(WSB photo from 9/7/08 “Car-Free Day” on Alki)
We first reported here in late January that May 31st had been designated as Alki’s “car-free” day this year. Last Friday, we brought you a few more details from the mayor’s office, plus a link to the full citywide list for what’s being called, this year, Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets. Today, the “official” citywide announcement is finally out, so if you want to read it – including an interesting choice of who was quoted on behalf of West Seattle – read on:

Mayor Greg Nickels today announced this summer’s schedule
of street festivals. Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets will open up
streets to pedestrians and bicyclists, offering people a way to have
fun, celebrate the spirit and personality of their neighborhood, and
support local businesses. Each event is organized by a local group.

“The community is leading the way, putting together events that bring
us all together,” said Nickels. “Biking, walking, drawing chalk
pictures, taking in the sights or shopping and eating at local
establishments, Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets is a great way to spend
time with family and friends.”

Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets is modeled after similar successful
events held in New York; San Francisco; Portland, Ore.; Vancouver,
British Columbia; and Bogota, Colombia. Neighborhoods across Seattle
have requested to open streets for community festivals.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to showcase Alki Beach in a
way the locals and visitors don’t get a chance to see on a daily
basis,” said Joe Fraser, general manager of Duke’s Chowder House.
“People can walk along the boardwalk and see what the buzz is
about. From boutique retail shops to restaurants, Alki is the place to
be.”

“We’re excited by the opportunity to work closely with the city of
Seattle on this great initiative to highlight the neighborhoods that
make up our great city, particularly the Greenwood-Phinney
neighborhood,” said Steve Giliberto, president of the
Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce. “Especially pleasing is the
fact that our new, successful Art Up/Open Up Artwalk program will be the
centerpiece activity for our event where businesses marry creativity,
art, performance and fun on a monthly basis for all across the city to
come and enjoy.”

Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets partners include: Cascade Bicycle
Club, Feet First, Greater Seattle Climate Dialogues, Greenwood/Phinney
Chamber, King County Public Health, Orswell Events, LLC, Pike Place
Market, Rainier Valley Chamber, Seattle Great City Initiative, Seattle
Public Schools, University District Chamber and West Seattle High School
PTSA.

Additional information about Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets is
available at http://seattlecan.org/summerstreets

The following events are being held this year:

Event: The Greenwood/Phinney Chamber’s Art Up/Open Up Summer Streets
Party
Date: Friday, April 10, 6 to 9 p.m.
Location: Phinney/Greenwood Avenue North from North 65th to North 87th
streets

Event: Cascade Bicycle Club’s Bike to Work Day and Summer Streets
Party
Date: Friday, May 15, 4 to 7 p.m.
Location: Bergen Place Park and 22nd Avenue Northwest between Market
Street and Ballard Avenue

Event: West Seattle High School PTSA’s 5K Run/Alki and Seattle Summer
Streets Party
Date: Sunday, May 31, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Alki Avenue Southwest from California Way Southwest to 63rd
Avenue Southwest

Event: Seattle Parks Summer Streets Party
Date: Sunday, June 7, 14, 21 and 28
Location: Discovery Park (7th), Interlaken Park (14th), Seward Park
(21st), Magnuson Park (28th)

Event: U-District Chamber’s Summer Streets Party
Date: Saturday, July 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: University Way Northeast between Northeast 50th and Northeast
45th streets.

Event: Pike Place Market’s Fresh Fruit Festival and Summer Streets
Party
Date: Sunday, July 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Pike Street/First Avenue to Virginia

Event: Rainier Valley Chamber’s Heritage Parade and Summer Streets
Party
Date: Saturday, Aug. 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Rainier Avenue South from South Orcas to South Alaska
streets

Event: Cascade Bicycle Club’s Restore Our Waters Cascade Spawning
Cycling Tour
Date: Sunday, Sept. 20, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Starts and ends at Myrtle Edwards Park, goes through Seattle
Parks non-motorized areas of Seward, Interlaken, Gasworks, Commodore and
Discovery Parks.

Event: Visit a park with permanently open streets and Celebrate Seattle
Summer Streets
Date: May through September
Location: Volunteer Park, Seward Park, Interlaken, Magnuson Lakefront
Promenade, Arboretum, Discovery Park

Also during the months of May through September, Bicycle Sundays are
being held along Lake Washington Boulevard every weekend. Seward
Park’s upper road and Carkeek Park Road west of the Environmental
Learning Center are being closed to cars on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m.

The choice of Duke’s for an Alki quote is interesting because one of the citywide articles about Alki’s Car-Free Day last September quoted a different Duke’s manager as saying business was slow (although we took a photo while walking by Duke’s that afternoon – featured in this report – and the outdoor tables were bustling).