All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.
Getting Around, Life on the Hill

Blue Angels to buzz Beacon this week

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Blue Angels flying directly over 17th Ave. S. Photo by Wendi.
The Blue Angels are back in town for Seafair, which means that Beacon Hill residents can expect the usual close-up view of the Angels as they practice and perform their choreographed aerial acrobatics directly over our neighborhood.

The squadron will practice on Thursday, August 4 from 10 a.m. until noon and again from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Actual performances will be on Friday, August 5, through Sunday, August 7, each day from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Practices and performances will force complete closures of I-90 due to Federal Aviation Administration safety rules, so be aware that there will be congestion. If you need to drive across the lake using I-90 on Thursday – Sunday mornings, you should drive at least one hour before the closure times.

On Thursday, I-90 will be closed twice. The express lanes will close at 9 a.m. and reopen by 3:30 p.m., and the mainline will close from 9:45 a.m. until noon, and then again from 1:15-2:30 p.m.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the express lanes will close at least two hours before the shows and reopen by 3:30 p.m., and the mainline will be closed from 12:45 – 2:40 p.m. each day.

There will be loud noise from the jets during the practices and performances, so take special care of your pets. As on the Fourth of July, some pets react negatively to the loud noise from the Blue Angels and may run away.

For further information about this year’s air show, see the Seafair website.

Getting Around

Fourth Ave S lanes to close nights in August

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Beacon neighbors who travel through Sodo should be aware that Fourth Avenue South will be reduced to one lane in each direction each night for up to three weeks beginning this Wednesday, August 3, as part of the work to widen the Spokane Street Viaduct.

Lane reductions on Fourth Avenue South on either side of the South Spokane Street intersection will run from 9 p.m. each night until 5 a.m. the next morning, except for event nights, at which time work will start at 11 p.m. The lane closures are needed for the painting of steel girders.

See the project website for more details.

Local Events, Neighborhood Pride

Night Out events coming to Beacon Hill on Tuesday

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Tuesday, August 2 is the annual Seattle Night Out, in which neighbors all over Seattle hold block parties to meet each other and organize their neighborhoods to fight crime.

Throughout Beacon Hill there will be numerous Night Out events during the evening hours. Here are all the ones we know about here at the BHB:

  • 1700 block of 17th Ave. S., 7-10 p.m.: Leslie Schear is organizing, and asks that people bring card tables for food and lawn chairs to sit on.
  • 16th Ave. S. and S. Hill St. in the cul de sac with the basketball hoop, 5:30-8 p.m.
  • Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 S. Myrtle, 5-8 p.m.: Meet your neighbors and enjoy free hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages. The wading pool will be open for everyone to enjoy, and there will be arts and crafts and a bounce house for the kids. Adult and teen volunteers are needed to help.
  • 4800 block of Columbia Dr. S.
  • 24th Ave S. and S. Hinds.
  • 20th Ave S. and S. Bayview.
  • 16th Ave. S. at S. Horton, 6-9:30 p.m.: Bring a potluck dish to share. Marching Band Movitas may perform.
  • S. Forest St. between 20th Ave. S. and 21st Ave. S. (3 blocks east of the library), 6:30-10:30 p.m.: If you’d like to help set up, please come at 6pm. Please bring a dish to share. Email Sara Stubbs at sara.mcdonald@gmail.com if you have any questions.
  • 3300 block of 17th Ave. S.: Laura Feinstein is organizing. Bring a dish to the potluck.


View Seattle Night Out block party locations, 8/11 in a larger map

Getting Around

Seattle Transit Blog analyzes Route 36 ridership patterns

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Seattle Transit Blog currently has a post up analyzing patterns of transit ridership on Beacon Hill’s Route 36. The post includes a chart that shows the average daily number of boardings and deboardings by stop. As one might expect, the stops at each end of the route are heavily used, as are the stops at Beacon Hill Station and the VA hospital. Stops in the International District along S. Jackson see a huge amount of traffic.

The author, Bruce Nourish asks that Beacon Hill neighbors comment on the STB post: “please let us know in the comments what else you see in this data that I’ve missed.”

Arts, Local Events

Beacon Rocks! brings beach to Beacon Sunday

Blue sky appeared for the last installment of Beacon Rocks. Will it appear again on Sunday? Photo by Wendi.
The Beacon Rocks! concert series returns on Sunday, July 31 from 1-5 p.m., along with an interactive art installation that will “bring the beach” to Roberto Maestas Festival Street.

Performance schedule:

Other activities promised from 1-5 p.m. include “ducky kid fun,” a beer garden at the nearby Station coffee shop, food vendors, the interactive art installation, and a viewing of Patrick Gofre and Marga Houtman’s Duckumentary. At 5 p.m. there will also be drawings for prizes.

As always, the event is at Roberto Maestas (Lander) Festival Street, adjacent to Beacon Hill Station.

Food and Drink

Travelers Thali House to open August 5

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This Beacon Avenue house, formerly Culinary Communion and Tasha's Bistro Café, will be serving up Indian food in a few days. Photo by Jason.
Travelers Thali House, the new Indian restaurant in the old Culinary Communion/Tasha’s space on Beacon Avenue, will celebrate their official Grand Opening starting on Friday, August 5 at 5 p.m., and running through the entire weekend.

According to their Facebook page, there will also be “soft openings” on Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30 from 5-9 p.m., and on Sunday, July 31 (during Beacon Rocks!), Wednesday, August 3, and Thursday, August 4 from noon-9 p.m.