Overnight fire at Italian eatery Cafe Da Pino (UPDATES)

Seattle Fire Department units responded to a call at Cafe Da Pino (2207 NE 65th St) just after 2 AM.

Details are few at this time, but KING 5 News’ overnight photographer, James S, said (via Twitter) that there was a small fire in the wall, and that no flames were visible outside the restaurant.

The building the small Italian eatery is located in also contains Vitality Pilates and Thrive Art School.

We will have more details about the fire and damage later in the morning, and will post updates here.

UPDATE (9:31 AM): Picture of the building taken at 8:30 AM shows minimal damage to the exterior of the building. Vitality Pilates at the west end of the building (out of the picture) appeared to be open.

Picture of building that houses Cafe Da Pino, taken the morning after the fire.

UPDATE (10:17 AM): We have details now about the fire from the Seattle Fire Department’s Kyle Moore.

Someone driving by around 2 AM called 911 after seeing flames coming from a wall of the restaurant. After forcibly entering the building, fire fighters encountered lots of smoke, but no flames or heat. They determined the cause was faulty knob and tube wiring in a wall, which had been smoldering for some time. The fire was cut out of the wall. There were no injuries, and the damage is estimated at $20,000 (primarily smoke damage).

UPDATE (12:29 PM): Q13 FOX has story up about the Cafe Da Pino fire, which includes a picture of where fire fighters had to forcibly enter the restaurant (the east side of the building).

UPDATE (3:14 PM): The Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Line site has some photos of this morning’s action.

Click the photo above to read "Electrical Wiring caused Fire at Ravenna Italian Restaurant" on Fire Line

Snowmobiling through Ravenna and Wedgwood

I don’t think SDOT and/or SPD would be too crazy about this, but gosh, it looks fun.

Slushfest Friday: What’s open/closed around Ravenna (UPDATES)

For the second day in a row, we’re offering a page full of local information on weather-affected schools, businesses, and events in Northeast Seattle.

If it’s closed or open, canceled or postponed, opening late or closing early, and somebody tells us about it, we’ll post the information below (and update it throughout the day).

Schools

ALL Seattle Public Schools = CLOSED
North Seattle Community College = CLOSED (classes and activities)
University of Washington = CLOSED

Businesses and Facilities

8 Limbs Yoga = OPEN regular hours (Wedgwood location)
Bagel Oasis = OPEN until at least 2 PM
Blossoming Buds Cottage = OPEN regular hours
Good To Go Customer Service Center = OPEN from 9 AM-7 PM
Laurelhurst Community Center = OPEN at noon
The Local Vine = OPEN regular hours (at University Village location)
Meadowbrook Pool = OPEN at noon
Magnuson Community Center = OPEN at noon
Maple Leaf Ace Hardware = OPEN
MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) = OPEN
Northeast Branch of the Seattle Public Library = OPEN from 1-6 PM
Northgate Community Center = OPEN at 1 PM
Planet Happy = OPEN
Queen Mary Tea Room = OPEN regular hours
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center = OPEN at 12:39 PM
Swink Style Bar = OPEN regular hours (University Village location)
Trophy Cupcakes = OPEN regular hours (University Village location)
University District Food Bank = OPEN until 3 PM
Vios at Third Place = OPEN for full service in restaurant AND pub
Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts = OPEN

Events

Roosevelt High School Drama Winter Production (“Quilters”) = CANCELED (waiting for word on a new opening night)
Roosevelt Station Meet the Artist event = CANCELED, but will be rescheduled

Thursday in the Park with Snow

Ice Storm Thursday: What’s open, what’s not, around Ravenna (UPDATES)

Anything open out there? Ravenna Ave NE and NE 65th St, taken at 8:51 AM

 

Here’s what we’ve heard is closed (or open) in or near the neighborhood today (in alphabetical order):

ALL Seattle Schools = CLOSED
Apple Store = OPEN, but closing at 2 PM
Bagel Oasis = OPEN until 2PM
Bartell Drugs = All local stores OPEN, but University Ave NE location’s pharmacy is CLOSED
Blossoming Buds Cottage = CLOSED
Burke Museum = CLOSED
COA Tequileria = OPEN at 4 PM, with their new menu!
Create & Barrel = CLOSED
Delfino’s Chicago Style Pizza = OPEN
GAP = OPEN, but closing at 3 PM
glassybaby = OPEN, closing at 3 PM
Grand Illusion Cinema = OPEN
H&M = OPEN, but closing at 3 PM
The Herbalist = OPEN but may close early
Judy Fu’s Snappy Dragon = CLOSED
The Local Vine = OPEN
Maple Leaf Ace Hardware = CLOSED
MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) = CLOSED
Northeast Branch = CLOSED (as are all Seattle Public Library branches)
Pinup Salon = CLOSED
Planet Happy Toys = CLOSED
Queen Mary Tea Room = OPEN
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center = CLOSED (as are all Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities and activities
Ravenna Third Place Books = OPEN until 5 PM
Sunlight Cafe = OPEN
Taste of India = OPEN
Trophy Cupcakes = all locations OPEN until 3 PM, and first 10 to say “Snow Day” Get a FREE cupcake
University District Food Bank = OPEN from 10 AM-3 PM
UW Neighborhood Clinic – Ravenna = OPEN at noon, reduced hours
Varlamos Pizzeria = OPEN
Vios Cafe = OPEN until 2:30 PM
Wayward Coffeehouse = OPEN
Wedgwood Safeway = store and pharmacy both OPEN
Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts = OPEN until 3 PM (dozens 1/2 off if you mention seeing the deal online!)
Whole Foods at Roosevelt Square = OPEN until 6 PM
Zoka Coffee = OPEN until 4 PM

Our next ‘hood neighbors at the Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog are also keeping track of closures (and have a Cowen Park sledding video to boot).

We’ll update this post throughout the day. If you learn of any other openings or closures, let us know and we’ll add them in.

Bad sledding run near Ravenna Park lands woman in the hospital (UPDATE)

A woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center this afternoon, after a bad sledding run landing near the southern end of Ravenna Park.

Seattle Fire Department Public Information Officer Kyle Moore contacted SFD staff at the scene and got us the details.


View NE 54th St sledding accident in a larger map

The 19-year-old college student was sledding down NE 54th Street around 3:30 PM when she slid over a jump, landed on some rocks, hit her head, and lost consciousness. She had regained consciousness by the time Seattle Fire Department units reached her, but she was taken to Harborview in a stable condition as a precaution.

Many thanks to Capitol Hill Seattle’s own Justin Carder who provided the tip over twitter.

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Please, people. For goodness sake: Make GOOD sledding choices.

Timmy was never the same after the extraction.
(Just kidding. This was an object d'snow art on NE 75th St from the snows of late 2008.)

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UPDATE (Thursday afternoon): Steve Sorbo (@macsosguy) caught some NE 54th Street sledding action for us today at the scene of yesterday’s crash.

Ravenna snow picture post! (UPDATES)

My favorite thing about snow falling is how it makes the neighborhood look — which calls for a picture post!

Sunday

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Adam Merrill sent us "Snowman-Henge" from the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center playfield.

Joel Magalnick caught the Snowman-Henge makers in action.

Saturday

Somebirdy out there has cold feet. (Ravenna Community Garden)

Snow on the ground? Swiss chard don

A Snow Family appears! This is 3/4 of the clan. Rock Head is the character on the far right. (7000 block of Ravenna Ave NE)

Patriarch of the Snow Family, Cowboy Bob.

Ben the Dog! Awww.

And this is Theo the Cat. I believe the red bit is the tail.

Normally located in the tropical rainforest belt of north Ravenna (7000 block of 23rd Ave NE), these two palm trees were unprepared for the sudden change of weather.

The palm trees

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David Washington was

My neighbor

This guy looks a little cold.

Have any good shots of your own to share? We’d be happy to help show them off to the rest of the neighborhood here. Send them to rebecca@ravennablog.com, or link to them in the comments.

Coffee chats with Wedgwood Elementary’s principal scheduled

Wedgwood Elementary School’s principal, Chris Cronas, is holding a series of informal meetings for parents in January and February. The meetings look to be taking place in the neighborhood (vs. at the school) in both mornings and evenings.

Wedgwood Elementary’s PTA president and vice-president will also be attending the chats.

From the Wedgwood Weekly (about page):

Over the next several weeks, I will be hosting a series of informal coffee meetings for parents, the first of which will be on Tuesday, January 17th from 9:00 to 10:00 am.  The purpose of these meetings is to give parents a chance to come and ask questions about any issues they are thinking about, and discuss these issues with others in the community.  In addition to myself, Katie Traverse and/or John Piccola, our PTA President and Vice President will be there to chat with folks and answer any questions about the PTA.

I want to make it possible for everyone who wants to attend one of these coffees to do so.  For that reason, they will be offered at two different times – one in the morning right after the school day begins, and one in the evening off campus.

The morning coffees will be held in the library from 9:00 to 10:00 on the following dates:

Tuesday, January 17th

Thursday, January 26th

Tuesday January 31th

Monday February 6th

The evening coffees will be held off campus from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.  The first meeting will be at Café Javasti on 35th, which has graciously offered to stay open late just for us.  The location for the remaining meetings will be announced soon.  The dates of the meetings are as follows:

Monday, January 23rd, Café Javasti

Thursday February 9th, location TBA

Thursday February 16th, location TBA

If none of these times work for you and you are interested in attending, please let me know.  I look forward to meeting with many of you in the following weeks.

Chris Cronas
Principal

While Wedgwood Elementary School itself (2720 NE 85th Street) is located in the Wedgwood neighborhood, a chunk of northern Ravenna is within the school’s attendance boundary (which you can see here; 421 KB PDF).

Ravenna’s Candy Cane Lane set to open December 10

We’ve heard from one of the homeowners on Candy Cane Lane (NE Park Rd) that their annual holiday light extravaganza is set to start on December 10 this year.

Looking festive now — Imagine what it will look like at night!

Here’s a story on the history of this annual neighborhood tradition from the Seattle Times last year.

A lost white cat appears! Is he yours? (UPDATE)

UPDATE (Tuesday, December 13): We’ve just heard the good news from Anthony (via email): “Just an update, we got in touch with the owners of the white cat last night! He is from a home around 56th and 12th. Thank you again so much for posting that on the blog!”

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Readers Anthony and Julia may have found your lost kitty (via email, emphasis ours):

We were just opening the door to leave the apartment and the crafty little guy just snuck inside! We’re on the 1300 block of NE Ravenna [Blvd], so just across from Cowen Park. He’s an all-white adult male, extremely curious and friendly to humans, which leads us to believe he might belong to someone (no collar or microchip, however). We think he may have been missing for a while because he was a bit dirty and had a minor infection around one of his eyes. I have attached a photo that we took. We had to take him into the Seattle Animal Shelter, because our lease doesn’t allow for pets, but we really want to find his owners who must miss him very much!

 

Anthony and Julia live in the neighborhood nexus of the Ravenna, Roosevelt, and University District neighborhoods, so Lost White Kitty could be from any one of those.