Memorial and medical funds set up for victims of Monday’s traffic tragedy (UPDATES)

March 26, 2013 by 8 Comments

In an effort to help the family of those injured or killed in Monday’s multiple casualty incident, funds have been set up to assist with medical and memorial costs.

Donations may be made at HomeStreet Bank, Wedgwood Branch, to these funds:

Karina & Elias Ulriksen-Schulte Medical Fund (the mother and baby)
Account: 5322733430
Routing #: 325084426

Dennis & Judy Schulte Memorial Fund (the grandparents)
Account: 5388871396
Routing #: 325084426

You can also donate online at the Wedgwood Community Council’s website.

You can call this branch directly at 206-525-2840 or 800-537-8333.

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UPDATE (Thursday, March 28): We have learned that there is another medical fund for Karina and baby Elias, set up by friends of the family. You can donate to that fund here.

…

More on this story on Ravenna Blog:

Memorial service in Indiana for Judy and Dennis Schulte (last updated on Thursday, April 11)

Arraignment of NE 75th Street DUI homicides suspect on Thursday (last updated on Thursday, April 11)

Timeout to say THANK YOU, on behalf of the Schulte family (last updated on Sunday, April 7)

Hundreds walk to remember, honor the Schulte family (PHOTOS) (last updated on Monday, April 1)

Prayer Vigil for mother and child this Thursday night (PHOTOS) (last updated on Friday, March 29)

Memorial to the family at NE 75th St grows (PHOTOS) (last updated on Sunday, March 31)

Suspect in Monday’s traffic fatalities no stranger to DUIs (last updated on Sunday, March 31)

Multiple casualty incident on NE 75th St near Eckstein Middle School (PHOTOS) (last updated on Wednesday, March 27)

Filed Under: Businesses, Civic Envolvement, Eckstein Middle School, Fundraiser, Memorials, Ravenna, Updates, Wedgwood

Jonathan Adler store headed for University Village

March 12, 2013 by 4 Comments

Poking around in the City of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development permits last night, we found a permit from last December for within University Village saying:

Remove existing canopy and storefront to space #24B in bldg D at University Village and install new storefront and conopy [sic] for tenant “Jonathan Adler”, and occupy per plan.

Oh, Jonathan Adler. I wonder if it’s the same guy as the designer, author of four books, judge on Bravo’s Top Design, and who also has his own stores (the nearest of which is in Portland).

Sure enough, listed on the locations page of jonathanadler.com, was the following:

Screen grab from jonathanadler.com's location page (click to check it for yourself).

Screen grab from jonathanadler.com’s location page (click to check it for yourself).

If you are not familiar with Adler’s work, there are, of course, many examples on jonathanadler.com. And here’s a snippet from the About page of his website, speaking to his design aesthetic:

Jonathan’s creativity is fueled by various sources of inspiration: Mid-century modern, art and global pop culture combine to create the signature Adler aesthetic. The company prides itself on its ability to combine a serious design philosophy with a colorful sense of optimism. The guiding motto, “If your heirs won’t fight over it, we won’t make it,” reflects Jonathan’s commitment to impeccable craftsmanship and irreverent luxury.

Page 2 of this design plan for University Village from 2008 (23.3 MB PDF) shows that Building D is the structure which currently houses stores such as Eddie Bauer, The North Face, and the new Room & Board. As for which space is #24, we are unsure at this time.

We’ve sent an email in to the powers-that-be at University Village to see if they can shed more irreverent and luxurious light on the subject.

Filed Under: Construction, Northeast Seattle, Real Estate, University Village Tagged With:

Hungry for a business opportunity? Three Ravenna restaurants for sale (UPDATE)

February 18, 2013 by 29 Comments

As we mentioned in our newly returned Sunday Edition, there were some local restaurant sale mysteries we were puzzling over. Then, on Monday afternoon, we had a break-through: There were not TWO Ravenna restaurants looking to change hands, but THREE.

The first local restaurant for sale is the Pied Piper Ale House (2404 NE 65th St).

The family friendly pub and Geeks Who Drink pub trivia spot has been closed with no explanation since the end of 2012. Then, this week, we learned from a follower on twitter who spoke to the Pied Piper manager on what happened to be their last day of business (the end of December, either the 27th or 28th).

Here is the listing for the location, with the name included in the picture, leaving no mystery:

Commercial Brokers Association listing for the Pied Piper Ale House (click to read the full listing)

Commercial Brokers Association listing for the Pied Piper Ale House (click to read the full listing).

The second closure is a long-time Ravenna neighborhood fixture: Casa D’Italia* (2615 NE 65th St).

We were first alerted to this closure via a Craigslist post just last week, which included the ominous line, “We are no longer able to run the restaurant due to family issues but the restaurant has great potential for the future.”

Since then, three more Craigslist posts have popped up: Two on Saturday, February 16 (one showing the furniture for sale, the other listing other fixtures), and a final one on Monday, February 18, stating that the location is for lease.

We visited the location Monday evening, and found this note on the door:

To all our guests,

On February 16th, we made a family decision to close Casa D’Italia. We would like to thank everyone for your support throughout the last 12 years. We will be keeping our website running so check us out at www.casaditaliaseattle.com to keep up on our next venture and find out where Anthony is cooking next.

Again, thank you for your support.

God bless,

– The Donatone Family

Turns out the closure seems fast because it was.

Casa_DItalia_closes2

We’ve reached out to the family for more information, and will update this post if we hear anything back.

UPDATE (Thursday, February 28): From Angeli Donatone, wife of Chef Anthony (via email):

Yes, it was a sudden closure but one that had been looming for awhile. Like so many others, we have been affected by the changing economy, both personally and professionally. It was a challenge for us to say good-bye to Casa D’Italia, which grew in 11 years to be like family for so many. We trust that when one door closes, many others will open, and it is with this blind faith that we made the decision to close.

Our lease had been month-to-month for many years, and we felt the deferred maintenance on the building was catching up with it, and didn’t want this to become a liability to us, an independant family-run business. We are so proud of the community that was built and all of the fans of “Casa” “Anthony’s” or “the two tomatoes” among other nick-names…Please thank the neighbors for sharing their lives with us. We also have referrals for some great Italian caterers…They may contact us via our website where we will post updates to our whereabouts.

http://casaditaliaseattle.com/default.asp

The third local restaurant sale is more of a mystery.

The listing states a location of the Ravenna neighborhood, but is not any more specific. In fact, interested parties are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before learning of its location.

Our only clues are in the description, which includes the following:

[E]xposed timber beams and soaring 18′ ceilings. Opened August 2011 after extensive remodel. 1,760 SF (restaurant) plus 220 SF (on site office and storage room). Seats 60 including 18 counter seats in bar area.

Craigslist ad for the mystery restaurant (click to read the full listing).

Craigslist ad for the mystery restaurant (click to read the full listing).

We have our guesses. We’ve been told we’re wrong (by a friend of friends of the owner), but with an NDA on the table, all bets are off.

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*Casa D’Italia was the Ravenna Blog’s very first paying customer, in terms of advertising. We will always have a hyperlocal place in our heart for them, and we wish them the very best in the future.

Filed Under: Food, Open/Closed, Ravenna, Ravenna Blog sponsor, Real Estate, Restaurants, Updates

Roosevelt Station Construction Update Open House (LIVE COVERAGE)

January 29, 2013 by 5 Comments

The buildings on the Roosevelt Light Rail Station construction site are no more, and it’s time to talk next steps with the neighborhood.

Sound Transit is holding a construction update open house tonight, Tuesday, January 29, in the Roosevelt High School Library (1410 NE 66th St) from 6-8 PM (presentation begins at 6:30 PM).

From the Northgate Link Extension update (via email):

Sound Transit is hosting an open house on Jan. 29 to discuss details of:

  • Utility work planned in 2013 and early 2014
  • Update on other construction work
  • Promoting the local business district

Seattle City Light staff will also be on hand to answer questions about upcoming power line and pole work.

You can find more information about the Roosevelt Station here.

We will be at tonight’s meeting, and will be reporting on it LIVE right here.

UPDATE (Wednesday): Unfortunately, none of our one-and-a-half hours of presentation notes were save in the post! However, Sound Transit has emailed us a PDF of the presentation slides (click on the picture below to download).

Roosevelt Station Construction Open House presentation (2.8 PDF)

Roosevelt Station Construction Open House presentation (click to download the 2.8 MB PDF)

Filed Under: Businesses, Civic Envolvement, Construction, Light Rail, Live Coverage, Meeting, Roosevelt, Roosevelt High School, Sound Transit, Updates

Welcome our newest sponsor, Roaring Mouse Creative Arts!

January 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

We’re very pleased to tell you that Roaring Mouse Creative Arts is now a Ravenna Blog sponsor.

Roaring_Mouse_3

Roaring Mouse got its start back in 1989 when founder Lassie Webster started teaching arts-centric classes and workshops in elementary schools in the Seattle area. In 1997, a studio space was opened in the Sand Point area. And in 2004, the studio moved to its current location at NE 75th St and 20th Ave NE.

Roaring_Mouse_1

Among the many classes and services at Roaring Mouse:

Roaring_Mouse_2

Below is a video showing more of the studio space in use, accompanied by a narration explaining more about the studio:

And you can learn more about the Roaring Mouse preschool program at their open house on Saturday, January 12, 2013, from 10 AM – 2 PM.

Filed Under: Families, Kids, Ravenna, Ravenna Blog sponsor

Candy Cane Lane prepping to open this Saturday night

December 7, 2012 by 2 Comments

The word on the street boulevard is that Candy Cane Lane will get totally lit* this Saturday, December 8.

The homes along NE Park Rd/Park Rd NE will be in full-on powered up festive mode from 4-10 PM. The theme for the street this year is “The Nutcracker,” with the gigantic holly bush in the roundabout transformed into a carousel.


View Candy Cane Lane in a larger map

A canned food drive donation station will once again sit at the end of the route, and viewers can also leave donations at the nearby Boulevard Grocery (2007 NE Ravenna Blvd).

In case you’re new to the area, or want to know more about this over-50-year-old Northeast Seattle tradition, the Seattle Times profiled the festive neighborhood feature back in 2010.

20121206-154234.jpg

Click the image to read the article at the Seattle Times.

 

Traffic through the area can get pretty bogged down, so we recommend approaching the area on foot or by bicycle. Metro bus routes 30 and 74 have stops nearby, as do routes 68, 243, 372, and 980.

Another feature to being car-free near Candy Cane Lane is that you can more easily stop into nearby Boulevard Grocery (a Ravenna Blog sponsor) to see the remodel, and try one of their holiday drinks: Eggnog, apple cider, and pumpkin spice or peppermint syrup for your lattes and whatnot.

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*Yeah, that was an attempt at a joke about a recently legalized substance.

Filed Under: Events, Families, Food, Kids, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna Blog sponsor, University Park

Banh mi oh my: Kirkland’s Plume opening second shop in NE Seattle

November 28, 2012 by 37 Comments

I was sad to see Forza Coffee leave its space on 25th Ave NE (there is still a location in Green Lake, should you miss it, too), but I will admit that I got a little excited when I learned what would be talking its place: A Vietnamese sandwich shop* called Plume (5101 25th Ave NE Suite 4).

It all started about two years ago, when Ton Nguyen visited Vietnam on vacation. There, he fell in love with banh mi: baguettes most commonly stuffed with pickled carrots and daikon radishes, fresh cucumber, a protein (such as pork, tofu or egg), held together with mayo and topped with cilantro. He’d have one for breakfast (with fried egg), then have another for lunch, and have yet another for dinner.

When Nguyen came back home to NE Seattle, he wanted more, and he wanted to share. In more than one location. Plume Kirkland opened in late May 2012, with a menu consisting of six different sandwiches (now eight), six different spring rolls, a noodle salad and various beverages, including ca phe sua da, the coffee (dark roast, finely-ground Vietnamese beans) brewed directly over a glass containing sweet condensed milk. But where to put Plume Number 2? When the Forza space became available, the building’s owners (who happen to be the owners of Plume Number 1’s building in Kirkland) told Nguyen about the space: Similar in size and layout to the current store, with restaurant fixtures already installed. And not too far from his house. Perfect.

On my visit to the Kirkland location today, I ordered Plume’s most popular sandwich (grilled pork), one of the new ones (meatball), and a coffee. I also tried the tofu spring rolls.

I found the bread to be pleasantly soft, yet sturdy enough to hold onto the sandwiches’ ingredients; crucial details for this most beloved of street foods. The pickled carrots and daikon radishes leaned more toward the sweet end, with a gentle tang from the vinegar. The grilled pork had been sliced into fat matchstick strips. And the meatballs (made of both ground chicken and pork, steamed to keep them light, and then slow cooked in a light cream tomato sauce), were just the right size to stay in the sandwich yet not crowd out the bahn mi’s signature toppings.

The tofu spring rolls come as an order of two, cut in half. They were large enough that I would see someone ordering these as a “salad for the hands” and calling it a light lunch on its own.

Wall decal at the Kirkland location.

The bahn mi menu board. Each sandwich is available in both sizes, 8- and 12-inches long. Sliced jalapenos are available as a topping, should you be heat-inclined.

To-go bags, ready to go. Nguyen sees potential for Husky fans walking down 25th stopping in for game day banh mi at the new Plume location.

Above, Plume owner Ton Nguyen wraps up my leftovers to go. He plans to open the new location in December. Interested diners can sign up for opening week specials on the Plume Seattle website.

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*A thousand thanks to Scott, my neighborhood banh mi informant.

Filed Under: Food, Photos, Ravenna, Restaurants, University District

Accidental shooting at University Village salon (UPDATES)

November 12, 2012 by 8 Comments

At 12:21 PM on Monday, November 12, the Seattle Fire and Police Departments responded to a 911 call saying that a woman in Headlines Salon at University Village (2623 NE University Village St, Ste 60) had accidentally shot herself.

View Headlines Salon location in a larger map

For those familiar with the upscale shopping area, Headlines Salon is located across from Something Silver and Ben Bridge, and next to Bryn Walker and restrooms. Witnesses we talked to who were sitting outside at the nearby Starbucks heard no shot and saw nothing amiss, until fire and police vehicles began arriving. We are waiting for a more detailed report to appear on the SPD Blotter. Meanwhile, Seattle P-I reporter Casey McNerthney shared the following:

We will update this post with more information when we have it.

UPDATE (3:52 PM): KING5’s Environmental Specialist Gary Chittim was in the area after the shooting, and took a picture of the salon’s exterior:

And the Seattle Police Department’s twitter feed for the Union 2 Beat now shows the call (tweets by beat are all delayed an hour or so):

UPDATE (7:54 PM): Via the SPD Blotter:

Officers responded to a 911 call at a Hair Salon of a accidental shooting. Today, just shortly after 12:00 noon officers responded to the University Village Mall on a report that a woman had shot herself. Officers arrived on scene and found a 60- year- old female in an office inside the salon. The woman had a self inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

The Blotter post goes on to say that the woman was in her office, with the door closed. A gunshot-like sound was heard, and witnesses opened the office door to find the woman slumped over in her chair, bleeding. Seattle Fire responded and transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center where she was undergoing surgery at the time Detective Renee Witt wrote the Blotter post — which, according to this SPD tweet was prior to 7 PM.

According to Seattle Police, it is still unknown at this time whether the self-inflicted gunshot was accidental or intentional.

UPDATE (Wednesday, November 14): We have learned from the medical examiner’s office that the woman died on the day of her injury. (“Cause of death: Contact handgun wound perforating chest. The manner of death is suicide.”)

If and when there is an obituary available, we will list her name and link to the obit here.

We do not know anything else about the circumstances leading to this death. But we offer this information from our local news partners at the West Seattle Blog:

[I]f you or someone you know is considering suicide, or in another life-crisis situation, call this 24-hour hotline to reach the Crisis Clinic: 206.461.3222.

UPDATE (Sunday, November 18): The obituary for Dorothy Anne Bledsoe is in today’s issue of the Seattle Times, and online here. According to the obituary, Anne and her husband Michael owned Headlines Salon together for over 32 years, and lived in Laurelhurst.

Peace be to her memory.

Filed Under: 911, Northeast Seattle, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Police Department, University Village, Updates

Your Moment of Ravenna Zen: Halloween Muddy Waters Coffee Company

October 27, 2012 by 2 Comments

I’m a big fan of the Muddy Waters Coffee at the corner of NE 65th Street and 23rd Avenue NE — not because of the drive-through window, but because they DECORATE.

Here’s the stand today, in its Halloween costume:

He could’ve gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids.

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: Businesses, Food, Moment of Ravenna Zen, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Zen

Trick-or-Treat options around NE Seattle (UPDATES)

October 25, 2012 by 1 Comment

Friday, October 26

Children’s Home Society of Washington’s 20th Annual Fright Night Trick or Treat Walk in Lake City

Trick or Treat Walk from 5:15-6:15 PM (starts at the CHSW’s North Seattle Family Center (3200 NE 125th St, Suite 2) or the Lake City Computer Lab (12536 33rd Ave NE), then party from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Lake City Community Center (12531 28th Ave NE); sponsored by Lake City Lions Club

Details

Saturday, October 27

Kids Safe Trick or Treat at Roosevelt Businesses
12-3 PM along Roosevelt Way NE and NE 65th Street (look for flyers in participating businesses’ windows); sponsored by Wayward Coffeehouse and participating businesses

Details

Crafts and Facepainting at The Moonpaper Tent
918 NE 64th St in Roosevelt
5-8 PM; FREE but donations appreciated

Details

Roosevelt Trick or Treat Trail and Halloween Bash
5-9 PM, Roosevelt neighborhood businesses; sponsored by the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association and participating businesses (Cafe Racer is one)

Details and a MAP of participating businesses

Wednesday, October 31
HALLOWEEN

Annual Wedgwood Business District Trick-or-Treat
4-6 PM along 35th Avenue NE; sponsored by the Wedgwood Community Council and neighborhood businesses

Details

University Village Trick or Treat

4-6 PM, many stores and restaurants participating (“some treats for parents, too!”)

Details

Filed Under: Businesses, Events, Families, Food, Kids, Northeast Seattle, University Village
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