West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
11:15 PM: For late-night/early-morning drivers, a reminder that the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project is bringing more closures, starting with one that is happening right now: This is the first of nine consecutive nights in which the westbound SSV – that’s the section of the West Seattle Bridge between I-5 and Highway 99 – is scheduled to be closed. It’ll reopen by 5 am, SDOT promises. There are also some surface-street closures, tonight involving East Marginal Way – details here. Remember that the SSV closures mean you cannot get onto the West Seattle Bridge from I-5 or Beacon Hill.
7:42 AM NOTE: Last night’s closure is over but it happens again tonight (and nightly through next Thursday night, Dec. 22).
… to put up Christmas lights. The tipster for this one – TJ, who also shared the photo (thank you!) – says “Brother-in-law is still just a kid at heart. He is 72 and climbs up to the roof to put his lights up.” 7900 block of 32nd SW. Makes us feel guilty for feeling like we exerted ourselves to throw a few strands on the shrubbery! Thanks to everyone who’s been sending tips, with and without photos – editor@westseattleblog.com – meantime, we’ve added the address to our updated-daily clickable/printable Christmas lights map (find it here, or on the West Seattle Holidays page).
(Recent photo of in-progress interior work at 4513 California SW, courtesy VAIN)
Behind the under-construction facade in The Junction where the liquor store and train store used to be, new spaces are taking shape – including the future new home of The Beer Junction (which is CURRENTLY STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION on 42nd) and the new West Seattle branch of VAIN at 4513 California SW. We first told you about the latter back in August, and tonight, we have word that its “boutique portion” will open this weekend – noon-8 pm on Saturday and Sunday, “with limited hours till Christmas,” according to the update we received, which continues, “We’ll have some of the top accessories, hats, scarves, bags, and party jewelry from our other two locations, and we’ll have staff onhand to answer questions about VAIN’s hair services. The salon portion will open in early 2012.” (And of course we know you’ll at least be in The Junction on Sunday for the third and final Hometown Holidays Sunday of the season – mule-drawn-carriage rides, DIY Santa photos, and more.)
This month we’re marking a lot of anniversaries – six years since we launched this site (December 24, 2005), five years (exactly!) since the windstorm that blew WSB toward morphing into a news site (December 14-15, 2006), four years since your editor here left old media to run the site full-time (December 9, 2007), three years since the crazy snow days of December 2008 that brought community collaboration on WSB to a whole new level … But we prefer to look ahead, rather than look back, so it’s time for more milestones. Earlier this year, more than 500 WSB’ers were kind enough to respond to a three-question survey we posted here, with questions including “what’s missing on WSB?” One popular answer was, weather info. Fixed that. Another one: A restaurant section. So today – we finally have one. See it here (note “Restaurants” in the tab navigation atop WSB pages).
We’ve actually been trying for more than three years to put one together. We didn’t want to just partially launch it and keep adding. But now it’s up, thanks in no small part to WSB contributor Katie Meyer, who did the work that finally got it to the table, so to speak. It’s nothing fancy – meat and potatoes, if you will (tofu and potatoes if you’re meatless), but we believe the pages have the basics for each restaurant, and a place for your comments (please follow the posted rules!). We have pages for more than 120 restaurants, linked from the index page, and we would love you to kick the tires – let us know if we missed someone, if you see an error, etc. If you are a restaurateur or employee and you know the menu/hours are changing, please let us know so we can update the page. Except for a few establishments for which we couldn’t find web pages, we link to restaurants’ own websites, as well as Facebook and/or Twitter. Comments, corrections, etc. are welcome here or to us via e-mail at editor@westseattleblog.com.
(P.S. The guide includes a few White Center restaurants; we’ll be adding more. We also have some of the not-full-fledged-restaurant West Seattle establishments that serve a fair amount of ready-to-eat food items, and are open to suggestions there too.)
Five quick mid-afternoon notes:
HALF-PRICE TREES: Sandy Brown sends word that the Holy Rosary Tree Lot, which closes after this weekend, has now chopped prices:
Christmas trees 50% off now thru the 18th at Holy Rosary (41st and Dakota tree lot). Elves need to prepare for the Big Day and need to sell their stuff quickly. HRS wants to help out everyone this year by providing fresh trees at lower prices so all trees 50% off. Proceeds benefit the school and 15% of the proceeds go to 4 wonderful charities.
BUYING BOOKS? SCHOOL BENEFIT: Arbor Heights Elementary is the latest school to have a bookfair at Barnes and Noble – which usually also means that with a special code, they get a share of sales for a week or so afterward.
Their book fair (parent-provided photo above) was last Friday, so through this Friday, you should be able to use this code: 10612505 with a purchase at Barnes and Noble OR online, and Arbor Heights will benefit. If you’re having an event like this, by the way, please let us know in advance – the further in advance the better so we can get it on the calendar and let others know in advance – editor@westseattleblog.com, any time.
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL ORNAMENT SALE: From WSHS activities coordinator Craig Richardson:
At West Seattle High School, we have wonderful Christmas tree ornaments that are being sold for only $8 … there are only a limited supply of these left, and they would make a great stocking stuffer, or gift for someone during the holidays. If you are interested in purchasing one of these ornaments, e-mail cdrichardson1@seattleschools.org or call (206) 252-8816 – We also have on sale Wreaths with a candle setting for holiday decorations only $12; this is a fundraiser for the WSHS athletics program.
CHIEF SEALTH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GEAR: A new shipment of sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats has arrived at CSIHS, on sale at the ASB office on campus before school and after lunch (visiting adults need a pass from the office) and at the concession stands during this Friday night’s CSIHS-WSHS basketball games.
CHARLESTOWN CHOWDER FOR THE HOLIDAYS? Got a note out of the blue from Larry Mellum, formerly a co-owner of West Seattle’s shuttered-since-spring Charlestown Café. The same chowder the café used to sell has been offered all along at his current ventures, Pike Place Chowder shops at Pike Place and Pacific Place downtown – and now he says, it’s also available at Seattle Fish Company in The Junction (4435 California SW). “We have it available in quart-sized, frozen containers to take home or to ship anywhere in the country.” And he says the chowder recently added another feather to its proverbial cap (or maybe a fin is more appropriate), winning the West Coast Chowder Competition in Monterey, California.
(From a dump-truck crash next to Youngstown Arts Center this time last year)
Commercial-vehicle traffic is particularly big for our area with the Port of Seattle stretching into West Seattle, so this is major news: Seattle Police have announced a new task force to keep an eye on commercial vehicles, after discovering they are involved in a sizable percentage of serious local crashes. Here’s the announcement, from SPD Blotter:
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) has partnered up with the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to create a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Squad (CVES). The CVES mission is to improve public safety within the Seattle region by reducing the number of unsafe commercial motor vehicles operating on our roadways through a process of education and enforcement.
The SPD squad is made up of four officers from the Traffic Section who completed a three week long commercial vehicle enforcement training course at the WSP Academy. The four CVES officers will devote their time to enforcing commercial vehicle safety regulations and will also be part of a multi-agency commercial vehicle enforcement task force.
Our usual home for lost/found pet reports is the WSB Pets page, which marks its fourth anniversary next month as the only one-stop online bulletin board if you have lost or found a pet in this area. Today, we’re spotlighting a special “found pet” report – because it’s quite out of the ordinary.
Amy e-mailed us the photo of Arlene the one-eyed cat. Arlene is what Amy calls her, anyway. And she had two eyes when Amy found her in bad shape near 34th/Holden a month ago: “I think she’d had a run-in with a raccoon or coyote.” Amy’s first note was pretty sparse, so we inquired: You’ve gotten some care for her, then? Yes, Amy replied:
She had her eye removed, along with some teeth, and flea and ear mite medicine. I didn’t post anything earlier because I wasn’t sure she would survive (she had a bad abscess in her jaw that had gone behind her eye, and she was having seizures for a while). There was also a week or two where she had fluid surrounding her heart and in her abdomen, but that’s all gone now. She’s still taking kidney medication and a diuretic. … It did cost a lot but there was no way I could have just left her in the street, so I didn’t mind paying!
(And of course they checked for a chip; there was none.) Amy has grown to love Arlene and can keep her – but says she felt she just had to post a “found cat” notice because, “I know if I lost my cat, I would want to know she was alive.” If you are, or know, this kitty’s (original) owner, you can e-mail Amy at amywms23@yahoo.com.
Happening as of a short time ago in the Admiral District – police are looking for a suspected hit-run driver who apparently took off after hitting a parked car at California/Hill (the red one in our photo) and then a utility pole. We’ll check with police later to see if they ever found the hit-run driver (no description at this point). No serious injuries reported.
Meantime, also in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, two reader reports about recent burglaries – read on:Read More
(From left, Brian Lange, Justin Huertas, Nick Edwards; photo courtesy ArtsWest)
“Every Christmas Story Ever Told” continues at ArtsWest in The Junction, 7:30 pm tonight. From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar and Holiday Events/Info page, here’s what else is happening:
PARTIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE SCHEDULED TONIGHT: The westbound Spokane Street Viaduct – the bridge between I-5 and Highway 99 – is scheduled to be closed overnight each night, starting tonight, through next Friday. That means no West Seattle Bridge access from I-5 or Beacon Hill, though the 99 ramps should be open. Here’s the official alert from SDOT.
CALIFORNIA SW WORK CONTINUES: By day’s end yesterday, the crews resurfacing California SW between Findlay and Graham had scraped the old pavement off the two outer lanes. Their work is scheduled to continue 9 am-5 pm today; lanes remain open but we’d advise avoiding that stretch if you can.
BOOK SIGNING: “At the Kitchen Table: The Craft of Cooking at Home”: You can find author Greg Atkinson signing copies: 5-7 pm at Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor; 42nd/Admiral).
WINE TASTING: Bin 41 wine tasting, 6-7:30 pm: Walla Walla Winery: Reynvaan Cellars with Mike Reyvaan.
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ PARTY: Instead of a business meeting, it’s the 34th District Democrats’ holiday party tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 6 pm – details here
JOIN THE GARDEN TOUR! West Seattle Garden Tour Committee Meeting and Potluck, 6:30 pm. The West Seattle Garden Tour Committee is actively seeking new volunteers to join our group. If you are interested in learning more about the WSGT and becoming a volunteer, please contact us at westseattlegt@gmail.com or visit our website westseattlegardentour.com. to learn more. An agenda with meeting location and driving directions will be provided to anyone interested in attending.
HOLIDAY SHOW AT ARTSWEST: ArtsWest presents the Seattle premiere of “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)” by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald and John K. Alvarez. 7:30 pm plus Sunday 3 pm matinees; ticket info here.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS? CHRISTMAS TREES? One more reminder, check the WSB West Seattle Holidays page. And keep sending your events if they’re not already on the page (including Hanukkah/Christmas services, business hours for Christmas/New Year’s, etc.) – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
By Karen Berge
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The agenda at Monday evening’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council (NDNC) monthly meeting focused primarily on discussion of the DESC project (the Downtown Emergency Service Center‘s 75-unit “supportive housing” project at 5444 Delridge Way).
Parie Hines, new co-chair of NDNC, led this major segment of the meeting. She explained potential next steps as she walked the group through 2 flipchart pages — which defined a new structure and process for moving forward that integrates feedback from earlier discussions and meetings.
The basis of the proposed process is the formation of a separate advisory group, the “Delridge Alliance,” described as an advisory group of stakeholders organized to gather input and synthesize the community’s concerns regarding the DESC project; to help the community envision priorities for the DESC space; and to actively work with key decision-makers to represent the community’s needs throughout the DESC project timeline.
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