West Seattle Blog…

Memorial Day service reminder

If you see this before 2 pm: that’s when the major WS observance happens, at Forest Lawn.

Gatewood neighbors besieged by burglars

Gatewood neighbors have just met to plot strategy to fight burglars who have struck repeatedly in the past two weeks. One of them just sent us a full report with details, plans, even a plea to Mayor Nickels — read it all, one click away: Click to read the rest of Gatewood neighbors besieged by burglars…

Briefly on the beach

Thanks again to beach blogger Cathy Woo for the tip about artist Thom Ross working for a while on Alki today; by the time we got down for photos at midafternoon, he was about to pack it up — reader Tim’s comment on our original post has more details on why. The figures are made from plywood, which Ross has used for other memorable displays.

Toddler hurt in Delridge fall

According to this short report, a toddler is in critical condition after falling off a balcony. No address specifics in that report, but the online Fire Department log lists a major medic call in the 5400 block of Delridge (near Brandon) this afternoon.

Sign for a sergeant

Banner today on a house along Cali south of Morgan Junction:

Art on the beach

First word of an amazing art project in progress on Alki comes from Cathy Woo’s Beach Walks. Cathy says the artist is Thom Ross and the creations are eventually destined for showing in San Francisco. She has pix up; we hope to be able to get some a bit later.

The land that time forgot?

Someone in Florida who clearly has ties to Seattle includes descriptions of our city’s neighborhoods in this blogpost today, describing West Seattle as the essence of “old Seattle.” Though we still love WS fiercely and cherish its unique charms, we wonder if that atmosphere isn’t eroding a bit with the building boom, among other things. P.S. When you want to wallow in a little nostalgia for the bonafide “old Seattle,” check out the excellent new local-history blog, Vintage Seattle.

M-Day Weekend barbecue kit

-Forecast: Still calling for sun Monday afternoon

-Forgot your margarita/daiquiri ingredients? List of liquor stores open Sunday (none in WS but one in Burien)

-Fresh corn 5 ears for 2 bucks @ Tony’s (per signboard along 35th)

-Misty Isle beef back ribs $2.59/pound @ Thriftway (per weekly-specials ad)

-Macrina brioche buns (for burgers or whatever), 4-pak for $2.99 @ Metro Market (per weekly-specials ad)

-New picnic table/grill area in the grassy meadow north of Colman Pool @ Lincoln Park:

Junction goes metal

It’s listed in our weekend roundup but seems to be worth a standalone mention in case you happen to pass the American Legion Hall on the east end of The Junction tomorrow afternoon and wonder what’s up — tomorrow is the third and final day of the first-ever Rainfest; day 1 was at the Legion Hall too, day 2 was in Parkland. Guess you could call this the anti-Folklife, if it becomes a M-Day Weekend staple.

Does dog aromatherapy mean eau de beef bone?

Just asking, because the former Retroactive Kids space on Cali south of Morgan Junction (building still for sale) now has a flyer on the door announcing its next occupant: Coming soon/A great place to b/CHILL/Massage, aromatherapy/Adults, kids, k9s.

WS Gas Price Watch: See-saw

First it’s up a bit, then it’s down a bit, then it’s up a bit: West Seattle’s lowest posted price for regular is back up two cents — Delridge Arco (near Home Depot), now back to $3.31/gallon. This is a dime below the daily statewide average as tracked by AAA, but 15 cents higher than this day last year.

Fun in the sun

Assuming we GET some sun — Monday afternoon looks the most promising — in case you hadn’t noticed, recreational rentals are booming along our best-known beach. We got nice sun-splashed photos recently of Wheel Fun Rentals (first photo), which popped up this season next to Coastal, and Alki Rental Shack with kayaks (second photo) and more, at Seacrest.

Handy links if you’re traveling

-Remember our West Seattle Cams page

-Ferry schedules here

-State highway traffic alerts here

-Memorial Day “driving tips” from WSDOT

-Traffic cams for the entire city plus all of King County

-Real-time flight info for anything going through Sea-Tac Airport

-National Weather Service forecasts for all of Western Washington

Buckle up or else

The new nighttime “Click It or Ticket” patrols are supposed to be out on Alki tonight, according to a WS Herald story earlier this week.

West Seattle’s Memorial Day Weekend ’07

(IF GOOGLE IS BRINGING YOU HERE – THIS IS A 2007 POST – OUR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND EVENTS LIST FOR 2008 CAN BE FOUND HERE.)

The 3-day weekend’s almost here, so let’s just call it a 4-day weekend and get rolling already, shall we? The list is shorter than usual since it’s assumed many people are leaving town, but if you’re staying here in fabulous WS, there’s plenty, including one of Kenyon Hall’s occasional extravaganzas, a barbecue demo, and more — just a click away:

Click to read the rest of West Seattle’s Memorial Day Weekend ’07…

Legends soon to be history?

It was rumored in the comments here a month ago, and now it appears to be headed for reality — according to the liquor-license applications site, someone is applying to take over Legends Bar & Grill, and the “new business name” would be Redline Music & Sports.

Road closure date set for busy WS east-west connector

There’s now a date set for a road closure that will mean months of detouring for people who use Sylvan Way/SW Morgan to get between 35th and Delridge: The closure starts June 18 and is expected to last through mid-September. It’s happening for underground utility work related to all the housing construction in the area; an open house is planned one week ahead of time to help make sure everyone has the info they need to get through the shutdown. This city press release has more info on the exact shutdown zone as well as detour plans.

Mayor’s son reportedly indicted

Tough month for Mayor Nickels. First he lost his father — now he has to deal with reports that his son has been indicted for alleged casino cheating. FRIDAY EARLY AM UPDATE: Citizen Rain (new local blog aggregator) has a link to Jake Nickels’ MySpace. (The cached version seems more interesting.)

Mystery motorcade explained

What many of us saw this morning was indeed, as some guessed, a training exercise: “Multi-agency escort training for traffic units,” according to the police department, further explaining that this sort of training is vital because motorcades for dignitaries can be dangerous, and practicing with other agencies helps troubleshoot any communication issues that might arise during “the real thing.”

Suspect nabbed in U.S. Bank robbery

Remember all the commotion from that Junction bank robbery and ensuing manhunt last week? The guy they think did it is now under arrest.

Beach Drive traffic alert

Big City Light contingent, with flagger and traffic-directing officer, busy a mile or so from the south end of Beach Drive, not too far from where this happened during the windstorm.

WS Gas Price Watch: Highest price drops too

Lincoln Park 76 still has West Seattle’s highest posted price for regular, but now that’s down a bit, with a two-cent drop today, bringing it to $3.47/gallon. Perhaps this scared somebody somewhere.

Mystery motorcade

We’ve received a few notes about this and happened to see it ourselves (but couldn’t whip out the camera fast enough) — massive police motorcade along Alki about an hour ago, motorcycles as well as cars — will let you know if/when we find out what that was all about!