It finally happened …

… a night when we could barely get into a WS restaurant. Maybe it’s all those folks moving into all those townhomes, or else it’s just that we’ve got great places dishing up great food. First we tried The Junction; barely found a place to park; walked into our restaurant of choice, were told we’d have to wait at least half an hour. Eventually moved on to Admiral; nowhere to park but that dingy garage near Bartell … eventually managed a table at one of the few not-so-trendy places nearby. Anyway, congrats to the places where business is booming; reservations might be in order soon!

Jiggers March 3, 2007 (7:33 am)

That’s always a good sign. Its actually a proven fact and study that when the market goes baddy, people go out more.

K March 3, 2007 (11:10 am)

This just means that we’re ready for more new places to pop up! There’s lots of room for great food over here! Bring it on!!!

JL March 3, 2007 (11:33 am)

I have found that The Junction is always busy during after work hours on Fridays. We usually wait a bit before going out for dinner, it thins out just a little. However, yes!! this means we need more places to choose from!

Oliver March 3, 2007 (1:18 pm)

I really enjoy reading your blog. But I have to say – get over the town homes. Many of the people buying townhomes are young adults whose families have lived in West Seattle for many generations. They just want to live in the neighborhood they grew up in and it’s all that they can afford. So don’t blame “them” for ruining “your” neighborhood, when chances are it was “their” neighborhood all along.

Lou March 3, 2007 (9:38 pm)

Meow! Nuff said about the townhomes.

I for one am glad to see our businesses getting lots of traffic, and I hope to see many more fun places going up in West Seattle.

My favorite is Elliott Bay Brewing :-)

Chet Desmond March 5, 2007 (8:13 am)

My beef with the townhomes is it puts more people in WS and removes restaurants that were in the spot the townhome now stands. I have already noticed an increase in the wait times at restaurants that are left on CA now that Guadalajara has closed down, for example. This is a neighborhood, not downtown Seattle. No one likes waiting even longer when going out. No one likes more traffic and fewer choices or maybe it’s just me?

JW March 5, 2007 (9:53 am)

Ok, as long as we’re on the subject of townhomes…

I’m a freestanding WS house owner who doesn’t really have a problem with townhomes. I agree with what Oliver said above, and I’ll add this: most of these townhomes are built for “today’s lifestyles.” That means, essentially, that you can cook dinner and be in the same room with your family at the same time. A lot of the charming old places here are, indeed, charming, but they’re built on an antiquated model that is based on a stay-at-home mom (or your full-time maid?) hidden away in the kitchen.

What’s more, there’s no yard to spend time taking care of.

So, next time you see a townhome and start feeling all bent out of shape, try also to consider that you’re looking at something that some other people would consider a sensible way to focus their energy on their families instead of less important things.

Sorry, comment time is over.