It’s gloomy out. It’s been drizzling on and off. From my brokerage office in Queen Anne I can see the Space Needle shrouded in clouds – ah, this is the Seattle I know so well. Yet despite the fact that most of us have lived here for years and expect this day to come, we all still love to complain about it when it does. Yes, it was a short summer. Yes, it’ll be a long winter. But why should we let that get us down? There’s still plenty going on in North Seattle, and this weather brings us some nice relief (I, for one, am sick of watering the plants already). So here is my top 5 list of why we should “be happy for crappy weather”…..
5) We get Greenlake back. Greenlake is great, its huge, it has tons of space…but every summer, the warm weather hits, and the crowds come from miles around to share in it. I’ve asked several locals and they all agree – Greenlake is fun, but that fun is greatly diminished by the lack of elbow room in the summer. Suddenly, now that the weather’s not so great, we’ve lost about half of the population around the lake overnight. It’s ours once again!
4) Fremont Oktoberfest! Do I need to say more? The Oktoberfest runs Sept 24th through 26th in our very own center of the universe. Firstly, you can feel good about going, because a portion of the proceeds go to funding local schools, art groups and community events. Secondly, everyone can get involved – there’s events for the kids, and for the dogs! And finally, its microbrew heaven. Check out The Stranger tasting garden this year with over 70 microbrews. Plus, USA Today voted this as one of the top places to toast Oktoberfest, so you know you’ll have a good time. (www.fremontoktoberfest.com)
3) Husky Football is back! Next home game is September 11th vs Syracuse, and then September 18th vs Nebraska. View the full schedule at www.gohuskies.com. And remember to avoid the area if you’re not attending the game, traffic traffic traffic!
2) Drinking hot lattes once again. And not just hot lattes, but hot lattes with fall flavors like pumpkin and gingerbread. What’s your favorite neighborhood coffee spot? Is it Zoka, which has two locations in the area (greenlake at N 56th St and U-District at NE Blakely)? Or what about Herkimer on Greenwood Ave?
1) I don’t care that its not in North Seattle – The Puyallup Fair opens up September 10th through the 26th. And since its well known that people drive up to the fair from all over, I feel that it can be included in my list (actually, top my list) of great things to do in September in North Seattle. It’s only a 45-minute drive and it is never to be missed. Visit www.thefair.com for the full lineup of concert peformers, things to do, rides to ride and more!
