West Seattle, Washington
31 Saturday
-Counter person in a business with line of sight to the Admiral Theater marquee: “It BUGS me that the movie title misspells ‘happiness’.”
-Turning off southbound Cali, heading east on Admiral, with a bit of difficulty — A huge loaded dump truck, driven by a woman with one hand on the wheel … AND ANOTHER CLUTCHING HER CELL PHONE TO HER EAR.
Yee-ha, spring is almost here. The weekend is even closer. Much to do, St. Patrick’s Day-themed and otherwise … all just an extra click away:Read More
Several people e-mailed us to ask if we had any info re: helicopter, police, all sorts of hubbubbery last night in the Arbor Heights area. Lt. Paulsen at the Southwest Precinct was kind enough to provide this report:
Last night’s incident was basically an unknown female suspect who was driving erratically. SPD chose not to pursue the vehicle given public safety concerns. The female fled from the vehicle. SPD was able to locate the abandoned vehicle. Fortunately, there were a number of available police including K9 and a helicopter who were able to check the area. We were unable to locate the suspect.
Doesn’t sound like anyone has been arrested yet, but the name of the man shot and killed outside a house at 37th and Findlay has now been made public.
What better distraction on a murky, chilly day in late winter? WS Junction Association president Dave Montoure — who also happens to be the guy who runs ever-cool West 5 — is thinking summer, as the chair of the committee planning this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest in The Junction. And he asked us if we could ask you, what do you like or dislike about Summer Fest? What (within reason) could make it better? They’re planning this year’s event now and would love input … either in comments on this post, or e-mail Dave directly. (If you don’t mind, they’d like a little demographic info to put your comments in context too — family? single? how long in WS? etc.) Our biggest suggestion: Even more WS flavor. We go every year and it still seems to be pretty much the same street-fair vendors you find at all the stops all over the area. Don’t know how you get around that; gotta be a way.
-City DOT crews are putting out the “no parking” signs on Cali right now, south of Charlestown, blocking off street parking as of Sunday, looking ahead to the restart of repaving work next Monday.
-Mars Hill has unveiled more of its parking plan. It includes buses as well as the Hughes School (currently temporary home to South Lake HS) parking lot as overflow and “midweek programming” parking.
Let’s call it “try to knock Howard Schultz a couple spots back down the Forbes Billionaire List.” How, you ask? Drink as much as you can during the big 10 am-noon free coffee blitz today. You can make it to every Starbucks in West Seattle during that window — north to south, it’s Alki to Admiral to Admiral Safeway to Jefferson Square Safeway to 35th/Fauntleroy to Morgan Junction to Westwood to Westwood QFC to Roxbury Safeway — that would be 108 ounces of coffee, all on Howie’s dime!
This is mostly a message to the IDIOT who NEARLY KILLED US TODAY — but it’s a good reminder for all of us who drive: A FOUR-WAY STOP IS A FOUR-WAY STOP. NOT A FOUR-WAY “PRETEND YOU ARE STOPPING BUT THEN POWER THROUGH.” COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, LOOK IN ALL DIRECTIONS, THEN, ONLY WHEN YOU ARE SURE NOBODY ELSE IS CURRENTLY DRIVING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION, PROCEED. THE LIFE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN (AND OURS). Thank you. Grrrr.
From Freedom Church and Eckankar to the south, on toward Our Lady of Guadalupe to the north and beyond, the area of West Seattle showing the most spiritual growth seems to be a 3-mile-ish stretch of 35th SW. Not only is Gatewood Baptist moving there … not only has Mars Hill chosen this stretch of street as its new home … now, a new neighbor has suddenly manifested itself a couple blocks south of MH at the ex-Adventist site, and its grand opening is just days away. And given what this spiritual “center” seems to be about, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the MH folks staging pray-ins outside to try to save them from h-e-double-hockey sticks (and the Temenos folks can just out-healing-vibe them right back):
Tracking back a link that brought someone to our site this morning … we discovered that if you Google the phrase:
MOST FAMOUS POLITICIAN
the first thing that comes up is Hizzoner’s home page. Completely and totally our fault. (Although you can argue whether it’s good or bad to be known by that phrase.)
Somebody shot and killed early this morning east of Fairmount Park. No arrest so far, apparently, but police say they don’t think it was “random” (which somehow doesn’t manage to be that reassuring). It’s been almost exactly three months since the last deadly WS shooting (a man killed in Arbor Heights).
Just in case you are completely sick of everything and anything related to the viaduct vote, we will share our thoughts, plus all the latest cool analysis links, after the jump:Read More
The first, and apparently only, count of the night for the viaduct vote is in:
Tunnel – 70% no.
Replacement-a-duct – 55% no.
More ballots to be counted tomorrow (and beyond).
While dropping off our ballot @ High Point Community Center, we grabbed a handy all-in-one spring brochure for HP, Delridge, and Southwest Community Centers, including SW Pool. Noticed while leafing through it this morning that registration for spring swim lessons starts tomorrow morning. 7 am sharp. That time is important, because lesson registration can turn into a madhouse (maybe not if you sign up online); classes are available for 6 months through adult age, and they fill up fast. We’re mentioning it because if you don’t live on the south side of West Seattle, you might not even be aware that Southwest Pool exists. It’s just east of Denny Middle School, and worth checking out if you feel like swimming but don’t happen to belong to the Y or a pool-equipped health club.
Slog discovers that ArtsWest and a big downtown theater company announced within two hours of each other that they’re putting on the same Tony- and Pulitzer-winning play. Apparently this sort of thing (one play, two places, same city) isn’t supposed to happen. The ArtsWest boss is quoted as saying, “I try to consult with other theaters but maybe I’m just a mosquito to them.” By the way, ArtsWest is auditioning for next season today.
-Two days short of the Ides of March, we’ll see whether voters choose to stab the tunnel or the replacement-a-duct out of their respective miseries … or both … or neither … or what …
-Or what, indeed? Tomorrow night, you can call in to ask Hizzoner himself. Not that you’ll be guaranteed an actual answer; so far this week, he’s just waffling.
-Haven’t voted yet, but still intend to? P-I offers one last roundup of info-links.
-That public viaduct tour later this month, during the twice-yearly inspection closure, is already sold out, says the DOT. No worries; here’s a better way to walk the lame-duck-a-duct.
A WSB reader with kids @ Lafayette Elementary across from the store’s south lot forwarded us this e-mail bulletin from the school, complete with handy phone number if anyone wants to call the store’s manager to ask whassup with all this. Full e-mail text, plus a photo of something interesting we spotted in that same lot this morning, after the jump:Read More
Those of us still shunned by Pagliacci, even with the delivery-zone expansion, are just going to have to wait another week to exuberantly try Garlic Jim’s … a commenter left word a few days ago that the grand opening was moved back a week, and GJ proprietor Ryan just confirmed it. New GJ grand-opening date: March 27.
The block of 47th just south of Admiral is blocked off this morning because of road work (possibly related to the “pedestrian improvements“? hard to tell — but they’re digging up the 47th corner pavement just north of Alki Mail & Dispatch in a big way).
-Second-to-last day to drop off your ballot (if you’re mailing it, it has to be postmarked no later than tomorrow). High Point Community Center is the WS dropoff spot, 7 am-8 pm today and tomorrow. (ALMOST as satisfying as non-mail voting.)
-The P-I drops by Diva to sample viaduct-vote opinions.
-Also from the P-I — a puffy overanalysis of what the v-vote debate truly means.
-Another voice for no/no: Will.
-Warning — The viaduct closes March 24-25 for its twice-yearly inspection. But you can sign up now to take a walking tour during the shutdown!
Haven’t seen it this windy in a while. Weather Service says Alki Point has gusts up to 43 mph. How are things where you are?
Another blustery-day webfind: guy in Delridge touting his band Swampdweller’s new CD out @ Easy Street. (UPDATE: Two links removed after reader reports of virus trouble. If you have a Mac — ours didn’t have any trouble with the links — and you want to check them out, just go to Google Blog Search and look for Swampdweller.)
-No ballot dropoff today; just tomorrow and Tuesday, 7 am-8 pm, High Point Community Center and assorted non-WS locations.
-Times editorial: Yes on replacement-a-duct.
-Small online vote with seven options: Surface/transit wins.
-If seven options aren’t enough, how about a “tube”?
-A non-local blog calling itself Designing Public Consensus takes a look at all this.
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