West Seattle, Washington
16 Monday
When we broke the news last night about Amazon‘s new grocery-delivery service adding three West Seattle zip codes — 98116, 98126, and 98136 — to its delivery area, the question of course came quickly from West Seattleites outside those zips: What about 98106 (Delridge) and 98146 (Arbor Heights etc.)? We checked back with Vincent at Amazon, who could only tell us:
At this instant we’re considering 98106 & 98146, but unfortunately we don’t have any set timeframe. (and if we do expand, you’ll be the first to know about it ;) ).
We signed ourselves up to be notified when Amazon‘s new grocery-delivery service came to our zip code – haven’t gotten a note that way yet, but the official WSB inbox just yielded this:
My name is Vincent and I’m a PM on the Amazon Fresh team. We’re part of the Amazon.com family, and we’re the Seattle area’s newest online grocery. We recently launched in July, only delivering to Mercer Island, but we’ve been expanding our coverage areas and now we just began delivery to West Seattle! I was wondering if your readers would be interested in the following news:
Beginning today, residents living in zip codes 98136, 98126, and 98116 can enjoy our pre-dawn delivery service: Place an order online as late as midnight, and we can deliver next morning as early as 6AM  free.*(minimum $25 order) This even includes Thanksgiving Day!
All you have to do is to browse to AmazonFresh.com and enter the address where you’d like to have your deliveries. Visit us and browse our selection of over 20,000 specialty and everyday itemsâ€â€get your milk, fresh fruit, and much more.
Much as we personally prefer to shop in our local West Seattle grocery stores and will continue to do so, we may place a test order just to report back on what happens. 8:45 PM UPDATE: Well, we tried. But then we hit the explanation of “pre-dawn delivery” – sometime before 6 am, the order is left by your door. Just not comfortable with that; not that we don’t trust our neighbors, but there’s a lot of wildlife around here. They would have had a field day with the turkey. Some interesting pricing in there, though, especially for produce and fresh herbs.
There was a time you didn’t hear much about the mortgage business unless you yourself were in the process of getting one. Then – times changed. But the latest 
West Seattle businessperson to join the WSB sponsor ranks has a clear, authoritative, helpful voice that has emerged from the middle of it all: Rhonda Porter, CMPS (Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist), who has gained local and national attention with her blog The Mortgage Porter. It’s a place not just to find information such as her weekly Friday Mortgage Rate Update (last Friday’s edition here) but also background information and context (check the left sidebar for “Favorite Mortgage Posts” such as How to Pick a Lender, and a group of posts explaining specific mortgage programs). Rhonda also contributes to the respected regional real-estate blog Rain City Guide. You can reach Rhonda at 206-718-9488 or by e-mail (click here). This Thanksgiving week, we are thankful for Rhonda Porter and for Hotwire Coffee and Garlic Jim’s Pizza in The Junction, Click! Design That Fits in the Admiral District, and West Seattle Realtor Bill Barna, our first fabulous WSB sponsors; here’s how to join them. (And we are thankful for YOU and all our fabulous WSB visitors/readers/contributors/participants, too!)
Catching up with the sites linked from our Other Blogs in WS page — we found a beautiful blue backyard visitor captured on video at A Bad Case of Wanderlust.
This morning, Click! Design That Fits in the Admiral District 
joins Hotwire Coffee, Garlic Jim’s Pizza, and Prudential NW Realtor Bill Barna on the growing list of West Seattle businesses sponsoring WSB to reach out to you and the thousands of other local folks who come here daily for 24/7/365 West Seattle news, information, and discussion. (Read our “why ads on WSB?” explanation here.) Click! Design That Fits is at 2210 California Ave. SW, a few blocks north of Admiral (map and hours are on the Click! site), and just celebrated its third anniversary; as Click! owners Frances and John Smersh explain on their website, they opened the shop “to bring contemporary design to our neighborhood of West Seattle … We believe that everyday things should be conscientiously made, functional for the task they were designed to accomplish, and should contribute beauty to daily life.” They also offer online shopping at the Click! site, with gorgeous pix of the jewelry Frances designs and makes by hand, and much more, including a “gift ideas” page. To find out more about joining them as a WSB sponsor, click here to see how to get in touch with our WSB Sales Guy. And thanks again to you and everyone for being part of the WSB community!
One wrecked motorcycle, two hurt people, four-plus hours of commute-tastrophe on The Bridge. If you got caught up in it yesterday afternoon/evening, you might be interested in the semi-witness account posted here.
Money may not be able to buy happiness, or love, so it’s said, but in some cases, it can buy time. For us, money *from* WSB will buy more time we can devote *to* WSB. 
So this morning, we are thrilled to welcome our first advertiser: HOTWIRE COFFEE, celebrating its fifth anniversary in that cool brick building by the Junction post office. We are grateful to Hotwire proprietor Lora Vickrey and our other sponsors-to-be for supporting WSB and our mission to offer you 24/7/365 West Seattle news, information, and discussion. Want to join them? More info on our new Advertising page; and for everybody here in WSB-land, here’s our commitment:Read More
DOG OWNERS, TAKE HEED: A post on the Westcrest Park Off-Leash Area Yahoo! group says Animal Control officers were at the park this week citing owners of license-less dogs. (The crackdown’s been under way citywide all year.)
BEACH DRIVE RESIDENTS ON ALERT: Beach Drive Blog shares a warning about car prowlers.
END OF AN ERA: We didn’t realize how sad we are going to be on Election Day until we saw the phrase in “print” in the online version of the newsletter for Fauntleroy Church, which plans a bake sale and bazaar for visiting voters (and others) that day and begins its pitch for volunteers this way: “For this last in-person election ever in King County …” BWAAAA! Seriously, we’re sad. We’ve voted in person every election, every place we’ve ever lived, since the very first elections for which we were eligible after turning 18, and as you have probably figured out by now, that wasn’t exactly yesterday. For some, trying to carve out time to get to “the polls” may have been a hassle, but for us we always found a way to make it a wonderful ritual and a time to remember how lucky we are. Sitting at the cluttered table marking up the ballot at our leisure just won’t be the same.
-Some especially excellent comments today, and we want to call your attention to them in case you don’t usually read the comment sections of WSB posts. Below our report about the Northwest Art & Frame broken window, we just heard from “TR,” the early-morning dog-walker who spotted the damage and called authorities. And after this post updating the “West Seattle Art Attack” pumpkin surprises, we heard from people (Randie and Ben) at two of the houses “hit” by WSAA. Thanks to everybody for coming to WSB and adding new information!
-Several people e-mailed us yesterday about a mysterious sign near “Walking on Logs,” close to the relentlessly patrolled area where political signs have been turning up, and coming down. Last night we did pull over to check out that sign — it is a printout of the city sign ordinance, with the relevant section highlighted in a marker color that we can’t help describing as “angry red.” We’ll see shortly if they have gone after the signs just put up by a certain City Council candidate who seems determined to let us all know she (hearts) The Viaduct. (Including in-person sign-waving at 35th & Fauntleroy this morning.)
-If you’re interested in acupuncture, a reader e-mailed us recently suggesting that more people might want to know about a community acupuncture clinic at The Mount on Monday afternoons, run by Angie Hughes. “Reasonable price and an underutilized resource,” according to the reader, so we’re tacking it up on our equivalent of the virtual bulletin board, with this post.
For everyone who just couldn’t wait to find out more about this suddenly much-advertised condo conversion south of Morgan Junction … the website is now up. (As are [illegal] sandwich-board signs all along southbound 99 going at least as far back as the Battery Street Tunnel.) If you’ve got some time to kill, take a look at the site and (a) find the errors and (b) tell us if you recognize the coffee shop on the “contact” page.
In celebration of “great vis,” this blogging diver went out at night this week in West Seattle waters and reports seeing not just one Giant Pacific Octopus, but six, “within a 25-yard area.” A photo of one is included (scroll down to the entry dated today).
Gorgeous nearly full moon in the western sky this morning. 1000 year headache (one of the dozens of sites on our Other Blogs in WS page) has two excellent pix.
Two notes from our weekly check to make sure the Other Blogs in WS page links are still good (and to see what all those other lively West Seattle writers are up to!):
-Looking for a West Seattle house for less than $300,000? One blogger’s house just went up for sale, and she’s started this blog [wsb note: link removed 12/26/07, no longer active] to get it a little extra attention.
-Dropping by the JetCityOrange blog reminded us that JCO’s Jerry had sent us a link earlier about some mysterious graffiti he spotted around town, wondering if anyone knows what it stands for. (Check it out here.)
UPDATE from originally posted RRR: WSB reader Kmac wants advice on the best HOME wireless internet provider. Kmac elaborated in a comment on our previous post:
… I’m looking for PROVIDERS of wireless internet service at HOME. I really don’t want to call Comcast and sometimes I can’t go out and need to stay home. Yes, I’m one of the few folks still without internet service at home and bizarre, bizarre – I only have one wireless network close to home I can “link” to, but I have to be out on my balcony. I think I remember a year or so ago a company new to WS offering internet service, but they weren’t offering it everywhere – at least not yet in Alki. So…that is my need….wireless internet at home that isn’t from Comcast.
The company Kmac refers to is likely Clearwire. How’s that working for WS users? And how about the wireless phone companies who also offer wireless broadband? Plus — any little-known options? Comment away!
REVISION FROM ORIGINAL POSTING: WSB wants to know your favorite spot for free wi-fi in WS (originally attributed to a reader who actually was asking about home wireless internet, so we are posting a separate item). Back when we were all quaking in anticipation of Freeway Fright ’07, we had intended to come up with an official list — but as we all know, FF ’07 never did explode into a commutastrophe, so we dropped the effort. Some readers noted their faves at the time in comments on this post, and Jerry at JetCityOrange pointed everyone to a WS-wi-fi Google Map he put together on his “About West Seattle” page. Various other websites aren’t necessarily reliable — this one, for example, lists at least two WS places that have been closed a while (Bikes & Brew and Carosello). So what’s your fave? Let’s see if we can crowdsource the latest list.
The marketing website is now up for Strata, the condo conversion (first mentioned here in June) formerly known as the Graham Street Apartments, at Cali/Graham north of Morgan Junction. Always fascinating to take a look at how these sites market the buildings and the neighborhood — in this case, the page about “the location” pitches The Junction (mentioning Elliott Bay and Uptown) rather than much-closer Morgan Junction; “the building” is described as “Northwest Contemporary” (though built in 1987); the page about “the design” mentions “tidy modern landscaped spaces for ground floor homes” (we’ve noticed fences going up on the Cali side of the building). The home page describes Strata as “priced within reach”; prices aren’t on the site right now but the promotional e-mail announcing the website says “from the low 200s.”
As Mars Hill Church-West Seattle expands to two Sunday services starting tomorrow, it appears MHC has gone to 100% video preaching for its satellite locations such as WS, with the “campus pastors” opening & closing the services, and the sermons all given on video by MHC leader Mark Driscoll. This is detailed in the newest blog post by West Seattle’s campus pastor Adam Sinnett, who points to an explanation from Driscoll — in the form of a 36-minute video, available online. We just watched it out of curiosity; it’s a long ramble that goes back into history, starting by contending that Christian leaders going back to Jesus himself were tasked with “using the opportunities that culture provides us,” then going on to discuss technological breakthroughs with religious ties, such as the printing of the Bible and the invention of the film projector by Thomas Edison (described by Driscoll as a “devout Christian” though we’re having trouble finding corroboration online). Driscoll notes that video preaching “frees up” each campus pastor to spend more hours each week “shepherding” the local flocks, and he notes generously that the campus pastors are “allowed” to preach “live” during the 10-12 times each year that Driscoll himself doesn’t do the Sunday sermon. BTW, the new MHC-WS service times as of tomorrow are 9 am and 11:15 am, so be on the lookout for more white-bus traffic, earlier and later.
Finally, another live cam to add to our WS cams page! Hotwire Online Coffeehouse proprietor Lora Vickrey e-mailed us to announce Hotwire’s new baristacam. Unless you’re on a Mac (which unfortunately in this case we are), you can check it out here — Lora notes you likely will be prompted to download ActiveX in order for the live video to work.
-Today’s Times features West Seattle cancer survivor Anita Mitchell, whose art will be on display Tuesday at Swedish Medical Center.
-Event that didn’t make it to the latest WS Weekend Lineup: Four Aims Center, which took over the ex-Cat’s Eye Cafe near Lincoln Park, has an open house this afternoon/evening, with free yoga, meditation, and refreshments.
-The West Seattle Birdcam has flown away. Sorry to see it go. Can’t believe we have so few linkable live cams in WS; if you know of one that’s not on our WS “Live” Cams page (nothing too “adult,” sorry), please let us know.
-WSB reader Gayle e-mailed us to make sure everyone knows about West Seattle’s newest food option, which you might miss unless you frequent ActivSpace on Harbor Ave: River House, open Mon-Sat at ActivSpace. Gayle says, “They serve crepes (sweet and savory), sandwiches, salads, daily specials, espresso drinks, baked goods and gelato … Also offered are homemade sauces. Try the Fresh Pear – no sugar added. Coffee served is from Vashon Island Roasters. … Yummy!”
The West Seattle Junction Association e-mailed us to help get the word out about its job posting for an event planner to help with Hometown Holidays (Christmas, after all, is just 3 months away); checking out the listing, we noticed WSJA revamped its website sometime in the past week, with features including an updated Junction business directory. On a semi-related note, we discovered another Junction business is blogging; we’ve mentioned the Clementine blog before — now meet the Friends and Company blog (belated congrats on the store‘s 10th anniversary).
Congratulations to new Alki News-Beacon editor Cami MacNamara on publication of her first edition – you can check it out online here. Cami is also webmaster for AlkiNews.com, where you can always find a link to the latest Beacon as well as other info from the Alki Community Council, which is preparing for its regular bimonthly meeting next Thursday (have you joined yet?).
–Taco Del Mar in Westwood Village has opened.
-Also in Westwood Village, Pet Pros — one of the 6 pet stores WS now has, counting the newly opened All the Best Pet Care on Alki — says it’s having a grand-opening sale 9/28-9/30.ÂÂ
-Another business is celebrating a grand opening: We just heard from TouchTech Systems, which has moved into the former West Seattle Helpline spot (they’re now in the WS Community Resource Center) in The Junction (along the corridor at 4517 Cali). Company president Brian Presser, a WS resident, describes TouchTech Systems as:
We are a small local company that provides multimedia marketing and communication solutions for the internet (such as websites) as well as interactive kiosks for a multitude of uses. We sell and provide service for essentially all Apple computer equipment and are a reseller of most major hardware and software brands including Xerox, HP, Adobe and Microsoft.
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