Four? Score! Happy birthday to us.

August 8, 2012 by 6 Comments

In August 2008, after six months of strolling an infant through the neighborhood, we decided to start the Ravenna Blog.

Four years later, and with the addition of one more staff member last October, we’re still here!

Since we started keeping track in June 2010, the Ravenna Blog has reached 61,226 unique visitors and served up 137,680 pageviews. (And that YouTube video of President Obama’s motorcade driving down NE 75th St in October 2010 has now been watched a mind-boggling 347,419 times).

And this post, this very post right here, is the 444th post.*

But this year on our birthday, instead of looking back at the biggest stories of the last year, we’d like to share with you our dreams for next year. They are three-fold:

  1. We’ll turn FIVE next year, and that deserves some kind of PARTY, don’t you think? You’re all invited, of course.
  2. Have you noticed, the Ravenna neighborhood doesn’t have a fair/art walk/bite of/festival? We need to change that. How about a family walk/run/ramble through the neighborhood? We’ve just begun to plot about it, here.
  3. We’re also thinking of putting together some kind of Ravenna Blog Pledge Drive Week, for neighbors who might like to contribute to the costs of running the site. (Tote bags would be involved, OF COURSE.)

More on all of that in the near future. STAY TUNED.

To close out this here birthday post, we’d just like to say: thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, thank you for sharing our site with your neighbors, and thank you sharing your stories with us.

See you around the neighborhood!

____________________

* Kind of a cool coincidence, all the fours. Unless you’re Chinese. *gulp*


Filed Under: metablog

Roosevelt Moves: Sound Transit townhouse relocation (PHOTOS)

August 3, 2012 by 6 Comments

Sound Transit’s Andrew Schmid takes a picture of Nickels Bros. and other workers in front of the first townhouse, before it gets underway.

Schmid again, taking a picture of Sound Transit Project Manager Kristin Hoffman while she is interviewed on camera.

Another shot of the first townhouse prior to moving.

Hoffman again, mid-interview. Schmid said that she has worked on the townhouse portion of the Roosevelt Station project for a year and a half, culminating in the moves.

Peaks Custard supplied coffee and assorted accoutrements at the site.

A marked “oversize load” truck waits to lead the convoy to 15th Ave NE.

A scrum of utility workers, Sound Transit staff, and Nickels Bros. movers huddles around a woman leading the pre-move safety meeting.

A Seattle City Light worker adjusts an overhead line adjacent to the moving site.

Part of the crowd gathered across the street from the townhouses on 12th Ave NE, waiting for the move to begin.

A shot of the full scene along 12th Ave NE taken from up by the Roosevelt High School track.

The first townhouse now partially IN 12th Ave NE.

A Nickels Bros. worker attending the “rear” of the first townhouse as it slowly makes its way down 12th Ave NE.

____________________

11:45 PM – Seattle City Light here now, working on the overhead wires. The truck supporting the first townhouse to be moved has crept forward a bit, testing the load.

11:04 PM – The action really starts happening at 12:01, in case you at home would like to come down.

10:50 PMstrong> – On site now. Lots of folks on hand, neighbors and Sound Transit.

8:52 PM – Setting up the live coverage post here, and adding the street closures due to the relocating townhouses (per Sound Transit):

Streets will be closed as the convoy moves through the area and reopened after the convoy has passed. Street closures include:

  • 12th Avenue Northeast—closed at the intersection of Northeast 65th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast
  • Northeast 66th Street—closed from Roosevelt Way Northeast to 15th Avenue Northeast
  • 15th Avenue Northeast—closed from Cowen Bridge to Northeast 68th Street

The route will be “east down Northeast 66th Street to final destinations on 15th Avenue Northeast just south of Northeast 65th Street.”

Our next update will be around 10:45 PM, when Sound Transit will be available to the media at the current townhouse site (NE 66th St and 12th Ave NE).

Filed Under: Events, Light Rail, Live Coverage, Photos, Roosevelt, Sound Transit, Updates

Northgate Link Extension groundbreaking and celebration scheduled for August 17

August 3, 2012 by 4 Comments

Fresh from our inbox to you, the details on Sound Transit’s Northgate Link Extension (formerly known as North Link) groundbreaking and community celebration happening on Friday, August 17:

You’re a big part of this project and we hope you can join us for a family-fun celebration to commemorate this historic milestone!

  • Ceremonial groundbreaking
  • Live music music by Roosevelt High School Jazz, Nu Klezmer Army, the Illicit Jug Cartel and the Rolling Retreads
  • Face painter, balloon artist and train-themed bouncy house for the kids
  • Link train photo booth – bring your camera or camera phone
  • Zap Gridlock, Sound Transit’s traffic fighting superhero
  • Project information booths – learn the latest on the station designs, public art, bicycle parking and access, current Sound Transit service and more

The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 3:30-4:30 PM, with the celebration portion going until 7:30 PM.

And just where will the event be taking place?

At the Former QFC site at NE 66th Street and Roosevelt Way NE.

You are encouraged to “bike, walk or take transit to the event. Bike racks will be available. The Roosevelt neighborhood is well-served by local transit with several bus routes in the immediate area.”

Filed Under: Events, Families, Kids, Light Rail, Music, Roosevelt Tagged With:

Be a part of the Eckstein Middle School principal selection process

August 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In mid-July, Eckstein Middle School principal Kim Whitworth announced that she would be accepting the position of Executive Director of Schools for Seattle Public Schools’ Northeast Region (replacing Phil Brockman, who has moved on to the Director of Operations position within the district).

This means that Eckstein is currently without a principal, an issue which the district hopes to rectify by mid-August.

To that end, there is a Principal Selection Information Meeting tonight, Thursday, August 2, from 6:30-8 PM, at Eckstein Middle School (3003 NE 75th St).

Via email:

Please join us […] in the Eckstein library to learn more about Eckstein’s principal selection process and to provide input about the characteristics and qualities you would like to see in our new principal. There will also be introductions to some members of the screening and interview committees.

The Principal Selection Committee consists of Eckstein staff, parents and PTSA board members who are working closely with Phil Brockman, SPS Director of Operations. Please join us to ensure that you have an opportunity to provide input about the hiring process.

Information on the hiring process as it moves forward will be on the school’s homepage, www.ecksteinms.seattleschools.org.

Filed Under: Eckstein Middle School, Families, Meeting, Northeast Seattle

Roosevelt townhouses to move on down the road in early August

August 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

August is a tremendous month for Light Rail in North Seattle, as construction plans go into the ACTION phase.

But before Sound Transit starts any station site excavation at the Roosevelt Station location, there will occur some townhouse relocation.

Nickel Bros truck at 12th Ave NE and NE 66th St

The four townhouses on NE 66th St were purchased from Sound Transit (and thus saved from demolition), and are being moved 4 1/2 blocks away to the now former site of the Betty MacDonald house and adjoining property on 15th Ave NE.

The former location of the Betty MacDonald house, just south of the Fruit Stand at 15th Ave NE and NE 65th St.

Here’s a map showing the current (upper left) and future (lower right) locations of the townhouse buildings:


View Roosevelt townhouse move in a larger map

One of the townhouse buildings prepared for the move from NE 66th St to 15th Ave NE.

Now, just how does one move BUILDINGS through a busy neighborhood? That’s not quite our area of expertise. But we can ALL find out just how it’s done come the Friday evenings of August 3 and 10.

From Sound Transit’s Northgate Link* Extension Update newsletter (emphasis ours):

Preparations to relocate four townhouse buildings on Northeast 66th Street are in full swing. The relocation will occur late at night over two weekends starting Friday, Aug. 3. More townhouses will be moved the following weekend, Friday, Aug. 10.

We invite you to witness this monumental move on one or both weekends. Meet at the northeast corner of Northeast 66th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast around 11:45 p.m. on either of the Friday nights. Sound Transit staff will be there to answer questions. As the townhouses move east down Northeast 66th Street, we’ll walk along the sidewalk with them.

Sound Transit says that the buildings “should be on the road by midnight,” and at their new address “no later than 6 a.m. each Saturday.” Four buildings (of two units each) will be moved in total.

Ravenna Blog will be there, camera in hand, for the action this Friday night — it’s a Seafair Weekend parade we don’t wanna miss.

____________________

* Now that the three northernmost stations in the Light Rail system have their permanent station names (“U District Station,” “Roosevelt Station,” and “Northgate Station”), the name of the extension as a whole is now “Northgate Link Extension.” Now you know.

Filed Under: Construction, Events, Light Rail, Photos, Roosevelt, Traffic Tagged With:

Movie magic continues at Magnuson Park

July 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It’s a Thursday summer night, which means it’s another outdoor movie night at Magnuson Park (NE 65th St and Sand Point Way).

20120726-115850.jpg

From the Seattle Outdoor Movies facebook page:

Join us for “The Help” tonight at the PEMCO Insurance Movies at Magnuson Park! We’ll have trivia, circus acts by JustinCredible, food trucks, games, prizes and more…

There is construction starting in the park so entering from 74th is your best bet. Event parking is still north of the athletic fields.

See you tonight! Seating opens at 7 pm.

“The Help,” stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer (who won an Oscar for her role), and Emma Stone.

Check out the full schedule of movies (showing through August 30) here.

Filed Under: Events, Families, Food, Magnuson Park, Northeast Seattle

Fall Parks and Recreation brochure for NE Seattle now available online

July 20, 2012 by 1 Comment

Registration starts Tuesday, August 7. Get to perusing!

Click the image to start downloading the brochure (2.9 MB PDF).

The community centers and pools in the Northeast Region are Laurelhurst, Magnuson, Meadowbrook (and its Teen Life Center), Northgate, Ravenna-Eckstein, Meadowbrook Pool and the Helene Madison Pool.

Filed Under: Families, Kids, Northeast Seattle, Seattle Parks and Recreation

Café Racer grand re-opening this Friday, July 20

July 18, 2012 by 3 Comments

We receive a lot of press releases from various organizations. This one is our favorite to date:

“No one needs to be reminded of what happened at Café Racer on May 30, 2012.

Each day the grief of losing our loved ones lessens, but not our love for them or the love they brought into our lives. Drew, Joe, Kim, Don and Gloria were people who gave more of themselves than they ever received. This is why the community was so devastated by their loss. This is also why that community of which they were a part of will carry on.

The outpouring of love and support from this community was astounding to me. Not only for the loss of our loved ones, but for the love and concern for Café Racer itself. It became clear to me that the café is more than just a place to pick up a coffee, food or have a drink, but it is a part of the community. The love didn’t just come from the ones we lost, it comes from everyone.

This is the main reason that I’ve decided to keep the cafe open, to forge ahead with the vision that is Café Racer by providing a place for diverse people and groups to come together and have a loving, safe place to gather. There may be some physical changes to the cafe, the main ingredient which makes Café Racer unique will remain the same, Love.

There is no way I can express my thanks to the hundreds of people who gave me, and everyone who is involved with the café, their love and support.

YOU make Cafe Racer what it is.” – Kurt Geissel Owner, Café Racer

We’ve been told that today and Thursday are both soft opening days for the reborn cafe. You should stop by.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Restaurants, Roosevelt

Power outage along NE 65th St blamed on crow

July 10, 2012 by 4 Comments

Shortly before 1:00 PM this afternoon, sections of seven Northeast Seattle neighborhoods lost power. At peak, approximately 3,800 customers were affected.

Screen capture of the outage at its peak taken from Seattle City Light’s System Status webpage.

Parts of Roosevelt, Ravenna, Bryant, Wedgwood, View Ridge, and Sand Point all took a hit along NE 65th St, while nearly all of Windermere went down. The estimated time of restoration was listed at 3 PM, but many customers are seeing their lights coming back on ahead of that time.

Last week’s outage was blamed on a tree (and the high winds helped, we imagine). But what’s to blame this time?

A crow. Nature is out to get us, apparently.

Filed Under: Bryant, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Sand Point, Seattle City Light, View Ridge, Wedgwood, Windermere

Date set for Third Annual Feast in the Garden at the Picardo P-Patch

July 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

From Picardo gardener Milton Tam (via email; emphasis ours):

It’s official – this year’s Picardo fundraiser dinner will be on Wednesday, August 1, from 6 – 9 PM. This year’s proceeds will be used to renovate the north common area (by the statue) including the food bank locker and tool shed.

Yes, the Spanish-inspired tapas, the home-made wine, Chef Jim Kuhn’s amazing paella, and the dessert buffet of your dreams will all be there! Again!

Tickets are $30 each or $50/couple until July 15 ($35 each or $60/couple after). Purchase tickets by contacting Scott Sipes (dssipes@gmail.com).

You can read all about the first Feast in the Garden, and see lots and lots of pictures, in our previous coverage here.

And you can learn more about the work of Paella King and Meadowbrook resident Jim Kohn on his website.

Disclosure: We’ve been gardeners at Picardo for four years now. We also contribute to the Feast in the Garden dessert buffet as part of our volunteer responsibility to the p-patch. And everything we make is quite delicious.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Fundraiser, Picardo P-Patch
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