West Seattle, Washington
26 Friday
Even without the Cinco de Mayo wildness at your favorite drinking spot, it’s a BIG West Seattle weekend. Click for the full (and “full” is an understatement) list!Read More
For the hundreds of times we have walked or driven past the Alki Bathhouse, we’ve been inside maybe once. Tonight — a good chance to wander in and be warmly welcomed — a spring reception, 5-8 pm (brochure page 14) — we found out from all these cheery postings in the bathhouse’s big side window this morning:

Two calls tonight for West Seattle artists to come forward and show their stuff. First: The new artists’ studio Ginomai is looking for more artists to display their work during upcoming Junction Art Walks. Deadline for the next one is next Monday. (EARLY THURS UPDATE: The Art Walk has its own blog now!) Second: This Friday is the deadline for artists and musicians to sign up to be part of this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest in mid-July. Go here to get an application.
It appears the last Groucho left in the greenery along the Delridge-side approach to The Bridge is gone. Riding shotgun along that stretch of concrete this morning, we were able to confirm the reader tip that first told us so. With the Grouchos gone, WS seems a little less whimsical. For now. (We’ll just have to go back to squinting at the Fauntleroy overpass banners.)
On this busy spring Sunday, perhaps between your Farmers’ Market stop and your Water Taxi trip, take a little time to help ponder the future of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. A community open house is happening there 11 am-2 pm to facilitate and inspire that pondering. And there’s urgency — the school district still owns this 90-year-old treasure (the child-care center, events hall, and others based there are tenants) but is indicating it’s time to sell off this and other “surplus property.” If you have only driven by, perhaps heading to or from the nearby ferry dock, you may not realize how large the schoolhouse property is; as a result, as one reader wrote to us, “there are developers who are hovering over the property.” Will it be the next townhouse cluster — or will the community rally to preserve it? Drop by today to offer ideas … or absorb them … a rare chance to do something before it’s too late.
The Water Taxi and Farmers’ Market, both returning on Sunday … Easy Street’s new “afterhours” shows continuing tonight … your chance to help shape a West Seattle landmark’s future … all part of the weekend preview roundup, a click away:
This is one mystery we slightly, wistfully wish could have stayed unsolved … but the genie’s out of the bottle. Dan from Seattlest dropped in, two posts down, earlier this morning, to say the bear, the owl (the Grouchos too? they don’t seem to fit the theme), and much more, are the work of “No Touching Ground.” Watch the video linked to the name; there’s no doubt. The video doesn’t match a real-life name to the artist but a little rummaging around the web comes up with it. (And he’s got a show up at a Pioneer Square coffeehouse right now.)
Some of what’s happening in WS this week, before we get anywhere near the next fun-filled (Water Taxi! Farmers’ Market! Hall @ Fauntleroy open house!) weekend:
–Tonight (Monday): Celebrate National Poetry Month (and Shakespeare’s birthday!) with a Poetry Read-Around @ the gorgeously renovated Southwest Library (35th & Henderson).
–Tuesday: Have dinner tonight @ Endolyne Joe’s and part of the proceeds will go to the Fauntleroy Fall Festival.
–Wednesday: This is your last-chance deadline to register a yard sale as part of Megawatt’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale on May 12.
–Thursday: Dine Out for Life to fight AIDS. West Seattle participants are Abbondanza (dinner), Angelina’s Trattoria (lunch & dinner), Blackbird Bistro (lunch & dinner), Buddha Ruksa (dinner), Eats Market Cafe (breakfast/lunch/dinner), Mission (dinner), Ovio (dinner), Skylark (lunch & dinner). Also: After an early dinner or before a late one, check out WS-based Adventure Associates‘ free slideshow “Adventures in Mexico: Copper Canyon,” 6:30 pm @ C & P Coffee.
As we hinted a few times already, SO MUCH happening in West Seattle this weekend, you might as well not bother going anywhere else. World-class shows (like the members of COTR appearing at Cafe Rozella), free swimming, Earth Day celebrations galore, and … how can you pass up the first-ever Pet Rodeo and Snooty Walk? Full list with links, a click away:
We like to include pictures with our posts now and then but would never consider ourselves true photographers. Here are three noteworthy examples of new work from people who do merit that label:
-When we posted about the doomed “Mission Revival”-style building at 6053 California, we hoped aloud that someone with photographic talent would get pictures that truly do it justice before it’s gone. That’s what Christopher Boffoli just did.
-A routine blogsearch turned up this item with a beautiful little slide show about a bus stop in The Junction.
-There’s a nice image from this past weekend’s YMCA Healthy Kids Day on this new site launched by former Herald photojournalist Matt Durham.
–Tomorrow night, ArtsWest presents Ladies Night Out, featuring not only that night’s performance of “On the Verge,” but also drinks, snacks, door prizes, and trendy clothing/shoe displays from local boutiques. Call ArtsWest for ticket info.
-Also tomorrow night, maybe not quite that much fun but potentially life-saving, a Disaster Preparedness Workshop @ High Point Community Center. Did you feel unprepared when the windstorm hit? This is a great way to figure out how to be ready NEXT time.
-And a sneak weekend preview — Friday night‘s bound to be incredible at Cafe Rozella as it celebrates its second anniversary — with a free 7:30 pm flamenco performance by Eric and Encarnacion from the spectacular local group Children of the Revolution.
We shared the first tip last week about the Groucho Marxes visible from the south side of the west end of the high bridge. Now, finally photos — these were linked from a new comment on the original item; the one below was e-mailed to us by Nick Peters:

For those of you keeping track (or maybe it’s just us) — yet another music star turns out to be right here on our side of the bay: Eric Judy from Modest Mouse, as mentioned in this Times article previewing the band’s Sunday night concert.
We actually consider 13 a lucky number, so this is bound to be a great weekend. Garden plants for sale, free family fun courtesy of the WS YMCA, tons of tunes, and surprises as always — one click away:
Our usual info-source for the Art Walk, the folks at Divina, are sitting this one out, but we finally found the lineup for tonight. 6-8 pm, in The Junction, be there.
Wandering through the Admiral District this morning, we spotted West Seattle’s Only Moviehouse in the process of getting a paint job (note the primer above the marquee):

Lest anyone think we only mention Christian churches here at WSB … let’s meander over to the other side of the faith field. You might not know WS has a thriving Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. It’s not in its own building, but it’s apparently grown plenty since we dropped in on a then-living-room-size gathering loooooong ago (triple-digit attendance these days). And in a week and a half, on 4/21, its members are throwing a bash to which they’re inviting the entire community: a Hungarian Gala, with a Hungarian feast plus entertainment by the Kisbetyarok Hungarian Family Dancers. If you’re interested, call 932-2731 as soon as you can to ask about tickets (they hope to get something of a headcount ahead of time); proceeds, by the way, go to the village of Torockoszentgyorgy in Transylvania, Romania.
Fun stuff happening midweek on our side of the bay, so here’s an advance alert:
-For family fun: High Point Community Center sponsors Springfest tomorrow.
-Two big entertainment events in The Junction on Wednesday night: “On the Verge” opens @ ArtsWest; Jonatha Brooke performs live-in-store @ Easy Street.
Busy weekend in store for West Seattle — Saturday morning has a holiday-weekend event at each and every one of our city-run community centers, and that’s just a start — lots more, just a click away:Read More
It’s Friday, and that means time for the West Seattle weekend roundup. Indoor and outdoor fun to follow …Read More
Perhaps it’s the ol’ law of attraction. We were browsing library shelves far from West Seattle last weekend and playing book roulette — just grab something that looks somewhat interesting. We didn’t read the author blurb, didn’t recognize the name, just saw the sci-fi/fantasy type plot summary and said “why not.” Started reading it last night, thought a name in the author’s family acknowledgments looked familiar, followed the Google trail … yes, the author is from West Seattle. Of ALL the books to pull out of the stack! Just started it so no review, but add this to your list of WS authors. P.S. Speaking of WS authors, the WSB reader behind “Heidi, Geek Girl Detective” (a “serialized mystery webcomic”) has posted Book One’s final chapter.
Actually, this time we’ve got events in West Seattle AND a bit beyond … just a click away:Read More
Getting a jump on our weekly “what’s happening this weekend,” which will be up tomorrow as usual — we wanted to give you 24 (or so) hours notice about two benefit events, both happening tomorrow (Friday) night. #1 — From 6 till 8 pm in the West Seattle High School commons, it’s the annual chowder cookoff, with chowders from local restaurants offered in what the school calls a “blind taste test.” More info a ways down the school’s home page. #2 — The West Seattle Big Band is playing @ Evergreen HS (between White Center and Burien) as part of an “Evening of Swing,” 6:30-9:30 pm, benefitting the school music program.
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