Nightlife

Short answer . . . I don't think that there is any. For evening entertainment, Mikelle and I often turn to NetFlix--When we do go out, here's what we do:

Movies. We see lots of movies. The nice thing about Renton is that no one has much of a taste for the artsy movie, so we can go on opening night and not worry about a sell out. We saw Kill Bill (vols 1 &2) on opening night and shared a theater with about 12 people. In fact, the only time we ever stood in line for a film was Farenheit 9/11--which made me feel pretty good about my neighbors.

Bars and Clubs. I've mentioned a few good bars in my post about dining: Whistlestop Alehouse, Red House, and the Dog and Pony are all nice, casual places to hang out. All are primarily restaurants, though. The Giant's Causeway is a gigantic Irish bar downtown, that is usually packed. The food is terrible though (how hard is it to cook corned beef and cabbage?) so we rarely go. I'm holding out hope for Jubilante, the jazz bar--but we haven't made it there yet. I have a friend who always takes me out to the Renton VFW when he's up from Kent--and that's always amusing (and cheap!). I'm not aware of any "clubs" in Renton. That could be because my clubbing days are behind me--and I really haven't looked.

The Skyway Bowl and Casino. This place deserves it's own entry. It's in Skyway (just outside of Renton) and it is a huge bowling alley/indoor minigolf/resturaunt/bar/casino/karaoke venue. Not to be missed. The whole place smells vaugely of pee, but it is mighty entertaining.

Other things we should try: In the Summer, Renton has a little more to offer. They have a big celebration called Renton River Days, which we should attend rather than just mocking it. They also have an outdoor cinema on the Piazza (the central plaza Downtown--sort of like Red Square designed by unimaginative architects on the cheap). The Piazza also hosts a Farmer's market in the summer, which is pretty good. Last time we went, there was an old-timey singing group performing that consisted of octogenarians in matching red hoedown outfits.

If you know of any night-lifey things to go in Renton--let me know. I'm open to suggestions.