Families

Last days for Peaks Frozen Custard in Roosevelt

September 25, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 5 Comments

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Especially in the case of Peaks Frozen Custard (1026 NE 65th Street), closing on Sunday, September 29.

We could not be more grateful to all of you amazing custardmers. It has been 5 years of wonderful. So why would we close? Peaks is a small family business that takes 100% of our families attention. We had fun, but now we’re on to a new lifestyle! At the same time, our lease comes to an end- so it was renew, relocate or stop!

Hours for the remainder of their days on NE 65th Street are 6-10 PM on Thursday and Friday, and 1-10 PM on Saturday and Sunday.

And should you “custardmers” want to give the Peaks folks a good send off, a celebration is planned at the store on Saturday.

A few glimmers of tasty frozen hope:

Peaks says that, “We will, however, be serving what has become the best frozen treat in the Northwest at festivals only.” Keep tabs on the Peaks Frozen Custard website and/or Facebook page for that info.
A “new and unique” frozen yogurt shop will be taking the space.

Filed Under: Families, Food, Kids, Memorials, Photos, Restaurants, Roosevelt

Long-time local kids coach, Liz Isaacson, hangs up her whistle (GUEST POST)

August 28, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 3 Comments

We here at the Ravenna Blog have the good fortune to live just up the street from a freelance journalist, Scott Johnson. Unfortunately, he’s got two small kids just like we do, and that makes it hard to make him write for us. Just not good for sitting and thinking and writing, the presence of the small children.

But where kids and news collide, Scott is there! (With his camera, too!)

…

Liz Isaacson won’t be roaming the playfield outside of Ravenna-Eckstein Center next week – or next summer, for that matter.

While that might not seem to mean much to local parents, these two words will: Coach Liz.

Coach Liz Isaacson (left) teaching a soccer class at Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center. Photo by Scott Johnson.

After 35 years in the profession, the past seven of which included time teaching soccer, Tee-ball, and other sports to young kids at Ravenna-Eckstein, Coach Liz is hanging up her whistle.

“I still can’t believe it,” she said after one of her final classes coaching soccer earlier this week. “I woke up this morning and almost started crying.”

The popular youth coach who grew up playing sports in the shadows of three older brothers decided this was the right time to get out of the game.

“My body’s telling me it’s time,” she said. “My mind wants to keep coaching, but my body just won’t let me do it anymore.”

Coach Liz teaching Drew Johnson how to defend against a pack of girls at soccer practice. Photo by Scott Johnson.

Kids and parents hoping to say a final goodbye to Coach Liz before she goes back to being Liz Isaacson can attend a retirement party in her honor Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Northgate Community Center. Cake, snacks and games will be provided.

And if Coach Liz can’t hold back anymore, maybe even a few tears.

Scott Johnson is a stay-at-home father of two and freelance writer who counts The Associated Press, USA Today, The Sports Xchange and SportsPress Northwest among his part-time gigs. He lives in the Ravenna neighborhood with his wife, Erin, and their children, Drew and Molly.

Filed Under: Events, Families, Food, Kids, Northeast Seattle, Northgate, Northgate Community Center, Photos, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center

New University Village stores and restaurants REVEALED (UPDATES)

August 27, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 13 Comments

Saw some tweets a moment ago saying that the parking garage in the new south building at University Village has opened.

If every floor of parking in the new building is now open (~~not sure at this time~~ three of the five new levels are now open, every day from 11 AM-11 PM), that means over 700 more spots have been added. No need to circle around on the surface lots like a vehicular vulture ever again.

Portion of a graphic by University Village announcing the new parking. Click to see the entire image.

BUT WAIT — THERE’S MORE.

Fresh from the ol’ Ravenna Blog Email Inbox we have a press release about the new stores and restaurants going into that south building. Some we already knew about (Virginia Mason, Din Tai Fung, Liam’s), but some are most likely new to you.

Keeping them in the categories mentioned in the email, and tacking on some of the descriptions therein, we have:

Fashion

Calypso St. Barth – The resort-wear boutique has developed into a luxury lifestyle brand since launching in 1992. Calypso garments feature feminine style, exquisite textures and an eclectic assortment of pieces that appeal to women of all ages.

Scotch & Soda – Since the 1980’s, Scotch & Soda has offered inspired classic men’s clothing, expanding its repertoire with a women’s line, Maison Scotch, and children’s collection for boys, Scotch Shrunk, and girls, R’Belle.

Hot Mama – Hot Mama was launched in 2005 by Megan and Michael Tamte on the premise that moms crave designer clothing. More than 150 premium brands are sold at Hot Mama including Splendid, 7 For All Mankind, AG and Sanctuary.

Sunglass Hut – Sunglass Hut carries the most popular brands including Ray-Ban, Persol, Oakley, Maui Jim, Revo, Gucci, Burberry, Prada and more.

Athletic & Active Wear

American Eagle Outfitters – Offering affordably priced, high-quality clothing, accessories and personal care products including their popular Aerie for American Eagle line of apparel.

Nike Running – Nike Running University Village will serve as the ultimate hub for athletes offering a premium assortment of Nike men’s and women’s running, training and sportswear product and one-of-a-kind services for runners including digital gait analysis, footwear trials and more.

Restaurants & Cafes

Din Tai Fung – Best known for delicately hand-made soup dumplings, Din Tai Fung boasts an extensive menu highlighting their dumpling and dim sum varieties and includes noodle dishes, appetizers, buns and desserts.

Joey Kitchen – This new addition boasts a warm and inviting open-concept floor plan, giving dining room guests a view to the heart of the kitchen. With two large exterior patios, guests can also enjoy outdoor dining nearly all year round. Led by Executive Chef Chris Mills, the culinary team brings a high level of craftsmanship to each and every dish, ensuring the bold flavors and signature dishes that create the JOEY experience are delivered right, each and every time.

Liam’s – The latest installment from Kurt Dammeier, the man behind Beecher’s, Bennett’s and Maximus/Minimus. Named for his youngest son, Liam’s menu is meant to satisfy a variety of palates – what Dammeier calls “home-style food made better,” with a commitment to serving fresh, authentic food free of artificial preservatives and additives. The restaurant plans to open in November, with 150 seats and a large deck made for long conversations.

Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream – The scent of freshly made waffle cones lures in the customers where an assortment of whimsical ice cream flavors such as Theo chocolate, balsamic strawberry, salted caramel and honey lavender satisfy and surprise.

UPDATE (Wednesday, August 28): Got a press release from Molly Moon this morning! Included the following info:

Instead of wood floors we’re using … wait for it … tile.

This shop opens at 11 a.m. – that’s a whole extra hour of ice cream access compared to the Wallingford, Capitol Hill and Queen Anne shops.

Let’s be real, November is a weird time to open an ice cream shop in Seattle. Weird, special … same diff.

Professional Services

Virginia Mason University Village – Will open this fall as the Sand Point Pediatrics clinic is relocating to the Village. Part of the Virginia Mason Medical Center network established in 1920, the new location will offer comprehensive pediatric care for infants, children and teenagers. Services include laboratory facilities and X-ray.

Filed Under: Construction, Families, Food, Northeast Seattle, University Village, Updates

Heads-up! The Fall 2013 Parks and Recreation Brochure is out!

July 31, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 3 Comments

We have had an amazing summer so far, have we not?

Still, it’s time to start planning for FALL.

The Fall 2013 Seattle Parks and Recreation Brochures are out! Pick up a physical copy at your local community center, or click the image below to download the Northeast Brochure now (2.95 MB PDF).

BEHOLD: The Northeast Seattle Parks and Recreation Fall 2013 Brochure. Click to download the 2.95 MB PDF.

Registration opens on Tuesday, August 6!

Filed Under: Families, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center

Spoke & Food: Bike to dinner for good on July 30

July 23, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 4 Comments

How about we take a timeout from bicycle infrastructure matters, and get back to basics: It’s fun to ride a bike. Especially in the summer. ESPECIALLY to go meet friends for dinner, at a local joint.

…

Thanks to our own sponsors in the last year, the Ravenna Blog was able to help sponsor another great local thing: The fourth annual Spoke & Food evening of dining and bikes!

From the Spoke & Food website:

Participation is easy. All you need to do is to bike to and from one of our participating host restaurants on the evening of our event. Invite your friends or family to meet you, bring your neighbors, pack up your kids or go at it alone.

Each of our participating host restaurants have agreed to donate 20% of ALL of their patron revenues from the evening of the event directly to the local non-profit that we select each year.

Dine at any of the participating restaurants listed on the Spoke & Food website from 5:30-9:30 PM on Tuesday, July 30th, 2013, and 20% (or more) of your dinner bill will be donated directly to the Bike Works non-profit.

TWENTY different restaurants around Seattle are participating this year, two of which are in our neck of the woods:

50 North

5001 25th Ave NE #100;

just south of the Burke-Gilman Trail at 25th Ave NE

Vios Cafe & Pub

6504 20th Ave NE;

inside Ravenna Third Place Books

From the Bike Works About page:

Bike Works is an innovative organization centered around bicycles that combines youth development, community engagement, bicycle recycling and a social enterprise bike shop to help build a sustainable and healthy community.

We’ll be stopping by these locations on the night of the event to check in, and perhaps to nosh.

Filed Under: Events, Families, Food, Fundraiser, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna, Restaurants, Roosevelt, University District

Summer Story Times and more at the Northeast Branch

July 2, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

Northeast Branch Children’s Services Librarian Erica Delavan will be taking a break in mid/late July for a summer vacation, but there are a few more Story Times before she’s gone (via email):

Preschool Story Time (Geared for ages 3-5)
Tuesdays, July 2, 9 at 10:30 AM

Toddler Story Time (Geared for ages 1-3)
Thursday, July 11 at 10:15 & 11:15 AM

Pajamas & Puppets (All Ages)
Wednesday, July 10 at 7 PM (a week earlier than normal!)
Wednesday, August 21 at 7 PM

There’s also the Seattle Public Library’s Summer Reading Program to participate in:

The Summer Reading Program is in full swing, and we have prizes for all kids from 0 – 12 years old! (Yes, I even have board book prizes for infants, so read to those babies this summer.) Just come to the library to pick up a reading log, keep track of the books your child reads or that you read to your child, and after 10 books, they win a free book! We also have lots of great programs going on this summer for kids, and you can find out about everything here.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

To help fill the gap between now and fall Story Times, there are an assortment of free events for families with kids of various ages to participate in, too:

Ponte el Ritmo – Afro-Latino Rhythms! (Ages 5 and up)
Monday, July 22 at 4 PM

Roots and Branches – Music with Harmonica Pocket! (Ages 1 – 6)
Thursday, July 25 at 11 AM

Can You Dig It? with Alex Zerbe (Ages 3 and up)
Friday, August 2 at 2 PM

Storybook Science: Incredible Insects! (Ages 4 – 8)
Saturday, August 17 at 11 AM
Registration required.

Center of the Earth Tour with the Brian Waite Band (Ages 5-11)
Friday, August 23 at 11 AM
At the Meadowbrook Community Center
10517 35th Avenue NE

Make a Pop-Up Book (Ages 3 and up)
Tuesday, August 17 at 3 PM

Filed Under: Families, Kids, Music, Northeast Branch, Northeast Seattle, Story Times

Start your future together among the (pre)history of the Burke Museum

June 30, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 1 Comment

Today, Sunday, June 30, from noon to 3 PM, the University of Washington is holding a
Campus Wedding and Special Events Fair. You can register for the event here, or learn more about Burke Museum rentals here.

The Center for Urban Horticulture and the University of Washington Club are among the event space possibilities the university offers…

…but, frankly, we think a reception at the Burke Museum would be the best choice.

Photo by Aaron Piazza

RAWR!

Staged by Cori Ready and photographed by Anne Fenton

Photo by Jenny GG Photography

All photos courtesy the Burke Museum.

Filed Under: Events, Families, Northeast Seattle, Photos, University of Washington

Outdoor movies at Magnuson Park return on July 11

June 25, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 2 Comments

Summer in Western Washington is said to officially start after July 4. And the same goes for the Outdoor movies at Magnuson Park series. (Nobody likes soggy popcorn!)

All showings are on Thursdays, starting July 11, at Magnuson Park (7400 Sand Point Way NE). Seating opens at 7 PM, and the movies start at dusk. Cost is $5.

Also “showing” will be cirque performances (by The Cabiri), movie trivia, and food trucks. And the event is also billed as being dog friendly.

As for which movie you might want to attend, Ravenna Blog recommends ALL of them. Seriously. Look at this schedule:

July 11: Moonrise Kingdom (2012, PG-13, 94 minutes)
July 18: Singin’ in the Rain (1952, 103 minutes)
July 25: Finding Nemo (2003, G, 100 minutes)
August 1: Skyfall (2012, PG-13, 143 minutes)
August 8: The Sandlot (1993, PG, 101 minutes)
August 15: Raiders of the Last Ark (1981, PG, 115 minutes)
August 22: Singles (1992, PG-13, 99 minutes)
August 29: The Princess Bride (1987, PG, 98 minutes)

You can see information about event sponsors and which specific food trucks will be at each showing on the Movies at Magnuson homepage.

…

The Ravenna Blog’s 5th birthday is also scheduled for Thursday, August 15, but from 5-7 PM. Celebrate with us, *then* go fight Nazis with Indy.

RSVP to the party here. We’d love to see you!

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

Beloved metal animals stolen from Ravenna Park playground

June 18, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 4 Comments

Where Lucy the Pika once crouched…

Pika statue from Ravenna Park playground. Used with permission from Seattle Parks and Recreation.

…there is naught but a hole, a bent screw, and the name of the missing critter and her donor family.

Photo courtesy Tracey Sconyers

Of the eleven bronze animal sculptures that have graced the Ravenna Park playground since 2008, four reportedly went missing over the weekend: Two pika, a deer mouse, and a mourning dove.

View Ravenna Park playground in a larger map

From resident Tracey Sconyers, who lives near the park (via email):

My girls informed me today [Monday, June 17] that four of the small animal statues are missing from around the Ravenna Park playground. They noticed yesterday (Sunday) that they were gone. I walked over the the park about an hour ago, and it looks like two pika, one deer mouse, and one mourning dove were cut from the rocks. All the missing pieces were along the upper sidewalk area, the one that passes directly in front of the little maintenance building.

…

Each [sculpture] was custom made for its location, and were a gift to the park, in commemoration for the extensive time and money that several families made to ensure that the playground was renovated.

Sconyers says she has called several local metal recyclers to make them aware of the thefts, and to keep an eye out for the sculptures.

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Joelle Hammerstad tells us that Parks has already contacted the artist, Rachel Boughton, about possible replacements if the stolen animals are not returned. Good news: The artist still has the molds.

You can see all of the animals that artist Rachel Broughton (Flying Dog Press and Gallery) made for the playground here.

Photo courtesy Tracey Sconyers

You can view the Friends of Ravenna Playground site here, thanks to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. The playground was renovated with money from grants and fundraising, and reopened with new play equipment in 2007.

Filed Under: Crime, Families, Kids, Lost/Found, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Park

Wading pool season opens on Saturday! Yay!

June 17, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

It’s almost too hot right now to write this post, but I know you’re all wondering…

AND, YES, IT’S ALMOST WADING POOL TIME.

I want to go to there.

Your two Northeast Seattle wading pools for 2013 are:

Dahl Playfield (7700 25th Ave NE) open T/W/Th from noon-7 PM, June 25 through August 15
Magnuson Park (7400 Sand Point Way NE) open daily from noon-6:30 PM, June 22 through August 25

And your closest spraypark is:

Northacres Park (12800 1st Ave NE) open daily from 11 AM-8 PM, now through September 2

Wading pools are open when the temperature is forecast to be 70°F or higher. Sprayparks, however, are open daily (unless thunder and lightning are present).

You can download the full Seattle Parks and Recreation wading pool, spraypark, and swimming beach schedule here (in all its Comic Sans glory; 302 KB PDF).

Filed Under: Dahl Field, Families, Kids, Magnuson Park, Northeast Seattle, Seattle Parks and Recreation

Last days for Peaks Frozen Custard in Roosevelt

Long-time local kids coach, Liz Isaacson, hangs up her whistle (GUEST POST)