When he can, the actor/director sheds
the sidewalks of New York for the mountains of the Pacific
Northwest. Here's a weekend in Seattle with Tim
Robbins.
Seattle holds a special place in the heart of
Tim Robbins, the
43-year-old actor/director/writer/producer who fell in love with
the city years ago when he began regularly visiting friends there.
When he became a parent with his partner, actress Susan Sarandon,
they began taking their two sons and her daughter from their
Manhattan home to the capital of the Pacific Northwest, whose great
outdoors and urban attractions became something of a Valhalla. "The
only place we've been where there hasn't been a need for video
games," Robbins says. Born in
California and raised in Greenwich
Village, Robbins joined the Theater for
New York City at age 12.
After a stint at
UCLA, he did small TV and film roles before
starring in Bull
Durham, The Player, The Shawshank Redemption, and
others. But it was his directorial work on Dead Man Walking that
brought him the most acclaim. He was nominated for a Best Director
Oscar for the film, in which Sarandon won an
Oscar for Best
Actress. This month, Robbins is back on the big screen in Human
Nature, the story of a weird and wild four-way romance by the
writer of Being John Malkovich. Here's a weekend in Seattle with
Tim Robbins, where, between takes, he's found a home away from
home. Photograph by Jesse Frohman
FRIDAY
LODGING
"I would recommend the
Ace Hotel. It's small, comfortable, and
low-key. I'm a little tired of the kind of sameness of corporate
hotels. You can't tell which city you're in. This is nice and
unique. You just feel more a part of the city than you would if
you're in a big tower. It's a cross between futurism and the
European kind of classic hotel. It's in one of those historic
buildings, and it has loft ceilings and hardwood floors in the
lobby. It's near the Pike Place Market, so you're a short walk away
from getting involved. I also like the new Elliott Hotel. It's
well-appointed and interesting."