Tide pools

April 18, 2019 (West Seattle)

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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).

Join your fellow paddlers. Locally-owned Mountain to Sound Outfitters (3618 SW Alaska St) is hosting a Boat Swap on Saturday from 12pm to 6pm (co-hosted by Alki Kayak Tours) and Paddling Film Festival from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Buy and/or sell human powered watercraft (kayaks, SUPs, canoes) and accessories, see a film — and check out the store’s sale on winter gear.

Help out at Me-kwa-mooks Park. On Friday from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, volunteers will be removing ivy and blackberry to make room for native Pacific Northwest plants. Sign up online and meet on the front lawn of Me-kwa-mooks Park (4503 Beach Drive SW).

Get out! for a day at the beach. Enjoy the quiet side of Alki at Me-kwa-mooks. If the tide is out, explore the tidepools, then walk 2.5 miles along the shoreline to Lincoln Park, which has woodsy and waterside trails.

Fuel up at … We’ve been telling you about our go-to places to eat and get coffee, but we want to hear about yours! We invite you to post a comment about your favorite eateries in West Seattle.

Leaving the car at home? The West Seattle Water Taxi is operating seven days a week now, leaving from downtown. Metro route 773 will take you from the ferry dock to the Alaska junction. The C-Line also runs from Seattle to the Alaska junction and to Lincoln Park. On weekdays, bus #37 goes to the Alaska junction and Me-kwa-mooks Park.

Weather forecast: Friday may seen some rain with a high of 57 degrees. Saturday and Sunday are forecast to be sunny with patchy clouds and highs in the low 60s.

March 14, 2019 (Downtown/Chinatown-ID)

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 the beach. If you enjoy (or think you might enjoy) spending summer weekends on the beach talking to people about marine life, the Seattle Aquarium begins its volunteer Beach Naturalist training on April 2. Find the details online.

Join your fellow theater fans. The Fern Shakespeare Company‘s production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream offers a bawdy, hilarious, and interactive take on the overlap between humans and the natural world (and its mischievous fairies). Tickets are available online; the show runs through the end of March at the Slate Theater (815 Seattle Blvd S).

Get out! on a run. The annual St. Patrick’s Day Dash takes place Sunday morning. The course starts at the Seattle Center, continues up-and-back through downtown, and finishes at the Seattle Center with a Post Dash Bash and Beer Garden. More info and registration is online.

If group running isn’t your thing, the trails crisscrossing nearby 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.

Fuel up with ramen. In a tiny space — but well worth the wait — Samurai Noodle (606 5th Ave S) serves steaming bowls of ramen in aromatic and delicious broths. We recently tried the mushroom ramen, which included one of the most flavorful slices of pork we’ve had. Open from 10am to 8:30pm (and until 9:30 on Friday and Saturday).

Leaving the car at home? Bus #24/19 goes to the the Seattle Center, as well as Olympic Sculpture Park. And buses #13/2 and #8 go to the Seattle Center. The International District/Chinatown light rail station is just a short walk from Samurai Noodle and the Slate Theater. Numerous buses travel to and from the C-ID, including the #7, #14, #36, and #124.

Weather forecast: Sun and clouds with highs around 60.

October 18, 2018 (Crown Hill/Carkeek Park)

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 Carkeek Park. The park is the place to be on Saturday for two volunteer opportunities. Join Carkeek STARS volunteers from 9am-12pm for forest restoration and trail maintenance. Follow the STARS signs to the meeting place (950 NW Carkeek Rd.).

Alternatively, attend the Carkeek Park Salmon Stewards training at the Environmental Learning Center from 9:30am to 3pm. Then sign up for 3 or 4 shifts on Saturdays and Sundays from November 3 to December 2. Volunteer duties include staffing a salmon information table, talking to visitors at Piper’s Creek, and keeping tally of the location and number of salmon returning to the creek. See the website for more info or to sign up.

Join your fellow Arbor Day celebrants. Soundview Playfield (1590 NW 90th St) hosts the Celebrate Arbor Day! event on Saturday from 9am-12pm. Join local non-profits, agencies, and companies for tree planting, an “Ask an Arborist” booth, a neighborhood Tree Walk, and apple cider pressing. RSVP online.

Get out! in the woods and on the beach. Carkeek Park has something for everyone — forest trails, beach walks, and expansive bluff views. Download/print a trail map online.

Fuel up at The Dane. This neighborhood beer and coffee cafe (8000 15th Ave NW) also offers Danish-style sandwiches, salads, dogs and brats. Try The Dane Dog with cream cheese, diced onions, pickles, mustard, and homemade remoulade. Open at 8am daily until 10pm Sunday-Thursday and 11pm Friday & Saturday.

Leaving the car at home?  Metro buses #40, #45 and the D-Line will drop you within blocks of Soundview Playfield and The Dane. The D-Line stops near the Piper’s Creek Trailhead in Carkeek Park, and it is a 0.8-mile walk to the Environmental Learning Center (950 NW Carkeek Rd.).

Weather forecast: Mostly sunny skies are forecast with temps in the mid-60s.

August 2-23 2018 (Citywide)

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).

We will be on vacation until August 30, but leave you (temporarily) with some ideas for this final month of summer.

Help out and protect trails during Washington Trails Association’s Hike-a-Thon. Hike on any named trail this month and log your miles. Details are online. Hike on weekends and take Metro’s Trailhead Direct to trailheads along I-90.

Join your fellow Shakespeare fans. Several theater companies are performing at area parks, including GreenStage and, a little further afield, Wooden O. Pack a picnic for a lovely way spend an August afternoon or evening.

Get Out! for a day at the beach. Explore our city’s saltwater shorelines. Beach naturalists will be on hand during selected low tides (August 9-12) at Olympic Sculpture Park, Carkeek Park, South Alki, Lincoln Park, and Golden Gardens. See our previous post for a low-tide beach walk between Golden Gardens and Carkeek Park.

Fuel up with food from the farm. August is a great time to visit Seattle’s farmers markets with many fruits and vegetables at their peak.

July 26, 2018 (Magnolia/Discovery Park)

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 Discovery Park work party. On Saturday from 9am to 1pm, volunteers are needed to remove invasive species and spread mulch in preparation for planting native vegetation in the fall. Find a registration link, as well as details about what to wear/bring, online — and meet at the park’s south parking lot.

Join your fellow swimmers. The heat is on so head to Mounger Pool (2535 32nd Ave W) for a cooling dip. With two pools and various swim time options, the pool can accommodate those who want to do laps and those who prefer the 50-foot corkscrew slide.

Get Out! and explore Discovery Park. Our favorite in-city get-away offers miles of beach and trail walking opportunities, as well as shady forests and sweeping views of the Sound and Olympic Peninsula. Find a trail map at the Environmental Learning Center (3801 Discovery Park Blvd) or online.

Fuel up at Serendipity Cafe & Lounge. Serving locally-sourced meals from 7am to 9pm, there is something for everyone at this neighborhood spot (3222 W McGraw St), including good coffee and a full bar.

If you’d rather take a picnic to the park, Metropolitan Market (and its large array of take-out options) is nearby (3830 34th Ave W).

Leaving the car at home? Metro bus #31 goes to Magnolia Village (Mounger Pool, restaurants). The #33 goes to Discovery Park Environmental Learning Center area and the #24 goes to the south parking lot area.

Weather forecast: Hot and sunny. Saturday’s high is 87 degrees, Sunday’s is 91 degrees.

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.