File this under “only in Seattle”: the hottest place to go out tonight involves you, a book, an old-fashioned hotel lobby and a whole lot of quiet.
Yes kids, Silent Reading Night at the Sorrento Hotel is back. Every Wednesday night in the fall, from 6:00 – 9:00 pm, the Fireside Room transforms itself into, well, a library. Except you have to bring your own book and they have booze. You just show up, keep your mouth shut and enjoy the fact that you don’t have to make any small talk. In fact, you’ll get kicked out if you do.
So I’ll admit, this one is kind of hard to explain to my non-Pacific-Northwest brethren. I mean, I’m from LA, where a large percentage of the population does most of their reading in the grocery store check-out lane. When I tell them that I can’t wait to spend my Wednesday evening sitting in a bar reading with strangers, they roll their eyes and tell me I’ve been in Seattle for too long. But honestly, there is something pretty amazing about Silent Reading Night. I couldn’t tell you what I like best- the silence, the fact that I’m scheduling in time to read, the $5 glasses of wine, or the voyeuristic thrill of silently checking out what everybody else is reading. Whatever it is, I’m hooked and I’m definitely going back.
So skip the happy hour you had planned to spend at that loud, noisy bar down the street from your office- save that for Thursday. Wednesday is all about you, a book and a room full of strangers embracing our elitist nerdiness to its fullest. And it’s GLORIOUS. (Oh yeah, and it’s totally FREE to get in, which you know we love).
Silent Reading at the Sorrento Hotel
The first Wednesday of the month, November through February
6:00 – 9:00 pm
900 Madison Street, Seattle, WA
