Surf’s Up!

Surf's up, yo! This Wednesday, July 1st is opening day for the wading pool in Wallingford Playfield (Wallingford Ave and 43rd St N). According to the Seattle Parks Dept web site, the pool will be open daily July 1st - Sept 7th, noon - 7 pm. The pool is drained at the end of the day, so get there early for the big breaks and freshest water. (Thanks Ryan for the reminder!)

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Selena’s Signage

We noticed that Selena's Guadalajara (1715 N 45th St) was getting a signage upgrade this weekend. Perhaps Moon Temple, with its sign peeling away, will see the example and step up its frontage. While we're on the topic of Selena's, we know that they have salsa dancing every Saturday night. If any of our readers can provide a review, we'd happily publish.

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Penguins on Parade

The first hint that something was amiss in Wallingford came from Jenny: Penguins seem to be invading Wallingford all of a sudden. I spotted one inside Alphabet Soup this morning and then another one outside the Boys and Girls Club a few minutes later. They're quite colorful and seemingly harmless. Penguins? In Wallingford? We've had some unusual weather of late, but still. Maybe she meant guys in penguins suits? Guy in a penguin suit would be hilarious, but nope, they're little…

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Pillowman

My Green Lake reminds us there's free theater to be had in the neighborhood. The Bathhouse theater is showing, for one weekend only (this weekend), The Pillowman: The newly minted Bathhouse Ensemble, a collective of young theater artists dedicated to independent, risky and entertaining work, present their inaugural production, the Tony-nominated The Pillowman, by award-winning Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, June 26th-27th at the historic Bathhouse Theater on Green Lake. McDonagh's The Pillowman is a dark, twisted look at the role of…

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Green Blocks Deadline

We know we just posted about the Green Blocks program this morning, but an astute reader or two pointed out that the deadline for submitting is today, Friday June 26th. We called to see if we could get an extension for Wallingford, but no luck, as they're concerned about being overwhelmed given their existing responses. On the bright side, they said that Wallingford was "saturated" with applications, so if you rush your application in today, there's not a bad chance other…

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Kayak Report

Last week, we recommended taking advantage of the temporary closing of 520 by renting kayaks and paddling around the temporarily quiet Arboretum. A couple of readers took our suggestion and wrote a report on their blog, http://mojo.us/. It's worth checking out if only for the gorgeous pictures they shot (including the one at right). See? You should do what we say. It's often a good idea.

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Wide World Books and Maps gets new owner

We had no idea, but it sounds like Wide World Books and Maps (4411 Wallingford Ave N) was on the ropes, and considering closing its doors forever. Fortunately, it's been pulled back from the brink by avid traveler and new owner, Julie Hunt. The Seattle Times has the full story. Welcome to the neighborhood Julie, and thanks for saving a Wallingford original.

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