New neon in The Junction

| Seen around town | West Seattle restaurants | WS beverages

The latest touch on the much-watched sign for Shadowland in The Junction is neon — as photographed today by WSB contributing photographer Christopher Boffoli. He went by shortly after we sent a note to Shadowland co-proprietor Joe to ask a question we’ve heard from a couple people — what’s going in the circular space in the middle of the sign? Joe says, “A moon. The face is being painted now. Still a mystery on how we will get it up there but we have a team of engineers working on it :) …” Joe says they’re expecting to open the week of the 25th, depending on how city inspections go next week. No detailed menu scoop yet but we’ve had hints here and here. (Joe added in a later note that it’s exciting to finally get so close to opening after all this time – and the birth of a business can take a long time indeed — we looked back into the WSB archives and found our first mention of this project was more than a year and a half ago.)

BB November 16, 2007 (6:09 pm)

looks good so far! I have spoken with a few non-WS’ites that want to move here because of how “cool” the junction is! I agree, how fun has it been to watch the junction grow over the last few years.

Jan November 16, 2007 (7:44 pm)

yes, that part is very exciting. I can remember a time when you went to the Junction at 6:30pm any evening, and parking was in abundance because nothing was open except maybe the New Luck Toy restaurant…times have definitely changed :)

JenV November 16, 2007 (8:41 pm)

ahaha Christopher- I think I saw you taking photos tonight on my way home :D

Vicki November 16, 2007 (11:54 pm)

We really enjoy the new sign/logo. The neon is very nice. and from our kitchen window, the circle is the moon in full eclipse tonight. Truly shadowing the land.

Venkat November 17, 2007 (12:09 am)

That’s great – I’m excited about the junction as well, having watched it grow over the years.

Keith November 17, 2007 (12:20 am)

I love the cool glow of the neon sign, but loathe the annoying glare from two giant TV screens that I’ve already spied in action above the bar.

Christopher Boffoli November 17, 2007 (6:22 am)

Keith: I agree the flat screens are worrying. Several months ago one of the owners gave me a tour of the unfinished space and at that point he told me about elaborate plans for design and lighting of that wall behind the bar. It seems somewhere along the way those plans changed.

lulu November 17, 2007 (7:05 am)

TVs? I hope not. What WS needs is a place with atmosphere, and a little swank, not sports blaring from Tvs. I avoid places with TVs.

Luckie November 17, 2007 (7:23 am)

I saw the neon last night, and I have to admit I like it a lot. I still hate the paint job on the building, though with the gray-on-gray and the gold curlicues.

The House November 17, 2007 (9:16 am)

Why do flat screen TVs worry you? Did you get beat up by one as a kid?

Cy November 17, 2007 (9:22 am)

The best thing about the Junction is now that I moved nearby I can walk to the bars and walk home, drunk. I used to have to drive to my old house down south so it was one drink (lightweight I know) then go. Now, I’ll be the staggering (but polite, possibly funny, always quiet for the neighbors) drunk wandering back home…after two drinks! Shadowland…will you be my friend?

Jaime Gummer November 17, 2007 (11:24 am)

Cy: Wait a minute! You mean people can actually, like, go places on foot without a car? What a novel idea for many of our fellow West Seattleites. No worries about soaring gas prices, traffic, parking or the risk of a DUI arrest. Eureka in the bathtub!

Ron Burgundy November 17, 2007 (12:00 pm)

You all assume the flat screens are for sports. How narrow minded of you all. Maybe they’re for porn. :)

Sue November 17, 2007 (4:35 pm)

LOL, Jaime – I’m not Cy, but I actually sold my car a year ago because I realized I didn’t need it in West Seattle since I was averaging 3,000 miles a year. I work downtown, commute by bus, travel throughout WS by bus for leisure, and live a 15 minute stroll from the Junction, where there’s also a Flexcar if I should need a car for something else. My husband still owns a car, but he also drives less than 5,000 miles a year, working from home and biking anywhere he can within 25 miles.

Jaime Gummer November 17, 2007 (6:20 pm)

Sue: Nice! I moved to Seattle from New York City a couple of years ago and because I didn’t have a car there I thought I might try to live without one in Seattle for a while. I chose an apartment near a bus line, using that to commute to work and then used Flexcar for the odd occasions when I needed a car. It was a great plan. Now I live hear the Junction and have many more options. It is nice not being such a slave to cars.

Sue November 17, 2007 (7:47 pm)

Jaime, it’s a small world. I moved here from NYC too, 3 years ago. I am so much happier here, especially since I discovered West Seattle. :)

MargeC November 18, 2007 (8:45 am)

In conversation with our waiter at another local eatery last week at lunch, he asked if we knew what kind of restaurant Shadowland was to be. We responded that we had heard it was a tapas bar. Looking stunned, he said he couldn’t believe West Seattle would allow THAT kind of place. Then the light dawned – he thought we had said “topless”!
Young man had never heard of tapas, so a long explanation and a good laugh followed… :)