At lunchtime, the row of 15 brass chafing dishes along the wall at Tandoori Bites glows, brimming with aromatic yellow rice, deep red tandoori chicken, fried clusters of vegetable pakora, dahl and, of course, a bevy of curries. Navigating these alone takes discipline. How many hunks of lamb can you manage from the pot of […]
Visitor’s Guide
Posted inShopping
Boot Up
In Humboldt County, we’re serious about our winter footwear. It’s often rainy and cool here on the coast and nothing keeps one warm like a good pair of boots. We’ve selected some of the best styles from local retailers to keep your feet warm and dry. So go ahead. Jump in a puddle.
Posted inStories
Ink in the Blood
On Sept. 1, 1994, Henry Krüger worked his first day as a professional tattoo artist. But that was hardly the first time he had ever held a tattoo gun and given out some ink. “I got my first tattoo in 1987, the day after I turned 17,” the fifth-generation Humboldt native said in a booth […]
Posted inStories
Sonny Wong
Making aesthetic judgements is notoriously tough and rankings can be poorly received. Take mythology: When Marsyas and Arachne claimed to be numero uno at playing the flute and weaving, respectively, the Greek gods punished their hubris with flaying-to-death/transformation into a spider. When Paris went on the record regarding which goddess he found most beautiful, the […]
Posted inStories
Bullseye
Arcata’s newest attraction is competitive, cheaper than therapy and right down the street. All you need to enjoy an unconventional twist on family fun is a pair of closed-toed shoes and to embrace your inner lumberjack at the Hatchet House Throwing Club off of Sixth Street in Arcata. Lauren Fischer and her husband, Michael, were […]
Posted inPerfect Trips
Perfect Fall Trips
Don’t run from the winter. Embrace it. Own it. Light it up by candlelight in the forest. Traipse through it on a hike to a waterfall, estuary or the mother of all sand dunes. Eat it all up over a slice of goat pizza and oysters. Wash it all down with pomegranate mimosas. Want more? […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Tomo Forever
When Joe Doherty first looked at the cavernous restaurant space in the historic Hotel Arcata — a pair of joined rooms that dwarfed Tomo’s previous Eureka location — he told founder Fukiko Marshall it was too big. “I’ll fill it,” she replied. Then-manager Doherty was skeptical. “I said, ‘You’ll never fill this place.’ It’s funny, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Cat’s Meow
There is a certain vibe found in hotel bars: a feeling of emptiness, of customers never there long enough to gain a rapport and menus that seek to make their customers comfortable and nothing more. So Phatsy Kline’s Parlor Lounge, an extension of the Inn at 2nd and C in Eureka’s Historic Eagle House, is […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Basement
Entering Jacoby’s Storehouse, on the southwest corner of the Arcata Plaza, already feels like going back in time. It’s not hard to imagine this hub of the town filled with dry goods, a pier extending south all the way into Humboldt Bay, where supplies from San Francisco were unloaded. The Storehouse’s latest addition, a below- […]
Posted inPerfect Trips
Perfect Summer Trips
The endless summer in Humboldt lasts well into autumn, when seasonal winds and currents bring the driest air and warmest ocean temperatures. Take advantage of this cyclical quirk, whether swimming on the Eel River, tide pooling at Patrick’s Point or paddling with the otters in Stone Lagoon. For a more civilized outside experience, take a […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Fresh Paint and Vintage Style
The city of Eureka always has a foot in the past. It’s not a long history, but it’s full, at turns rich and sour, ever present if you look closely enough. You won’t have to look hard in one of its newest bars, North of Fourth. That’s because, like Eureka’s rows of Victorian homes juxtaposed […]