Jan..
Work, I worked for NASA. It was adventurous, to say the least. Almost got my head shot off once by a guy who flipped me the bird and then stopped his truck and pulled the rifle off the gun rack in the back of his cab and almost got run over by another guy gunning his car out of a parking lot and just couldn’t believe that someone was actually on the sidewalk in front of him. Yeah, Houston – Don’t Mess with Texas. Oh, you got to love the 100 percent humidity there, too. That and the average height above sea level – 12 feet. Lots of flooding in the storms. One house we owned had a yard which regularly turned into a lake when it rained.
Chas…from Reading, PA here…then college in VA, and then on to DC…late 60’s ..was great. Houston? Whatever possessed you to go there?
The Metro RapidRide group is having a series of public meetings here in WS for the WS RapidRide. Jan 24 at the Hall at Fauntleroy, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Jan 29 at the WS Senior Center (Oregon@California) also 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. And, on Jan 30 noon to 3:00 pm at the Senior Center.
Presently they want the route to come up from the ferry dock on Fauntleroy and turn north on California and then right at Alaska. The stations would be rather large (though nice) and would be on California basically right in the block with ArtsWest and Elliott Bay Brewery – sort of blocking the street view in both directions.
An alternative routing would be straight on Fauntleroy to Alaska and then right. Both routes would go down Alaska to 35th to Avalon and then onto the causeway ramp at Spokane.
The Fauntleroy routing would probably be faster, wouldn’t disrupt the landscape along California, and would take advantage of whatever new construction goes in at the corner of Fauntleroy and Alaska (old Huling/Gee lots). The disadvantage is that folks would have to walk a few blocks from the current 54 routing on California.
Any preferences? If you have them, by all means show up at these meetings. I’d also be interested in a poll (WSB?) which offered the two options. The service is supposed to begin either late 2010 or early 2011 – about the time the Viaduct is closed for work. It’s also supposed to run 18 hours a day on no less frequent headways than 15 minutes – maybe even 12 or 10.
Thoughts?
Jan – there were two variants where I was from (Mid Atlantic – PA and then DC) – they were west/east/south/north Bumf*** and west/east/south/north Jesus. When I lived in Houston they just said “the boonies.” But everywhere there was – to me – the boonies.
While waiting like forever at 42nd and Fauntleroy, I’ve always wondered why there isn’t a light here, especially since it’s where two busy arterials meet. It’s so bad I’ll go Thistle/California from Westwood just to avoid it.
Got me thinking about where else we could bug the city for a light or better traffic flow at existing lights (16th and henderson maybe?, better cycling of the lights along 35th?)
actually,where I’m from back east, we usually tacked on “Egypt” at the end of that saying, Chas, but I guess that’s not really PC now, is it? lol..
Southcenter…the best time to go…Tuesday mornings at 10am…never busy (except for right before Christmas), always lots of parking….and you can be in and out in no time…of course, you also have to be self-employed ;-)
My number one Christmas pet peeve used to be dead lights in the tree. I never trusted those little lamps and every two or three years I’d have to replace a whole string. The larger bulbs were too hot and were dangerous for little kids so we never got used to having them around. We had one string when our youngest was a toddler and we finally chucked it. This year, for the first time, the tree lights are all LEDs and I’m hoping they last longer than a few years.
Otherwise, all the other pet peeves are okay. I kinda like sneaking over to Southcenter and breezing in and out. I go to Guitar Center and REI there sometimes because it can be quicker than trying to get over to Westlake area – either by bus or in a car. There’s a way, if those are the only places you’re going, to get from Gatewood there and back in an hour or less. Also, if you park by the bus center and just walk in the long way, there’s no real parking hassle. I always park in what we used to refer to back east as West Bumf*** – fewer dints in the car and you usually remember where you parked.
P.S.
I liked Bakery Nouveau’s French press coffee better, but they were breaking glass containers and it was taking too long to make as much coffee as they were selling. Alas, their French press Lighthouse brew was even better.
Just for the coffee, you know, regular 16 ounce drip, I’d say Ladro with its shade-grown, fair-trade, organic beans (don’t know who does the roasting), Bird-on-a-Wire for its shade-grown, fair-trade, organic beans roasted by Raven’s Brew (Alaska and now also Fife), and Bakery Nouveau for its LIghthouse Roasters french roast drip – and its croissants. Wish William would do something about the seating and cash-out process. In a pinch, any of the other ones mentioned will do, but the three I mentioned have the best, day-to-day, consistently strong, fresh and tasty brew. IMHO, of course. Espressos and cappuccinos are another matter.
We went back to the sidewalkless stretch today (sunny at the time), saw no sign of work. Guessing the OP meant there was a survey crew out for a while … thought maybe we’d missed actual construction … but none of that happening yet.
Luciano’s delivers yummy pasta and salads. But watch out if you order pizza from Luciano’s, they have a good scam going. If you order a large pizza, they consistently upsize you and sell you an extra-large. They don’t give you a total, so you don’t figure it out until the pizza’s at your door. A friend was ordering a bunch of large pizza’s for a gathering. We warned her of this, when they didn’t give her a total at the end she called back and confirmed that they had charged her for extra larges. She asked them to change the order and they refused, so my friend ended up with an extra $50 in pizza.
Ho-win has pretty good and cheap Chinese food.
Jan, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gym that posts its prices on a website, so for that particular service, I wouldn’t necessarily be suspect. But I do find it annoying. If I’ve got $X available for a membership, I don’t care what kind of glitz and song & dance you show me when I get in, I can still only afford $X, even if I think it’s worth more. So I do wish gyms would post a price and just not waste either of our time with the hard-sell nonsense.
The main reason I haven’t checked out Fitness Together is the fact that it’s up a flight of stairs. (It’s over near where the 8 Limbs Yoga is, with alley access.) With my knees, I just can’t walk up a flight of stairs easily (especially since my surgery), yet I can work out for an hour with no problem. I had to leave another gym downtown for the same reason. I guess they figure that if you work out, you won’t mind a flight of stairs, but it’s a purely structural issue that doesn’t keep me from working out, just from doing stairs.
I tried googling to see if anybody had prices listed. A FT in Miami charges $70/hr. Another site (location unknown) said it ranges $65-$85/session. Based on what I paid for personal training downtown, I would think those prices are probably similar to what it would be here, but that’s just my assumption. I would also assume that they have packages where you pay less if you buy more sessions.
I used to use a trainer downtown, but I made a deal with her to only see her 1/2 hour at a time, so I saved money that way. I don’t need a trainer to watch me on the bike or elliptical, so I did that before my 1/2 hour started. Somehow I doubt that FT would allow that, and you’d probably have to spend the whole hour with them.
I can’t recommend anyone in West Seattle. But a trip downtown is not such a bad thing. I can recommend Darren Gray at Smith Barney/Donnelly-Gray. He has helped us from the time we were poor college kids with barely two nickels to rub together. He most recently helped us set up a 529 for our son. From their website:
The Donnelly-Gray Group
Consulting Group
E-mail Us
601 Union Street
Suite 5200
Seattle, WA 98101
tel: 206.343.2933
toll free: 800.426.7837
fax: 206.628.4425
http://fa.smithbarney.com/donnellygraygroup/financialplanning.htm
Two others that I like (although I am no where near a coffee expert) are: the Westwood village Starbucks – consistently good coffee and very fast, friendly service on weekday mornings and Bakery Nouveau – just yummy coffee to go along with their yummy pastries!
Data point, even pizza places are diversifying. WSB sponsor Garlic Jim’s, for example, has decent salads, as well as wings. But overall, the dearth of delivery is indeed kind of surprising. In some other Western cities, even non-pizza franchises offer delivery – visiting family in Las Vegas some years back, we noticed delivery numbers on the windows of places such as El Pollo Loco (which we wish would come to this state).
I’m looking for a recommendation for a WS massage therapist with experience with pregnancy massage. I’m experiencing a stiff upper back and neck pain, and have a month yet to go (and lots more work to do to get ready). I appreciate any recommendations that you have. I may call Head to Toe, but I really don’t need the whole spa experience, just someone I can see for brief sessions for a few weeks. Thanks!
We discussed this a few months back, before the RRRs got their own Forum here …
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=2698
check for scissors advice in there!
If you are on foot, you tend to feel cars are a menace. If you are on bike, you are annoyed with pedestrians and terrified by cars. If you are in a car everyone is simply in your way.
Stupid peds don’t excuse bad drivers. Most of us drive too fast, with too many distractions–stereo, cellphone, kids, etc. to really pay attention. The difference is that we are piloting a huge metal container around at high speeds.
We need to have better sidewalks, crosswalks, signage and sightlines for pedestrians. As Seattle becomes denser in the future there will be relatively more peds and bikes and relatively less cars. The time to plan is now.
Recently got to visit a Kidd Valley for the first time in years – son had never been. Grrreat! We did the whole shabang…burgers, deep fried mushrooms, onion rings, banana milkshake (with chunks of fresh banana clogging the straw, mmmm). Please, please come to WS!!
Try Elliot Bay’s BBQ burger but have them substitute the crispy shoestring onions (from the pork sandwich) instead of raw ones. OH MY YUM. We go there at least once a week, sometimes twice. And my weight gain this year reflects it. ;-)
Tully’s on Alki is the best interior space, for sure. And I’m with ya, MissK, I would rather drive to Spokane and back for a latte than go to Java Bean.
Excellent thread. I too am new to west seattle and always on the lookout for a good hamburger.
I dig elliot bay’s bbq burger but will be sampling the other places soon, and no doubt with frequency.
Maybe too far south, but the Arbor Heights area (Roxbury and 35th) has a bunch of small homes (two bedroom, 1 bath) all built in and around the 1950’s. I know that since they’re smaller that they usually rent for cheaper. I think I saw one a while back for $950 a month. They usually come with a garage and nice lawns.
As a frequent pedestrian, I sometimes have a driver stop for me on Fauntleroy, and then get upset that I don’t go. The problem is, I appreciate that they stopped, but usually it’s the other side of the street, and the car on the side I will first cross is racing towards me and I am not sure they will stop, so I cannot safely cross. Meanwhile, the nice person who did stop is pissed off at me because I’m not crossing. I can’t assume that everyone will stop, so I need to be safe. I may have right of way, but that doesn’t mean I should just start walking in front of oncoming traffic!
Then one time they did all stop, I started crossing, and someone decided to drive *around* the stopped traffic (in the parking lane) to blow through the intersection and almost hit me in the crosswalk.
I, and a few neighbors, were in touch with people about putting in a crosswalk or traffic light or at the very least some pedestrian crossing signs, but they gave us the runaround for a very long time and then didn’t get back to us. Then I tried contacting the SW Precinct, telling them what’s been going on here with no one yielding to us, and they emailed back saying that pedestrian safety was very important, and they were going to come out and take a look and start ticketing people who don’t yield. That never happened. I’ve never seen a cop car yet during my morning commute, nor has the situation changed. I don’t know what else I can do to get the rules enforced, other than praying I don’t get hit someday.
MJ…and they’re usually parked right next to the sign that says “Fire Lane – No Parking Anytime”. The human race is so interesting sometimes, to say the least.
