All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.
Education, Food and Drink

Dining out can help support Maple Elementary

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Orient Express restaurant on an icy night in December. Photo by Wendi.
Orient Express restaurant on an icy night in December. Photo by Wendi.
If you eat at Orient Express (the old Andy’s Diner on Fourth Avenue South) on Thursday, February 12, the restaurant will donate 20% of your food bill to the Maple Elementary School PTSA. The money will be used to help fund fourth and fifth grade camp next fall.

We reviewed the Orient Express in November, and found the food to be excellent. With the economy the way it is now, this probably isn’t the easiest time to be opening a new restaurant, so by visiting the Express on February 12, you can both help a Beacon Hill elementary school and contribute to a new local restaurant’s success.

The Orient Express is located at 2963 4th Ave South in Sodo, and they serve Chinese and Thai food in vintage rail cars, including one once used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Gangsters, groups, and… gangs

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Portrait by artist Joey Nix, from his show at the Art Primo Showroom.
Portrait by artist Joey Nix, from his show at the Art Primo Showroom.
Getting Around

Another year, another big I-5 repair project

In February, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will begin replacing and repairing pavement on I-5 between the Boeing Access Road and the Snohomish County line. This pavement was mostly installed in the mid-1960s, and was designed to have a 20-year lifespan. You can do the math.

According to WSDOT, we can expect up to 14 weekends of closures and more than 100 nights of closures, lasting into late summer. The closures will affect one direction of the freeway each time and reduce I-5 down to just one or two through lanes.

WSDOT has been given a noise variance from the city of Seattle for night work, and they expect that noise and vibration from the construction will affect those living and working within 500 feet of the freeway.

An outreach meeting has been scheduled for WSDOT to discuss the project with the affected neighbors, and those within 500 feet of the freeway will also be receiving flyers with information about the project. The meeting is scheduled for February 3, at 7:00 pm, Quarters 1, PacMed, at the northwest corner of 14th Avenue South and South Judkins Street.

Getting Around

Another safety test closes MLK this weekend

This Saturday, January 24, 9 a.m. to noon, there will be another safety drill at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and South Cloverdale Street in preparation for the opening of Link light rail service.

During the test, MLK will be closed to through traffic from South Kenyon Street to South Henderson Street except for Metro transit service, which should not be affected by the closure. Detours will be in place, and motorists will be guided through the detours by police officers and signage.

Local Business, Local Events

Grown Folks to show inauguration

Photo by Dan Lurie.
Photo by Dan Lurie.
Looking for a local site to watch the inauguration? Grown Folks Coffeehouse at 4878 Beacon Avenue South will be broadcasting it from 7:00 am until 5:00 pm. They have a fireplace, TVs, coffee and tasty food, so it should be a comfortable and cheerful place to watch history unfold.

Gary at Grown Folks would also like to pass this message along:

“We at Grown Folks would just like to thank everyone for supporting us, especially during this very tough economy. Your support is deeply appreciated. We simply can’t thank you enough for being such a great neighborhood to do business in.”

Clean and Green

Volunteers clean up and replant Jose Rizal Park

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Volunteers were at Jose Rizal Park this weekend to kick off the MLK Weekend of Service by doing some needed cleaning and maintenance in the park. According to Elizabeth White of EarthCorps, who managed the project, 86 volunteers removed 6,000 square feet of new ivy, maintained 48,421 square feet of past work sites (more than an acre!), and planted 325 native plants. Wow! Thanks to all of the dedicated volunteers for their hard work in improving one of the neighborhood’s jewels!

Clean and Green

“Going reusable” with help from the SPL

Going green with reusable shopping bags. Photo by Ruthie Ruth.
Going green with reusable shopping bags. Photo by Ruthie Ruth.
Levecke Mas writes:

“Without declaring it a ‘new year’s resolution’ but rather a lifetime goal, our family of four is trying to say ‘no’ to the plastic bags. So far this year, we have been successful! From the way in which we shop, we estimate that to be about 100 bags we have not taken!

“Part of the success is being ready; we have amassed tons of great totes and the trick is remembering to bring them into the store or being willing to run back to the car because you forgot — again.

“I just want to share with all my neighbors, that the Beacon Hill Library is selling awesome reusable bright green totes for only $1. They are perfect for stacks of books so also perfect for all grocery items. Sales of the totes benefit Friends of the Beacon Hill library so everyone wins.

“Try ‘going reusable’ as often as you can or all the time!”

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Painting, zoning, and protesting

Portrait by Mimi Torchia Boothby.
Portrait by Mimi Torchia Boothby.
Local Events

Beaconian tells of bicycle journey through Thailand and Laos

Beacon Hill resident and KUOW commentator Willie Weir and his wife Kat spent three months in 2006 bicycling in Thailand and Laos, enjoying amazing travel experiences while discovering the differences and unique challenges of each country. Weir will present the story of their journey, A Tale of Twos: Cycling Thailand & Laos, at the REI flagship store on January 22 at 7:00 pm.