Yeah, my several-year peeve is similarly themed: I can’t tolerate people who don’t feel like they need to park their cars in the grocery store lot like everyone else, so they just ‘park’ IN FRONT of the store and leave the car running. This happens at Admiral and Jefferson Square Safeways most often. Often the driver is still in the idling car,and if I’m walking by them, I sarcastically feign altruism and point to a nearby open spot.
Another nod for Sleepless on Alki–nice, smooth mochas. Re: Java Bean–WOW! I have never had a bad experience there, I’m sorry to hear that others have. Don’t forget the new Bubbles on Delridge–really cozy, comfy atmosphere, good coffee and sandwiches too!
We use Harrahs on California Ave. in the Admiral District, by Blockbuster and in back of Click!. Ron and his partner are reliable and good, always keeping the cost to the customer in mind. They also maintain a service record on your vehicle(s)so they get to know them. They are all about cars.
IMO, the West Seattle take-out burger hierarchy goes like this:
1) Circa
2) Jak’s
That’s it. The Elliot Bay burger is totally hit and miss. Too risky if you’re doing take-out.
We have always felt good about the service we have gotten at Dere Automotive on 35th and Barton. The shop manager is Lee, nice guy, always upbeat and friendly. Never had any problems with the work done there.
The 35th/Avalon SBUX is the worst! I have complained numerous times to the staff and to corporate, and nothing improves, they just sending me free drink coupons. The new SBUX at Jefferson Square is great though- quick, friendly barristas and a fully stocked pastry case. And if you go in the morning you don’t have to deal with the bad parking since no one is there.
My favorite though is the coffee at Thriftway. Great prices, friendly baristas and grocery shopping all in one stop. I order Americano’s, and I’m always impressed there is a beautiful, thick crema on top. As Wes suggested above, if you want to tell the good from the bad or mediocre, just order a shot and drink it straight.
Related to this topic is pedestrian right-of-way on sidewalks. Some people seem to think the sidewalks are their property. Maybe back before the area was platted and subdivided and annexed to the city it was. Now it is city property. Cars parked across the sidewalk can be ticketed. And property owners who fail to keep vegetation from growing over the sidewalk can be assessed a charge if the city has to cut it back. I suspect the people who block the sidewalk in front of their house are the same ones driving in front of pedestrians in the crosswalk.
I have firsthand experience!
According to an entomologist I spoke with in Puyallup about five years ago, WS is the northernmost area that has subterranean termites (let’s call them ST’s). They apparently have no interest in any areas east of here. ST’s need food and moisture, so if you have areas of standing water around your house try to fix that. Also remove any wood that may sit close to your house.
In my case, I discovered ST’s when they ate through a bit of caulk at the doorway of my mudroom. Mudroom has a cinderblock foundation (bad!), and the ST’s came up through the holes in the cinderblock and ate most of the mudsill and partway up the vertical supports. A handy friend removed the drywall inside and a few rows of siding outside to effect repairs and we tried to fill in as many cinderblock holes with quikcrete that we could access.
Cascade Pest Control was the only company I found in Seattle that deals with ST’s. He had to dig a shallow trench around the affected area, mix up several gallons of Termidor, and fill the trench with it. Termidor doesn’t repel ST’s, they go through the treated soil, and take it back to the nest where it kills everyone. It continues to work for five years. Next summer will be five years for me so I plan to have Cascade back for another treatment, just to be safe. It’s not cheap – cost around $400 just to treat around the mudroom, would be $1200-$1500 to treat around my 800 square foot house. If I remember correctly, Cascade will guarantee for five years if you treat around the entire structure, in my case I only did the one room so no guarantee.
I could go on for an hour about ST’s. I find them both horrifying ($$$) and fascinating.
If the inspector you used at time of purchase didn’t notice any damage to the mudsill in the crawlspace perhaps this is an early discovery. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
I have to cross 35th each day at an intersection to catch the bus. This means I’m crossing an “unmarked crosswalk.” (FYI all intersections are unmarked crosswalks and drivers are supposed to yield to pedestrians.) I can’t remember the last time a car actually stopped for me, though. Last June or July, probably.
The City took away several crosswalks on 35th because they were unsafe. (??) Then said that in fact, all intersections are crosswalks so there should still be plenty of places to cross safely. Uh-huh, whatev.
I typically practice what I call “defensive crosswalking” when in a crosswalk. That means I wave to the oncoming driver, which tends to help get their attention, and even try to make eye contact, before venturing out.
I think some drivers don’t think they have to stop unless the ped is IN the crosswalk. That’s very untrue. If you are a ped and standing on the curb waiting to step out until it is safe, you absolutely have the right of way, and if the driver gets cited, the ticket is pretty steep.
I think Councilmember Richard Conlin is very tuned into pedestrian issues. If your email to the mayor was ignored (shocking!) I’d try Conlin’s office.
BTW, the above post was by Mrs. Loblaw. Mr Loblaw does not have a husband (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
I’ve only been to Fastan in West Seattle, but I do recall seeing tanning beds at All Star Fitness. If you choose that option, I’d bring my own spray bottle since their lazy employees probably don’t clean the beds often. There’s a tanning place on California between the Alaska and Admiral Junction (north of Charleston, I think) that looks reputable, but I’ve never been. I went to a great place in Bellevue growing up that would keep my pre-purchased tans on record for years. In fact, I bet I still have some over there, which is pretty cool and what you would expect from all tanning salons.
Drivers don’t stop at ANY crosswalks in West Seattle, or downtown. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I catch the bus at the park and ride below the West Seattle bridge and I always have a difficult time getting drivers to stop. The crosswalk I use was faded away and I called the city and metro. Within DAYS the crosswalk was repainted. However, drivers still do not stop unless I step into the crosswalk and force them to. Sometimes they just swerve around me into the other lane. Last spring my husband bought two buckets, put gravel in them, and made bright orange flags for me to use in that crosswalk. They’re gone now! The flags were taken and somebody dumped out the gravel and took the buckets. I have e.mailed the mayor about how to make our crosswalks safer, but got no response, other than my name was added to his monthly newsletter. His campaign to improve crosswalk safety needs to start with the drivers, not the pedestrians. Pedestrians in a marked, and unmarked, crosswalk at an intersection have the legal right of way, not the driver. What we need is drivers blowing through occupied crosswalks to be ticketed!
i agree with the elliot bay comments! a great burger every time. i am a huge fan of the hawaii five 0! yum! also, super good fries. be sure to get a side of tartar sauce for the fries.
Hi All: I’m looking for a new pad in WS (current pad is down by Alki) and there is so little to be found!! Does anyone out there own, or know of, any small gems in your neighborhood, such as a mother-in-law home, or a duplex or triplex that perhaps isn’t being widely advertised? Basically anything except one of those big-box apartment buildings. Thank you!
+1 for Elliot Bay. + 1/2 for Luna Park I used to really enjoy burgers at LP, but they seem to be going downhill.
For those of us that fully understand that UV rays are bad but like to soak up some fake sun before going on vacation pay special attention when signing up for those “specials” at Fastan.
Here’s what happened to me:
Between 8/14/2006 and 12/7/2006 I purchased Tanning sessions from Fastan on Fauntleroy. I went into the store today (12/27/2007)for a session and was told that my credits had expired. Like rubbing salt in an open wound I was then told that if I wanted to sign up for an additional package, I would be credited the expired tans. I remember thinking, “so let me get this straight, I didn’t use all the tans I previously purchased, but if I buy more tans that I probably won’t use, then you’ll do me a favor and give me back what I already paid for.”
I expressed my disappointment in their policy with hope of some good explanation by the sales representative but only got what appeared to be a well rehearsed response of “we tell all of our customers that they expire
While I was in the store, I noticed that none of the advertised specials that were prominently displayed mentioned that the credits would expire after any set period of time. When I inquired as to why there was no written disclaimer, the sales representative told me they verbally tell customers at point of sale and that it is stated in the contract that is signed. I asked to see an example of this contract where it was stated in writing that my tans would expire and wanted to see where I signed acknowledging this, and they could not produce one for me. If I wanted a copy I was then told that I would have to get it from their corporate office. What is most confusing is that some of my tanning credits are set to expire in 1 year while others last two years. At no point in time do I recall this being explained to me, as I would have been reluctant to purchase as many credits as I did. I’m not really into tanning but go before vacation so I don’t burn on the first day when exposed to sun.
In the end I asked for the regional manager and was only given a first name and a phone number which I later learned was their Burien location. When I asked for the managers last name, i was told that she didn’t know it. Seriously, who doesn’t know their boss\managers last name. Anyways, I’m done with Fastan, they may have gotten my unused tanning credits but lost a customer.
Anyone have a good recomendation on where I should go for fake sun?
Believe it or not, the Triangle Pub in White Center has some pretty crazy good burgers. The place may look a little rough around the edges, but the bar tender was extremely nice and cooked all our burgers to order and then packed them in to-go boxes along with a mountain of fries. Cost couldn’t have been more than $6. Not gourmet, but a lot of bang for your buck. ‘‘Citysearch Page for Triangle Pub’‘.
Location: ‘‘9454 Delridge Way SW’‘
P.S. Sorry if the links are borked…first post to the forums.
I had to have one of my water heaters replaced. I called Southwest Plumbing and after getting their quote I decided to check elsewhere. I saw that someone suggested Joe the Plumber so I called him. He was here the next day, replaced the water heater and did it for HALF the quote from SWP. That is even less that what he ball parked on the phone for a rough estimate.
Jacks happy hour, best burgers for 5 bucks. I dont know if you can take them out, but sit down at the bar and have a wonderful burger!
We had to replace a sewer line, and some drainage, a few years back and used RayMark. They aren’t in West Seattle, but we thought they were fantastic. Little disruption of our yard, the job was done on time and UNDER budget. They also improved my great-aunt’s sewer system and made the previous company come back and fix their mistake, for nothing! Great people!
Elliott Bay Brewery has awesome burgers, and you can call in orders for takeout. My favorite is the Crumbled Bleu & Bacon burger. Delicious!
dunderp, thanks for the heads-up on the pastrami place – I work right near the Market, so I’ll be sure to stop on over and check it out. I don’t think I realized how much I missed pastrami until I was back in NY and walked into the Pastrami King and wanted to cry at the smell of the place. LOL!
House, I agree that Ho Win is more “east coast style” than a lot of other places. I still find it a bit mediocre (I’m with Kayleigh on her opinion of most chinese food in Seattle), but it’s closer than many other places. I still cringe at the mixed vegetables in my “eggdrop” soup though. And for what passes for an eggroll out here.
I like them. The format took a little getting used to since they’re very different than other forums I use, but they’re easy to use and it’s nice to be able to start a topic about something without hoping that you start it first, or hijacking another topic for something else. I’d love to see a “back” button though, or something to back to the main forum page – I didn’t find it instantly intuitive to click on the topic name to go back.
I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into the site!
Shanghai Garden in ID is my choice, with their hand-shaven barley green noodles. Pot stickers using the same dough are also recommended!
