West Seattle, Washington
06 Tuesday
Earlier this month, the city invited citizens to an event to learn about the “multi-family code (zoning) update” in the works. It wasn’t in West Seattle but it was for the whole city; the topic may sound dry but for all the times we’ve all talked about development and zoning and city regulations and how did project X get through and … it’s important. Junction Neighborhood Organization (JuNO) president Erica Karlovits went to that event and kindly shared notes so we can all have the details of what was discussed, what these changes might mean for development here (and citywide), and what you might want to contact the City Council about before they vote on all this in the coming months:Read More
Remember the wild lightning-storm shots last month from Joe LeBlanc? This time (thanks, Joe!), he is sharing incredible views — again from Alki Point — of last night’s sunset:
High-school football playoff victory tonight for West Seattle HS: Wildcats 26, Bishop Blanchet 7. Next weekend, WSHS plays Evergreen.
35th is blocked off from Myrtle to Webster. Police officers are in the street investigating something; there was a medic call at Fire Station 37 (inside the blocked-off zone) earlier, but no details.
If you take kids to the Farmers’ Market, save extra time tomorrow so they can participate in pumpkin decorating. Or you might want to save extra time anyway, since there’s a lot to love on the weekly “Ripe & Ready” list from the folks who run the markets citywide:Read More
We can’t zoom this taken-on-the-fly photo any closer — but this banner spotted on the Fauntleroy overpass about an hour ago says, “Help 7-year-old Dylan Fight Leukemia!” and gives the name Phil Remlinger and a phone number (206, didn’t catch the rest). Can’t find any obvious corroboration online for Dylan or Phil (closest we have found is a Tacoma first-grader named Dylan who’s fighting leukemia) — if anyone knows more about this, e-mail us. It’s the second one we’ve seen pop up on the much-policed overpass in the past few days (the other one was a birthday wish that was up in the morning, gone by evening):
(Hi! If you are finding this post because of a 2008 search for Junction Trick-or-Treat info: the event is Saturday, October 25, 1-3 pm; we have tons more Halloween – and winter holiday – event info here – thanks!)
(Original 2007 post follows) As you can see in this photo looking up the sidewalk along California, north from Easy Street — it was elbow-to-elbow, mask-to-mask for this afternoon’s Junction trick-or-treating:
Along that stretch, the treat scene outside Coffee to a Tea with Sugar:
And it seems the Hi-Yu Parade is not the only time you can spot pirates in The Junction’s walk-all-ways intersection:
More business trick-or-treating coming up on Halloween — Admiral merchants 3-6 pm, Westwood Village 5-7 pm (these and other Halloween night events here).
The most unusual something-o-lantern we saw while out on a long walk today:
If you’ve got a great something-o-lantern (traditional pumpkins are great, too), send us a photo, or if you see something awesomely Halloweenish but don’t have a camera, send us the location, since we’ll be out and about taking pix, too.
Halloween itself may not be till Wednesday but you’d never know that with all the activities this weekend. (Some calendar synergy finally comes into play next year when it’s on Friday, and 2009 on Saturday.) You can see the full list in the latest edition of the WSB West Seattle Weekend Lineup, but here are more of today’s highlights (graced by good weather, too!):
SPIDER-POWERED CARS: Happening 10 am-1 pm @ Hotwire Coffee on the north edge of The Junction, cool Halloween craftmaking to benefit animal rescuers.
TRICK OR TREAT IN THE JUNCTION: Big fun expected throughout the business district in the heart of West Seattle, 1-3 pm.
HALLOWEEN IN THE FOREST: Two sessions tonight @ Camp Long.
FAMILY REUNION IN HELL: At Skylark, starting at 9 pm.
WHO’S MORE HALLOWEENISH THAN ‘BAT BOY’? ArtsWest presents a special late performance tonight at 11 (in addition to the regular show at 7:30).
We’ve been tracking the Admiral Theater‘s evolution in recent months (scroll down its category page for archived posts); today, there’s a nice feature about the Admiral in the P-I. Reporter Kery Murakami had asked us, while working on the article, if we had any Admiral memories; as we told Kery, unfortunately we don’t — unless you count having watched “Garfield The Movie” there a few years back and almost fainting with laughter at the clumsy product-placement overkill — but we’re glad Kery found some West Seattleites who do. The Admiral will be jumping tonight, by the way, with the “Rocky Horror” Halloween bash, featuring live music from Sister Hyde, 9:30-2 am, $15.
Getting into and out of West Seattle via the high bridge will be a logistical challenge this morning, 1-10 am, because the city’s closing most on- and off-ramps to get storm drains in shape for winter. Full details here.
Every city-run community center in West Seattle had a Halloween/Fall carnival tonight; we stopped briefly at Southwest Community Center to check out the decor:
The signature event at the adjacent Southwest Pool happens this Sunday — a Halloween family swim at 2 pm, with pool games including the chance to swim among floating pumpkins. (Family swim means kids under 12 must have parents in the water with them, regardless of how well the kids can swim.) Tomorrow afternoon, it’s West Seattle’s best-known Halloween event — trick-or-treating in The Junction, 1-3 pm. See the WSB West Seattle Weekend Lineup for dozens more fun options. Side note, one thing that’s got us a shade unsettled this weekend — the Saturday night before Halloween is traditionally the night the clocks get set back, but not this year (good news for partiers); that’ll happen on Saturday night 11/3 (technically Sunday morning 11/4).
Several West Seattle projects turn up in the latest edition of the city’s Land Use Information Bulletin:
JUNCTION MEGA-PROJECT BEHIND PETCO: A land-use decision is in for this 7-story, 136-apartment, 5K-sf-retail project, to be called “Mural” (more info here on the developer’s website). Construction permits are the next step.
4116 CALIFORNIA: Land-use decision on a 4-story, 40-apartment, ground-level-retail building proposed here. (map)
3636 BEACH DRIVE: Application filed to officially reclassify this one lot into five; townhouse permit already issued for this site. (map)
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ADDITION: The land-use decision is in for a three-story structure adjacent to the church. (The project is explained on the church’s website.)
We’ve said it dozens of times and want to say it again today: West Seattle Blog works because of you. The photos, the information, the tips, the rumors, the questions, the comments, the announcements, or even simply reading WSB and using the info to become more involved in community events and concerns … thank you to everyone who contributes in every way. That said, we have a big shoutout today to someone who agreed to cover the White Center/South Delridge Community Safety meeting for WSB last night, when we realized neither WSB editor could go. Here’s his report, full of information that might be of value to you even if that’s not your end of WS, including more on the latest West Seattle crime trends:
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By Evan Baumgardner
WSB contributor
This was my first time attending a Community Safety Meeting. I have to say, it was a real eye-opener for me, and I highly recommend checking one of these out if you haven’t yet. …Read More
(Photo: Fairmount Springs traffic-island decorations along Fauntleroy.) ‘Tis the weekend before Halloween, and all through the peninsula … Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), nothing rhymes with “peninsula.” Let’s just get to the 47 events lined up for you this weekend, many of which are Halloween-themed, so get those costumes ready:Read More
The work to fill the Upper Fauntleroy sinkhole/gully (atop the Thistle hillside stairs, at Thistle/Northrop) is going well, according to an update we just got from Seattle Public Utilities senior engineer Jim Lee; photo above is from less than an hour ago. Jim e-mailed WSB with this update for everyone in the area:
The gully has been mostly filled in, except for the north head of the gully. We are planning on filling it in with Control Density Fill (CDF) and then starting sidewalk repairs. This should occur either today (if we are lucky and the crews can get CDF today) or by Monday (more than likely). Until then, the sidewalk and stairs will be closed. The temporary bridge was removed on Thursday so that crews could clean up all of the sidewalk concrete that had fallen into the gully.
Puget Sound Energy, which provides natural-gas service to West Seattle (and gas & electricity in many other parts of Western Washington), 
has just made a deal to be acquired by a Canadian consortium. The PSE site has the official announcement plus a “here’s what we think this means to you” letter describing this as a “merger” with “infrastructure fund partners who are focused on the long term.” We were trying to remember how long it had been since Puget Sound Energy bought Washington Energy, which was Washington Natural Gas when we moved here; 1997, per the company history page.
Before we all get immersed in the day’s news … the latest WSB Reader Recommendation Request. (You can find all previous RRRs here.) Nancy writes:
I’m hoping the WSB community can suggest a good place for nails, both natural and acrylics. A really good, affordable place is key to the all-important Saturday afternoon ritual enjoyed by women (and men!) all over town. A place I’ve been going to for a couple of years is lacking, and I’m looking for a new place.
The high points of any worthy nail establishment should include cleanliness (above all), efficiency, be affordable (i.e. a regular manicure under $25!), and it would be great if you could understand what the technician is saying, and they you. I mean, when we’re talking about avoiding drawing blood from my hands or toes, I would rather not have to repeat myself.
Click the comment link under the headline to share your recommendation(s). Thanks!
In celebration of “great vis,” this blogging diver went out at night this week in West Seattle waters and reports seeing not just one Giant Pacific Octopus, but six, “within a 25-yard area.” A photo of one is included (scroll down to the entry dated today).
Howden-Kennedy Funeral Home founder Dick Kennedy has been laid to rest, less than a week after passing away at Providence Mount St. Vincent, so close to his well-known business at Fauntleroy/Alaska. The P-I just posted an article about his memorial service; here’s Mr. Kennedy’s obituary on the Howden-Kennedy site.
Thank you so much to the WSB-land photographers who have just sent us photos of tonight’s amazing full moon, the biggest of the year. Seacrest seems to be the hotspot — first, that’s where Dawson took this shot:
Next, three photos by Christopher Boffoli, starting with another Seacrest view of downtown and Elliott Bay:
This one, Christopher notes, carries the actual color temperature of the moon as seen from The Junction around quarter past six tonight:
Bonus photo — moonless, but gorgeous view of Rainier, Salty’s, and the Water Taxi:
From West Seattle photojournalist Matt Durham:
Today at approximately 9:45 a.m., a seal pup was rescued next to the Don Armeni Boat Launch. The seal pup was suffering from an injured fin and was not mobile. Two parks department employees, along with a seal rescue group (did not acquire its name), corralled the pup into a large dog crate and transported the seal to a facility where it will receive medical attention.
At this point there is no information linking this seal pup’s injury to the fisherman [from last weekend’s reports] or his net. This cannot be ruled out though. …
Yesterday morning (Wednesday), while I was running, the parks department was at the Don Armeni Boat Launch waiting to assist the removal of an adult seal carcass from the landing. That is four seal casualties in less than two weeks.
One of those seal deaths was reported only at WSB.
From Amanda, who provided the original WSB report on the water-pipe “sinkhole” that slowed things down on Avalon overnight and into the morning, as well as a morning update — here’s her final photo from above, showing the finishing touches:
Amanda says the water finally came back on too, after about 16 hours. (Utilities crews had to turn it off to stop the gusher that created the hole in the first place.)
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