Traffic along Wallingford Avenue, above 40th Street, began to build by 11:00 a.m. As I mowed my lawn, I marveled over the families that hauled their blankets, coolers, chairs, strollers, and kids 8 blocks down the hill. By 3:00 p.m. the rain pretty much put the kibosh on my yard work, and the steady stream of people tapered down to a trickle. But around 6:00 p.m., the thickening crowd resumed their pilgrimage to Lake Union. During a dinner party at my…
Every Fourth of July—around 4:00 p.m. or so—I watch as scores of drivers swoop in for one of the precious few remaining parking spaces on my street. As the hours pass, the scene changes from motorists to pedestrians, who make their way down Wallingford Avenue in a slow and steady stream. They’ve got quite a few blocks to go before they hit Gas Works Park, but this stretch of Wallingford becomes a giant block party in and of itself. The street…
With any luck, southeast Wallingford may have its wish granted for less noise from the I-5 Express Lanes overhead--at least that's WSDOT's goal as it begins its I-5 Ship Canal Noise Study; but don't break out the bubbly to celebrate just yet. The study involves installing 700 noise absorbing panels on the ceiling of the Express Lanes over the south end of the Ship Canal Bridge, and they'll be monitoring the noise levels for three years for their effectiveness before securing…
It was a dark and foggy night at Matthews Beach a few years ago, and there was a boat heading toward the shore where I stood. From the shadows of many tall, dark pine trees came scores of people wrapped in winter attire – slowly and silently walking toward the water, eyes blinking from the cold. Did I inadvertently come upon the filming of a “4400” episode? I did not. It was the Christmas Ships! And after 60 years, this Northwest…
Back in February, we noted that there were efforts afoot to extend the excellent Center for Wooden Boats to the north shore of Lake Union (aka Wallingford). We played a bit of phone tag with the director and gradually dropped the thread of the story. Better late than never, we bring you good news of progress. The Friends of Northlake Wharf have been diligently planning, pleading and visioning to create a new public space that would include the CWB on Waterway…