Although his office is not in West Seattle, Gerry Michael of G.A. Michael & Co. is a lifelong, W.S. native and a good accountant. http://www.gamichael.com/staff.html
Jan, I have a cat, and I’ve been told by landlords that cats are generally more destructive than dogs. I was surprised, but I guess if that was their experience, then they’d know better than me. :) My pet peeve about “pet deposits” though is that they’re not really a “deposit” if you don’t get it back. I’ve lived in 3 rentals with this cat and have paid a total of about $1,000 in “deposits.”
Gingersnap, we haven’t been to BOW in a while but can certainly vouch for the folks there – before they moved around the corner a couple years back, my son and I had a regular walking route for a while that took us past the old location, and we would stop in to have a drink and see the fish (he was in a fish-fan phase back then) – proprietress Heidi always fielded his fish questions with her trademark dry wit. These days, we tend to walk more in the opposite direction, down to, and through, Morgan Junction. But while we’re on the subject of coffeehouses, and sort of apropos to a theme that Chas R keeps sounding, WE WANT A 24-HOUR COFFEEHOUSE! Or at least one that’s open as late as the bars.
We’ll check on it when we go to the Southwest Precinct tomorrow to go through reports. Appears from 911 that the callout was around 6 am — only one unit and not a medic so here’s hoping it wasn’t too horrific (if it had been a fatality, word of it would have emerged by now). No other major callouts in WS per the 911 log.
I wouldn’t recommend All Star Fitness, but I’m basing that on their pool only. The lifeguards are awful and the pool lanes are not organized by speed, which is really annoying for faster swimmers. And there always seemed to be a problem with something breaking, whether it was the pool heater, hot tub or sauna. As far as the classes offered, I liked some of the Spin instructors and there was a large variety, which was nice. Overall, it seemed like a cheesy place and I’m glad that I quit, but other members seemed quite satisfied with ASF. 24 Hour Fitness doesn’t seem too bad and at least it has great hours!
I noticed that too coming home.
I flew by it before I could get my camera out
to take a snap.
Looked pretty messy.
need help fast. . .
Les Ungerleider 206 932 3481
I generally go to Ladro – good coffee and lattes. The baristas at the new starbucks at jefferson square are annoying…way to jolly and happy for me.
I would love to have a peets around here – they have excellent coffee.
Reading this list, I now know I am missing out on trying many of the places…I need to try some variety – thanks for the recommendations.
I don’t know if anyone else has driven onto “the island” yet today (01/01/08), but it appears that someone wrecked on one of those triangle, off-ramp dividing impact barriers leading up to Admiral Way on the West Seattle Bridge. New Years revelry go on a bit too long? Any info on this? Any other reported NYE accidents?
How about a streetcar down California … say, Myrtle to SW Seattle. Oh wait, we had that, what, 60 years ago? But seriously, the poll idea is a good one. We’ll put this in queue for the main page as everyone else starts waking up from post-holiday stupor in a few days.
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?
Oh…SC, get that looked at soon – speaking from experience. We have the same underground system (concrete ‘pipes’) and unbeknownst to us, one had failed. We didn’t know until the ground had been wet for so long it finally found a very small hole in the foundation. One day during a downpour water started coming in the house. Wrecked carpet, drywall, everything. One has no way of knowing what’s going on with those drains unless they’re dug up. We ended up replacing them all as a preventative measure. Can’t recommend the company we used, as we had to have them come out twice to make corrections, but gutter companies are a good place to start. Good luck and I hope it is just in the downspout!
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.
Thanks! It is actually a stubborn downspout that is clogged that we need help with so I’m hoping to find somebody who specializes (or focuses on) gutters. I initially thought it was the gutters but it’s the vertical gutter pieces that are the problem– they funnel the water directly into the ground so they are completely enclosed and under ground. Thanks again-
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.
We used Evergreen Window Cleaning (search for them seattle.citysearch.com) last year and they did a good job. They charge a flat rate depending on the size/type of your roof. I checked after they finished and it looked great.
Looking for a good and affordable gutter cleaner in west seattle just off the WS bridge (near Luna Park).
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’ve been both a driver and a pedestrian and have felt the frustration from both sides of the issue. What I have to remind myself as a driver though is that I have the greater power over the pedestrians, therefore I also have the greater responsibility. A mistake I make as a driver has a much greater impact given that my vehicle weighs thousands of pounds and is typically traveling at speeds of 30mph or more. If I need to pay greater attention or slow down a little in order to spot and wait for pedestrians, then that’s a responsibility I have to accept. It’s the tradeoff I should be willing to make for the speed and convenience of personal motorized transportation.
That said, in practical terms everybody’s got a lot on their minds and sometimes people do forget to check every corner at all times for a pedestrian. One idea that could help is speed bumps. A well-placed speed bump can be just the thing to remind the distracted driver that they need to check their speed and watch for pedestrians. In areas such as 35th where people tend to drive faster (although the speed limit is 35mph), a series of the rumble bumps — not sure of the correct name for them — might be in order.
To me it seems like the least we could do when people are quite literally being killed in the streets.
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!
There is a personal training studio in the Junction called Fitness Together. I have not tried it out, but was interested in doing so at some point. From what I understand, you work one on one with trainers in your own private workout room. I am not sure if you can go in and use the aerobic machines when you’re not doing training though. They do offer a free first session, so you could check it out. there are reviews on Citysearch for a different area location that were positive. I have no idea about the price though. Their website is http://www.ftwestseattle.com
amy, most all massage therapists take a class in pregnancy massage. There are some that specialize in it, though, and they are out there, but sometimes hard to find. I went to school with a woman in lower Wallingford/Fremont (40th and Stone Way, who is train as doula in addition to being a massage therapist. Her name is Heather Owens. She’s not in WS, but easy to get to. I’m sure if you looked on the AMTA website, you could find her number. Or try one of us in the area. Mostly we work with you side-lying…lots of support pillows.If you want your insurance to pay for it you need a doc’s referral…
