West Seattle, Washington
15 Sunday
Can you spare some time – and your voice – for some special holiday cheer? At 4:30 pm Wednesday, carolers are gathering in the 3600 block of 48th Ave. SW – just west of Madison Middle School – to surprise a neighborhood resident who we are told is very ill and receiving home-based hospice care. We’re also told he’s a retired police officer who “loves Christmas.” His friend Marcia is organizing this and says, “It would just take a few minutes and would be a chance to give back to someone willing to give all.”
Updating the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide with more events from now through New Year’s, including …
(Photo courtesy Cocoa Cris Cringle)
Easy Street Records will again host Cocoa Cris Cringle, as a benefit for the West Seattle Food Bank, and Cocoa Cris e-mailed us today to make sure we knew in time to share the news – it’s his 7th annual “Theatrical Holiday Photo Funomenon“! 4-9 pm this Saturday (December 19th), “shop for records, enjoy hot cocoa, and prepare to have a truly unique holiday photo experience … Cocoa welcomes families, individuals, groups, and most pets. … Suggested donation $15-$20, superflexible. Includes 3 poses with a variety of hats, props, and a fog machine. One printed photo to take with you, and shots with your smartphone or camera.” Easy Street is in the heart of The Junction on the NW corner of California/Alaska.
P.S. Other new additions to the guide include Santa at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) with multiple appearances during the last week before Christmas; details on Highland Park Improvement Club‘s not-to-be-missed New Year’s Eve celebration, including the legendary Not-So-Silent-Night Parade; and New Year’s yoga at Sound Yoga (WSB sponsor). We’ve also just received more listings for Christmas Eve/Day church services, and we’re making our Christmas list of restaurants/coffee. Anything to contribute to the guide, happening between now and New Year’s Day? E-mail us the info ASAP so we can get it in – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
6:51 PM: Thanks for the tips that a crash response is blocking West Marginal Way SW near the Duwamish Longhouse (4700 block). We don’t have details of the crash but we’d suggest avoiding the area for now.
7:50 PM: SDOT update via Twitter:
Hearing that @SeattleSPU is replacing a broken power pole at W Marginal Way SW & S Alaska St. Lanes remain subject to closure.
— seattledot (@seattledot) December 16, 2015
7:14 AM: As you can see from the comments, the road apparently remains closed – we’re off to see if we can find out why.
7:37 AM: City Light is still working right at the Duwamish Longhouse (4700 block W. Marginal Way SW) and we’ve verified, the road is indeed still closed at that point, both directions.
8:01 AM: Please see our daily traffic watch for continuing coverage of the closure, as repair work continues.
Thanks to Jissy for the tip – the much-asked-about Westwood Village drive-up mailbox is back. Just last Friday, the USPS confirmed to WSB that it was done repairing the box that was damaged by fire in late August, and would bring it back “soon.” Its arrival is just one day after what was expected to be the busiest mailing day of the holiday season. The USPS had told us that the box couldn’t simply be replaced because it didn’t have a surplus mailbox of this type; this was the second time this year it needed repairs – first time was after a driver hit it in March.
We start this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup with a story that’s still developing:
GUNFIRE & SEARCH: For the second consecutive afternoon, police are investigating gunfire, with no injuries reported. This time it happened at or near the Seamart store at 16th and Holden. Police we talked to there say that one person was reported to have left on foot northbound afterward while a vehicle described as a green SUV – in which the shooter reportedly was riding – headed south.
What’s believed to be that vehicle has turned up in downtown White Center, on 16th south of Roxbury, but police are still looking for the person believed to have been driving. We’ll update with anything else we find out about this incident.
All that happened as we were putting together a roundup with other reports from the inbox, so on with those:
CAR PROWL ON VIDEO: Mike‘s surveillance camera caught what happened early Monday morning on the street outside his home in the 6300 block of 41st SW:
Mike is a firefighter and says the thief/thieves “got some of my Firefighting gear. Brand new boots (still in the box) and gloves worth about 500. Some DVDs.”
ANOTHER CAR PROWL: Bill says this happened last night near 41st and Barton in Upper Fauntleroy:
After removing Christmas tree from car at 8:30 pm 12/14, I forgot to lock the vehicle. Approximately at 1 am on 12/15, just before going to bed, I was in the kitchen getting a drink. I looked out to where my car was parked, I noticed a pick-up truck suspiciously parked in the middle of the street next to my vehicle. I went out to my car noticed that the driver side door was ajar, and the contents of my glove compartment and middle console compartment were dumped on the seats. Some personal items, a pair of Nike sunglasses ($75) and a tray of coins/change < $5.00. The prowler sped off when he saw me, but I got a pretty good look at the vehicle and have reported its description to the police.
CAR PROWL/HOUSE BREAK-IN CONCERN: Mia at 42nd and Findlay writes, “Over this past weekend, we experienced our 3rd car break-in (we’ve also had a couple home break-ins in the past 5 years). Fortunately, we didn’t have any valuables inside the car, but we’re very worried that we are being watched, or, rather, there is a very shady crew combing our streets on a regular basis.”
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Mioposto. Here’s what this new West Seattle restaurant would like you to know:
Mioposto – translated, “My Place†– is the new kid in the Admiral neighborhood. This wood-fired Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen on the corner of California & Walker offers up a warm, rustic, and inviting vibe with brick walls, massive wood beams, open kitchen, and eclectic Soho whimsy.
From its locally built wood-burning oven, Mio’s menu features soul-satisfying flavors from the Italian hearth. Handmade individual-size pizzas, Panini, and house-baked bread are born from their prized dough recipe created over two years. Seattle Times food critic Providence Cicero has awarded Mioposto three stars and describes their pizza as “These oven-blistered beauties have thin, foldable crusts, ballooning edges, and a bread-like chew.â€
Mioposto is more than pizza, however. Their wood-burning oven is the heart of their open kitchen, which sports 14 comfortable ‘backed’ stools to watch the show.
From the fire come roasted Hood Canal Clams, Calamari Puttanesca, and roasted vegetables. A 12-ounce Rib Eye Steak with gorgonzola that is SO GOOD it should only be served on a Sunday (Mio offers it every day of the week). The Bresaola is sliced paper-thin and dressed with Corto extra-virgin olive oil, shaved Grana padano, and lemon. Their Melanzane is roasted and marinated eggplant, layered with fresh mozzarella, and drizzled with Mint Pesto.
Also, surprisingly from the Fire, Heat, and Smoke, comes their original Fire & Ice Cocktail with its smoked sweet vermouth ice and Woodinville Rye Whisky. And their house-made Limoncello (owner’s recipe) is the golden finish to your dining indulgence. Mioposto is family-friendly, drop-in-on-a-random-Tuesday dining. It’s a haven for those single diners who want to belly-up to the pizza bar, and for others wanting a “date night” dining experience, their lineup of handcrafted cocktails, wine, and beer assures it to be adult-friendly, too. Watch Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders while sipping on a Nitro Draft and enjoying their Ceci.
Owners Jeremy & Tiah Hardy state, “At Mio, we make food that’s meant to be shared. We envision a place where friends and family come together to indulge in great food & drink, rub elbows at the table, share stories and laugh loudly. If a wine glass gets knocked over, don’t worry about it!”
And about their new location, “We love West Seattle and have been waiting a long time to become part of this great neighborhood. We have great respect for the strong community culture here and are excited to contribute and make it our neighborhood.”
Mioposto ~ Wood Fired Pizzeria, Italian Kitchen & Bar – 2139 California Ave SW. Open 4 pm to 10 pm Sunday thru Thursday – open 4 pm to 11 pm Friday & Saturday – Happy Hours daily from 4 pm to 6 pm – miopostopizza.com.
We thank Mioposto for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Six development-related notes from around West Seattle:
NEXT DESIGN REVIEW MEETING SET: Aegis Living‘s proposed assisted-living center at 4700 SW Admiral Way goes back to the Southwest Design Review Board on February 4th (6:30 pm at the Sisson Building). It’s on the boards for 81 units, 36 parking spaces, and the proposal page now mentions “removal of an exceptional tree” (although a report just added to the project file today puts the tree in question just below the “exceptional” threshold). This will be the project’s second meeting before the Southwest Design Review Board; the last one was in July.
Meantime, the permit/application pace is picking up, perhaps the pre-holiday rush – a few of note:
5029 DELRIDGE WAY SW: Early-stage proposal to demolish a single-family house and garage and replace it with four single-family houses and a duplex.
7329 BAINBRIDGE PL. SW: Early-stage proposal for six rowhouse units – a fourplex and a duplex.
1706 ALKI SW: The application is officially in for this teardown-to-seven-townhouse proposal we mentioned in August, so watch for the official comment period to open.
7717 HIGHLAND PARK WAY SW: The application is also officially in – with comment period ahead – for this teardown-to-five-single-family-house proposal we first mentioned three months ago.
MORGAN JUNCTION LOT SPLIT: Lots of lot splits in the city files right now but 6504 44th SW is somewhat high-profile – it’s right behind the Morgan Junction building that’s home to five businesses on the southwest corner of California and Fauntleroy. It’s proposed for splitting into two parcels, 7,332 sq. ft. and 5,668 sq. ft., with “existing structures to be removed.” No official plan on the books yet for what will replace them; the location is zoned single-family. Comments are being taken through Sunday (December 20th); here’s how to comment.
The latest show of support for Muslims, amid a regional and national surge in Islamophobia, happened this morning at Chief Sealth International High School, right before classes started for the day.
The rally was organized by Sealth’s Black Student Union, as announced in the school’s Daily Bulletin. A crowd we counted at more than 70 students and teachers gathered on the steps along the east side of the school auditorium to display signs and chant.
Leading the chants was student Abshira Sala, who summarized the rally’s message afterward:
Part of the rallying cry was “Justice for Hamza” – referring to citywide concerns related to the recent death of 16-year-old Somali-American Hamza Warsame on Capitol Hill. Meantime, a hate-crime investigation is under way in the case of a ride-share driver who reported being harassed and assaulted by a passenger picked up last week in what was described as “southwest Seattle.”
In addition to today’s rally, recent shows of support for local Muslims included a resolution passed by the City Council yesterday, and a regional gathering of faith leaders at a north-end mosque last Friday, with West Seattle’s Rabbi Zari Weiss of Kol HaNeshamah among them.
(Photo by Flickr member SurferLucas, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
From the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide and year-round Event Calendar:
TEEN HOLIDAY CRAFTS/WRAPPING: 2:30-4 pm today and daily through Friday, teens are invited to this drop-in event at Hiawatha Community Center, to make gifts and/or wrap them. (2700 California SW)
EVENING BOOK GROUP: 6:30 pm at High Point Library. This month’s book is “Behind the Scenes at the Museum” by Kate Atkinson. (35th SW & SW Raymond)
MADISON CONCERT: 7 pm in the gym at Madison Middle School. From the PTA bulletin: “Madison’s music students have been working hard and are excited to entertain you! All are welcome!” (45th SW & SW Spokane)
‘BLUE HOLIDAYS’ SERVICE: From the seasonal-church-services section of the Holiday Guide – 7:30 pm at Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation – “Christmas and other seasonal holidays can be a painful time. The loss of loved ones, the anguish of a broken relationship, the insecurity of employment, the weariness of poor health, the pain of isolation, or the pressure of holiday preparations and activity – all these can make us feel alone in the midst of celebrations of the season. We will hear and share stories, prayers, readings, songs, and silence. The service will be followed by light refreshments and fellowship. Everyone is welcome.” (7141 California SW)
NIGHTLIFE: Karaoke, trivia, and live music at four venues in our listings – all on the complete year-round calendar.
And this note:
REMINDER FOR THE NORTH ADMIRAL AREA: Today is the day the city says Fire Station 29 will be moving from its temporary home of nine months (across SW Hill from Admiral UCC Church) back to its permanent HQ, after seismic and other upgrades. (2139 Ferry SW)
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:59 AM: As you can see on the traffic cams, it’s foggy as we head into the heart of the commute. No incidents in the area so far.
7:17 AM: Crash at 35th and Willow, with one SFD engine responding.
7:21 AM: The “low bridge” has just closed to surface traffic, according to @SDOTbridges.
7:35 AM: And it’s open again.
7:40 AM: … and closed to surface traffic again.
8:03 AM: Just reopened.
P.S. In case you missed it on Monday, this is what’s happening at the Highway 99 tunnel “access pit” alongside the Viaduct now.
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