Ballard

December 6, 2018 (Green Lake/Sunset Hill)

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 “Green Lake Give Native Plants a Chance.” Green Lake Stewards will be working on the west side of the lake to remove invasive Himalayan blackberry canes from 9am to 12pm on Saturday. To join the work party, sign up online and meet at the Aqua Theater.

Join your fellow barterers. Sustainable Ballard and Sunset Hill Community Association are hosting a Barter Fair & Holiday Party on Sunday from 4p to 6pm. The event takes place at the Sunset Hill Community Club (3003 NW 66th St) and is an alternative to commercial gift-buying. No cash changes hands; instead participants trade items they cooked, made, or offer as a service.

Get out! and follow the lights. On Saturday, from 4:30 to 7:30pm, Green Lake will be dressed up with luminaria all the way around the 2.8-mile path. The annual Pathway of Lights event features live music and refreshments. Donation bins will be on hand for non-perishable food donations to benefit the FamilyWorks food bank.

Fuel up on the corner. When we’re in the area of NW 65th St and 15th Ave NW, we stop at Jumpin’ Jimmy’s Java for coffees made with our favorite Cafe Umbria. NOTE: It is a drive-through (but you can walk up) and they only take cash. Open until 4pm Saturdays and 3pm Sundays. Next door is Top Banana, a locally-owned produce market, which stocks reasonably-priced fruits and vegetables (locally-sourced as often as possible) and also has some basic groceries. Open daily 8am-8pm.

Leaving the car at home? Numerous buses stop near/at Green Lake, including the #45 and the #62. The D-Line stops at Jumpin’ Jimmys and Top Banana, and it is a 20-minute walk to the Sunset Hill Community Club. The #40 stops with a 10-minute walk of the club.

Weather forecast: Expect periods of rain this weekend with high temps in the mid-40s.

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.

July 19, 2018 (Ballard)

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 and protect trails.  Washington Trail Association (WTA)’s annual Hike-a-Thon kicks off Tuesday (July 24) from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Lagunitas Brewing Co. (1550 NW 49th St) At the Hike-a-Thon Trails & Ales event, you can register for the Hike-a-Thon, then hike and log your miles in August (more details to come in next week’s post) — and meet follow hikers over a beer. RSVP for the event online.

Join your fellow jazz fans. The Ballard Locks (3015 NW 54th St) is the site of free summer concerts on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm through September 16. This weekend, the Rain City Jazz Orchestra plays big band, jazz, and blues on Saturday and Coal Creek Jazz Band offers up traditional Dixieland on Sunday.

Get Out! in the Bay — and beyond. After a stroll through the Ballard Locks area (and perhaps a concert), head out to Shilshole Bay on the Burke-Gilman Trail (biking time shown on map; walking time is approximately 30-35 minutes) and rent a kayak at Ballard Kayak (7901 Seaview Ave NW). You can explore the Shilshole Marina and venture out into Shilshole Bay and along Golden Gardens Park. Or sign up for a tour of the Locks or the Discovery Park shoreline.

Fuel up at Portage Bay Cafe. This Seattle chain serves locally-sourced, organic brunch and lunch items (and, of course, coffee) at four locations. Known for its breakfast bar, you can take your Swedish pancakes, oatmeal cobbler french toast, or other selected items and top them with your choice of fruit and nuts, and whipped cream. The Ballard cafe (2821 NW Market St) is just steps from the Locks and open from 7:30am to 2:30pm on weekends (7-2 during the week).

Leaving the car at home? Metro bus #44 will take you to the Ballard Locks and connects with several other buslines. If you’re up for a light rail/bike excursion, see our post: May 31, 2018 (Golden Gardens/Burke-Gilman Trail)

Weather forecast: Cooler temperatures (upper 70s, low 80s) are forecast for the weekend with mostly sunny skies.

 

May 31, 2018 (Golden Gardens/Burke-Gilman Trail)

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).

Join your fellow orca fans. Puget Soundkeeper and the Orca Salmon Alliance kick off Orca Month on Sunday with music, sand-sculpting, and other activities from 1-5pm at the Golden Gardens Bathhouse.

Help out at Golden Gardens. If you’re at the park on Saturday, you can join volunteers for a beach clean-up from 9:45am-1pm. Contact the organizers for details.

Get Out! and explore the tide pools. Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists will be on hand at Golden Gardens and other area beaches during low tide (1pm-3pm) to answer questions about in-shore marine life. And, if you’re looking for a 4-mile round-trip beach walk, the low-tide window allows you to trek from Golden Gardens to Carkeek Park. Be safe and carry a tide table.

Fuel up at Little Coney. We’ve stopped here for soft serve, burgers, and fries at this little seaside eatery for years. Fancy it is not, but crowds do line up on a nice day. (It’s always has been worth the wait.) Open from 10:30am to 5pm, it is located just south of Golden Gardens Park (8003 Seaview Ave NW).

Leaving the car at home? Consider jumping on the Burke Gilman Trail and biking to Golden Gardens. If you don’t live near the trail, take the light rail to the University of Washington station for easy access via the new pedestrian/bicycle bridge to the trail. LimeBikes are readily available (as well as the orange and yellow ones) or you can bring your bike aboard the train. Multiple bus lines stop near the trail, and the #45 runs from the UW station to Golden Gardens (.5 mile walk to the beach).

If you’re biking the trail, we recommend Solsticio in Fremont (1100 N Northlake Way), which serves great coffee, smoothies, and breakfast fare from 8am to 5pm on weekends (from 6:30am during the week).

Weather forecast: Partly sunny with a high of 68 degrees on Saturday; cooler and cloudy on Sunday with a high of 61 degrees.