Category Archives: Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits, Help Wanted

Beacon Bits: Past, present, and future

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This is how the Beacon Hill Library looked almost nine years ago, shortly after opening. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Charles Mudede doesn’t like the Beacon Hill Library, but he might like Beacon Ave Deli. — Slog

Beacon Hill neighbor Yasmin Christopher tells the story of her family’s abuse at the hands of her father, a human trafficker and convicted sex offender. — Seattle Times

Skin Deep Dance Studio in North Beacon Hill is looking for someone to work the front desk on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 5-8 p.m. Duties include cleaning, signing people into computer and selling merchandise in the boutique, as well as some data entry and social networking on Facebook. Pay is $10 per hour. For information, call 206-322-9500.

A Beacon in the International District: Beacon Hill dance crew Massive Monkees have opened their new dance studio, The Beacon, on South King Street. The studio partners with a local non-profit group (also founded by Massive Monkees members) to host a free after-school program and other activities. Wondering about the name? According to the Northwest Asian Weekly, crew member Brysen “JustBe” Angeles says “We grew up on Beacon Hill. We grew up by Jefferson Community Center. It was the place where we started attending youth programs. It was the place where mentors like us, when they were the age we are now, were teaching youth programs. The other meaning is a beacon of light in Seattle for performing artists who are the best at our craft to share our experiences.” — Northwest Asian Weekly

The largest brothel in the world — perhaps — was once located on Beacon Hill. Later, the building was destroyed by a B-50 bomber. Yes, really. — Seattle Times

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: A crow, a whale, and Kimball’s open house

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A few quick notes from the Beacon Hill Blog mailbag:

Neighbor Anne wanted to let us know that the Kimball Elementary School Open House is tonight, January 30, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Kimball school library at 3200 23rd Ave. S.

School tours for incoming kindergarteners and their families are on February 5 and 13 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Call 252-7280 to reserve a spot on the tour.

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Crow photo by Chris Gladis via Creative Commons/Flickr.
First we had a lost parakeet, and now there’s a crow who needs help. Neighbor Wendy writes:

“There is a crow that has a badly broken leg. I first saw it last October when I moved to Beacon Hill, then recently saw it and its partner near my house south of the golf course. I called PAWS Wildlife Center and they do not have the resources to catch the crow, however, they will treat it if the crow is brought to its Wildlife Center. The crow still flies. I’ve been leaving peanuts near my front yard and this crow and its mate have been eating the nuts. I saw both this past Sunday. Anyone with expertise in catching birds? It hurts to see this poor crow.”

Any advice for Wendy?

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A missive from ROCKiT Community Arts arrived with news about the Beacon Whale, who was sighted all over the Hill last summer after a storm drove him from his Garden House perch:

“News Flash! The Beacon Whale has been captured! Come join us for his
miraculous, historic restoration to his natural habitat rooftop of the Garden House on Beacon Hill on Sunday, February 3 at 11:00 a.m. We will be serving a fantastic brunch and celebrating his return. Don’t miss the fun!”

See the story of the whale here. The Garden House is located at 2336 15th Ave. S.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Annoying litter, stolen cars, hot dogs and brunch

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We haven’t done a Beacon Bits in a while, so here goes. This time we got a few emails from folks that we want to pass on to you. First, Jeff writes:

“Down here in S. Seattle, we have been having a litter problem. The Seattle Times has an advertising paper that they deliver by contracting it out. The delivery folks just toss it out of a moving car to every home that does not get the Times. This creates an unsightly mess, as well as advertising when people are out of town.

“I have contacted the Times multiple times, to no avail. They insist it is their right to litter our neighborhood! I know of several other neighborhoods adversely affected by this issue as well. I started an on-line petition. Can you please post it to your Blog and ask folks to both sign it, and disseminate it through emails or social media such as Facebook? This is an issue all Seattle neighborhoods should be concerned about and can work together on. Here is the link to the petition.

Bobby writes:

“My partner and I recently bought a house down on S. Juneau & Beacon Ave. about 2 months ago now. Sunday morning, around about 3am-8am, someone stole our car from our driveway.”

Please contact Bobby at BbDgtl@gmail.com if you happen upon a 2002 green Honda Civic with the plate 811ZVA.

Frank writes:

“I would like everyone to know that I have started my new business on Beacon Hill and I want to thank the people who supported me ‘Frank’s Hot Dogs’ on Saturday, my first day of business. I put the cart, on the South/East corner lot of the El Centro de la Raza, east of the taco trailer or right next to it. For my first day it was fun, even though it rained the whole time I was open, I still enjoyed being there. I want to let everyone know, that I wanted to be open Monday through Friday, 11:00 to at least 5:00, possibly Saturday and closed on Sunday. Because the restaurant, El Quetzal where I do my clean up, is closed on Mondays, I will now be open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 to at least 5:00. Then, at 9:00 pm, on Saturday nights, I will be on Beacon Ave. at El Quetzal until after the bars close.”

Melissa writes:

“Would you be willing to mention Tippe & Drague’s Sunday brunch in the blog? We offer it from 9:30am – 1:30pm.”

Done.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Hungry?

The big blue oven from Bar del Corso. Photo by Dapper Lad Cycles in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
The Beacon Bits are mostly about food lately. You know we have got to be in a new era on Beacon Hill when so many other websites are talking about our restaurants and bars! But there are a few other things that found their way into the Bits collection this time. Here are some of the Bits we’ve compiled over the last few weeks:

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Seattle Eater features Jerry Corso of Bar del Corso in a “One Year In” feature, interviewing him about the restaurant’s first year of operation:

“We realized that [Beacon Hill has] been a very underserved neighborhood. Maybe because there’s a perception that it’s too sleepy up here. Would there be enough movement and passerby traffic to support what we wanted to do here? I approached this with a confident exterior. So my biggest surprise in this respect was that not only did we have our loyal regulars and neighbors, who knew this space as the Beacon Pub, but others who traveled clear across town to come here.”

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Eater likes Beacon Hill lately — they also included a photo of Travelers Thali House in a recent post.

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In a recent discussion on Chowhound about the best pizza in Seattle, Bar del Corso got some love.

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Seattle Beer News discusses why good bars are essential to Beacon Hill.

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Seattle Weekly‘s food blog, Voracious, listed El Quetzal as one of “Seattle’s 10 Best Mexican Restaurants.”

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Also on the restaurant front, Thrillist reviews Luisa Taqueria with an unusual simile: “Looking to dominate Beacon Hill’s ethnic-eats landscape like that billionaire dude does the protagonist of Fifty Shades of Grey, the crew behind Filipino mainstay Inay’s just opened Luisa Taqueria.”

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The Seattle Times published one of the earliest photos of a Beacon Hill house recently. The house was at what is roughly 10th and Dearborn, which is not part of Beacon Hill anymore. Back then, however, it was. Since that time, the Dearborn Cut (finished 100 years ago in 1912) has removed the northern ridge of Beacon Hill where it once continued north toward First Hill.

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The NewHolly development on South Beacon Hill has seen home values drop drastically. Could it be because of crime? Real estate agents quoted in a story at Seattle Weekly suggest that instead, it’s a common situation in newer developments, where multiple nearly identical homes are for sale, triggering price wars.

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We all know about Beacon Hill’s high school, Cleveland. But another Seattle high school you may not have heard of has headquarters here on the Hill, as reported by the Seattle Times: the Interagency Academy.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: New employees, new businesses, new hours

The Oak restaurant's exterior is much improved. As far as we know, the owners are still waiting for the liquor license before they can open. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.

No news yet on the opening of the Oak, though much work has been done on the building.

The Tippe and Drague down the street is also getting closer to opening, with the recent completion of drywall work in the interior.

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Browsing around the eater.com website, we noticed a Beacon Hill job listing, posted a couple of weeks ago:

“Bar del Corso is looking for that perfect person. MUST HAVE wood-burning pizza oven experience and a touch for dough. We are a small, owner-run restaurant / pizzeria, with a tight-knit group of professionals, in a family-like environment. There is lots of room for growth in this position. Knowledge of Italian cuisine, good knife skills, a passion for food are all a plus!”

See the listing at eater.com for further information.

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Speaking of Bar del Corso, we missed this last month but you should see it now: a video in which owner Jerry Corso reveals how to make a delicious margherita pizza. (The all-important ingredient Bar del Corso has that none of us have at home? That big blue pizza oven!)

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A new business has come to the hill: The Skin Firm, a skin care and waxing studio, opens tomorrow (Friday, June 1) at 4501 15th Ave. S., Suite 103, just west of
MacPherson’s Produce. There is a grand opening reception at 7 p.m.

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Luisa Taqueria at Beacon and 15th Avenue South has made a few changes. Starting June 3 they will serve brunch Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.– 3 p.m, with coffee and new brunch dishes in a collaboration with Inay’s. The taqueria will also be open 7 days a week now, from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. on weekends.

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The Station (2533 16th Ave. S.) has made a list of dog-friendly coffee shops in Seattle!

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According to the Wall Street Journal, the bidding wars for homes are back — right here on Beacon Hill.

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The Lockmore neighborhood blog reports that thieves recently tried a “brazen, balls the size of Texas-style” late evening break-in, netting only a garage door opener.

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It’s down on Rainier, not on the Hill, but some folks may be happy to know that a branch of Heaven Sent Fried Chicken, the new chain of restaurants operated by Ezell Stephens (of you-know-where fame), has opened at 3427 Rainier Ave. S., sharing space with former Beacon Hill restaurant Willie’s Taste of Soul. (For some reason, eater.com thinks that location is Rainier Beach.)

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: El Centro’s parking lot is open

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The new parking lot at El Centro is open on the future site of a new development. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.

Some Bits for you from the last few weeks:

El Centro de la Raza has opened their temporary light rail parking lot to the
public. Parking rates are listed here. The lot is in the south part of the El Centro site, directly adjacent to the Roberto Maestas Festival Street, across the street from Beacon Hill Station. The parking lot is an interim use of the site, limited to three years or less, after which El Centro plans to develop the site. Proceeds from the parking lot benefit El Centro’s human services and community building programs.

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Mayor McGinn recently led a delegation to Chongqing and Beijing, and while there distributed some Seattle souvenirs to local schoolchildren — including a Beacon Rocks! t-shirt.

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Doreen Deaver sent us this notice:

Now that the egg hunts are done, are you wondering what to do with all those plastic eggs? Jefferson Community Center is the place to bring them. We are recycling eggs! Bring them in and give them a good home. We can use them again. Thank you.

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Maple Elementary School art teacher Kate Baker was recently featured in the Seattle Times in an article about arts programs at Seattle schools.

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Blink and you’ll miss it, but Microsoft used a gorgeous photo taken from Beacon Hill in an an ad for the new Internet Explorer. (Thanks to former Beacon Hill neighbor Travis Mayfield at KOMO for noticing the photo!)

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Movie lights and skate park lights

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Jefferson Park sidewalk. Photo by Joel Lee in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.

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Local group Blue Scholars have a short film contest in progress to promote their album Cinemetropolis. See this video for details. Deadline is April 6.

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The Seattle P-I has a photo series, “What Seattle neighborhood are you?” Beacon Hill is represented, but we daresay they don’t know us very well: “BEACON HILL: You were happily climbing the social ladder until you found out the love of your life was two-timing you with then-grungy South Lake Union. Forget Amazon. You can do better than that, Beacon Hill.” Love of our life? Bah. They wish.

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Apparently the lighting at the new Jefferson Skate Park is less than ideal. But Seattle Parks is working on getting it right.

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Former Beacon Hill resident Roger Valdez published an article recently in the Seattle Transit Blog with a radical anti-zoning suggestion: “Beacon Hill: The Revolution Won’t Be Measured in Feet.” But then he followed up with another Beacon-centric post: “Zeroing in on Beacon Hill.” What do you think of his suggestions?

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Food Forest, food for kids, food for thought

Someone spinning on his head at Jefferson Park in the late afternoon sun. Photo by Robinette Struckel in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.

We’ve been holding on to some of these Bits for a while, so no time like the present… here goes!

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The Beacon Food Forest was featured recently in Crosscut, where Robert Mellinger writes:

“There is no other project of Beacon Food Forest’s scale and design on public land in the United States — a forest of food, for the people, by the people.”

The article gives a thorough background on the bureaucratic issues that the Food Forest organizers have had to deal with so far, as well as an overview of future plans.

The Food Forest was also featured in Take Part this week.

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Travelers Thali House was recently touted in the Seattle Weekly‘s Voracious blog as “colorful food kids will eat.”

Travelers was also mentioned in the March issue of Sunset, on page 17. The blurb mentions that Travelers serves Indian street food and gives a couple of examples.

Back to Voracious, where Travelers was featured yet again this week in a “Sexy Feast” review by Jay Friedman:

“My thali looked like an edible artist’s palette. Instead of a paintbrush, I’d dip my fork into the various metal bowls, sampling each carefully and seeing how it blended with the next…

“Exploring and enjoying different tastes and textures, with varied sequences of bites, nibbles, scoops, and swirls, made this a delicious experience.”

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7×7 listed Beacon Hill as “one of the 7 best neighborhoods in Seattle” — specifically, “best for families.” Writer Alida Moore cited our parks, playgrounds, library, diversity, and light rail as reasons the Hill is great for kids, along with one highly-rated school: Mercer.

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Have you noticed that MacPherson’s doesn’t sell sprouts anymore?

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Neighbor Lesley Ernst writes:

“You know the neighborhood is changing when…

“Arriving at my massage office on Hanford St. and Beacon Ave. early last Sunday morning to find that the ubiquitous litter in the parking strip has changed from 40-ouncers to Kombucha bottles and PCC to-go containers.”

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: City U not coming to PacMed

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The historic PacMed building. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
There had been some talk that City University would move into the PacMed/Amazon building at the north end of Beacon Hill. However, the university has decided instead to move to the Sixth & Wall building in the Denny Regrade (or Belltown) area, according to the Seattle Times. The building was once the home of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and later of Group Health.

The Times reports:

“The university also considered the PacMed building on Beacon Hill—Amazon.com’s former headquarters—but chose Sixth & Wall after taking students to visit both buildings, (City University spokesperson Tarsi) Hall said.

“‘They really liked the neighborhood we’re moving to,’ she said.”

We aren’t sure, but was Beacon Hill just dissed?

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Chef Vincent Rivera of Jazz Alley will be at El Centro de la Raza on Sunday, January 29 at 1 p.m. for a special cooking demonstration, making mole enchiladas and traditional side dishes. The demonstration will include both meat and vegetarian food.

Tickets are $40 and will benefit the El Centro de la Raza Senior Nutrition and Wellness program, which provides meals along with daily social, exercise and educational activities to seniors. Tickets may be purchased online through Brown Paper Tickets.

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Jordan Van Voast of CommuniChi sent us this announcement:

“Happy Chinese New Year all, CommuniChi is celebrating 5 years of service to Beacon Hill and Seattle, offering affordable acupuncture. To celebrate, we are offering Free Acupuncture (to New Patients) on February 1.”

To sign up for a free treatment, visit the CommuniChi website.

CommuniChi is located inside the El Centro de la Raza building, at 2524 16th Ave. S. #301.

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A video look at “another Tuesday night on Beacon Hill,” with Alleycat Acres.

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The Benders art show at NEPO House is extended through January 28 because of last week’s snow shenanigans. More info at the NEPO website.

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Save the date—on February 4 there will be a ROCKiT Art Chair community celebration party at the library, and at Jose Rizal Park, there will be a dedication of a monument to honor World War II Filipino defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. Stay tuned for more information about these events here on the blog soon!

Beacon Bits, Lost and Found

Beacon Bits: Lost ring, hip-hop coffee, and a unicorn head

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(Editor’s note—I just fixed the link to the article about The Station in The Stranger. Sorry it wasn’t working earlier!)

Neighbor Julie writes:

My husband lost his wedding band yesterday, most likely taking his snow gloves off while we were out walking – here are the most likely places:

  • 23rd & Forest, or along 23rd between McClellan and Stevens
  • NE corner of 17th & Beacon, or across Beacon in front of the library
  • in front of Red Apple

We gave our name and number to Red Apple and we are searching for it, but please keep an eye out!!
Men’s size 10.5 white gold plain wedding band, 4mm
Thank you!!

Julie 206-713-8606

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Sledding, bah. How about sliding down South Hanford Street on a giant unicorn head? Video here.

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Charles Mudede of The Stranger interviews local rapper Gabriel Teodros at The Station coffee house, and The Station is practically the co-star of the interview:

“‘This is my favorite coffee shop in the city. This is the place where my whole city comes through.’ Indeed, a whole city seems to come in and out of the Station. Beacon Hill is a planet.”

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MSNBC’s John Brecher must live around Beacon Hill. He supplied several before-and-after snow photos to a feature on the MSNBC website. Slide the slider back and forth on the pictures to see our neighborhood with and without snow.

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Seattle Public Schools will use Friday, January 27 as a snow make-up day. It was previously scheduled as an off-day for staff professional development. The other two make-up days for this week’s snow days haven’t yet been scheduled.

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Frozen fennel flowers. Photo by K. Shuyler.