Archives for April 2012

Your Moment of Ravenna Zen: Falling cherry tree blossoms

April 28, 2012 by 1 Comment

In mid-May of last year, I happened to be at the playground at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center on a breezy sunny day. And every time the wind hit the blossoming cherry trees it would cause a cascade of petals to fall to the ground. It was so beautiful. So I took some pictures, and some video.

This week’s Moment of Ravenna Zen: Two minutes and thirty-eight seconds of falling cherry tree blossoms. (In the background you can hear the wind, children playing, a jet plane going by, and my son saying, “Look at all that snow!”)

Do YOU have a Moment of Ravenna Zen to share? Email rebecca@ravennablog.com, or use our handy dandy comment form to tell us about it.

Filed Under: Kids, Moment of Ravenna Zen, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Zen, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Video

North Link Light Rail Update: QFC closing, Brooklyn Station naming, street greening

April 26, 2012 by 15 Comments

Roosevelt Station updates

Signs of impending light rail construction are bittersweet, aren’t they? The FUTURE is coming, but the neighborhood has to make room for it first.

Case in point, the Roosevelt QFC’s last day is Saturday, May 12. Roosiehood reports that the store’s staff will be transferred to other local QFC stores. According to the Seattle Times, the Roosevelt QFC was the first in the chain, opening in 1955.

The other recent sign of the impending FUTURE is the Standard Radio building being dismantled. Sound Transit’s contractor has removed the Vitrolite glass tiles from the building’s exterior. In May, the curved canopy and its neon lettering will be removed, and stored for later use in the station.

And one last bit of Roosevelt Station-related news: The stretch of NE 66th St (from I-5 to 15th Ave NE) identified by the Seattle City Council as a “Green Street”* is getting a planning committee (made up of Sound Transit and “neighborhood representatives and city staff”). For more on “Green Streets,” visit the City of Seattle’s website here.

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In other North Link Light Rail news, there are some upcoming events for Brooklyn Station (or whatever you choose call it) that you might be interested in…

Brooklyn Station Construction Open House

Tuesday, May 1, from 6-8:30 PM, at the Neptune Theatre (1303 NE 45th St). Presentation starts at 6:30.

Agenda items include:

  • Revised construction schedule
  • Updated street, sidewalk and parking restriction plans
  • Construction noise and the nighttime noise variance process
  • Potential construction mitigation measures
  • Station naming

Brooklyn Station 60% Design Open House

Wednesday, May 23, from 6-8:30 PM, at the Neptune Theatre. Presentation starts at 6:30.

Agenda items include:

  • Design plans for Brooklyn Station
  • Initial concepts for station art
  • Station naming

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* Not the same as a “Greenway,” by the way. Here’s a Seattle Department of Transportation page on “Greenways.”

Filed Under: Businesses, City Council, Construction, History, Light Rail, Meeting, Photos, Roosevelt, Seattle Department of Transportation, University District

Buy some greenery, keep high school programs in the green

April 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Both Northeast Seattle high schools are holding plant sales in May, lucky you.

The Roosevelt High School Jazz Band Boosters are selling plants (by PRE-ORDER only) from now until May 7. Just fill out the order form, send it in with payment, and pick up your plants on Wednesday, May 16th, in the Roosevelt HS parking lot (enter off 12th Avenue NE) from 3-6 PM.

The Nathan Hale High School Horticulture and School Garden Program is holding their annual plant sale during the second week of May. They will be selling hanging baskets (fuchsias and mixed annuals), bedding plants, ornamental grasses, herbs, vegetable starts, and native trees and shrubs. More information (dates of the sale and directions) can be found here.

Filed Under: Fundraiser, Nathan Hale High School, Northeast Seattle, Roosevelt High School

Enjoy Story Time this week in your PJs, or with seeds, or both!

April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Story Times at the Northeast Library (6801 35th Ave NE) are back on their regular weekday schedule the first week of May, but there is a Pajamas and Puppets this Wednesday, April 25, from 7-7:30 PM.

And if you’re looking for a weekend story time to take your sprout(s) to, you may want to check out the Miller Library at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens (3501 NE 41st St) this Saturday, April 28. The library holds a monthly story time with activities for kids age 3-8 years and their families. The program runs from 10:30-11:15 AM.

Here’s a description:

Amazing Seeds Story Program

This is a story program that starts small and grows into something amazing! Before the stories, join us in the program room to make a seed mosaic.

HOW GROUNDHOG’S GARDEN GREW by Lynne Cherry
FLIP, FLOAT, FLY: SEEDS ON THE MOVE by JoAnn Early Macken
PLANT SECRETS by Emily Goodman

Information on upcoming Story Times at the Miller Library can be found here.

Filed Under: Families, Kids, Northeast Branch, Northeast Seattle, Story Times, University of Washington Tagged With:

NEW weekly feature: Your Moment of Ravenna Zen

April 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As your friendly neighborhood news site, we often come across little bits and pieces of interesting things that we don’t quite know where to put on the site.

This week, we decided that we’ve been hoarding these interesting tidbits for long enough.

Welcome to “Your Moment of Ravenna Zen”* — a (hopefully) weekly look at the little things that make our neighborhood the special place that we know and love.

For this first installment, we bring you 49 seconds of Ravenna Creek, from seacam’s YouTube channel. Enjoy.

Do YOU have a Moment of Ravenna Zen to share? Email rebecca@ravennablog.com, or use our handy dandy comment form to tell us about it.

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*Yes, keen observers will note that we may have been inspired by a similarly named segment at the tail end of every episode of The Daily Show.

Filed Under: Moment of Ravenna Zen, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Ravenna Zen, Video Tagged With:

Take a tour of the new old Boulevard Grocery (PHOTOS)

April 18, 2012 by 9 Comments

The exterior of the building is still forest green with red trim, but the interior of Boulevard Grocery (2007 NE Ravenna Blvd) has undergone quite a transformation this year.

Since Seven Coffee Roasters’ Sean Lee took over the business around the close of 2011, the barely 800-square-foot neighborhood grocery store has added two more jobs to its own resume: cafe and art space. All three facets seek to tempt both long-time residents and university students alike to come in, enjoy each others’ company, and head home with food and drink for their tables.

We stopped by the 96-year-old-building in January (for the soft open) and again here in April to witness the progress and share it with you here.

From left to right: Owner Sean, Barista Patrick, and Manager Jeff (photo taken at the soft open)

Whole bean Seven Coffee Roaster coffee was first to line the shelves back in January...

...and has since been joined by other goods such as pasta, oatmeal, soup, condiments, and more.

The Four Loko is gone, happily replaced by 22 oz bottles of local beers.

Wall o' wine at the rear of the store.

During our January visit these built-in benches had just been completed. They've since been joined by a large table.

The new pastry case, rife with hand pies from High 5 Pie.

Sandwiches by Blue Saucer in Maple Leaf wait to be purchased for a picnic.

Bread by the Essential Baking Company, delivered every other day.

Free toast with coffee special advertised next to a jar of doggie treats.

Sorry, kitty: No treats for you.

A small flock of origami birds cluster together on a windowsill.

A painting of Boulevard Grocery itself, done by a local.

The Compassion Wizard even hangs out here.

A mixed media work by Narboo (note the plastic soda can rings on the left).

A limited run of handpainted bags on display -- portions of each sale go to the artist, the store, and a charity.

With the beans removed, your coffee bean bag artwork is suitable for framing.

For more on the gallery side of Boulevard Grocery, check out this piece by Lauren Kronebusch of The Daily at the University of Washington: “Boulevard Gallery: View From A Coffee Cup.”

Boulevard Grocery is also holding an artwalk this Friday, April 21st, from 6-9 PM. Works by Greenwood’s Narboo and Starheadboy will be showcased, with live acoustic music.

Filed Under: Businesses, Families, Food, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, University Park

On your marks, get set…TRAIN for the Masters Track and Field Meet

April 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Footrace finish line, 1925 / Seattle Municipal Archives

Are you 30 years of age or older? Does the lengthening daylight of early spring take you back to the days of your youth, when you ran in counter clockwise circles and/or threw things after school? Does the thought of a blind baton pass send tingles down your spine?

You can go back there, you know.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is once again holding their Masters Track and Field Meet at the West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th Ave SW) on Saturday, June 2, from 8:30 AM-2:30 PM. Cost is only five bucks per event (as many as you can handle; registration the morning of the event).

But perhaps you’d like to train first? Parks and Rec has you covered. You can register for their Countdown to the Meet in Eight Weeks Training1 for just $49.992.

Or maybe you just miss holding the tape. Volunteers are needed throughout the entire event (registration, field events, and timing).

For more information, contact Antoinette Daniel, Adult Recreation Program Coordinator, at 206-684-7092, or email her at antoinette.daniel@seattle.gov.

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1Yes, things started a couple weeks ago, but the press release only rolled in this morning. Still a good deal.

2What’s with the infomercial price there, P&R?

Filed Under: Seattle Parks and Recreation, Sports

Roosevelt Station 60% Design Open House (LIVE COVERAGE)

April 10, 2012 by 2 Comments

This Wednesday, April 11 finds Sound Transit staff back in the Roosevelt High School Commons (1410 NE 66th St) for the Roosevelt Station 60% Design Open House. The open house runs from 6-8:30 PM, with the presentation portion starting at 6:30 PM.

A fun bonus to this particular Sound Transit open house is that the initial concepts for station art will also be revealed. (You may recall that the Meet the Artists event schedule for January 20 was postponed due to snow.)

The Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog has a good overview of the artists selected for the Roosevelt Station.

For those of you who can’t make the event (and/or want to read about it later), we will once again be providing LIVE COVERAGE: Just head on back to this very post to follow along live (and/or read about it later).

Filed Under: Light Rail, Live Coverage, Meeting, Roosevelt, Roosevelt High School

Welcome our new sponsor, Taylor Gardens

April 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Say hello to the Ravenna Blog’s newest sponsor — Taylor Gardens, a local small garden consulting and maintenance business based in North Seattle.

Gardening projects that Taylor Gardens can assist with include garden coaching, garden maintenance, bed renovation, hosting a garden party workshop, seed propagation help, suggestions for improving your yard if you’re planning to sell your home, and many others services.

A full list of services and rates can be found here.

Here’s more about owner Jeanie Taylor, from the Taylor Gardens ‘About’ page:

The Taylor in Taylor Gardens is Jeanie Taylor. She was a professional propagator for six years, has 15 years of horticultural experience, and was a senior gardener for the City of Seattle. She holds a B.S. in Botany and an M.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of Washington, where she wrote a thesis on the reproductive biology of the endangered plant Hackelia venusta (showy stickseed).

Jeanie enjoys working with individuals and small groups to save biodiversity one garden at a time. She does garden maintenance and renovation and helps home gardeners with projects, pruning, and garden questions. She conducts classes and demonstrations by request, most recently for the Washington Native Plant Society and the City of Seattle. Her video tutorial on propagating plants using live stakes can be viewed online.

You may also know Jeanie’s work from her garden column for Wallyhood, a neighborhood news site in Wallingford.

For more information on Taylor Gardens, click on the ad to the right, or visit TaylorGardensNW.com.

 

Filed Under: Businesses, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna Blog sponsor

Spring egg hunt is ON for Saturday at the RECC

April 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 7, grab a basket and head on over to the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE) at 10 AM SHARP for the annual spring egg hunt. Twelve and unders only, please*.

A little birdie told us that there might be passes to Tot Gym and/or the Play Room in a few of those eggs — a treat that the parents of the younger egg hunters would certainly enjoy.

The weather looks to be at least mostly cooperating (forecast of partly cloudy), but it would be hard to beat last year’s bright blue skies and warm temps.

Here’s the movie we made of last year’s hunt:

*Any self-respecting teenager would still be in bed at 10 AM on a Saturday anyway, AMIRITE?

Filed Under: Families, Kids, Northeast Seattle, Photos, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Sports, Video
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