West Seattle, Washington
30 Saturday
FIRST REPORT, 2:52 PM: At the state 3A track and field championships in Tacoma, two runners from our area are coming home with titles! Chief Sealth International High School‘s Assa Kaba won the 100m in 12.58:
Thanks to Kristin Arvidson for sending first word and that photo.
ADDED 3:10 PM: And congratulations to Kaba for another title just now – 200m, in 24.90!
(back to original report) And via Twitter, we got the news that West Seattle High School‘s Lani Taylor won the 400m:
3A Girls 400m Champion: Lani Taylor, West Seattle, 55.74 #wastatetf pic.twitter.com/w5njbLrRIK
— WIAA (@wiaawa) May 28, 2016
The meet runs another hour and a half or so, and we will update with any other news about local athletes.
You know we love birds and are honored to receive beautiful photos to share here several times a week. But – on occasion, birds can be dangerous too, especially in nesting season, and we have three recent reports to share. First one is just in from Greg:
I wanted to give a heads up to anyone that runs or walks on Fairmount (Ave) about an aggressive owl.
Last night around dusk I was running when I felt something on my head and realized an owl had clawed me. It hovered above and made a few more swipes. I scared it off and then about 100 yards later it swooped again, clawing the back of my head. I didn’t see any blood but it feels like I have a scratch – hard to tell under my hair.
It was white, possibly a barred owl – a white, beautiful bird. It was silent as it approached. The incident happened downhill of where Admiral street crosses over – basically half way between the bridge underpass and the homes on the road.
I’ve heard owls like this will repeat the behavior, so I want to make sure people are aware.
Carl reported the same thing recently:
I normally go jogging around 8-9 at night. This might I was running down Fairmount ravine in the dark when something sharp clawed my head. This was north of the Admiral Way overpass. The owl would not let go for at least 50 meters and I had to shine a light in his face for him not to attack me. He tried several more times to dive bomb me.
The ravine is not far, by the way, from where Rose reported an attack along Harbor Avenue two months ago.
Our third report: A crow got aggressive outside the West Seattle (Admiral) Library one morning this week, reported by Karin:
Have you heard about a territorial crow at the West Seattle library? I put some books in the book drop … and a crow attacked me. It followed me to Met Market, cawing and diving at me. It didn’t touch me, but it certainly scared me! I’m wondering if it was me or if I just got too close to a nest. Either way, I’m avoiding the library for a while…
From the state’s excellent Living With Wildlife series, here’s information about dive-bombing crows, and a similar note about owls.
If you don’t go to Alki today to sit on the beach … go to see Milo‘s watercolor paintings. Milo is a 9-year-old third-grader at Pathfinder K-8 who started painting cars less than two months ago, and is already having his first exhibition – on the walls at Ampersand Café. His proud mom Sarah sent us these images of some of his work.
Sarah tells us Milo is “passionate about cars” but “also plays piano and is a decent chess player.” Milo’s paintings just went up at Ampersand (2536 Alki Avenue SW, open 6:30 am-5:30 pm daily) and will be up for about a month; if you like his creations, they’re featured on a poster that’s available for purchase.
(Northern Flicker, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Welcome to Memorial Day weekend! Highlights for today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and inbox:
TRAFFIC NOTE: No overnight bridge closure tonight; the next scheduled closure isn’t until Tuesday night, because of the holiday.
Now, what IS happening:
POST 160 POPPIES: 8 am-4 pm, American Legion Post 160 will be at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) offering the handmade poppies that are reminders of what Memorial Day is about. (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan)
MOBILE BLOOD DRIVE: Give a life-saving gift in The Junction today, with a mobile blood drive 9 am-3 pm (closed 11 am-noon); details in our listing. (42nd SW/SW Alaska)
ANCIENT LOCAL PLANT AND ANIMAL COMMUNITY RECOVERY TOUR: 10 am at Orchard Street Ravine in Gatewood, with naturalist Stewart Wechsler – info on his website. (3800 SW Orchard)
OPENING DAY FOR HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: 11 am-8 pm, it’s the first day of the season – which runs 7 days a week through Labor Day – at Highland Park Spraypark, the only spraypark in West Seattle. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
PLANT SALE AT SSC: The Landscape Horticulture program at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) is selling plants again today at the Garden Center on the north end of campus, 11 am-3 pm. (6000 16th SW)
FAMILY GAME DAY AT MEEPLES: Not warm enough for your favorite outdoor fun? Play indoors at Meeples Games (WSB sponsor), on Family Game Day! 11:30 am-3 pm. (3727 California SW)
COLMAN POOL’S OPENING DAY: This year, the historic pool in Lincoln Park celebrates its 75th anniversary. Be part of it starting today, as the first pre-season weekend begins. Three swim sessions noon-7 pm – check the brochure for full details. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
ALKI LIGHTHOUSE TOURS BEGIN: As previewed here earlier this week, it’s the first day of the season for free tours of historic Alki Point Lighthouse, thanks to the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. 1 pm-4 pm, last group allowed in at 3:40. (Alki SW/Beach Drive SW)
LIVE HIP-HOP: 5 pm at The Skylark – details in our listing. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
DAMON BUXTON: Guitarist/composer, live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
Family and friends will gather on June 5th to celebrate the life of Renee Rundle, 79. Her family is sharing this tribute, remembering her as a woman of “many talents”:
Renee Marion Amundson Rundle passed away peacefully on April 28, 2016 after a valiant battle with multiple illnesses.
She was born in North Dakota on February 11, 1937 to Julia and Gerhard Amundson. While she was still quite young the family moved to Seattle, Washington. Renee attended West Woodland Elementary School, James Monroe Middle School and graduated from Ballard High School in 1955. She married Clayton Rundle in 1956 and they welcomed their daughter Michelle into their family in 1968.
She graduated with a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Washington. Throughout her career she worked for PR firms including Bernhagen & Associates and Ehrig & Associates. She also was the Editor for the Alki News. Most recently she worked as the Volunteer Coordinator for Providence Mount St. Vincent in West Seattle.
Renee had many talents. In her younger years she was an accomplished majorette, a member of the Ballard High School and All City Band, and on her high-school yearbook staff. Later in life she pursued many interests including traveling, sailing, playing on a softball team, and studying the universe, meditation, and art. She loved writing and poetry and dreamed of having her poems published. She was also passionate about her community and not afraid to speak up if something needed to be addressed, as she often did for Alki. Though her physical health limited her at times, her spirit was strong and she was always seeking and open to new adventures.
Renee is survived by her daughter Michelle Rundle, sisters Gwen Cleveland (Arne) and Janet Woodfield (Ed), and multiple nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Please gather with us to celebrate her life at 3:00 PM, Sunday, June 5, in the Fellowship Hall of Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church, 2400 NW 85th St, Seattle. Per her wishes, please also come dressed in brightly colored party clothes. In lieu of flowers, donations to your favorite charity in her honor are welcome.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
This year’s Alki Art Fair (with co-sponsors including WSB) is now less than two months away and tonight, organizers have a two-part request involving the T-shirts for which the event is well-known:
We need a little help from our friends!
Over the last 18 years of the Alki Art Fair, there have been 20 different official T-shirts (a couple of years we had an extra supplemental ‘Kids Entry’ Winner). We have collected 18 past designs and are missing a couple … if you have an Art Fair T-shirt that is NOT one of those pictured above, please send us a photo!!!!!
Also, please let us know if you can identify the years that any of the shirts without printed dates on them are from.
Plus: We are still taking submissions for this year’s T-shirt design with the theme ‘Around the Sound.’ Please send your entry to vendors@alkiartfair.org by June 7. Design entry is open to the public and should include ‘Alki Art Fair 2016’ in the design.
This year’s Alki Art Fair is set for Saturday and Sunday, July 23-24, along the Alki Beach Park promenade as usual.
(WSB photo from 2014)
Another Memorial Day tradition: Tomorrow and Sunday you can get your poppies from American Legion Post 160 at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), 8 am-4 pm both days. From Post 160’s announcement: “The Poppy is a symbol to remember those servicepersons who have perished in service to our nation. Donations received from Poppy Distribution will go to Veterans and Veterans’ Families in the local community.”
Thriftway is where California/Fauntleroy/Morgan meet. Meantime, Post 160 also invites you to Monday’s traditional Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn (6701 30th SW; WSB sponsor) at 2 pm.
Thanks to the texter who just sent that phone video of what appear to be two humpback whales off the Water Taxi dock at Seacrest! We’ll be heading out in a bit to see if they’re still off our shore – let us know if you see/have seen them!
P.S. We checked the Orca Network page for any word of other sightings in the area and found this post with video of two humpbacks across the Sound in Port Orchard/Bremerton waters earlier today.
The North Delridge development boomlet continues. A long-set-for-construction site north of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center suddenly caught a lot of attention today with crews cutting trees (note the “FREE WOOD” sign). That brought in a few questions about what’s happening there. The city files for this site contain a variety of plans that have changed in the past few years, but as far as we can tell, what’s currently approved includes two 2-unit, 4-story townhouse buildings toward the middle of the site, and one single-family house on the north side.
(WSB photo)
Just announced by Seattle Parks, a big project ahead – starting right after Memorial Day – at Charles Richey Sr. Viewpoint in the 3500 block of Beach Drive, just south of Alki Point:
Starting on Tuesday, May 31, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) will close a section of Charles Richey, Sr. Viewpoint, 3521 Beach Dr. SW, so that a crew can replace an old, rusty handrail.
The work involves cutting the old handrail into pieces, core drilling 47 holes in the supporting concrete, and setting the new handrail and mortar in place.
The crew estimates the work will take eight to 10 working days. While there will be no access to the viewpoint once the work begins, there will be street parking available at the site evenings and weekends.
SPR regrets any inconvenience to park users, looks forward to providing a new, safe handrail in time for summer, and hopes park visitors will enjoy nearby Me Kwa Mooks, Schmitz, and Whale Tail parks while the work is under way.
We asked Parks, after receiving this, which specific section of Richey Viewpoint/Constellation Park will be affected; spokesperson Christina Hirsch said she expects it’ll be “most of” that stretch, because of the vehicles and equipment that will be involved.
FIRST REPORT, 2:02 PM: Just in: Deputy Hearing Examiner Anne Watanabe‘s decision on Luna Park Café owner John Bennett‘s appeal of a $500 citation for an A-frame sign. We first reported two weeks ago that he had been cited for the sign, after two warnings to remove it; city rules say business owners can only have such signs adjacent to their business, but his café is half a block away.
The complaint targeted a group of signs at Harbor/Avalon, not just Bennett’s, we learned when he argued his appeal before Watanabe downtown eight days ago (here’s our report). She said she’d have a ruling in a week or so, so we’ve been checking the city website, where it was posted half an hour ago (read the ruling here). Watanabe affirmed the SDOT decision to cite Bennett for the against-the-rules sign, but reduced the penalty from $500 – the fine for using right-of-way without a permit – to $250, the usual sign-citation amount, noting SDOT wasn’t opposed to a reduction, since it was a first-time citation.
Examiner decisions are the final word so far as the city goes; to challenge a ruling like this, you would have to go to court. We’re seeking comment from Bennett and will update.
ADDED 2:32 PM: Bennett tells us via e-mail that he’ll decide next week what to do about it, adding, “I’m a little upset that the sign ordinances are selectively enforced. I also feel small businesses shouldn’t have to pay heavy fines.” (City reps said again in last week’s hearing that enforcement is by complaint – there may be routine rule-breakers out there, but there’s no enforcement unless someone complains, same as a variety of other non-criminal city code situations.)
After almost seven years under its current ownership, Angelina’s in The Admiral District has closed. We went to the restaurant at 2311 California SW to investigate after getting tips from two readers, and got confirmation. West Seattleites Skip and Allison Rich bought Angelina’s from its longtime previous owners in 2009, remodeling it, adding a bar, and removing “Trattoria” from its name before reopening it that fall. Here’s the text of the note that Allison tells WSB they will be posting:
Dear West Seattle,
It is with great sadness that we have closed the doors for good. We could no longer balance our personal lives and the restaurant. We have given all we have to this baby for 7 years and it is time now to start a new chapter in our lives.
We thank each and every one of you for your support throughout the years. We have watched your children grow up and watched lives change in many ways. It was our pleasure serving you! We will miss you more than you will ever know. As you were customers, you were family to us! With every lasagna, chicken parm or Rod’s scramble we served, we did it with all our hearts.
Thank you Admiral District for treating us so well! We will miss you terribly.
All our love and thanks,
Allison and Skip
Their restaurant has been, and still is, up for sale.
In West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – that’s Susie‘s stolen silver 1996 Honda Civic, plate AYL2446. She says it was taken from 48th/Hinds [map] Wednesday night. As the SPD @getyourcarback tweet says, call 911 if you see it.
P.S. Auto-theft-deterrence advice, courtesy of the King County Sheriff’s Office, is up right now on our partner site White Center Now.
You might not ever have met Susan Melrose – but if you’ve been in West Seattle any length of time, you’ve probably enjoyed the results of her work, maybe without realizing it. She is the executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association – which in addition to being the merchants’ association also deals with events and issues big and small, in and affecting the heart of WS – and it’s just been announced that after almost a decade, she’s leaving WSJA:
It is with great appreciation that the West Seattle Junction Association announces the resignation of Susan Melrose, Executive Director. Susan provided more than 9 years of service to the organization, during which her steadfast leadership and strong sense of community helped the business district to flourish. The West Seattle Junction Association wishes her well in her future endeavors and thanks her for her dedication and guidance.
Susan has lived in West Seattle since 1998 and has brought her passion for the neighborhood into every aspect of her work. Her accomplishments include building Junction Plaza Park, creating the Harvest Festival, producing ten years of West Seattle Summer Fest, defining The Junction’s brand and increasing its reach, contributing to the creation of new public art, and acting as a conduit between The Junction businesses and greater community.
“Working with the community and touching on so many exciting projects has been a tremendous opportunity. West Seattle is a neighborhood of passionate and action-oriented people. I’ve enjoyed learning from the community and will continue to admire the dedication of our neighborhood.” Susan says. “While I am taking a new job, I will continue to enjoy The Junction on my days off!”
Susan will stay with the Junction Association through West Seattle Summer Fest. Her past professional background in environmental conservation will be put to work in her new position as the Director of Operations at Washington Wild.
Having worked with Susan while co-sponsoring many Junction events in the past eight-plus years, including Summer Fest (July 8-10 this year!) and Hometown Holidays, we will miss her, and we wish her much success in her new adventure. (WSB photo at above left, from Summer Fest 2014)
First thing we found out at last night’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting: SDOT has an open house coming up for what it’s now calling the South Lander Street Bridge project. While the project is in SODO, the former “Lander Street Overpass” proposal has long been of interest to West Seattleites traveling on surface streets to/from there, and has been on the WSTC’s priority list for almost two years; it was shelved almost a decade ago, then revived with partial funding in last year’s voter-approved Move Seattle levy. It will go over the railroad tracks on Lander between 1st and 4th (see the map above; click it for a full-size PDF).
The city’s current timeline is for completing design next year (saying the design from a decade ago is outdated), then building the overpass from “early 2018-early 2020.” As the city infopage notes, funding is not finalized – while local and state dollars are available, they’re awaiting word on a federal grant.
The open house is set for 4-6 pm Wednesday, June 8th, at Metropolist in SODO, 2931 1st Ave. South. An “online open house” goes live two days before that.
P.S. Our second report from the WSTC meeting is coming up later today, covering last night’s Q&A with a port executive re: the Terminal 5 Improvements Project Draft Environmental Impact Report (open for your comments until June 21st).
(Pigeon Guillemot, photographed at the Fauntleroy ferry dock by Mark Wangerin)
The calendar quiets as holidays approach, so the preview list for today/tonight is relatively short. Have fun, whatever your plans!
SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS: West Seattle High School‘s first game at the state tournament in Lacey is at noon today vs. Enumclaw.
THE GREATEST MOVIES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF: 1 pm screening at the Senior Center of West Seattle – Humphrey Bogart in “Passage to Marseille.” $1 members, $2 non-members. (California SW/SW Oregon)
JIM NASON: The singer-songwriter performs at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: Your third-to-last chance to see ArtsWest Playhouse‘s current production, 7:30 pm curtain tonight. (4711 California SW)
THE PAGAN SOUTH & THIEVES OF EDEN: Live at The Skylark, 9 pm, 21+, $7 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
PREVIEW THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND … by checking out our complete calendar!
Family and friends will gather June 18th to celebrate the life of Rick Lauffer. Here’s the remembrance that’s being shared with the community:
West Seattle resident Erich “Rick” Robert Lauffer passed away on May 8, 2016, following complications from pneumonia.
Rick was born in Lakewood, Ohio, on January 20, 1956, the son of the late Florence B. and Erwin M. Lauffer. He is survived by his life partner of 40 years and wife Lucy Woodworth and beloved son Eli Lauffer. Rick is also survived by his siblings Erwin A. “Stuffy” (Linda Kensicki), Judith Touré (Roy Briere), Peter, Timothy (Kim), his brothers-in-law, Mark (Randi) and Paul (Lisa), and 14 nephews and nieces.
Rick studied art and literature at Western College of Miami University in Ohio, where he and Lucy met. They spent several happy years in Cincinnati, where he worked for Instant Replay Film and Video Productions as a 3D animator.
Rick was a talented artist who expressed his creativity in multiple mediums. Some of his art may be found at his website. There, he wrote, “An artist’s eye transfers to any tool once mastered.”
In 1991, Erich, Lucy, and Eli moved to Seattle. Rick worked as a 3D animator with Pinnacle Post before becoming a freelance artist and later a co-owner with Lucy in their motion graphics business, Lucy Woodworth Design. But his greatest joy came from his family and his role as Eli’s father. He treasured their time together.
Family and friends are welcome to stop in to remember Rick at a memorial celebration of his life on Saturday, June 18th between 2 pm and 4 pm at Duos Lounge, 2940 SW Avalon Way in West Seattle. There will also be a memorial in his hometown of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, on Saturday, August 6th. Donations in Rick’s memory may be made to NAMI Seattle.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
7:06 AM: Good morning! No incidents in/from West Seattle. Here’s what you need to know as the holiday weekend approaches:
*No Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-cushion work bridge closures until TUESDAY NIGHT – Friday and Saturday are regular off-nights, and SDOT says they’re skipping Sunday and Monday because of the holiday.
*Metro and the West Seattle Water Taxi will both run Sunday schedules on Memorial Day.
*After less than a week, Washington State Ferries is changing the “process” it implemented to try to speed things up at Fauntleroy. The new plan, starting next Tuesday, is explained here.
8:25 AM: Thanks for the text – trouble on northbound 99; a vehicle is broken down in the northbound Battery Street Tunnel, and that’s causing a backup.
8:55 AM: And another problem on northbound 99:
There is a collision on the Alaskan Way Viaduct in the northbound right shoulder at Seneca St. Use caution. pic.twitter.com/SbVse9qtD4
— seattledot (@seattledot) May 27, 2016
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
The most delicious fundraiser of the year is now just a yummy memory – the Taste of West Seattle, with dozens of food/beverage providers delighting hundreds of ticketholders, filled The Hall at Fauntleroy on Thursday night – all to help West Seattle Helpline provide emergency assistance to neighbors in need.
From title sponsor Metropolitan Market, Jude and Megan were serving crostini topped with stretched mozzarrella and tomato bruschetta:
Also from Admiral, Mioposto‘s Bobby, Jeremy, Tiah, and Jayme served Tomato-Tonnato Salad:
From The Junction, Dream Dinners West Seattle was there with Kim, Gretchen, and Leslie presenting chipotle shrimp with mango salsa:
More of the deliciousness after the jump: Read More
Thanks to Vicki for the photos – again this year, West Seattle’s Boy Scout Troop 284 has been at Forest Lawn Cemetery (WSB sponsor), getting it ready for Memorial Day, with flags and crosses for veterans’ graves.
As mentioned here earlier this week, you are invited to the annual traditional ceremony on Monday afternoon, 2 pm, at Forest Lawn (6701 30th SW), honoring those who served and are serving, presented by American Legion Post 160 and community partners.
We’ve already reported that the city’s bringing back a “car-free day” street party to West Seattle this year, after a year off, on September 25th. And now we know that, like six previous such days, this one will include a running event. Today we got first word of the Orca Half, explained by its organizers:
Part of the Orca Running family of races, the Orca Half is a half marathon along the shores of West Seattle, starting and finishing on Alki. The race is brand new for 2016 and is being organized in cooperation with Seattle Summer Parkways to encourage people to take advantage of the city’s largest public spaces – the streets! Runners will enjoy the use of traffic-free roads for the first portion of the run on Alki. Registration opens on June 1st.
According to the race website, registration will be limited to 450 people, ages 15 and up, and participants will have to finish the half-marathon within four hours; it starts at 8:30 am and the course will close at 12:30 pm. We haven’t yet found the exact course on the website but we did find this description: “The course is 100% along the West Seattle waterfront, from Alki to Lincoln Park.” (On September 25th, the road closure will be from 63rd/Alki to Don Armeni, and Seattle Summer Parkways will include other events for which SDOT is leading the planning process.)
TOPLINE, 3:37 PM: Sound Transit said the big objections to the draft ST3 25-year proposal involved timelines – such as, West Seattle light rail in 2033. So this afternoon, board members proposed changes that include, as seen in the list below, moving that timetable up by three years:
****************************************
From earlier, here’s how it unfolded, and what happens next:
FIRST REPORT, 2:37 PM: We’re in the Sound Transit board room on the south side of downtown, with a full house of people interested in the forthcoming Sound Transit 3 ballot measure for a variety of reasons – from journalists to advocates to elected officials and beyond. Public comment’s been under way since shortly after ST board chair King County Executive Dow Constantine convened the meeting (see the agenda here) at 1:30, and has just wrapped up. Much of it has focused on concerns from and related to the east and north sides of the area. This is all leading up to an expected vote one week from today on finalizing an ST3 measure to send to voters in November. You can watch live via the embedded stream above and we will add notes of interest from here on out. First up, Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff will talk about how they might “reduce delivery times” (relevant for WS, where light rail is proposed for 2033 arrival, in the ST3 draft) – including talking to communities before making specific proposals, so they know if they’re walking into a minefield. Also: “establish a transparent schedule for … timely decision-making … throw it up on the Web for all to see,” and other process tweaks, such as fast-tracking permits. In the end, Rogoff added, a “culture change” would be needed, overall, to help speed things up.
2:54 PM: Now, a quick update on the ST3 finance plan. It has “additional capacity to accelerate the program you have under consideration,” the board is told. That’s followed by board members from each of five “sub-areas” proposing changes to the overall plan.
First list of changes includes proposing moving West Seattle light rail up to 2030 – three years sooner than the draft plan released in March.
3:13 PM: The proposed changes are “fully affordable” and meet “sub-area equity,” the board is now told. Next step: The board will consider on June 2nd whether to include any or all of these changes in the ST3 plan. Chair Constantine says, “It’s clear to me … that the will of the board is to move forward with these changes,” so he’ll have them written up by that meeting. The final vote on what to send to voters in November, he says, will be on June 23rd. And with that, this discussion is over and the ST board is moving on to other items.
3:37 PM: The meeting has just adjourned, and Sound Transit’s just sent a news release that points us to this summary of the proposed changes. The only other mentions of West Seattle: “The scope of a study of high-capacity transit between West Seattle and Burien would expand to explore potential future service to Renton via Tukwila.”
(WSB photo)
As A la Mode Pies proprietor Chris Porter puts it, this is a big day/night for him and his growing company. Above, the window wrap is going up right now at their future West Seattle Junction expansion location on SW Alaska just east of California SW, on the ground floor of Junction 47; in honor of that, he’s inviting you to suggest WS-centric names for the “boozy milkshakes” they’ll be offering. (With Husky Deli ice cream!) You might recall hearing about the milkshakes, pies, and more when we first reported last month on Porter’s plan for A la Mode Pies to expand here.
As part of the introduction to this community (which will be its second shop, after Phinney), A la Mode Pies also will be at the sold-out Taste of West Seattle food-and-drink fundraiser tonight in Fauntleroy, benefiting the WS Helpline. Porter himself will be at another event – the Puget Sound Business Journal “Business of Pride” event, at which he says A la Mode Pies will be recognized as one of the 25 largest LGBTQ-owned businesses in the region.
Now – your help needed! Porter is inviting WSB readers to suggest names for the five “boozy milkshakes” that West Seattle A la Mode Pies will offer.
Here’s the criteria:
· Hyper Local – Submissions might be influenced by a West Seattle neighborhood, a popular West Seattle destination, tourist attraction, or local saying. The name could also include something West Seattleites take pride in – like the largest employer, historical reference, or pillar of the community.
· The more whimsical, irreverent, and catchy the better.
· Relates to the ingredients in the shake (see descriptions below). Does the proposed name provide a hint as to what the boozy milkshake might taste like?
· Short-and-Sweet. Ideally, each submission will be no more than 2-3 words, as it needs to fit on a menu.
Here’s a description of each proposed boozy milkshake:
1. Cinnamon Apple – Vanilla Ice Cream, Cinnamon Whiskey, Hard Cider – served with cinnamon & sugar pie fries
2. Grasshopper – Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Vodka, Crème de Menthe – drizzled with chocolate ganache
3. Banana – Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Coffee Liquor, Rum, Fresh Bananas – drizzled with homemade caramel
4. Key Lime – Vanilla Ice Cream, Key Lime Juice, Tequila, Triple Sec – served with crushed graham crackers
5. Blue Hawaiian – Coconut Ice Cream, Fresh Blueberries, Malibu Rum, Crushed Pineapple – topped with toasted coconut
Got one suggestion – or five – or more? Please post in the comment section (if you’re reading this from the home page, either click the headline and scroll down, or click the word comment/s under the headline). Decisions will be made within a week or two. Meantime, Porter hopes to have A la Mode Pies open in The Junction in September.
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