Beacon Hill Blog

Beacon Bits, Getting Around edition: shuttling to Seafair, making light rail work, and who is riding Link?

Going to Seafair festivities this weekend? Forget your car, and take Link light rail! Take the light rail to the Othello Station and catch a free Seafair Express Shuttle to the front gate, or go to the Columbia City Station and walk approximately one mile to the main gate.

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Roger Valdez of Beacon Hill writes in Sightline Daily about the long path to geting light rail in Seattle, and suggests steps the city will need to take to make it work in the long run, including smart land use policies that enhance and create transit demand by creating denser communities, and establishment of policies that will encourage and support transit ridership.

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City Councilman Bruce Harrell reports his involvement in securing federal funds for lighting, pedestrian, and transit improvements at the Mount Baker light rail station and the Rainier Avenue South and South Jackson Street areas. The Rainier project will provide buses with “queue jumps” and traffic signal priority, as well as adding 15 bus bulbs. These changes will allow buses to save time by bypassing traffic and avoiding merges into heavy traffic. The Mount Baker project will involve lighting which will link the station with Franklin High School, and provide safer crossing for pedestrians on Rainier Avenue and MLK.

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Nina Shapiro in the Seattle Weekly discusses issues of cultural disparity on Link light rail: is the train just “stuff white people like?” However, her article currently contains one big error — she suggests that riders of bus routes such as the #42 avoid Link because transfers from Link to the bus are not free. This is not true. Link tickets allow you to transfer to a bus for free. If #42 riders are avoiding Link for that reason, it is because of a misunderstanding of the fare system, and perhaps because Sound Transit/Metro haven’t yet done the best possible job of communicating how it works.

Tags: land use, light rail, light rail station, mount baker, pedestrians, seafair, streetlights

Staying cool in the pool

Tags: heat, hot, staying cool, swimming

Beacon Bits, Necessities of Life edition: Food, clothing, and cool, cool desserts

Jesse Vernon at Slog writes about halo-halo, a cool and sweet Filipino dessert that’s especially tasty on warm days like today. Beacon Hill may not have a trendy ice cream shop (yet), but we do have halo-halo, at Inay’s and at Kusina Filipina!

The Marination Hawaiian/Korean taco truck (yes, seriously) has begun a regular Thursday lunch residency at Dr. Jose Rizal Park, from 11am – 2pm. (Next week’s lunch is only until 1:30, though.)

In the hubbub over Link’s opening day on July 18, we missed one other local opening: big-box discount retail has come to Southeast Seattle in the form of a Ross store on Rainier Avenue South, in the former Longs Drugs next to Safeway, 3820 Rainier Avenue South. MyraMyra at the Rainier Valley Post wrote about her visit and suggested some tips for a good Ross shopping experience (hint: it’s no Nordstrom). Ross sells discounted clothing, shoes, and various household goods.

Tags: dessert, food, inay's, jose rizal park, kusina filipina, north beacon, rainier valley, restaurants, ross, shopping, staying cool, street food, taco trucks

Give it Up: An open letter to my local and state representatives

by Willie Weir

(Editor’s note: this is a guest post by Willie Weir, cross-posted from his blog, Yellow Tent Adventures. Check it out!)

Mayor Nickels–give it up. Seattle City Council members. You too. As well as King County Council members, Governor Gregoire, State representatives and all candidates for the above offices.

I’m talking about your car. For a week. Just a week.

You see, my wife and I answered the call to help the region and the planet by giving up our car over four years ago. With climate change upon us, it was imperative that we transition out of our auto-centric society. Get on the bus. Get on our bikes. Get out and walk.

There were plenty of incentive programs offered by our city and county governments, including the Way to Go Seattle: One Less Car Challenge. We took advantage of the Washington State Vehicle Redistribution Program… our car was stolen. We opted not to replace it.

We were in a good position to give up our car. We don’t have kids. We live on Beacon Hill with frequent bus service (and now light rail). We have stores, restaurants, a library, and a park all within a ten minute walking distance of our house. We both do most of our work from home.

Easy.

OK. Walking up the hill from the grocery store with a 20lb Thanksgiving turkey in an excursion-size backpack wasn’t easy. Waiting outside in a 40 degree drizzle for a bus that never came wasn’t fun. And taking 4 buses and a ferry to get to Sequim wasn’t convenient.

It didn’t take long to understand that for someone who owns a private vehicle, our city and region’s public transportation, bike paths and pedestrian corridors are top notch. Because when it isn’t easy, fun or convenient… you take your car.

When I joined the ranks of the carless, I began an education in how auto-centric our green little region is, and how far we have to go to get to be a truly livable place … for everyone.

How many of my neighbors park their cars across the sidewalk. How cracked and poorly maintained those sidewalks are. How fast the cars fly by on our residential streets. How few cars yield to me in a cross walk. How few bike racks there are outside the businesses I frequent. How poorly signed (or not at all) the bike routes are throughout the city. How terrifying biking can be in downtown Seattle. How little park space we have downtown and how much space we devote to parking.

So many issues and problems invisible to me while driving in my own personal vehicle.

Now I’m asking you all to give up your car. Not for four years. Just seven days.

For seven days live the life that few have chosen and many have no choice but to live.

Believe me, no matter how long you have lived in or served this region, you’ll learn things that will surprise you.

I know I did. And I’ve lived here for 25 years.

The best decisions about transit and neighborhood planning will be made by government officials who have taken the time to live a life without a car as an option.

Give it up.

We’ll all be glad you did.

Sincerely,

Willie Weir
Beacon Hill, Seattle

Tags: bicycles, living carless, pedestrians

Think cool

Put your feet in a bowl of ice water, an ice pack on your neck, and imagine yourself on Beacon Hill, almost exactly seven months ago:

Tags: denial, heat, hot, staying cool, the grass is always greener

Open post: Ideas for coping with the heat

The heat is getting to our computer equipment, even. Wendi’s monitor is flickering on and off (mostly off), my little cheap netbook has locked up several times, and the oppressive heat doesn’t make the prospect of sitting with the laptop terribly attractive either.

If you’re not lucky enough to have air conditioning, or if you’re getting a bit stir-crazy being trapped at home by your A/C, what are some places to head to, easily accessible from the hill, where you can hang out for a bit in a cooler atmosphere?

The Beacon Hill branch of the Seattle Public Library has air conditioning. Seventeen branches do. (I’m so sorry, Columbia City — sounds like your A/C-less branch might even be closed today!)

Wandering around inside Red Apple is refreshing, particularly near meats and in the frozen food aisle, lazily pondering which frozen fudge bar or ice cream sandwich would be best, but mostly chilling in the flood of cold air while standing there with the freezer door open.

Last night, we wanted to get out and get a meal somewhere cool with good food and drinks. I recalled the Collins Pub is just a half-block from the Pioneer Square tunnel station. A few blocks walk and we were in the elevator at Beacon Hill station. Once on the platform, it was a very pleasant temperature. A few minutes later, the air conditioned train stopped and we made our way to the Pioneer Square station and then up, out of the 3rd & Yesler entrance. Downhill and around the corner of the Smith Tower and we were at the comfortably cool Collins Pub. (I had a burger, impulsively with Field Roast instead of beef, with fries and tartar sauce. The burger was good, and the fries great. Wendi had a polenta dish with zucchini, broccoli, and a rustic tomato sauce. The polenta was good. The tomato sauce was a bit acid-y, and the broccoli was a surprise — Wendi hates broccoli. Luckily, I love it. Collins Pub offers a good selection of interesting craft beers. I had a pint of 21st Amendment’s “Hell or High Watermelon Wheat” — surprisingly tasty and refreshing — and one of Ninkasi’s “Radiant Summer Pale”, which grew on me the lower it got in the glass.)

What we’d like to know is: Where are you going and what are you doing to beat the heat?

Tags: a/c, air conditioning, beer, collins pub, heat, hot, library, red apple, staying cool, tunnel

Walking with Tica: Exploring the neighborhood

Like several thousand of our neighbors, we rode the new Sound Transit trains on July 18. There were so many people in Beacon Hill (literally inside the hill) that first weekend–and it went so smoothly. I am proud of our neighborhood and proud of our city. Congratulations us!

What does Link light rail have to do with walking my dog? The streets around the station have been opened up. We adapted to the construction–traffic, streets and sidewalks blocked, noise, and the visual obstruction of the big blue wall. It’s been six years that we haven’t been able to walk along Lander. Six years that we’ve had to crisscross McClellan to get to Red Apple from the west side of Beacon.

Those of you with dogs probably understand how easy it is to get into a routine (some might say rut) and walk the same route every day. We walk by the same houses, sniff the same bushes, greet the same dogs… it can get dull. As of now, we have new choices! Getting across Beacon doesn’t involve dodging big trucks.

I posted several new pictures to the Beacon Hill Blog Flickr pool from our July 18 walk. We met new neighbors and noticed new kitties and discovered some really fun lawn art.

Take advantage of the weather and the newly-restored intersections to explore a new section of Beacon Hill this week–and bring your camera. Let’s see what we can find!

Tags: dog, explore, pets, tica

Cat found attacked by wild animal

A sad message came to us on Sunday:

Hi Wendi & Jason,
We live at 20th and Lander and found an attacked blackish brown cat this morning.  We think it was killed by a wild animal last night sometime but didn’t hear anything.  We don’t recognize as one of the regular cats around and it doesn’t have any tags but looks too well groomed to be feral. We’ve already called Animal Control and they said they’ll be up to remove the body. We have a picture of the face (not too gruesome, but not postable either).  We can e-mail it to anyone who thinks that it might be theirs.
Thank you,
Patrick & Leigh

You can reach Patrick at pnelson101@gmail.com.

There are quite a few wild animals in and around the Hill, including some coyotes. We hope your pets are safe and sound.

Tags: lost pets, pets, wild animals

Street trees and fruit trees to sprout on Beacon Hill

Once upon a time, Beacon Hill was covered with a green forest. You can contribute to making it green again through the Neighborhood Matching Fund Tree Fund. This project provides free trees to neighborhood groups to plant in planting strips on residential streets. Yes, free! Groups of five or more households on a street can get together to apply for the trees. The deadline is August 21; here is the application. This year, Tree Fund participants who plant neighborhood street trees in a group can also select one fruit tree per household to plant on their private properties.

Speaking of fruit trees, the City Fruit project at cityfruit.org has a calendar project in the works, and they are looking for photos related to growing urban fruit, to feature in the 2010 calendar. Photos might show urban orchards, harvesting, jam, bugs, etc. The deadline is September 1, and photos should be sent to info@cityfruit.org.

Lastly, today at 2pm, the City Council will discuss a resolution to prioritize the protection of Seattle’s tree canopy, and legislation to create an Urban Forestry commission which will advise the Mayor and Council on urban forestry issues. If you have an opinion on the matter, you may want to call the council or the mayor this morning.

Tags: fruit trees, street trees, trees, urban forestry

South Precinct: Adiós Capt. Liggins, hello Capt. Emerick

A big shake up in the command-level of the Seattle Police Department was announced this morning. Of relevance to Beacon Hill and other areas in the South Precinct:

Captain Dave Emerick, a 25-year veteran of the police force, is leaving the Violent Crimes Section to become the new South Precinct commander. Captain Emerick will lead approximately 83 officers assigned to Patrol Operations, including a Community Police Team and a plain-clothes Anti-Crime Team. Captain Emerick has previously served in the Gang Unit, Narcotics Section, Homicide Unit and Harbor Patrol. This will be Captain Emerick’s first precinct command.

Captain Les Liggins, a 24-year veteran, is departing the South Precinct to assume command of the Narcotics Section, where he will oversee three squads of detectives and the Drug Court Liaison. Captain Liggins brings to the assignment experience leading the Metropolitan Section (SWAT, Mounted Patrol, and K9 Patrol), Fraud, Forgery and Financial Exploitation, Auto Theft, and Audit Accreditation and Policy.

For more details on other changes in the SPD command structure, see the this article on the SPDBlotter.

Tags: captain, emerick, liggins, police, spd

Rizal Park Music Fest urgently seeks assistance

Tess Guerzon, coordinator of the previously mentioned Rizal Music Fest coming up on August 8th, is looking to add some last-minute sponsors, vendors, or artists wanting to display their work during the festival, and she’s also hoping to find volunteers and someone who might be able to assist with providing and/or setting up tent(s) and a stage.

The current roster of sponsors includes Coldwell Banker-Danforth, OMA Construction, and Goldie’s Restaurant.

Time is running short — if you know anyone who might be interested in sponsoring the show, displaying their wares, selling items, volunteering, or providing tent and stage assistance, please contact Tess via email or phone at 206-819-8377.

Tags: festival, music, rizal park, stage, tent, vendor, volunteer

Beacon Bits: Jungle shooting, health inspections, Night Out block parties

• Another late-night shooting in the jungle leaves a man dead with no arrests and not even a description of the suspect — SPDBlotter
• Health inspections turn up violations at Asian Express, C&C Food Store/Valero, and Fiesta-Mex — Seattle/King County Public Health
• The annual neighborhood Block Party and Night Out Against Crime is coming up on Tuesday, August 4th. Registration deadline for hosting one on your block is July 31st. Please let us know if your block is hosting a party — we’ll do a run-down and reminder before the Night Out.

Tags: block party, fatal, food handling, food safety, health inspections, jungle, night out, shooting

Blood drive seeking Asian donors

Nikanne Nietzsche with the Puget Sound Blood Center writes:

Greetings! We need your help to build up the Asian volunteer blood donor population in Western Washington. For every 22 Caucasian donors we only obtain 1 Asian donor. In Western Washington, for every 22 Caucasians, there are 4 Asians. We are really 75% lacking in our potential Asian blood donors in this area. Lets get organized and build up the Asian commitment for blood donors!

Successful blood drives START with getting the word out.

IT’S THE SIMPLEST WAY TO HELP! Please Donate Blood:

SATURDAY, JULY 25
BLAINE MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
3001 – 24th Ave S. Seattle, WA 98144

For information and appointments, please call Heidi Wong at KIN ON 206-721-3630 Ext 126 or hwong@kinon.org

Donation information sheet (PDF)

Tags: blood, donation, psbc, puget sound blood center

Festival to bring music to Rizal Park August 8

The First Annual Rizal Park Music Festival will be held at Jose Rizal Park on August 8, from noon-8:00 pm.

The festival will showcase local talent in music and fine arts, as well as promoting the Dr. Jose Rizal Park and Bridge, both named after a Filipino national hero. It will also benefit the Rizal Park Preservation Society and the Zenaida Guerzon Foundation (read more about Zenaida Guerzon, a former Franklin High School teacher and Filipino community leader, here).

The event will be a family-friendly event with kids’ activities. Food vendors will be there, art and dance will be exhibited, and there will be music from bands and artists including Angelo Pizarro, Network, NewWave, EnRoute, and more.

Volunteers are welcomed; see the website for further information.

Tags: festival, jose rizal park, north beacon

Beacon Bits: Blue Angels, business awards, and parking issues

It’s almost Seafair time, so it’s time to be prepared for the noise and distraction of Blue Angels flying directly over Beacon Hill.

Here’s the schedule of Angels’ practices and performances:

• July 29: Blue Angels arrival
• July 30: Blue Angels practice times:
  • 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
  • 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
• July 31-August 2: Blue Angels performances:
  • July 31: 1:20 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
  • August 1: 1:20 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
  • August 2: 1:20 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
• August 3: Blue Angels depart

* * *

Last week’s commentary by Frederica Merrell about small business owners and the planning process generated some interesting comments, including information about how local businesses can apply for the 2009 Mayor’s Small Business Awards, and discussion about how local businesses can get their concerns heard.

Neighbor Brook commented, “In most other neighborhoods, they’d get a fair say because at least some of them would be involved in an active neighborhood chamber of commerce that would contribute to planning, go after development grants, and such. I’m sure it’s a challenge in a neighborhood as diverse as ours, but everyone is losing out without an organization like that.” The Beacon Hill Blog has commented on this concern previously.

* * *

In the BHB forum, Gracie P writes:

“Has there been any discussion among folks about how to cope with the RPZ when going on vacation? We’re taking a road trip in one car, trying to figure out what will happen with the other one while we are gone… Yes, we could tackle the issue that multiple cars is a bit excessive, but we’d be in the same boat if we had one car and took link to SeaTac.

Not that it wasn’t illegal to leave a car for more than 72 hours before the RPZ, but… with actual parking patrols happening up here, we are realizing we can’t just blissfully leave a car on the street while we travel.

Have any ideas or suggestions for Gracie? Please post them in the Forum.

Tags: blue angels, chamber of commerce, parking, rpz, seafair, small business

Light Rail restaurant review: Baja Bistro

Baja Bistro and Java Love are actually conjoined twins: a bar on one side and a coffee shop on the other, sharing a kitchen. There are a few tables and chairs outside and small seating areas in both restaurants.

Baja Bistro has a full liquor license. They sell a limited number of bottled beers and probably have some wine–but the reason we go here is for the margaritas. Whether you go for traditional lime or upgrade to a house pomegranate-lime blend, you will not be disappointed. Drinks are served in pint glasses and balance great taste with moderate alcohol–and they’re within walking distance of my house!

I also rave about the tacos patatas–potato tacos. Trust me, they are incredible! Crispy, filling, but not greasy or heavy. Perfect with a margarita or other summer beverage. Also be sure to try the fish tacos, the mole enchiladas, and the incredible tortas (bolo sandwich with rich avocado and mayo spread). The homemade chips and salsa are also a treat, or you can upgrade to nachos.

Service at Baja Bistro is sincerely friendly. Everyone is made to feel welcome. Everyone on staff seems to enjoy being there and it’s clear they expect you to linger for a while. Service is quick, but the atmosphere encourages hanging out and enjoying a conversation (or a book). Baja Bistro is also kid friendly, at least on the Java Love side. The owner lives on Beacon Hill and received an award from The Stranger for being one of “Seattle’s Sexiest Baristas”. Someone should really nominate his younger brother for the award next year…

Regular prices are reasonable (meals for two are generally around $20-$25, more if you order drinks) and Happy Hour prices are very happy: $3 tacos and $5 margaritas.

Thanks to Link Light Rail, people who aren’t fortunate enough to walk to Baja Bistro will be able to take the train. Baja Bistro is two blocks north of the Beacon Hill light rail station. Come on up and enjoy some good food, great drinks, and outstanding company!

They close at 5:00 pm on Mondays, and stay open until 9:00 pm Tuesday-Friday. Enjoy breakfast and other items from 9:00 am-3:00 pm on weekends.

Neighborhood: Beacon Hill
2414 Beacon Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98144
(206) 323-0953

Tags: baja bistro, java love, light rail station, mexican food, restaurants

Car wash near station declared a violation; Grown Folks Coffeehouse closed

The city’s Department of Planning and Development has confirmed that the First Choice car detailing/car wash business that is operating at the corner of Beacon Avenue South and 15th Avenue South is not allowed to operate at that site due to light rail station area and pedestrian overlay zoning regulations. The case is being referred to the City Attorney’s office for enforcement action, and the owner of the business has been informed of the decision. Our understanding here at the BHB is that there is a certain grace period for the business to relocate, so the business may be in operation for some time still.

In other local business news, neighbor Chris sent in a tip about an interesting, and saddening, listing on Craigslist today: Grown Folks Coffeehouse has closed, and they are selling all of their equipment. A potential bargain for someone else who wants to open a coffee shop, but a substantial loss for Mid-Beacon Hill. (This closure wasn’t entirely unexpected. We mentioned the land use application for their lot last month, and it was known for months before that the lot owner was looking to redevelop the property. –Ed.)

Tags: car wash, closure, grown folks, mid-beacon, north beacon, zoning

Light Rail restaurant reviews: La Cabaña

La Cabaña is Tex-Mex style cooking: lots of gooey cheddar cheese & smothered stuff. It’s not health food, but it is delicious!

Family-run and super friendly, this is where we take visitors when we want to spread out and enjoy a lot of good food without spending very much money. Portions are LARGE–you’ll have enough for lunch the next day. Dinner for 3 usually totals about $35, including drinks.

Try the mole enchiladas, the tostados, and the tamales. Rice and beans are basic and good. Two kinds of salsa and all you can eat chips (with ongoing refills) come with every meal. My niece loves the horchata (sweet rice drink) and my sweetie loves the Negro Modelo beer. I stick with water or occasionally a wine sangria. No hard alcohol here.

It’s almost always empty, but they’ve been around forever. The booths are roomy and the staff are always happy to see groups with kids. Decor is kitschy, in an adorable way.

I love La Cabaña. If you live on the Hill, walk on down. If you’re visiting on the train, it’s just a couple of blocks from the Beacon Hill Light Rail Station.

La Cabaña
2532 Beacon Ave S
Seattle, WA 98144
(206) 322-9643

Tags: cheese, La Cabaña, mexican, restaurants

Going places on light rail: Mount Baker station

The Mount Baker Station is located just west of Rainier Avenue South, and just south of South McClellan Street. Had it been built 40-some years ago at that site, it might have been called Stadium Station; the former site of Sick’s Stadium, home of the American League Seattle Pilots in 1969 (not to mention the Seattle Rainiers for 40 years), is just across the street. It’s now Lowe’s, and there is a small historical display there. (Here’s a video on YouTube that shows the stadium in its heyday, and later in its decrepitude, before it was demolished in the 1970s. And here’s an old documentary about the Pilots, in two parts, with more footage of the stadium and 1960s Seattle.) Sick’s wasn’t just known for baseball, either — Elvis and Jimi Hendrix, among others, played concerts there.

Thirty years after the stadium’s demise, the area is a relatively automobile-focused district containing fast food and big stores like Lowe’s, Rite Aid, and QFC, mostly surrounded by large parking lots, with cars speeding by on Rainier Avenue. It’s not a pedestrian-friendly environment, but the intent is that the new station, and the potential transit-friendly development it will attract, will improve that.

East of the station rises the imposing neoclassical façade of Franklin High School, which opened in 1912 and was renovated in the late 1980s.

Northeast of Lowe’s on MLK, between South Walker and South Bayview streets, you’ll find the Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Park, a tiered, grassy amphitheatre-like space containing a reflecting pool and a 30-foot-tall granite sculpture by Robert Kelly, inspired by King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.

There is good eating to be found near the station, even if you have to dodge a few cars to find it. Thai Recipe is located in the same strip mall as Domino’s on McClellan, and it is the only Thai restaurant we know of that even borders on North Beacon Hill. The very friendly staff serves good, reliable, and tasty Thai food, available for take out or to eat in the small dining room.

Perhaps your current craving is for a cheesesteak sandwich instead. If so, there’s The Original Philly’s, almost in the shadow of Mount Baker station at the intersection of Rainier and McClellan.

The art at this station includes chandeliers on the underside of the guideway, made from recycled “cobra head” street lights (Sky Within by Sheila Klein), and painted glass forming splashes of color on the glass face of the station (Rain, Steam and Speed and Seattle Sunrise, both by Guy Kemper);

If you continue on the train toward downtown from Mount Baker, you will then turn west and enter the Beacon Hill tunnel. Here’s a video taken by Oran Viriyincy to give you a taste of what it’s like to ride the train from Mount Baker into the tunnel.

Tags: light rail, light rail station, mount baker

Working into the night to be ready for Saturday

Tags: beacon hill station, light rail station, north beacon