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1. kittyno
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   We're new to our neighborhood and I'm looking forward to Halloween, but the only info I seem to find is about the Junction Trick or Treating. I'm more than a little bummed that businesses, malls, and merchants have recently become central to Halloween trick or treating. Not that there's anything wrong w that, but what was so wonderful about Halloween was the thrill of being out at dusk and the venturing up to neighbors' houses. Would love to see good old fashioned door-to-door revival. Understand the desire for a safe experience. Other communities sometimes post lists w designated houses and names of owners; seems to make parents feel a little more secure. If there is such a thing, can someone point me there and if there isn't, is there an appropriate place to post such a list? Suggestions and comments would be grand. Thanks, Sara

   Posted 1 year ago #         

2. shihtzu
   Member Profile

   Just go to houses with their porch lights on.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

3. shihtzu
   Member Profile

   Adding to say that in our four years of trick or treating here, about 95% of the houses in my neighbor hood and my friend's neighborhoods do give out candy.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

4. WSB
   Member Profile

   

   Have never heard of lists. But we'll vouch for the door-to-door experience still happening, especially Admiral, where we've encountered BIG crowds the past couple years while venturing out to cover Skeleton Theatre. P.S. Admiral merchants have just set the date for their trick-or-treating too, 3-6 pm Friday 10/29, and I'm about to mention that on the main page along with the Junction date. Westwood Village usually has a trick-or-treat event too but we haven't gotten a callback yet. And there are Halloween carnivals at the local city-run community centers - I've been adding those dates to the EVENTS page as I go through the catalog.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

5. mightymo
   Member Profile

   On our Night Out block party last month, our new neighbors told us that lots of kids come to houses on our block (on 44th close to Charleston), so if you're in this part of the neighborhood you'll probably see some ghosts and goblins.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

6. Aim
   Member Profile

   

   Had TONS of kids last year. Trenton east of 16th. It may have helped that we gave out full size candy bars. I fully expect to have double the number this year...

   Posted 1 year ago #         

7. ttt
   Member Profile

   I agree with visiting the houses with porch lights on. I LOVE halloween!

   Posted 1 year ago #         

8. hopey
   Member Profile

   

   Topography matters a lot. If you live in one of West Seattle's "nooks" with dead-end streets and very little traffic, don't expect anyone to come to your door, and don't expect your neighbors to have their porch lights on. If you live in a "grid" neighborhood with proper sidewalks and so forth, you should see a majority of porch lights on.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

9. add
   Member Profile

   Agree with Hopey - we live on the "hilly" side of our street and get probably half of the TOT-ers as our neighbors one block over!

   Posted 1 year ago #         

10. datamuse
    Member Profile

    

    Yeah, what hopey said--we live on an alley, and never see anyone! :(

    Posted 1 year ago #         

11. JoB
    Member Profile

    i am not sure i would be comfortable with a holloween house list...

    but i do miss the bonfire neighborhood parties of my youth on halloween night....

    we revived them in the small neighborhood in Minnesota while i was there.. but so far haven't been able to interest our immediate neighbors in the idea...

    you never know.. if i can find the energy i may stoke up the fire pit to bring a little more life to our dark and shady street and entice more trick or treaters...

    i can hear them a block over.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

12. kittyno
    Member Profile

    That's heartening news! Thanks for the info. I'd just read a v depressing W Seattle blogger's entry where not one TOT came by. So sad. We live on a very visible st, so I'm hoping we'll have plenty of TOTs. My favorite time of year.

    W/ re to the lists, the ones I remember seeing them advertised in other communities, and they were distributed through the schools etc, and I believe they only listed address, so no critical info for scammers and telemarketing agencies (but still seemed to make parents feel safer). Neither here nor there--porchlight is obviously easier. I'm just thrilled to know that kids are out strolling the neighborhoods w/ parents in tow. My daughter's too young to go, but I'm really looking forward to taking her out as soon as she is old enough.

    JoB: I'm all for the bonfire. Bonfires and cider (maybe some extra-warming cider for the exhausted adults)!

    Posted 1 year ago #         

13. squareeyes
    Member Profile

    

    I live on an arterial (48th Ave) and we seem to get very little to no ToT traffic although I can hear kids on other streets, so they're not far away. I think parents want to avoid crossing this particular street due to the high speed of many of the vehicles.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

14. carrieann
    Member Profile

    

    We're on 42nd & Andover and have seen a bit of a decline over the past few years, but we still definitely get our fair share of ToTs. It really depends on the weather, too. (Joking that we have to find some way to incorporate a rain coat into our Halloween costumes each year.) We always have a mix of stuff to hand out, for varying ages, and have seen some really awesome, creative costumes. The kids are pretty much always polite with actually saying, "Trick or Treat!" and then thanking us for the treats, which I really appreciate.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

15. johnnyblegs
    Member Profile

    

    We have just an alright turnout at our house on 39th and I consider our neighborhood a high traffic area (more for cars though). We love halloween - carve pumpkins and light them up in our front yard and try our best to attract the TOT'ers. Things seem to be different now than when my wife and I were kids. I remember my mom taking all the single pieces of gum, just in case they were poisoned (she chewed them all herself to test them). The trend seems to venture to the malls and business districts during daylight for trick or treating. It's a great idea to have a house list; we'd sign up! The past 5 years we've consumed the majority of the bowl ourselves :)

    Posted 1 year ago #         

16. Bonnie
    Member Profile

    We live in the Fauntlee Hills neighborhood and we get very little traffic. Our street is pretty dark. People go across the street quite often but don't come to our side of the street because of our steps. My kids are always so disappointed.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

17. JoB
    Member Profile

    bonnie...
    take trick or treating to the curb.
    it's what i am going to do this year if i have the energy since the house i live in sits well back from the street and is not lit well.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

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