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I think it’s funny that there is a lot of discussion about creating neighborhoods and urban density that foster a sense of community.  Before cars and urban sprawl this was the norm.  Before the age of cars people could not pull into their garages and disappear from sight.   The neighbors would notice the comings and goings of  their neighbors and friendly exchanges would occur with local news discussed on a porch stoop or over the fence.  This neighborhood communication led to grass roots activism and was the impetus for  improvements in the neighborhood and created a forum to discuss other less than positive changes.  

Ballard, which is currently in such a state of transition, needs the civic involvement of its residents and most Ballardites are probably unaware that this kind of civic forum is available and open for their participation.   I didn’t know it myself until a few years ago when I stumbled upon it by accident during one of my frequent visits to the Ballard Library. 

Have you ever heard of the Ballard District Council meeting that takes place the second Wednesday of each month in the meeting room at the entrance to the library?  I am guessing most reading this are shaking their heads “no” right now.   That’s a shame and it’s my goal with this post to let Ballardites know of this wonderful opportunity to find out what’s happening in Ballard even before it appears in our local newspapers and media.    At this meeting all the local Ballard organizations have a representative present and  some of the organizations include the Ballard Historical Society, the Crown Hill Business Association,  a division of the local Democrats, a representative from Ballard High School, etc. 

The meeting starts with brief announcements by any of the District Council members on anything happening within their organization.  After announcements there is an agenda for each meeting which often include guest speakers.  Meetings I have attended have included such guest speakers as the Seattle Department of Transportation,  the Police Department, the Mayor’s office, sometimes a City Council member, etc.  The meeting is always attended by a member of the local press too.   Any Ballard resident is welcome to attend the meeting, and if you feel strongly about an issue on the agenda, you are able to give direct input to the organization who is responsible for it, as well as often getting your opinions published by the local media.    It’s grassroots politics at it’s finest and an excellent way to shape the future of the neighborhood.

I was riding the Ballard bus once and overheard two women on the bus complaining about the overcrowding and lateness of the Ballard bus lines.  Bursting with frustration I interrupted their kvetching and pointed out that complaining to each other wasn’t doing anything to help solve the problem, but the previous night at the Ballard District Council meeting representatives of SDOT and Metro were there and were the exact people who needed to hear about the concerns of Ballard commuters.

Please note that there is something for everyone at these meetings.   In addition to discussing issues central to Ballard, the meetings also include information on upcoming events such as musical performances, fairs, etc.

The Ballard District Council meets tonight at 7pm with free parking available in the library garage.  The agenda for tonight’s meeting is:

BALLARD DISTRICT COUNCIL

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Ballard Library – 5614 22nd NW

(Free parking below building – accessed from NW 56th)

7:00 PM

Chairperson:  Steve Cohn 

AGENDA

Short Announcements by Member Organization Representatives

Please hold announcements to not more than one minute. 

Meet Port Commissioners Gael Tarleton and Bill Bryant

Gael and Bill are newly elected to the Seattle Port Commission.  The Port is a major force influencing the economics and quality of life in the Ballard community.  POS operates several major maritime facilities here including Shilshole Bay Marina, the Maritime Industrial Center, Fishermen’s Terminal, and (although located in south Ballard) Terminal 91. 

Meet Seattle City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco

Jorge will discuss City Light’s future electrical service capacity planning for the Ballard area, discuss the many services provided by City Light, and answer questions about this major pubic utilities presence in the Ballard district. 

Proposed Playground Redevelopment at Adams Elementary School, Adams Elementary PTA -Alison Krupnick and Project Team

Recommendation – Ballard Matching Fund/District Level Review Committee, Craig Benjamin

Three Ballard citizens served on the District Level Review Committee which considered the Adams Playground project against an established set of criteria.  Craig Benjamin, Dawn Hemminger, and Dennis Galvin have agreed to recommend the project be funded, and have recommend an award of  93.5 out of 100 points.      Discussion and Vote

Adjourn

NOTE

For more information or to share your ideas about projects and issues contact

Ballard District Council staff Rob Mattson at 684-4060 rob.mattson@seattle.gov

or any member of the Council’s Executive Committee:

Steve Cohn, President 789-0447,  smcohn@speakeasy.net

Andy MacDonald, VP, 297-3231, awm@alum.mit.ed

Catherine Weatbrook, 782-2774, cweat@nwlink.com

Jennifer Macuiba, 781-1878, jmacuiba@comcast.net

I recently posted on Ballardite Blog about some of the exhibits I was drawn to at the second Saturday ArtWalk held last Saturday in Ballard, May 10th. One of my favorite installations of the evening, by Jim Wilkinson, an Edmonds photographer, was at KISS Cafe. The exhibition entitled “Normal Sometimes Naked People” featured large grids of bold, beautiful color photographic portraits on stretched canvas. The photos were striking, especially grouped as they were in the space, which features a high loft-ceiling and bold wall colors that really made the photos pop. Some of the pieces were erotic; there were nudes of women and of men with a couple photos of nude men posing together. In an interesting angle a couple of the photos featured strikingly tatooed KISS co-owner Amanda Whisler

After the show I decided to look for more information on the photographer, who was erroneously referred to in ArtWalk materials as John Wilkenson. I eventually tracked down his Flicker page. Under a picture of one of the pieces from the show he wrote:

The Artist’s Reception Sat May 10th was great. On Sunday, one of the owners of the cafe called me and told me that he had taken down one of my 2 photo pieces, and he wanted me to chop off the bottom third of this piece. All because of the nude guy (bottom right corner). [...] I of course immediately removed the entire show [...]

Wow. I did read in an ad for the show on Craigslist that the nude photos would be taken down after the opening and someone also mentioned that to me during the opening as well … but clearly there was some subsequent dispute over what would remain and what would come down, and why.  I will post with more details when I get them.

Erin writes:

I grew up attending the school of hard knocks in the big city of Marysville, WA – now known for the massive structure of a casino and outlet mall central. Ventured east to Washington State University. Learned to drink beer. Graduated and moved to Seattle in search of a career path. Learned to drink wine, fell in love and woke up with a headache/stained teeth. Working in wine and writing on the side. Cherishing every moment in Ballard with Swedish heritage and cheap bars with the lovely, class-act people that fill up the Avenue. Down for coffee or wine at anytime, especially if you’re buying.

Depressingly, my antique glass measuring cup chipped and for safety’s sake, must be replaced. I decided to stop in Kitchen-N-Things at 2322 NW Market Street in Ballard. (Corner of Market and 24th) This place is a real treat for the serious cook. From lovely linen aprons to stainless steel measuring spoons to Le Creuset ovenware in a rainbow of shades, Kitchen-n-Things has the kitchenware for you if cooking is your passion. Apparently, they even have a “Knife of the Month” according to the paper taped to the door. May is a serious German steel chef’s knife for less than $60! Alas, no Pyrex or glass measuring cups here, only polymer or steel.

So I then ventured across the street to the cozy little Cookies in Seattle. Admittedly, I forgot about the measuring cup. While most of the aprons really were too small for my frame, they were terribly cute. I was distracted by the over 1,000 cookie cutters… All sizes and shapes to fit your fancy. The 4″ copper one in the shape of a hairdryer might be fun for a girl’s slumber party, or she may prefer the music notes, or even the saw and pliers cutters if she’s inclined to build things. They also have cookie stamps, cookie jars, mixes, cookbooks… Eh, I’ll find the measuring cup at Fred Meyer’s this weekend. I had to leave before I spent the rest of my evening in a snickerdoodle frenzy. Make sure and drop into this cute little store just behind the bus stop!

There I stood – or staggered – on the cobblestoned paveway of Ballard Avenue, several glasses of wine down with a confused frown deciding which Ballard wine bar got the best of me. I did some serious research on the Avenue’s wine bar circuit for the rest of us Sweds who get lost when it’s something other than schnapps with the smorgasbord.

With the recent restaurant/bar trend featuring small plates/tapas, Portalis WIne Shop/Bar and diVino fall right into the grade. However, I can wholeheartedly say that my experiences with both wine bars was far from middle grade.

My Wine Trails of Ballard began at Portalis (www.portaliswines.com), home to former German ER doc Jens Strecker, with their vast selection in retail wines originating from Chile to New Zealand and South Africa, as well as a couple local favorites.

The menu gave a few small plates to choose from – all with fancy titles that essentially translate out to fish spread on crusted bread – and an intricate tasting menu for the evening (it was a Wednesday). I ventured out to Italy and tried their version of the Pinot Noir grape, also known as Nebbiolo. I found it to be a little hallow and flat but drank it anyway since it was just under $10… Only to find out 7/8 through the glass that the bottle I was drinking from was corked… The bartender quickly retaliated, giving me a fresh (and very tasty!) glass and docking it off our tab. Kudos on the last minute service but I wasn’t blown away overall on that front.

diVino was closing early when we arrived (www.divinoseattle.com). The extremely generous and possibly one-too-many-martinied Sicilian owner demanded we come in and drink their copious amounts of wine from the Motherland, sending “Shelly” to the kitchen to make us copious amounts of food that we didn’t exactly order (and didn’t exactly have to pay too much for in the end).

The decor of the joint is a little cheesy (bright white and red lighting, awkward plastic seating), which might not translate from Sicilian to Ballard. The wine list is only Italian, full of grapes I might have heard of in the Sommelier Arnie Milian wine courses offered downtown. I shot for the $15 Amarone (no idea) and it was fabulous. I liked it much more than the corked Nebbiolo from Portalis…

And let the battle of the wine bars begin… Check them out for yourself and try not to get lost between grape varietals and where you parked your car on Ione.

Cameron writes:
 
I’m a Northwest native, hailing from the City of Roses, Portland, Oregon. I
graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor of arts degree in Middle
East Studies and Islamic and Jewish studies, and shortly after graduation I
moved to Seattle with the intention of pursuing an advanced degree in this
field. Three incomplete master’s programs later, I have managed to dodge my
academic commitments, and have instead focused on my career in the non-profit
arena and hula hooping. As a dance and gymnast veteran, I spend a lot of my time
attempting to relive old dreams as a dancer, choreographer and artist. I also
own a boutique event planning company, called Gracenote Events (gracenoteevents.com),
which specializes in performance art and mixed media art installations for
private events and parties. When I’m not busy being a kumbayah-singing,
community-building, non-profit sell-out, I spend much of my time wandering the
streets of Ballard in search of fashion, music and culture and a
rockabilly entourage.

Handbags are a very personal item. If they only served the function of storing items we need throughout the day, we would have only one. Instead, most of us women have a collection in different colors, fabrics and sizes. The choice of handbag is a form of self-expression and a projection of what image we want to give the world on any particular day. Laura Bee Designs, a Ballard shop, understands that. The store is based on the concept of women choosing all the elements for a handbag and then having it created by one of the craftswomen at the store.

The store has been located in Ballard since 2002. Laura Bee, the owner, tested the waters first by participating in the Ballard Sunday Market with her first designs. Her other tie to Ballard was the fact that her boyfriend, now her husband, was living there and they both liked the area. As Laura says, “Ballard really influences the spirit of the business. The neighborhood is like our bags; casual, fun and stylish. I love the sense of community and the fact that we have regular clients. In fact, it’s great to see the progression of their lives. We have had single women come in to get a handbag made. Next we did bags for their wedding party and after that came making a baby bag for them.” In fact, she mentioned that they are working with a lot of wedding parties at this time of year and told a story about a wedding they were hired to make the bags for that contained a lot of personal elements. “The bridesmaids designed their own bags. For the bride she wanted her bag to reflect the theme of ‘something old, something new..’ Her bag was created using part of her sister’s veil, with the silk flower as an embellishment and a silver charm that had belonged to her mom was used for the zipper pull.”

It’s not just bridal parties that get the fun of designing their bags together, Laura Bee can also put on a ‘purse party’ for any group of friends or an organization. They have even done children’s birthday parties. So instead of the usual visit to Chuck E. Cheese, you can create a memorable experience for your child and their party guests by giving the kids the opportunity to show their creativity and create their own party favor. Laura emphasizes the diversity of ages that visit the store. As an example, she mentioned one savvy mom whose daughter was about to get her first allowance. Her mom thought it would be a great idea to let her daughter design a wristlet (small bag that dangles from the wrist) to keep the allowance in and mark the occasion.

The shop carries a variety of fabric, trim and vintage buttons but the employees really enjoy when customers bring some of their own items to be incorporated into the bag as they often come with interesting stories attached. “One customer came in with some beautiful Hawaiian bark cloth which came from a muumuu her mother had often worn. We made two bags; one for the woman and one for her sister. Carrying the bag brought back memories of seeing her mother in the muumuu. Another customer brought in some interesting fabric from South Africa. The fabric was used to make two book bags for her nieces. The bags were similar but with slight differences to make each one special. The customer then filled the book bags with Golden Books encouraging the love of reading.” The act of bringing in unique materials not only makes the bag a special one of a kind piece, but it’s also eco friendly to give these fabrics new life, a value that eco aware Ballardites appreciate.

Although the store is located in Ballard, the customer base isn’t limited to the neighborhood. Laura mentions hearing from a woman from Portland who was in Antarctica for a scientific study. While there she met a woman who had a Laura Bee item, and she was so smitten with it, she wanted Laura to make her one when she returned.

While the most popular items in the store are the custom handbags, the store also carries a variety of ready made items. Gift certificates are also available and are a popular choice with men who want to give their significant others the gift of a unique custom bag without trying to pick out the colors and fabrics themselves.

photo by: http://www.laurabeedesigns.com/

Kendra writes:

After living all over the world, I chose Ballard as my first permanent home.  In the Pacific Northwest I found the best of the best: water, mountains, natural beauty, an urban lifestyle, interesting architecture, a literate population and a high quality of life. Even the rain is OK with me (well most of the time). I tell people I am a little bit like Goldilocks, some cities I lived in were too hot, some were too cold, Seattle was just right.  It’s why I am excited to blog about my favorite place. That, and it’s nice to get some use out of my Master’s in Creative Writing.

Ballard how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways…

The Ballard Library – between it’s green roof, interesting architectural and the amazing fact that I can check out all the books and movies I want for free this is my favorite spot.

Sunset Hill Park – a walk over to this postcard size park with its magnificent view always brightens my mood.

Ballard Farmer’s Market – I get to support local farming practices, eat healthy fruits and vegetables, stroll the old brick streets and people watch.  It reminds me of the open-air markets in Europe.

My neighbors – They are the best thing about living in Ballard.  I live on a street that is a throwback to the 1940′s, where we know each other’s names, watch out for each other and come nice weather when we see one of us outside the others all come running from their houses for a good old fashioned porch stoop chat.