For those in the hood that haven’t heard the good news – Izilla Toys is here to stay! The Izilla family decided to make a permanent home in its Wallingford Center location. After a quick post-holiday remodel, they re-opened January 16th. You can sign up for the e-newsletter at www.izillatoys.com to get the inside scoop on news and events, as well as store discounts. This month, you'll find a 20% off coupon (we've included it below in case you want to…
This past weekend held the first performances of the Is That Jazz? Festival at The Good Shepherd Center. The festival continues this weekend with performances by Jesse Canterbury's Vertigo and Bad Luck on Friday and the Tom Baker Quartet and Cuong Vu Trio on Saturday. Check out our previous post for more info. Until then, enjoy these silent slides of the shows: Sunship Sun Ra Tribute Bill Smith Trio Threat of Beauty Any jazz aficionados want to share their impression of…
Seattle’s Avant-Jazz Music Festival is coming up this weekend and next here in Wallingford at the Chapel Performance Space in the Good Shepherd Center (50th & Sunnyside). This is the second year for the IS THAT JAZZ? Festival, which “embraces jazz as a living, breathing art-form, one that must change and grow.” Headlining this year’s festival is trumpeter and Seattle native Cuong Vu, who will be performing with his Trio from New York. I’m no expert when it comes to jazz,…
If you’re looking for a fun indoor activity for your little tike during the rainy season, check out Chickadee Music. Mary Anne Aiello and the rest of the staff keep everyone singing, dancing and having lots of fun. Winter session just started, but there are still spaces available, so check them out at www.chickadeemusic.com. Chickadee has two locations: University Heights Center and Phinney Neighborhood Center.
Helen writes: Another “why I heart Wallingford” moment. Moseying over to Dicks at around 10 PM this past Thursday to fill a junk food craving, I was delighted to be serenaded by a live jazz trio while waiting in line pondering which flavor of ice cream I wanted. The singer who accompanied them said they got double-booked at a gig and decided to come over to Dicks and provide a little light dinner music to the patrons. Lovely.
Being a mom of young kids, living in Wallingford is a gift. There are so many places you can go, on foot or by bicycle, to amuse the little ones and yourself, as the winter days start to give everyone cabin fever. Just the other day, we made a solid two hour outing of walking around, doing a “tour de wallyhood” if you will. We were gone so long that the baby bjorn straps cut into my shoulders, creating semi-permanent grooves. Perhaps I…
In an effort to escape the merciless downpours and warm up with a pint, my sister and I ducked into Al's Tavern (Corliss and 45th) around 9pm on Monday. Accustomed to seeing just a few bearded-and-flannelled men in their fifties and the occasional mutt stretched out under a booth on weekday nights, we were surprised to find the dive bar packed. Then, we heard the music. About five or six bluegrass/folk musicians had crammed themselves, several chairs, guitars, violins and what appeared…