Wallingford, Seattle

Seattle Public Schools Survey

If you have children attending Seattle Public Schools, you've likely received a phone call on Monday afternoon asking families to take a survey regarding the District's Strategic Plan. Initially, the deadline was on May 31 but they've since extended it to Wednesday night, June 8 at 9:00pm. Here's the information regarding the survey from the SPS website: The School District will be updating and adjusting the Strategic Plan with input from teachers, principals, parents, families, and members of our community. Please visit the…

Continue ReadingSeattle Public Schools Survey

New Bilingual Preschool: Cometa Playschool

If you're looking for opportunities to expose your preschooler to Spanish, there's a new Spanish language preschool in Wallingford. Cometa Playschool has opened a new location at 4106 Stone Way North, next door to Kuma Coffee.  Cometa offers toddler, preschool and school-age Spanish classes. Owner Manuela Slye explains that Cometa is "passionate about bilingual education and we believe our program will be a valuable addition to a neighborhood that already has access to foreign language education - JSIS, Hamilton, and soon McDonald.…

Continue ReadingNew Bilingual Preschool: Cometa Playschool

Wallingford Bungalows

When we first heard the term "bungalow", it was Mr. Rourke instructing Tattoo where to take the arriving guests. Four-square was a game you played with a kickball and chalk, and a craftsman was someone who took care with his work. Imagine our confusion when we arrived in Wallingford and found ourselves amidst a sea of bungalows, four-squares and craftsman-style homes. What actually define bungalows and craftsman homes? Wallingford Walks explain: The term bungalow probably comes from the Indian word “bengla”, which…

Continue ReadingWallingford Bungalows

Vegan Cakes

Last Saturday, as we coasted down 2nd Ave from one garage sale to another, Baby Z snoozing in the bike trailer, we spied a tent set up on a front lawn. Expecting more garage sale goodies, we pulled over onto the sidewalk to inspect the goods. Imagine our surprise when, instead of dusty romance novels and jazzercise videotapes, we found free vegan desserts. Turns out Jen "JennyMac" McPherson was kicking off her new vegan cakes business by handing out free samples…

Continue ReadingVegan Cakes

Sock Monster Anniversary Contest

Happy first anniversary to Sock Monster, Wallingford's very own sock-centric retail shop on 45th.  We checked in with Sock Monster owner Holly Gummelt recently, to see how things are going.  And she sure does have a lot of news. First, the pinball machine and sodas are gone.  But this is really a good thing, because those items were actually placeholders until the shop grew a bit, which it has. Today, there is a kids corner where the pinball machine once stood. …

Continue ReadingSock Monster Anniversary Contest

What in the Wallingford

Who knew this one would be such a puzzler! Several weeks ago, we posted the photo on the right, asking for readers to ID where in Wallingford it was taken. After two weeks, we had received zero correct answers. Really? Is it just because we pass it every day that we thought it would be obvious? The sculpture is in the front yard of 4061 4th Ave NE, just across from the John Stanford School (and our immediate neighbor), and is…

Continue ReadingWhat in the Wallingford

Happy Birthday, Wallingford!

According to HistoryLink.org, exactly 142 years ago today (June 3, 1869), Philip Ritz purchased 80 acres of land from the federal government for a mere $1.25 per acre. His purchase stretched from what we know today as Woodlawn Avenue N. to Meridian Avenue N. and from N. 40th to N. 45th Streets. A year later, Dexter Horton bought 160 acres adjacent to Ritz's land, which is now N. 42nd to 57th Street, and from Meridian all the way to 5th Avenue…

Continue ReadingHappy Birthday, Wallingford!