Waterway Park, this spot is also open on Saturdays as of this week.

The custom stained glass is from Rick Ashcroft.
The custom stained glass is from Rick Ashcroft. CB
The past few weeks, devotees have swarmed Saint Bread for their breads and toasts and pastries, crafted by the saintly Yasuaki Saito, Randi Rachlow, and Michael Sanders, who are all connected to Pioneer Square’s London Plane. The team will now feed you into the early evening inside their petite Graham Baba Architects-designed boathouse, a firm that’s worked on Melrose Market, Chophouse Row, and that penthouse on top of Smith Tower—which I believe is still available to rent. I recommend arriving early if you’re trying to snag one of their popular Japanese melonpans since you’re competing with quickly moving lines of nearby University of Washington students and employees.

I visited on Tuesday and bought a plate of chocolate chip cookies, which were righteously messy and miraculously flexible; an okonomiyaki tortilla, featuring savory, razor-thin cuts of bonito; and a star from the menu, the smoked trout toast. I don’t think I’ve ever had toast that was simultaneously so sturdy and soft. Make sure to take some extra time to admire the custom stained glass window of The Saint Bread as you order or while you sit in the Saint’s covered and heated patio. CHASE BURNS

Saint Bread is located on 1421 NE Boat Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 am to 6 pm, although their kitchen menu ends at 2 pm. We recommend arriving early for the pastries.

The smoked trout toast.
The smoked trout toast. CB

WEDNESDAY: WRITER-DIRECTOR BAO TRAN DISCUSSES THE PRODUCTION OF HIS VERY ENTERTAINING FILM PAPER TIGERS


Paper Tigers, written and directed by Bao Tran, is certainly one of the best, if not the best, indie comedies that Seattle has produced. The reasons for this number three. One, Tran's direction masterfully negotiated the 108-minute work between zones of kung fu (or gung fu—Bruce Lee's preferred spelling and pronunciation), action, and zones of straight-up slapstick. Two, Ron Yuan's performance of Hing, one of the "three tigers" trained as boys by Sifu Cheung (Roger Yuan), never misses a beat. He is, indeed, the film's comic heartbeat. He also has very bad knees. And lastly, the film deals with race from an Asian American perspective that, as regards American cinema, appears to be original. I have not seen an Asian American feature film be so direct about black American/Asian American relations and the appropriation of Asian culture by white Americans. Tonight, Tran the director discusses the production of his highly entertaining Paper Tigers on Northwest Film Forum's online program Get Together. CHARLES MUDEDE

Wednesday's event begins at 6:30 pm, with more info here. You can stream The Paper Tigers at a few places, although we recommend Northwest Film Forum.

OPENING FRIDAY: SEATTLE ASIAN ART MUSEUM FINALLY REOPENS TO THE PUBLIC


Shes back.
She's back. The Stranger/Anthony Keo

This Friday, the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park will finally reopen after more than a year of closure due to the pandemic. Previously, the museum had been closed for nearly three years as the historic, Carl F. Gould-designed building underwent extensive renovations. Timed tickets are a must for entry and, LOL, they are sold out for this weekend. However, never fear, for more tickets will be "released on a rolling basis, every Thursday" at 10 am.

Though relatively few visitors saw the revamped Asian Art Museum after its February 2020 opening, the celebrated Art Deco building that houses the museum got some major renovations: a multimillion-dollar expansion that added thousands of square feet of gallery space, as well as a conservation center for Asian art, an updated HVAC system, renovated flooring, and a reinterpreted sense of light in the building.

Another major element of the Asian Art Museum's renovation was the "reimagining" of their permanent collection, which was undertaken by SAM's curator of Chinese art, Foong Ping, and curator of Japanese and Korean art, Xiaojin Wu, along with consulting curator of South Asian art Darielle Mason. Rather than grouping objects by year or country of origin, they instead rearranged the collection by thirteen different themes, such as spirituality, color and ceramics, the afterlife, and so on. Ancient ceramics sit next to modern ones; Korean works sit next to Indonesian ones. It's a very powerful presentation of the Asian Art Museum's collection—and one you don't want to miss. JASMYNE KEIMIG

The Seattle Asian Art Museum is open Friday-Sunday, 10 am-5 pm. Reserve your tickets here.

FRIDAY: POP-UP VET CLINIC FOR OUR HOUSELESS NEIGHBORS AND THEIR PETS


This is how I imagine the clinic will be.
This is how I imagine the clinic will be. LWA/Getty Images

On Friday from 11 am to 2 pm, Seattle Veterinary Outreach (SVO) is hosting a pop-up vet clinic at the University District Food Bank for people experiencing homelessness or people on food stamps to give their pets free medical care. SVO said that the event is about "equalizing the right to have a pet." Advocates estimate that 5 to 10% of homeless people in King County have pets. Often, according to Scott Greenstone in the Seattle Times, homeless people take better care of their pets than themselves.

Hanna Ekstrom, the founder of Seattle Veterinary Outreach, said that they typically serve around 30 pets each clinic. Ekstrom hosts around six to eight clinics a month. In addition to offering veterinary care for pets, Ekstrom said the clinic will also have a "social worker on staff to connect folks with the services they need."

She recommends that people arrive at the clinic at 10:30 am to start signing up for appointment slots. NATHALIE GRAHAM

Find out more about this event here and more about Seattle Veterinary Outreach here.

OPENING FRIDAY: SAYA MORIYASU'S SPOOKY ACTIONS AT A DISTANCE AT J. RINEHART GALLERY


I love Saya Moriyasus guardian creatures!
I love Saya Moriyasu's guardian creatures! JK

Recent work made by Seattle-based artist Saya Moriyasu will be featured in spooky actions from a distance, which opens on Friday at J. Rinehart Gallery. Taking the title from an Albert Einstein quote, Moriyasu tells me that many of these pieces draw from the haniwa tradition, a type of clay sculpture placed on top of burial mounds in early Japanese history. Her pieces also deal with "inside/outside": things that are outside the body, things that are within the body.

Some of Moriyasu's guardian-like sculptures have bellies turned into fire pots, inspired by the time she’s spent outside with friends during quarantine congregating around a fire. Other creatures lift out of built-in sections or have giant holes to peer through. It’s playful but also reflects a sense of body paranoia, something many of us have experienced over the last year. We’ve spent a whole year covering the two main orifices on our faces to prevent the spread of the deadly respiratory disease. Moriyasu is interested in what’s behind those masks, and it's fun to get lost in her imagination. JASMYNE KEIMIG

J. Rinehart Gallery will live stream the opening reception on Friday or you can stop by Wednesday-Saturday, 11 am-5 pm.

OPENING SATURDAY: CROSSING BOUNDARIES: PORTRAITS OF A TRANSGENDER WEST


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Get ready to completely change everything you thought you knew about how the west was “won.” The Washington State Historical Society’s new exhibit, created in partnership with Vancouver, WA historian Peter Boag, is an incredible accounting of the pioneers whose stories, spanning the late 1800s and early 1900s, you may never have heard — in part because they were hidden from view. Discover the secrets carried by doctor and novelist Alan Hart; by mysterious laundress Mrs. Nash; and Idaho’s Mother George, who endured brutal winters to serve as a lone valley’s midwife. Of course the word “transgender” didn’t exist back then (it was barely in common usage just a few decades ago), but these individuals persevered in challenging times, each one an inspiration to us today. Also mark your calendar for June 10 at 6 pm, when the museum will host an online curator conversation that dives into even more detail on these fascinating individuals. MATT BAUME

This exhibit runs until December 12 at the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma. Read more about it from Matt here.

SATURDAY: MARSHALL LAW BAND WITH TRES LECHES



Around this time last year the fuzzy, funky, kaleidoscopic sounds of the Marshall Law Band cut through clouds of tear gas as police tried to crush a group of protesters rising against them. After the gas dissipated, they turned their brief stint as the CHOP house band into a project named for the intersection where so many of last summer's conflicts crossed, 12th & Pine. Now they're recently returned from a sojourn to Hawaii, where they recorded a whole new album. If the high hopes of revolution and the low notes of violent tragedy animated 12th & Pine, "love, passion, and the joys of life" animate this new one, lead vocalist Marshall Hugh said over the phone. "At some point we have to start building commonalities. We have to start healing, and make progressive steps forward," he added. The band will bring that bright disposition to this outdoor show at Museum of Flight, where they'll be joined by Tres Leches, a kick-ass "dark basement" rock band whose chaotic energy and premium hooks this outlet has praised more than once. The night should be fun as all hell. RICH SMITH

Doors open at 6:30 pm on Saturday, May 29 at The Museum of Flight.

SUNDAY: BROKEN BAR DAY @ THEO CHOCOLATE


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Are we not all, in some way or another, imperfect candies? Sweet but cracked? Sure, why the hell not. This weekend local chocolatier Theo will be selling, at a steep discount, broken bars of chocolate — merchandise that didn’t quite make it unscathed through the manufacturing process in their Fremont factory. A one-pound bag will run you $10 (that’s about half what you’d normally pay for a bar), they’ll have free samples for folks waiting in line, and you’ll also get 10% off non-damaged goods if you want to pop your head into the store. It’s like a rummage sale you can eat! There's no way to predict exactly what varieties of chocolate will be available, since it's whatever happened to stumble in the production process, but hey, come on, CHEAP CHOCOLATE. Surely you will find some use for it. The whole shebang takes place outdoors; it’s looking like it may be a warm one, so bring one of those insulated picnic bags with a freezer pack wrapped in a dishrag if you don’t want your scavengings to melt on the way home. Om nom nom nom nom. MATT BAUME

Broken Bar Day happens at Theo Chocolate on 3400 Phinney Avenue North this Sunday from 11 to 4 pm.