Get ready to walk the (Art) Walk

art+walk.jpgGreat news – looks like decent weather to stroll The Junction during tomorrow night’s monthly West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk. The official Art Walk blog lists participating artists, with a reminder that you can get a free glass of bubbly at West 5 if you mention you’re Art Walk-ing; we’ve also heard from Dan at Ginomai on the north end of the route (Genesee/42nd) and he says, “We have a number of studio open houses as well as an additional 3 West Seattle artists showing in our community room. Free off-street parking lot to begin your walk from!” 6-9 pm tomorrow.

Meet the new wall, not the same as the old wall

Another building permit’s in the books for the fast-moving QFC/Office Depot mixed-use property on Alaska north of Jefferson Square, and a new retaining wall at the back of the site has replaced the old now-knocked-down wall — this view just in from WSB contributing photographer Christopher Boffoli:

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Traffic alert: Truck/train track trouble just east of WS

October 10, 2007 5:04 pm
|    Comments Off on Traffic alert: Truck/train track trouble just east of WS
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | Transportation

If you are heading home from downtown or heading toward South Seattle, this could affect you: South Spokane Street/East Marginal Way is blocked by a truck that’s flipped onto the train tracks. This is under the bridge, so if you’re not taking surface streets, you should be OK.

Reader recommendation request, revised: Home wireless net

UPDATE from originally posted RRR: WSB reader Kmac wants advice on the best HOME wireless internet provider. Kmac elaborated in a comment on our previous post:

… I’m looking for PROVIDERS of wireless internet service at HOME. I really don’t want to call Comcast and sometimes I can’t go out and need to stay home. Yes, I’m one of the few folks still without internet service at home and bizarre, bizarre – I only have one wireless network close to home I can “link” to, but I have to be out on my balcony. I think I remember a year or so ago a company new to WS offering internet service, but they weren’t offering it everywhere – at least not yet in Alki. So…that is my need….wireless internet at home that isn’t from Comcast.

The company Kmac refers to is likely Clearwire. How’s that working for WS users? And how about the wireless phone companies who also offer wireless broadband? Plus — any little-known options? Comment away!

“Bat Boy” boffo, says Weekly

The ArtsWest production gets a thumbs-up (fangs up?) review in this week’s edition (second item here). Next show: tonight.

KFC remodel: Sorry, no extra side dish

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So sorry to disappoint the folks who have been e-mailing us asking if the remodel at the 35th/Avalon KFC is going to add a franchise from KFC’s sister brands, such as Taco Bell or A&W. We just checked with the regional offices of Harman Management, the owner/franchisee. Regional director John Margo was out but a spokesperson for him told us there are NO plans to make that location more than a KFC. They say the remodel (here’s all the specifics, from the city permit files, on exactly what it involves) is moving along well, though they are not sure how much longer it will take.

Reader recommendation request: Best West Seattle wi-fi

REVISION FROM ORIGINAL POSTING: WSB wants to know your favorite spot for free wi-fi in WS (originally attributed to a reader who actually was asking about home wireless internet, so we are posting a separate item). Back when we were all quaking in anticipation of Freeway Fright ’07, we had intended to come up with an official list — but as we all know, FF ’07 never did explode into a commutastrophe, so we dropped the effort. Some readers noted their faves at the time in comments on this post, and Jerry at JetCityOrange pointed everyone to a WS-wi-fi Google Map he put together on his “About West Seattle” page. Various other websites aren’t necessarily reliable — this one, for example, lists at least two WS places that have been closed a while (Bikes & Brew and Carosello). So what’s your fave? Let’s see if we can crowdsource the latest list.

Happy homecoming

kittyone.jpgWe promised you an update once it was confirmed: The cat pictured at right, found at 35th/Thistle and taken care of for more than a week before its finder e-mailed us for help, is now home. His name is Max; his owner saw Max’s photo on WSB just before catching a plane out of town but managed to get a housesitting friend to go retrieve Max and bring him home. Gotta love a happy ending.

A few more days to go for La Rustica fire repair/remodel

A member of the family that runs the well-regarded Beach Drive Italian restaurant La Rustica had told us they hoped to reopen last night, after adding some remodeling work to the repairs following last month’s small fire. However, the work’s not quite done yet, so LR was still closed last night; our family contact says they are “working hard to open ASAP,” adding “the kitchen remodel is looking great!” and noting they have a big reservation for Saturday night & “intend to keep that reservation.”

Best food in the Seattle school district?

Dori, the Denny Middle School Lunch Lady, says that’s what she serves every day, and she invited the architects and school administrators overseeing the Denny-Sealth construction project to come have lunch. She was one of about 35 people who came to tonight’s overview of the latest plans for the Denny-Sealth shared-campus project with some serious concerns over the initial plans. The plan presented showed one kitchen which would serve both schools, to be located between the gym and the common areas. As Dori said – a kitchen with no windows or adequate ventilation is not a good idea. What she wants is for the planners and architects to see the existing Denny lunch room and kitchen, which she calls a “kitchen done right.”
Read More

Denny-Sealth campus consolidation meeting: School sparks

October 9, 2007 8:47 pm
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 |   Denny-Sealth | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Just back from the school district-organized Denny-Sealth project update meeting at CSHS. Sparks flew, especially on the issue of why this meeting was called with only days’ notice. Another one is set for later this month. Our full report will be posted here later tonight.

Election countdown: 4 weeks away

Election Day is November 6 — exactly four weeks away. Discussion and debate are revving up, particularly regarding the biggest ballot measure in the election — Sound Transit/RTID Proposition 1, also known as “Roads and Transit.” Pros here, cons here, but, you may ask — what’s in it for West Seattle? You can get the full picture at the next meeting of Sustainable West Seattle, Monday night (October 15th) at Camp Long, during a Q/A forum with supporters and opponents. Meantime, the 34th District Democrats gather for their regular monthly meeting tomorrow night at The Hall @ Fauntleroy. They are not only making plans for getting out the vote in November — they also are dealing with their official role in the changing of the legislative guard in our area. The resignation of West Seattle’s State Senator Erik Poulsen is now official, and the 34th District Democrats must recommend proposed replacements to be appointed to the Senate seat till the next election. Precinct officers from around the district will gather this Saturday at High Point Community Center to formally recommend three possible appointees. West Seattle State Representative Joe McDermott is considered the leading candidate for that appointment; if he gets it, attention then moves to the House vacancy that would ensue. A candidates’ forum is expected to happen October 24th, probably also at The Hall @ Fauntleroy. The 34th DDs have tons of information about the Senate/House/etc. appointment process, including the 7 candidates who are seeking the potential House job, on this page.

Junction development watch: NOW there’s a meeting

October 9, 2007 4:50 pm
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 |   Development | West Seattle news

junctionteardown.jpgWhen we mentioned the other day that we had happened onto a teardown-to-mixed-use plan pending for 4515 44th (the site shown at right, across the street from the Junction parking lot that’s behind WaMu, the liquor store, etc.), we noted no Design Review Board meeting had been set yet. Today, that’s changed – the city website is now updated to say the Southwest DRB will meet on November 8th to review the plan.

What went on behind the yellow mesh

One month after the yellow mesh came off the remodeling project at Cal-Mor Circle (which we first mentioned in May), the cylindrical Seattle Housing Authority building in Morgan Junction, details of what happened inside as well as out are discussed in the latest issue of “The Voice” (see page 11).

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The next big West Seattle retail trend?

We’ve had a cascade of cupcakes, a plethora of pet stores … now, perhaps, a surge of supplement shops. A year after Super Supplements moved into The Junction, a new permit granted for space in Westwood Village (we haven’t done the backwork yet to figure out which space “E8” refers to) reveals the impending arrival of “Fresh Vitamins.” A quick websearch shows they have several other outlets around the metro area.

Sensational sunrise

We weren’t up to see it, but these photos sent in by Joe Murray (who also photographed the colorful clouds on Sunday night) are the next best thing – check that, maybe better:

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Condo conversion: The sales pitch

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The marketing website is now up for Strata, the condo conversion (first mentioned here in June) formerly known as the Graham Street Apartments, at Cali/Graham north of Morgan Junction. Always fascinating to take a look at how these sites market the buildings and the neighborhood — in this case, the page about “the location” pitches The Junction (mentioning Elliott Bay and Uptown) rather than much-closer Morgan Junction; “the building” is described as “Northwest Contemporary” (though built in 1987); the page about “the design” mentions “tidy modern landscaped spaces for ground floor homes” (we’ve noticed fences going up on the Cali side of the building). The home page describes Strata as “priced within reach”; prices aren’t on the site right now but the promotional e-mail announcing the website says “from the low 200s.”

Two Tuesday night notables

October 9, 2007 6:07 am
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 |   How to help | West Seattle people | West Seattle schools

JUNO MEETS AGAIN: If you live in or around The Junction, it’s your chance to get in on the ground floor of a great group — tonight’s the second meeting of JuNO (Junction Neighborhood Organization). They’re gathering at the Senior Center (Cali & Oregon) at 6:30. Click for the updated meeting agenda flyer.

DENNY/SEALTH CONSOLIDATED CAMPUS – WHERE’S IT AT? Find out from school district reps at tonight’s meeting in the Chief Sealth HS Little Theater (also 6:30). Will anything have changed from the intense schedule laid out at the summer meeting organized by the Westwood Neighborhood Council? Will the website mentioned on the district flyer be up and running any time soon? These and many other questions about this nine-digit project will hopefully be answered.

Several other noteworthy gatherings tonight too, including the Fauntleroy Community Association and Admiral Neighborhood Association; these and many more listings are always accessible on our ever-growing Events page.

Help make The Junction a prettier place

The West Seattle Junction Association Beautification Committee is soliciting bids for some landscaping work to spruce up various spots in the heart of West Seattle, including the well-known “flagpole corner.” Click ahead to read the request for bids — interesting reading even if you don’t expect to be bidding — and to see a sketch of the areas involved:Read More

House fire at 4050 45th

If you’re in, around, or north of The Junction, you may have heard all the sirens. Numerous fire crews rushed to a reported house fire at 4050 45th (Dakota’s the nearest cross-street). Our first word at the scene comes from WSB frequent contributor Christopher Boffoli, who says it appears to have been a kitchen fire, and he’s not seeing any obvious signs of anyone having been hurt.

Christopher sends these two pictures of firefighters responding.

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Water Taxi future update: What the Ferry District Board did today

watertaxisailiconsize.jpgFollowing up on our report this morning about the King County Council meeting today as the Board of Directors for the new county Ferry District, which will operate the Water Taxi and other foot-ferry routes: The only action taken was the adoption of bylaws. The meeting video isn’t in the county’s online archives yet, but here’s the official press release:Read More

Door-to-door alert: ID-less visitor

Yes, we know there are many legit door-to-door solicitors in the world. Nonetheless, our category of “door-to-door alerts” is a popular one, and absent some other type of clearinghouse, we pass along these notes from time to time. Here’s one just out of the inbox:Read More

Who says Monday nights have to be boring?

October 8, 2007 3:01 pm
|    Comments Off on Who says Monday nights have to be boring?
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts

Two highlights for tonight from our frequently updated, relatively new (thanks for all the contributions; keep ’em coming!) West Seattle Events page, which already features Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas events too:

FREE AT ARTSWEST TONIGHT: It’s not a performance night for “Bat Boy: The Musical, but you can see and hear from its director and music director, among others, tonight at 7:30 during the latest installment of ArtsWest’s “On Stage” discussion series.

AT KENYON HALL TONIGHT: This is also at 7:30 — jazz bassist Jay Leonhart performs solo tonight (he’ll be at Kenyon Hall again Wednesday, with comedy added to the bill for that show).