Month: September 2018

September 27, 2018 (Belltown/Lower Queen Anne)

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Welcome to Seattle Close to Home — a weekly round-up of ideas for time-crunched Seattle-area residents, who want to get outside, volunteer, and eat good food, but don’t necessarily want to drive far (or at all).

Help out the Olympic Peninsula. Join the Wild Olympics Campaign and learn about the effort to protect the ancient forests and wild rivers of the Olympic Peninsula and how to take action. Two short films will be shown, followed by a Q&A. Takes place on Thursday evening (7:30-9:30pm) at Patagonia (2100 1st Ave).

Join your fellow outdoor art lovers at the Olympic Sculpture Park. The Site, Sculpture, Shoreline: Discover Olympic Sculpture Park tour happens on Saturday and Sunday at 1pm. If you haven’t been here (or it’s been a while), you’ll learn about the park’s landscape design, environmental planning, sculpture, native plantings, and works of art. Meet outside the PACCAR Pavilion (2901 Western Ave).

Get out! on a park tour of your own. The trails crisscrossing the Olympic Sculpture Park offer not just views of the outdoor art, but also a stunning panorama of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, and (weather permitting) the Olympics. Extend your walk (or bike ride) into Myrtle Edwards Park and beyond.

Extend your walk to the Seattle Center via the Thomas Street Pedestrian Overpass and check out the Italian Festival. Activities include cooking demonstrations, “Opera for Kids,” a grape stomping competition, and an expansive food court and vendor market — all happening Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 7pm.

Fuel up at Le Pichet. We always feel transported to Paris when at this Belltown/Pike Place Market cafe (1933 1st Ave). The french onion soup is not to be missed. Open daily from 8am to midnight.

Leaving the car at home? Bus #24/19 goes to the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Seattle Center. And buses #13/2 and #8 go to the Seattle Center. These routes (except the #8) stop within a block or two of Patagonia and Le Pichet.

Weather forecast:  Saturday is forecasted to be as warm as 72 degrees and partly sunny; Sunday might see a few showers and a high of 68.

September 20, 2018 (Fremont)

Editor

Welcome to Seattle Close to Home — a weekly round-up of ideas for time-crunched Seattle-area residents, who want to get outside, volunteer, and eat good food, but don’t necessarily want to drive far (or at all).

Help out at a little park with a big view. Fremont Peak Park (4357 Palatine Ave N) could use some weeding. Join area residents for a work party on Saturday from 10am to 12pm.

Join your fellow cooks. PCC Community Markets celebrates the release of its first cookbook, Cooking from Scratch, with an author event. PCC’s executive chef, Lynne Vea, will discuss and demo cooking with sustainable ingredients and answer questions. The event happens on Thursday at 6:30pm at Book Larder (4252 Fremont Ave N).

Get out! for a festival tour (plus a park or two). What says fall better than the Fremont Oktoberfest? Chainsaw pumpkin carving happens Friday and beer tasting all weekend long at 35th and Canal (ages 21 and over only).

Looking for a more family-friendly, less boozy event? Head over to neighboring Ballard for the Sustainable Ballard Fest at Ballard Commons Park (5701 22nd Ave NW) on Saturday from 11am to 4pm. Activities include learning new ways to lower your carbon footprint, helping to make fresh cider and meeting farm animals.

Incorporate one or both fests with a walk or bike to Gas Works Park and Fremont Peak Park. A suggested 5-mile route is here.

Fuel up with middle eastern food. When in Fremont, we go to Cafe Turko for authentic and delicious Turkish fare, including some of our favorites: “aromatic lamb with Turkish apricots and almonds,” eggplant moussaka, and Turkish delight. Our walk/bike route goes right by its 750 N 34th St location, open from 10am daily (closes at 9:30pm Sun-Fri, 10pm on Saturdays).

Leaving the car at home? Metro bus #40 goes to Fremont and Ballard (and in between). Routes 31 and 32 and 62 go to Fremont. Biking from the UW/Husky Stadium light rail station is also an option.

Weather forecast:  Highs in the mid-60s with occasional rain on Saturday; sun and clouds on Sunday.

September 13, 2018 (Edmonds)

Editor

Welcome to Seattle Close to Home — a weekly round-up of ideas for time-crunched Seattle-area residents, who want to get outside, volunteer, and eat good food, but don’t necessarily want to drive far (or at all).

Help out with a coastal cleanup. Saturday is International Coastal Cleanup Day! Join Puget Soundkeepers Alliance to remove trash at Brackett’s Landing South (100 Railroad Ave, Edmonds). You’ll also provide data for a report that will be used to find solutions to global marine trash accumulation. Register online for the event, which takes place from 9:30am-12pm. Besides Edmonds, there are cleanups taking place around the Puget Sound area, the state, and the world.

Join your fellow birders. The Puget Sound Bird Fest happens Friday through Sunday at Edmonds’ Frances Anderson Center (700 Main St) and features speakers, guided walks, land and water-based field trips, exhibits, and educational activities. Information and a schedule of events is available online. Some activities require advanced registration.

Get out! for a showery walk. Best bets are Saturday afternoon or Sunday to explore the coastline from Brackett’s Landing North to Edwards Point, then head inland to Edmonds Marsh and the city park. Here is our suggested route (but exploring downtown is fun too!)

Fuel up at the local coffee roastery. Red Twig Bakery and Cafe (117 5th Ave S) serves coffee and espresso made with their proprietary blend, as well as seasonal menu items made with Essential Bakery bread. Open daily from 7am to 9pm (opens at 8am on Sundays).

Leaving the car at home?  You CAN get to downtown Edmonds (Edmonds Station, 211 Railroad Ave) by bus; it just takes a little while (1.5 hours on average). Sound Transit bus 512 connects with Community Transit buses 116 and 130 at the Lynnwood Transit Center.

If you’re up for a bike adventure, a suggested route is here.

Weather forecast:  Looks like you might need rain gear. Clouds with periods of rain are forecast for the weekend, with highs in the low 60s.

September 6, 2018 (Chinatown-International District)

Editor

Welcome to Seattle Close to Home — a weekly round-up of ideas for time-crunched Seattle-area residents, who want to get outside, volunteer, and eat good food, but don’t necessarily want to drive far (or at all).

Help out with park restoration. Venture across the Jose Rizal Bridge (on 12th Ave S) to woodsy Lewis Park (1120 15th Ave S) and assist with fall planting and trail maintenance. Volunteers will meet from 10am to 1pm on Sunday and can register online.

Join your fellow night owls. The Chinatown-International Night Market happens Saturday from 4pm to midnight at the Historic Chinatown Gate (5th Ave S & S King St). The event features food vendors, a beer garden, an international market, live bands, break-dancers, and an all-ages dance party.

Get out! and ramble. Explore the reconfigured and newly-named Yesler Terrace Park (835 Yesler Way) and its expansive views of downtown, Elliott Bay, and Mount Rainier. As part of the Yesler Terrace redevelopment project, the park connects to the C-ID via stairs and a pedestrian pathway at 10th Ave S just north of S Jackson St.

Other nearby parks are Kobe Terrace and Gardens (), Daejon Park (near Lewis Park at 1144 Sturgus Ave S), and Hing Hay Park (), which hosts a ping pong tournament on Friday from 2pm to 5:30pm.

You can also bike to/from the C-ID — see our Mountains to Sound Trail and Chief Sealth Trail posts for details.

Fuel up at… well, there are so many options. Our favorites include the beef chow fun at the Uwajimaya food court (600 5th Ave S); really really fresh sushi at Maneki (304 6th Ave S); and pretty much anything at Tamarind Tree (1036 S Jackson St).

Leaving the car at home? The International District/Chinatown light rail station is just across the street from the Historic Chinatown Gate. Numerous buses travel to and from the C-ID, including the #7, #14, #124, and the #36 and #60, which go to Lewis Park and Daejon Park (the #60 also goes to Yesler Terrace and travels along 12th Ave S).

Weather forecast: Cloudy with a few showers possible; highs around 70.