SeattleMeg September 10th, 2008
Things to do, people to see… This fall is shaping up to be a delightful time with delightful weather. Let’s see what’s coming up!
June Carter Cash tribute, Live Girls! Theater, 2220 N.W. Market St.
Sept. 12 - Oct. 4, Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets prices for 8 p.m. shows- $15/$12 student/senior, Saturday 4 p.m. shows- All tickets $7, $5 under 18 with ID. Live Girls! commissioned three one-act plays from local and national playwrights. Each writer was asked to choose a song recorded by June Carter Cash and create a play inspired by that song. These three new plays will be produced together in one evening as a tribute to this legendary singer, writer and humanitarian. The plays include “Red Velvet Cake,” “Burn the Houseplants,” “Run Away with Me to a Lonely Spot on the Edge of a Cliff,” and “Jackson.” Visit www.livegirlstheater.org for info.
‘Susan and God’, Senior Matinee, Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St.
Oct. 1, 2 p.m. In “Susan and God,” Lisa Peretti plays Susan-a bright, charming, intelligent woman at the center of the gossipy, fun social set lazing their summers away in the Hamptons. And now, darling, she’s found God. Or at least her version of him. Susan’s newest fad becomes everyone else’s newest headache until Susan receives a startling revelation of her own. Senior tickets are $20, available at the box office at 781-9707 …
Cameron September 8th, 2008
The New York Fashion Academy is gearing up for it’s 5th annual fashion show, with multiple lines expected to hit the runway sometime in April of next year. But fashion shows cost money. Money that broke-ass students don’t have, which will pay for things like pipe and drape, runway construction, lighting, photographers, advertising and promotion, among many other details that go into 15 minutes of fabulousness.
The students of New York Fashion Academy will host a silent auction/parlor party on November 8th, coinciding with the November Art-Walk night. They are currently seeking donations (products or services) that will be auctioned off to fundraise for the 2009 NYFA fashion show. If you’re a proprietor of a local business, consider donating a gift certificate– it’s promo for your business on a bustling Art-Walk night– and you’ll help support little fashionistas in their quest to “work-it-out” and be “fierce”. Or just come to shop– I hear a select group of students will be showcasing some of their pieces, and you won’t want to miss it. It’s kind of a big deal.
Please direct all donation inquiries to:
Newyorkfashionacademy@hotmail.com
(206) 352-2636
Kendra September 7th, 2008
Last week I wrote a post about the fact that the Ballard bus lines, already dealing with increased ridership due to the “Ballard Boom” is also being hit with the double whammy of the influx of students with the start of the school year. Adults have been left standing at bus stops unable to board the bus in either direction when commuting due to the overcrowding. Excited to see the headline in today’s Sunday Seattle Times, “Region’s buses overflow, squeezing riders, system” I was fully expecting to see Ballard commutes sited in the article, particularly in a sidebar called “Where riders get passed by.” However, Ballard routes #15 and #18 failed to nab a place in the Hall of Shame. Has anyone from Metro ever ridden these routes at rush hour? Do the good folks at Metro not pull reports, which can be produced by the swiping of bus passes, which would detail the ridership woes from these routes?
The only time Ballard’s bus routes were mentioned in the article was in the following statement, “But it’s not clear if Metro can provide everything it promised voters in Transit Now, including new bus rapid transit lines serving Overlake, West Seattle, Ballard, Aurora and Federal Way by the early 2010’s.” Does this mean when I purchase something I will get a refund of the portion of my sales tax that goes to Transit Now if they will not be fulfilling the transit needs promised?
It’s interesting that this week’s Ballard District Council Meeting …
Kendra September 5th, 2008
Like a lot of Americans I just wasn’t getting the message. I listened in horror on the I-90 bridge on my way to work to the events happening in New York on 9/11. I watched footage of Katrina and the effects on New Orleans. I talked to coworkers during the storms of 2006 who had lost power and were without heat and lights and were happy to be in the office. However, I still did nothing, nothing to prepare myself in case a disaster, whether man-made or natural, happened in my neighborhood.
I don’t have any excuse for this lack of planning or preparedness, particularly in light of the fact that I am a person who plans for everything else in my life. I plan my calendar, my errands and even my laundry. It’s frustrating to watch news coverage showing people sick from lack of water or food because they don’t have emergency supplies, but I looked around my own basement while doing laundry the other night and realized I don’t have the things I need to get myself through a disaster. I know that there are a few items I should buy and put down there: some gallons of water, some non perishable food items, an extra flashlight, etc. However, even those items would hardly help me survive a prolonged or severe situation. …
Kendra September 3rd, 2008
When I stepped onto the #15 bus today I was confused that all the seats up front were taken. I take the same bus at the same time every day. At the stop where I get on there is usually plenty of room. It took me a moment to register all the faces and realize that most of the seat occupants were teenagers. That’s when it struck me that today was the first day back to school and I was back to bus hell.
Over the years as condos have been put up at dizzying rates the Ballard buses have gotten more and more crowded. Then add in the increased price for gas over the past few years and the Ballard routes were already at maximum capacity. However, last year when the Ballard School District decided to stop providing school bus service forcing students to take Metro buses to get to school, it pushed an already overburdened route to the breaking point. People like me who use the #15 to commute to jobs were not given any warning about the impact to us by this poorly planned decision. Last year I suddenly found myself being told that I couldn’t board the bus as there wasn’t even standing room left. Adult riders who depend on the bus to get to their jobs were suddenly left stranded. When I found out the …
Kendra August 29th, 2008
Before I actually moved to Seattle, I spent 5 weeks renting a house here between leaving one job and starting another. I had been to Seattle only once before on a business trip in February and had fallen in love with this part of the U.S. but I wanted to see if living here was the same as coming for a business trip or vacation. This was during a period when Seattle had for several years made those “Best Places to Live” lists in various magazines and was getting a lot of press due to grunge, the Starbucks phenomena, etc. I have never been one to believe the hype so I took the opportunity to rent as my control in my little experiment on what it would be like to live here. I didn’t have a car while here, so I used the bus to get around from the place I was renting in Greenwood. It was easy to get downtown to the more touristy sites such as Pike Place Market, etc. However, when it came to scouting at neighborhoods, I guess the bus may have created a natural inclination towards neighborhoods such as Greenlake, Wallingford, Fremont and Ballard.
I was charmed by Ballard. At that time, the Scandinavian flavor of the neighborhood was more pronounced. There were a number of Scandinavian …
Cameron August 27th, 2008
More fashion is coming to Ballard. Move over, make room. It’s a big deal. Monster Art and Clothing is moving into the old Cors and Wegener Building on Ballard Avenue and 20th, to officially open for business this Friday, August 29th. But this isn’t another polished Dolce Vita or previous commercial tenant, Merge. All of you Ballard-purists with your skeptical eyes and crossed arms can appreciate what local artist, Holly Gummelt (http://www.etsy.com) and her art posse are trying to do with Monster Art and Clothing– eco and econ friendly art and fashion.
With the exit of Merge and most recently Olivine (both have moved onto yuppified Fremont), a new movement is setting forth: clothing made by artists, to look like art, at an artist’s budget. Holly Gummelt, a Pike Market craft booth veteran, is picking up her tent, and setting up shop in Ballard to bring art to the common man. She coins her movement, “casual art”, for unpretentious, anti-boutique people– so basically, for Ballardians. “We don’t have a lot of money ’cause we’re artists, so we’re really 
trying to bring something to others who love handmade art, that’s sustainable and affordable. We’re not ‘hoity-toity’; we want to be accessible.”
And we want to access you, Monster Art and Clothing! With hoodie wraps made from 100% up-cycled wool (see photo with proprietor, Gummelt, modeling hat/scarve), screen-printed T-shirts, and quirky accessories created out of recycled scratch, Ballard welcomes you with open …
Kendra August 24th, 2008
So what’s the connection between Coldplay and eighty year olds? Read on to find out…
Seattle is a fairly youthful city full of single hipsters. When I first visited Ballard, even before I moved to Washington state, the joke was that the drivers were so bad as it was a neighborhood of old people who could barely see over their steering wheels. Their cars would inevitably have bumper stickers such as “Honk if you’re Norwegian.” These old folks would populate the Eagles Club on 24th Street or the Leif Erickson Hall by the old QFC. These were people who had grown up in the area and purchased their cottages and craftsman houses for prices that make present day buyers cry. Ten years ago Ballard was far from hip. However, there was something about it that charmed me, I kind of liked the fact that the streets were full of the elderly, to me it was like having a whole neighborhood of grandparents. However, I didn’t always feel so drawn to the elderly.
When I was a little girl my grandmother, though she was old herself, used to take me along during her volunteer visits to nursing homes. I fully admit to being terrified, as I was too young to understand what I was seeing. The old people some of …
SeattleMeg August 24th, 2008
Do you like your latte served up with a full order of deliciousness? It doesn’t matter what kind of milk or flavoring you put in your cuppa Joe if the underlying base of the drink isn’t worth the price. And at Firehouse Coffee, it’s definitely worth every penny. Surprisingly, this shot of caffeine-laced goodness isn’t expensive at all!
The cozy atmostphere means limited seating, but the tables and chairs are extremely comfy, and there’s a nice little patio for those iced cappuccinos on hot days. They even have a bowl of water out for your four-legged coffee buddy. I was quite pleased to get a 20 oz. latte (Hazelnut soy, no foam, my standard) and a wonderful breakfast sandwich and spend only about $7. The sandwich was a delightful multi-grain bread with lots of flavor, encompassing an egg, swiss cheese, and bacon on the perfect side of crisp. Warmed up and cut in half made it the perfect way to spend half an hour on the free wi-fi with my laptop. The wi-fi had a good connection, albeit an unsecured network and you have to re-login every 20 minutes or so. I personally didn’t get that pop-up for almost an hour. They do have a single computer in the back corner in case you just HAVE to check your email and don’t have anything with you.
Good coffee, good food, nice atmosphere, free wi-fi… Not only two thumbs up, but I’ll …
Cameron August 21st, 2008
Since 1907, the citizens of Ballard have joined forces in attempt to “free Ballard” from Seattle hegemony. One store, Archie McPhee, helps us Ballardians in this everyday struggle.
A cross between a cracked-out tiki bar and the magic shop in Pee Wee Herman’s Great Adventure, Archie McPhee’s features thousands of random and quirky toys, candy, party supplies, costumes and miniatures—think yodeling pickle figurines, giant underpants, etc. Among the random shit-fest, is a “Free-Ballard” retail industry, featuring an array of wearable propaganda such as hats, T-shirts, bumper stickers, and even games and toys. McPhee’s started the modern-day “Free Ballard” movement about eight years ago, and has been promoting the liberation of Ballard with pride and a sense of humor ever since. Download your own “Free Ballard” poster, courtesy of Archie McPhees here. And if you don’t jive with the “Free Ballard” campaign, there are thousands of other reasons to go there. Temporary tattoos, counterfeit Australian coins and bills, or maybe you’ll run into Blayne from Project Runway. He looks like a sun-burnt duck. Seriously, how does he get his face like that?
www.archiemcpheeseattle.com
2428 NW Market Street
Monday-Saturday 10am-7pm, Sundays 11am-6pm
‘Susan and God’, Senior Matinee, Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St.
