All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.

What we love about the Hill

Looking down a Beacon Avenue sidewalk. Photo by Wendi from the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool.
Looking down a Beacon Avenue sidewalk. Photo by Wendi from the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool.
The other day we asked “what are five things you love about Beacon Hill?” The results are an interesting snapshot of the reasons many of us live here.

The most common answer was “convenience.” Our location has “convenient access to just about anywhere (except perhaps Ballard),” and it’s particularly convenient if you like to visit Georgetown (two people mentioned our neighbors to the southwest). The light rail — and the access it will soon give to Sounders FC games — are something a couple of us are excited about as well.

Many people mentioned particular Beacon Hill businesses that they love. Most loved were the Red Apple, El Quetzal, and Victrola (ex-Galaxie), but Yoga on Beacon, Kusina Filipina, MacPherson’s Fruit and Produce, El Delicioso inside the ABC Supermarket, and Culinary Communion also got some love.

For being so close to Downtown and industrial SODO, Beacon Hill has a lot of nature to enjoy, and quite a few of you mentioned that. From “watching raptors over the greenbelt with my daughter from our front window” to “cloud-watching from my back porch” to enjoying “the fall colors along Beacon Avenue south of Columbian Way,” we get a lot of nature enjoyment from our perch above the city. And for that matter, we have some views, too. “The winter view of the Olympics” and “the stunning view of the Seattle skyline coming off of Beacon” are something we get to see all the time — don’t you feel lucky?

Views and buildings and even businesses are not all that make up a neighborhood, however, and so several people included their neighbors in their list of what they love about Beacon Hill. Some neighbors have Obama/Biden signs. Some “don’t mind when my other daughter plays her fiddle in the front yard.” And some are just amazing friends who are “not allowed to move away, ever.” The diversity of our neighbors is another thing we like: “going to the bank and hearing Cantonese, Spanish, and a bit of English.”

You can read all of the answers people gave and see who said what on the original post, and add your own comments if you like. Thanks to all those who answered so far!

I’ll post another question soon.

Wreath and Swag Workshop at Garden House, 11/15

Christmas wreath photo by Joe Shlabotnik.
Christmas wreath photo by Joe Shlabotnik.
The lovely Garden House on 15th Avenue South (it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest house on Beacon Hill!) is the site of a Wreath and Swag Workshop on Saturday, November 15, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Tickets are $20, and you will leave the workshop with either a swag or a wreath. Materials are included. More details and ticket purchase information are here. The Garden House is located at 2336 15th Ave South.

Enjoy the falling leaves with your kids at Jefferson Park

Seattle Parks and Recreation have scheduled a parent and child nature activity for next month, meeting at Jefferson Community Center. Here’s their press release:

Share nature with your child in your neighborhood park! Join one of our Naturalists for a fun filled hour and learn about the world outside your door. Please arrive 10 minutes before class time and wear weatherproof clothing. Up to two children can be registered with one adult. No strollers please. Pre-registration required. Call 684-7481 to register.

Ages: 3 – 5 years (accompanied by a parent)
Location: Jefferson Community Center, Hasselberg Hall, 3801 Beacon Ave. S
Date: Monday, November 17, 12:30 – 1:30 pm
Fee: $7 for one adult with one child; $3.50 for each additional person

Beacon Bits: Georgetown Morgue controversy, Ken Mochizuki, and gun bloggers

Cleveland students create mural

Correction:The original post had the correct date, but incorrect day.

The Rainier Valley Post reports that Cleveland High School students are currently involved in a project to design and create a 9 x 31 foot mural for the school’s entryway, with help from SEED’s Public Art Program and Urban Artworks. You can see the mural and celebrate the achievement at a community celebration of the completed work on Saturday Thursday, November 20, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm at Cleveland. More information, including photos, at the Rainier Valley Post.

Beacon Bits: Blog love, salad love, touchdown!

Franklin High School, where they are celebrating today. Photo by Justin Baeder.
Franklin High School, where they are celebrating today. Photo by Justin Baeder.
Beacon Bits are collections of useful or interesting links or other tidbits that we’ll post periodically.

What are five things you love about Beacon Hill?

I love that I can get a cappuccino like this only 5 minutes walk from home! Photo by Wendi.
I love that I can get a cappuccino like this only 5 minutes' walk from home! Photo by Wendi.
The Ms. Adventures in Italy blog had a post the other day, “Five Things I Love About San Francisco.” She invited readers to post their own “Five Things I Love About _______” lists on their own blogs. I started thinking about what I love about Seattle, and then thought “hey, why not Beacon Hill?”

So I ask you all, what are the five things you love about Beacon Hill? Please post in the comments. If you have photos, please email them to us or put them in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool at Flickr.

I’ll get things started with my list. I live in North Beacon so this might be biased toward that area:

  • The light rail that will be serving us in less than a year!
  • The lovely old Craftsman bungalows that haven’t been “remuddled” beyond all recognition
  • The tasty food and drink available on Beacon Avenue these days (particularly El Quetzal and Victrola)
  • The new library: beautiful, and full of the best things in the world: books!
  • The sound of the gospel singing from the Baptist Church across from the Library, echoing through the evening air in summer when the windows are open

So what are your five?

Next week I may ask for the five things you’d like to improve about the Hill, but for now, we’ll stay on the positive side.

New Holly playground completed in one day

You’ll remember a few days ago, when we published an appeal for volunteers to help build a playground for New Holly’s 2,500 children in six hours. The day was yesterday, and the playground was completed on time with the help of many volunteers. The Seattle Times has a nice story about it, including video (but I wish they’d have shown more video of the playground — anyone out there take any photos at the event?).

Accused “Beacon Hill Groper” freed

The man suspected of being the “Beacon Hill Groper” is being freed on probation, after the victim best able to identify her attacker chose not to testify.

Darin L. Bolar, 42, was sentenced to five months in King County Jail for first degree theft and misdemeanor assault against a man who reportedly witnessed Bolar groping a woman on Rainier Avenue earlier this year. However, the woman refused to testify, and without such testimony, police are unable to link Bolar to any of the 25 sexual assaults that occurred in the Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley areas, beginning in 2006. None of the other victims were able to identify Bolar.

Bolar, a registered Level 1 sex offender, was given credit for the time already served and will be freed on two years’ probation, under condition that he completes a sexual deviancy evaluation and treatment program and stays out of trouble.

The “Beacon Hill Groper” cases involved the assault of 25 ethnically Asian girls and women, typically walking down the street or waiting at bus stops. The attacks became bolder and more aggressive over time, and caused substantial fear among Southeast Seattle residents.

For more, see the coverage at KOMO and the P-I.

Community forum on breaking down housing barriers

“Breaking Down Housing Barriers” is a two part anti-racism community forum to be held on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 6:00 to 9:00 pm, and on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

The first part is an education and awareness panel and discussion, which will “focus on issues that prevent people from finding housing including mortgage default, eviction records and criminal histories… (and) also discuss the underlying role racism plays and how it affects people of color trying to secure stable housing in Seattle/King County.”

The second part is an advocacy and action panel, which will “focus on actions community members can take to help make stable housing more accessible to communities of color.”

Both sessions will be at the Eritrean Community Center, at the foot of Beacon Hill and just off Rainier Avenue at 1954 South Massachusetts.

Find more information at the Solid Ground website.

Thanks to Liz Reed Hawk on the BAN list.