Give the Gift of Art

As all of you know, the Soto family is going through an immense loss. We lost an irreplaceable woman who was a wife/partner/best friend to Papa Soto and mother to three beautiful children. I consider myself one of the luckiest people alive to know and befriend such a beautiful family and to have Carm apart of my life. I am sure many of you feel the same way.

For past few years, Carm has been wanting to get her mother's portrait tattooed on her. I know that tattoos are quite expensive, especially when you book a top notch artist. A consult has been made and I know Carm is trying to save up enough mula to make this happen. This is where I think all of us could help out tremendously. If we could all pitch in a bit we can help make our friend's commemorative tattoo a reality much faster.

I know the holidays are coming up but I believe any contribution would be a meaningful addition. Donate over $45+ and get a free business card, web flyer, photo editing or invitation design from Carm! Have tons of photos you need cropped, retouched or who the heck is that drunk guy making a funny face in the back? Carm's photo editing services are also up for grabs! (50 photo max.) Redeemable at any time (does not include printing).
Sincerely, Leilani and Rocio Villa

No Shortage at Shorty's

On my recent trip to Seattle I was excited to get to work on discovering some of the local watering holes. Behold, Shorty's Bar in Belltown. I was excited to check this place out as it came highly recommended and the yelp reviews were phenom. Warning though, anyone with coulrophobia [coulrophobia: [noun] rare extreme or irrational fear of clowns.] might not wanna set foot in here. Otherwise, this place had a great vibe and atmosphere. The deco is circus and arcade themed and somehow they manage to pull it off without being overly kitschy or scary.

If you're into pinball and old school video games, this is THE place! I was in heaven being able to drink and play video games without having to go to nightmare chains like Dave & Busters or Gameworks. My first order of business here was to drink so I made my way to the bar and grabbed a stool. Glancing behind me an the booths against the wall I noticed the tables were actual pinball machines. Lit up and non functioning but cool to look at. Later we were able to snag one and illuminate our drinks while chatting over which hot dog to order. The drinks were strong and greatly priced! I was able to score 3 drinks for under $20, one of them being a call and 2 wells!

After losing out to Addams Family Values pinball and running out of change for a second game of Galaga, I returned to our pinball booth. My friend had ordered the Chicago dog ($4.50). I wasn't expecting it to look as good as it did! It had relish, peppers, onions, mustard and even the presentation was nice for a hot dog served in a bar on a paper tray plate. Other appealing items on the menu were nachos and chili cheese dogs. I wish I had the appetite to try the nachos at least...wah wah.

The crowd here varied in age and had more of a laid back feel. Bartenders were all very attentive and happy to fetch me a Shorty's t-shirt and sweatshirt that were available for purchase. Wish I could take Shorty's itself home with me but then it wouldn't be what it is without Seattle. Sigh...