Bad memories
Some of the news coverage of yesterday’s Bridge Disaster unearthed long-buried memories of the olden days of the stretch between 99 and I-5. It used to be a barrier-free high-speed death trap known as the West Seattle Freeway (or its official name, the Spokane Street Viaduct), with endless official protestations of “sorry it’s so dangerous, but there’s no room for a barrier” — till “new technology” was found and deployed six years ago.
Meanwhile, as of this writing, all looks well on The Bridge (note that the “Chelan intersection” link on our cams page shows the approach to the low bridge, if you ever need to check that out before leaving home). Some interesting follow-up stories in this morning’s papers, including lots of gripes that clearing away the wreckage took way too long. Still don’t know who those three people in the mangled, burned car were, though.
Junction trouble?
Trying to find out more about a report I heard on radio news while we drove home tonight after spending the day out of town. Something about a shooting early this morning in the Junction. As of right now, not a shred posted on any local-news site I can find, even the one for the station where I heard the blurb (I suppose their Web producers all have the holiday weekend off) … but the Seattle 911 log does have an “assault with weapons” at California and Alaska at 12:53 am today.
(Monday update: Discovered a small eyewitness account on chasBlog … scroll down to the photo of flashing police-car lights.)
Brave bicyclist
Some weeks back, as we walked past the front of Aaron’s Bicycle Repair in Morgan Junction, we saw a hand-lettered sign on the store door that said “Gypsie was hit by a car.” We’ve often stopped to look through the window at the store’s resident cats, so we quickly made the assumption that “Gypsie” was one of them.
How wrong we were. This article says “Gypsie” is one of the shop owners, who’s battling back from quite an ordeal.
(Though my bike’s been in the basement for years, I’ve long felt fondness toward Aaron’s, because even at the height of anti-monorail mania, they were among the few who proudly and prominently displayed pro-monorail posters.)
Trashing the tunnel
Sorry I didn’t know about this meeting ahead of time; sounds like a chorus in which I could easily have sung — I’m also in the “tunnel schmunnel” section, although, as I’ve mentioned, I’m more a fan of the “third option” at the moment. Not that I’ve done any scientific studies or anything, it just seems like something we can get done quicker and cheaper.
(Side note with calendar relevance: The only time each year I actually feel warm and fuzzy about the viaduct is when I get to walk on it. The WSB team always signs up for that event — WSB Spouse and I are both “adult orphans” whose moms died of cancer, and it’s become our way of paying tribute to them each summer.)
Wrist slap
You know, it’s only sports, for God’s sake. Did they really wimp out because of fears somebody would SUE? Fine lesson THAT teaches our next generation of adults.
This just flat-out sucks
From the WS Herald: WSHS cancels 9th-grade honors program.
Seattle Public Schools leaders wonder why enrollment keeps dropping. That’s because they offer nothing for the people who have the resources to make a choice. Check out the 12th paragraph here — what in the world could an educator possibly have against spending some time working with bright kids? Practically right across the street from WSHS, the district’s “Spectrum” program manages to hang on, despite outright hostility and neglect from district leaders. You can bet the parents of those kids are trying mightily to save for private school in later years, now that the district has flown the “we’re not even going to try to keep your kids challenged in high school” flag.
In this case, it doesn’t even sound like a case of money trouble for the district. Just flat-out indifference to the very real needs of gifted kids, and other high achievers. Getting off my soapbox now, but my blood’s still a-boil …
More on the new park
Here’s the story in today’s P-I. I wouldn’t exactly call the pub move “a block” … details, details. As for possible names, Monorail Memorial Park really rings my bell. Perhaps some folks on the non-o-rail board can rustle around in the storeroom and find some decorations from items bought but unreturnable …
Death at the beach
Sounds like an ugly crash late last night, the one along Alki that killed two people. I love going to the beach at night and looking out at the lights across the bay … but especially as the weather warms up, things do get a little out of hand. Sad way to start the warm-weather season.
But what about the flag?
Managed to miss this while I was on blogging semi-hiatus the past two weeks. Funny, I was just telling a visitor the story behind the building’s massive flag. So will that stay or will that go? I always wondered what kept that guy in WS this long anyway, considering the oxymoronic nature of the term “West Seattle Republican.”
Another pastor to write about for a change
Taking a break from the Holy Rosary situation … another West Seattle pastor makes it into the news today. Unfortunately, it’s because he seems to be “our” version of noted prejudice-monger Ken Hutcherson (second-to-last paragraph here; at least this story rescues the WS image with a more reasonable quote from Councilguy Dow).
The opposite of pumped up
Interesting tidbit about a West Seattle gas station toward the end of this P-I story.
Even with gas prices back on the brink of $3, I hadn’t thought much about the possibility of not always getting what you pay for. But one cup out of a $3 gallon would be more than 18 cents worth of gas — and in a fill-up, that could add up fast.
By the way, looks like they kinda need some West Seattle gas-price spotters at this site — I chose “SW Seattle” (W Seattle didn’t appear to be an option) and nothing came up but a plea for tipsters.
Bad memories
This morning’s deadly shooting rampage on Capitol Hill left me trying to remember if anything really horrific ever happened here in WS. I remember a particularly ugly summer in the early ’90s including someone getting shot and killed on a waterfront bench along Beach Drive. But I forgot the 1998 bridge shootings till this Times “side note” article on Other Really Bad Shootings in Our State. Anyway, condolences to the relatives of today’s victims, and prayers for all who are taken away too soon …
New music from another WS star
OK, so it’s hard not to know that Eddie Vedder is from West Seattle. And we had long since heard that Soundgarden has ties here too. But it’s news to us (go ahead, laugh) that a major name from Mudhoney lives in WS too. The band’s out with a new album and that means a new round of interviews, including this one that caught our eye on an unrelated search because of this line:
Having turned 44 last month, Mark Arm, who shares a West Seattle home with his wife, remains one of rock’s most iconic figures.
A more-entertaining quote comes from a Seattle Times interview last week:
Q: Briefly describe the most annoying neighbors you’ve ever had.
A: The people who lived next door to us when we first moved into our house in West Seattle. Nosy retired couple.
And even more to the point about WS, an excerpt from a 2002 interview in the Times, when the writer asked two band members to interview each other at Easy Street:
Turner: What do you like most about living in West Seattle?
Arm (gazing down the street from behind Elvis sunglasses, chewing gum ferociously as he ponders): I like the fact that … it still hasn’t been renovated. I like the fact that, with the exception of Easy Street, you’re not surrounded by hipsters every time you walk down the street. I like being surrounded by the salt of the Earth.
Yeah, us too.
Where are they now?
Gosh, it’s like a monorail reunion. (Meantime, apparently it’ll be at least a few weeks till we know if the property auction brought in enough to end the lingering tab tax someday semi-soon.)
P.S. Also from today’s papers — a P-I update on the Holy Rosary situation, mentioning 700 people at last night’s meeting (and that’s about the only bit of “news” in the story).
Paper’s out!
Wednesday means Herald day. Two things of note:
–I’m way behind the times. Hadn’t heard the word “shoe-jacked” till I read this. (Of course, the shoes I wear are not even remotely worth, uh, “jacking.”)
–What ARE those fish up to? (Third item.)
There’ll be no living with them now
The fine folks of West 5 got a newspaper rave today. That’s probably why the line was out the door when I drove through the Junction around 6:40 tonight. I agree with the reviewer about the mac ‘n’ cheese. However, how can they pass right over the incredible BLT (even more incredibly edible when you get the avocado add-on)?
P.S. Very busy night in the Junction … especially around the Senior Center, which appeared to be having some sort of shindig upstairs, live music included (someone playing a bass could be seen against a window).
“Blighted”?
Today’s P-I article about the deal for Whole Foods to come to Fauntleroy Place uses that word to describe the project site. Seems a little harsh. Now, just a bit to the west, we *would* say that’s a good word for the empty ex-Burger King and the tattered, shuttered building that I vaguely recall as having been a car-stereo store once upon a time.
As for the project itself, we’ve got mixed emotions on the idea of a Whole Foods store here. The WS Blogger household does enjoy “health food” (brown rice is on the stove even as we type). When the WF in North Seattle was relatively new, we dropped in a few times. Found most of their stuff overpriced, including the extensive deli offerings. Didn’t see any reason to stop patronizing our local PCC, at least in favor of a crosstown drive.
So now they’ll be here, not far from the Jefferson Square Safeway — we loathe Safeways, so if business there is affected, no biggie in our personal view. The Morgan Junction Thriftway might feel some heat, since that’s just a mile down the road, and it’s cultivated a tiny bit of upscaleness. But how will the folks at PCC cope? Brand loyalty might not count for much any more, even for those of us who can count their PCC membership years on into double digits.
Bottom line for me … we would still rather see West Seattle get a Trader Joe’s, so we can stop the frequent trips to Burien!
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